Akira

1 9 8 8 (Japan)

Akira begins as it means to go on - with a nuclear explosion that devastates Tokyo. It ends with pretty much the same, augmented by the sort of bio-organic body transmutation that would have David Cronenberg reaching for the anaesthetic and self-piercing kit.

In between these mind-blowing bookends is a sprawling, cyber-punk epic haunted by the ghost of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and obsessed with the unchecked power of the human mind and youthful rebellion. It's also a wistful depiction of a friendship changing beyond all recognition. Try to make this movie a "live Action" flick and you would bankrupt several small countries!

The action is all wrapped up in director Katsuhiro Otomo's scintillating animated visuals, with not one - not one! - computer-assisted shot in sight.

For anyone who thinks Manga is all about incomprehensible storylines, naked girls with no pubic hair and a myriad of monsters that invariably turn into a giant penis, Akira will set you straight.

Simply put, No Akira - No Matrix. It's that important!