The only animated movie to make our list is based on the epic, sprawling, mind-boggling manga series of the same name, and deals with a storyline that - in its simplest terms - explores a future government who experiment on children in a dystopian Japan branded as "Neo Tokyo." On the surface, Akira might just look like a very well-drawn cartoon, but rest assured - this "cartoon" clings to an incredibly complicated and often headache-inducing plot, one that even fans of the movie have trouble trying to explain to the uninitiated. Directed by Katshuhiro Otomo, who also created the manga, Akira is bold and intoxicating sci-fi at its densest. Our hero is Shotaro Kaneda, a member of a biker gang who finds himself going up against the government when his best friend is captured. Most people come to appreciate Akira first for its visual aesthetics; appreciation of its plottings usually comes a lot later, after four or five attentive viewings. If it sounds like the movie is a something of a tough nut to crack, it is - but that doesn't mean that it can't be enjoyed immensely even if you can't follow the storyline. Indeed, the brilliant thing about Akira is the way in which it pulls you into its world regardless, through a dizzyingly explosion of neon and towering skyscrapers. It's impossible not to feel awed.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
