Akira, a ground breaking hit that raised the bar for Anime/Manga as we know it. Made by the master himself (Katsuhiro Otomo) and shown to a world of Otaku. How does the soundtrack hold up to this stunning achievement? Read the review and find out...

If you haven't seen the movie Akira (shame on you) or read the manga, than you are missing out on one of the greatest literary and visual works of our time. If you have seen it, than you most likely agree that the music is neat, maybe a tad odd, but ultimately exciting. The pulse pounding melodies of this soundtrack will take your imagination to a different world - which is, Neo Tokyo.

Geinoh Yamashirogumi. You may not recognize this name now, but he is is the mastermind behind this grand, well orchestrated spectacle. The soundtrack is the perfect blend of electronic as well as natural instruments. All this stuff combines to make the most melodious and interesting tracks to date. While there are no artists singing certain lyrics. Instead, the producers over layered thousands of peoples voices to create a sound that Mr.Otomo calls, "The sound of the soul". You can also here some religious chants that make this record sound sacred and spiritual. You'll need breather after some of the longer and more powerful songs (such as the song Shohmyoh). The CD has 10 songs and it's approximately 70 minutes long.

The main gist of what I'm trying to say is if you buy it (The original sound track which was released by ANIMEtrax is about 12 years old and is kind of hard to find) I'll guarantee that it will stay in your CD players for weeks, even months. It really doesn't matter what kind of music you like, you'll find a track on this album to fit your mood. This album is also even more proof that music is one the greatest forms of art.

Unfortunately, all is not great in the the music of Akira. Some tracks are just too boring (especially Winds over Neo-Tokyo) and some people out there may complain about the "busy" music which combines lots of different beats and sounds to make the songs sound too complicated. I personally loved all the "busy" songs on this album. Also, this isn't really one of those albums that you can play in your car to work. Oh no! Actually quite the opposite, it requires your full attention to really appreciate this work of art. So maybe after a long day you can just lay down and let the album flow from beginning to end, with no distractions.

Overall this is one of the greatest CDs I have ever had the privilege of listening to. Buy it, listen to it, and keep it in your permanent collection. Besides, you can pick up a copy for only 14 bucks. What do you got to lose?

- - Grandlethal