Akira

Akira is a Japanese 'cyberpunk' anime film, released in 1988 and directed by  Katsuhiro Otomo (based on his own writing). It is considered a landmark in animation and has achieved cult status. 
Because of its epic scale, it cost ¥1,100,000,000 to produce -- a huge amount at the time.
The film was cel animated to give it the greatest detail possible with auteurship. Most anime is notorious for cutting production corners, such as having only the characters' mouths move while their faces remained static. However Akira broke from this trend with detailed scenes, pre-scored dialogue (wherein the dialogue is recorded before the film starts production and the movements of the characters' lips are animated to match it) – a first for an anime production – and superfluid motion as realized in the film's more than 160,000 animation cels.

In typical Japanese narrative, there are many character arcs and smaller sub-plots involved. This can be confusing at times, and the utmost attention needs to be paid to keep following the past pace of the action. Personally I find the storyline quite cold and off-putting, with only a few sympathetic characters, and many of them being more creepy than endearing.

However, it is not in its storyline that Akira's strength lies in my opinion, but instead in its visuals. The first thing about the film the viewer notices is the magnificently painted backgrounds, with brilliant attention to detail. A rich world of a dystopian Japan is created. Visually, it contains a density and complexity not seen in western movies.
       The lighting in the film is another remarkable feature. Glaring headlights and taillights from the motorbikes leave neon imprints in the air as they move away. The glow from any direct source of light illuminates objects and characters in interesting ways - sometimes a character's skin and hair tone will change, subject to the environment they are placed in.
       The motion of the characters is astonishingly fluid, especially in fast paced scenes. Dialogue matches up seamlessly to lip movements. The animation allows focus to be put on effects that would otherwise be lost in a live action picture, such as gusts of wind from chopper blades, bursts of fiery explosions engulfing their surroundings, and smoke billowing and twisting away from flames and  exhausts.

The graphic imagery compliments the twisted, violent sci-fi story perfectly in a landmark film that introduced Japanese animation to western audiences and set the boundaries for what hand drawn animation is capable of accomplishing.