30 Animated Movies That Are Not for Children

Considered by most to be the film to beat in adult animation, Akira was made in the late '80s but still feels as vibrant and edgy as ever.

We join biker gang leader Shōtarō Kaneda in futuristic (now future-past) Neo-Tokyo, 2019, three decades after the opening gambit of WWIII trashed the original city. When his friend Tetsuo Shima acquires telekinetic abilities after a motorcycle accident, Kaneda is drawn into a web of military conspiracy and intrigue, as he tries equally to save and repel Tetsuo, who rapidly loses control. And Akira, the telekinetic responsible for original Tokyo's destruction, may hold the answer to it all.

Written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, and based on his manga of the same name, Akira is a masterclass in worldbuilding. It’s kind of like Blade Runner on crack, launching us into its universe and not stopping to catch a breath until the credits roll. And, like Ghost in the Shell, Akira utilises a score that draws heavily on traditional Japanese music, composed by Shōji Yamashiro, giving the film an atmospheric depth throughout that makes its WWII nuclear allegory and grand contemplations on the cycle of creation and destruction all the more profound.