Akira is a six volume manga series written by Katsuhiro Otomo. It was serialized from 1982 to 1990 and is possibly the single most influential manga ever written due to its groundbreaking art and narrative style. In 1988, it was adapted into an animated film directed and supervised by Otomo himself. Upon reaching U.S. shores, it became somewhat of a phenomenon, enchanting American viewers with its detailed, fluid animation, violent nature, and outlandish story. Though George Lucas and Steven Spielberg declared it "unmarketable," it effectively created a western audience for anime, altering the way stories are told and received all over the world. The movie especially has had a profound impact on the Science Fiction genre, influencing works like Chronicle and The Matrix. Its influence even trickled into the music industry: Kanye West payed homage to the film in his music video for "Stronger," with Kanye playing the part of Tetsuo.
But how does the movie compare with its source material? What was inevitably lost when Otomo condensed his 2,160 page epic into 125 minutes, and was anything perhaps gained?