Symptom 237: Akira, What's This About Again?

Akira. It is one of the most famous and appreciated anime of all time; responsible for breaking anime into the West. However, once you peel back the lauds and fame, you are left with a mess. You look at all the themes and topics and wonder, what is this all about? We here on Malady will try to figure that out with the help of Ruk.