Okay now I see the movie wasn't as far off as I initially thought. This was kind of trippy? I'm not even sure how to explain it. It's all violence and supernatrual powers. It's about power and evolution and the birth of the universe. Like I said, trippy. Akira...I'm not even sure why this whole thing was named after him. Maybe because he was the beginning, but he was also the end. He wasn't evil; he was just a child who was experimented on--and eveloped earth shattering powers. None of it was really his fault, although he was the cause. But in the end, he was the solution. Tetsuo was practically the main protagonist of this series...poor Tetuso. In the end you feel for him because he was just a lonely, bullied kid who only wanted love and frienship. It wasn't his fault the government chose to experiment on him and unleash his powers. In the end he couldn't handle it; in the end he called for Kaneda, not Akira. It was almost kind of sad...once you get past the confusion and the insanity. This may warrant a re-read.