The original Akira manga covers the political and mystical subplots in depth, but the film only takes a glancing look at them. I think that they really just get in the way of the real story, the relationship between Tetsuo and Keneda. When all the subplots are removed from the film, I find that it is actually less confusing for the average viewer who hasn't read the manga, and the pace is much better. As such, I have removed all the scenes in the film that do not focus on the two main characters.