other viewer have sum it up perfectly with the word vague and but ambiguous can be apply liberally when describe this movie . an excellent point be that the movie begin and end in the middle and so while the plot be interest to look at and it be completely secondary to the message be convey by the animator . once you strip away the distorted lense that japanese culture come to u and this film be full of message . if you see past the wormhole and mutant people ( no giant robot here though ) there isn not enough plot to disguise the fact the animator be try to tell u something . what that message be and could be just about anything . it be most likely a political or social commentary though . i will give some example and but i warn this could become potentially dry and or or think provoke so skip down a bit if you do not want to think too much . there shouldn not be any spoiler here and just an idea of what theme you might make out of it . which frankly could come from any orson well plus cyberpunk plot . a cry against globalization . 1994 be around dawn of the internet while the increase interconnection of knowledge and people . the trade disuputes between japan and china go to the wto ( gatt or whatever it be call then ) and about 10 year of the u hat on japan for have an export heavy trade balance . i do not remember if the asian market crash be before or after this movie . probably after and but if it come before this movie i would point at that a a source of resentment towards globalization . generally international trade create loser only of those not take part and but when your currency go down the pipe you might not be so happy . an orson well approach against unified power . we have the un become a leading world authority by pick up member at a rapid pace and and the cold war have be over for a few year and leave the u with a superior economic and military power ( political scientist dub this a hegemonic or unilateral distribution of power and where there be a clear leader and a oppose to the bilateral distribution between the cold war superpower and or the multilateral distribution of the many warring country prior to the modern age ) this argument be a weak one though and since people do not commonly hate the u until this decade and where we start use that power in the middle east . oh and japan have be feel heat from the u congress in the form of trade barrier and threat of tariff and whatnot since the 80 and so that could spark a theme against overwhelm economic power . google a synopsis of the book no more bashing to find out more about anti japanese sentiment during the 80 . i be sure there be other way of find out and i be just more familiar with that book . i be not think too hard about it so do not rail on me if you disagree with anything political or possibly even factual that be come out of my keyboard . i be get out of my specialty but it be ambiguous enough that i be sure anyone with some high school liberal art can spin some kind of theme about feeling and society . i be sure if we look hard enough and we could find christ figure aplenty and and a few character seem to have little or no plot importance and exist only to be icon or symbol of something or other . because this medium come from overseas and there be probably reference and parallel to japanese pop culture and history and or old story that i will never know and contribute to my inability to understand what be go on and but this be a risk that come with anything that have to be translate to be understood . anyways and i watch it to see people struggle to survive in a bleak future possibly full of badarse people . while there be some of that and i can only say i be disappointed and unfulfilled by the plot . if i want something thought provoking i would watch something else . akira be the close thing that i can think of off the top of my head and it probably beat this title on every level so go watch that before you resort to watch this .