Jules Gill's 10 Greatest Films Of All Time

Akira may well be the film on this list that I enjoy the most, while at the same time having the least understanding of what the fresh hell is actually going on with its plot. Yet, instead of feeling distanced by the off-kilter storytelling and frankly bizarre moments, I actually feel myself drawn further into its fleshy clutches, and better appreciate it's terrifying and terrifyingly beautiful nature.

The sheer amount of work that has been put into each and every frame of this film is worthy of praise, and while its one billion yen budget is absolutely mind-blowing, it's hard to argue that the smooth animation, brilliant designs, and fantastic lighting wasn't money well spent. Consider the amount of action that's been drawn from a 3/4 down perspective, which is universally agreed to be the hardest angle to draw from.

Then add onto this the night scenes, again which are a chore to animate with thanks to having to light the scene correctly and deal with reflections, and finally, you have to consider the emotion and expression of the characters, which reflect even the smallest flicker of detail.

This was all done because the team could rather than what made sense financially. It's less a love letter and more a romance novel.