10 Best Anime Films Of The '80s
2. Akira (1988)
If, for some reason, Akira were to be left off this list, droves of angry otakus would surely storm the offices of WhatCulture and demand retribution for this heinous crime against anime itself.
Akira is so popular in fact, that it has managed to transcend the label of Japanese animation - often regarded as one of the best animated films ever made, even by people that don't even know what an anime is.
Even though Akira is regarded as a "cult classic", nothing could be further from the truth. The film was widely popular when it originally released back in 1988, earning its spot as the sixth highest-grossing Japanese film of the year. It then went on to be widely popular in the rest of the world too, with its VHS sales proving so numerous that it actually led to the formation of the Western distribution giant Manga Entertainment. Even its 2020 4K re-release in cinemas catapulted it to number three at the UK box office.
All of this was well deserved, too. Akira is a landmark film, with animation so detailed and elaborate that very few anime come close to rivaling it. Most importantly though, that motorbike just looks so damn cool.