Akira

Akira is a manga (the Japanese word for comics) and 1988 anime movie by Katsuhiro Otomo. In general, it is considered a classic of both genres. Further, the movie version is credited with starting the anime trend in America and actually revolutionizing the medium. It was the first real anime I ever saw and it really got me into the genre. If you are still dismissing anime as just cartoons or kids stuff you have to see this movie first as it is stunning. This movie led the way for the growing popularity of anime, and according to many people caused anime to become quite popular in Western Europe in the mid-1990s. In North America, Akira was the beginning of the current wave of anime fandom and served as inspiration to the Wachowski brothers' “The Matrix” trilogy of motion pictures.