This is one of my all-time favorite Animes, and the six-part Manga series on which it is (loosely) based is a work of genius. To the poster asking about the ending, there is definitely a lot of discussion regarding precisely what happens, since Otomo completed the movie before the Manga itself. The general consensus is that Tetsuo's power became so great to contain that he 'became' a new reality/universe. It's a bit of a mess in the Anime version; the Manga expands upon, but essentially echoes, the same idea in a much deeper and more developed way. One of the biggest changes to the Anime version was the presence of Akira himself. Akira was made a subject of myth in the film; he is very much a real character in the Manga, a mute, savant, boy-emperor with unparalleled psychic powers to whom the world bows down in fear. Much of the Manga takes place in a post-apocalyptic world under the rule of the boy-emperor Akira, his unhinged Prime Minister Tetsuo, and various other genetic freaks. The Anime was more of a disaster movie; the events start and end within a very short time-frame. I think, given the circumstance, that Otomo created a masterpiece with both; there was no way he was going to be able to squeeze a fifth of the events into the movie, but he nontheless encapsulated much of the spirit into the film, and enhanced it in others. Both the Manga and the Anime are perfect companions, offering different facets of a brilliant mind. Anyway. . .
What makes the movie so great? A fantastic soundtrack for one, an amazing fusion of ethnic, religious, classical, and pop music. There are films with great soundtracks, and then there are films that cannot exist without the soundtrack. I feel that Akira falls into the latter category. I cannot imagine one without the other. At its worst it simply sounds darned cool, at its best it actually elevates my state of mind. Akira Requiem is almost spiritual.
And this, I think, is at the heart of Akira: it's spiritual film. There are very few films that have ever moved me, thought me to think, in such a genuinely profound manner.
