Akira

In a rebuilt Tokyo, decades after a devastating war, a city rises around a vast crater while the military runs secret experiments on people with psychic abilities. A bike gang led by Shotaro Kaneda roams Neo-Tokyo, and when one of its members, Tetsuo Shima, is caught up in a military operation, dormant powers awaken in him. As Tetsuo grows more powerful, rival groups, a colonel and a popular cult centred on a figure called Akira are drawn into a struggle over the city's future.

The film is an adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's own manga, directed by Otomo from a screenplay he wrote with Izo Hashimoto. It is the first film Otomo directed in a run that continues through Neo Tokyo, Memories, Spriggan, Steamboy and Short Peace. The Japanese voice cast includes Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tarō Ishida, Mizuho Suzuki and Tessyo Genda, with a credited cast of 26 and crew of 93, alongside producers Shunzo Kato and Ryohei Suzuki.

Akira was released in June 1988 and runs 124 minutes. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 225,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.9 out of 10 from about 5,000 votes. A film critics' rating of 8.1 out of 10 from 55 reviews places critical appraisal close to audience scores on both platforms.