Ironically, it might be in how the film took its own liberties with Masamune’s manga. So what did it do to get such a following and why has it remained an influential classic 25 years later? That is not to mention the controversial 2017 live-action adaptation with Scarlett Johansson.

Then it had a brace of TV series, notably 2002’s Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It went on to have a sequel in 2004’s Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. James Cameron even called it “ The first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence.” What makes this such a cut above the rest are a set of sense-assaulting production values that equals anything Hollywood was producing at the time.However, its biggest achievement came in the video market, where it became the first Japanese animated film to top the Billboard charts.

Naturally, it goes without saying that, despite being made of 99 per cent plas-metal, Kusanagi has the kind of looks that even the cast of Baywatch can only dream about while all around her stand enough corrupt cops, demolished sushi bars and state-of-the-art weaponry to fill half-a-dozen Blade Runner sequels.

Based on a cartoon story by legendary Japanese artist Masamune Shirow, this not only equals the technical proficiency of its predecessor but goes some way beyond it. Sure, on video, the Manga scene has gone from strength to strength, but as far as theatrical releases are concerned, nothing has really come along to match Akira's sheer retina-scalding magnificence. And hello, gun-toting, cyberpunk vigilantes. When Akira first blasted out of Japan back in 1991 it looked like the Western concept of widescreen animation would be changed forever.

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