The animation is very well done and the story line is so complex that the viewer has to constantly keep up with events as they unfold. It can not really be classed as relaxing, mindless viewing.
The story is set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo after a nuclear bomb detonated there in 1988. Subsequent to these events, Word War III broke out and society changes drastically.
Everything in this anime revolves around the 2020 Neo-Tokyo Olympic Stadium that was actually constructed as a cover for covert military operation and it was also where Akira’s (a paranormal psychic power) frozen remains were held and where they were discovered by Tetsuo.
The 2020 Neo-Tokyo Olympic Games were to be the first of its kind to be held after the start of World War III.
The stadium is the place where the final conflict between Tetsuo Shima, the young biker with psychic powers, and his life long friend, Shotaro Kaneda, takes place. It is also where Akira is re-awakened and it is the epicenter of Neo-Tokyo’s destruction and the creation of the new universe.
The real 2020 Summer Olympic Games will, coincidentally, be held in Tokyo! What an amazing coincidence!
