Akira vs. Ghost in the Shell

I can see why he would say that, and I would probably agree with him if I hadn't read the manga first.
e.g. Koukaku Kidoutai is open-ended and leaves many questions unanswered, whereas Akira tells a more "complete" story.
But to be honest I don't remember much of the movies. I should revisit both of them.

I haven't seen either in a while but I would say that I probably enjoy Akira more. That being said, I suppose it depends on what you value in your scifi. I think that Akira's audio and visuals have held up better and I enjoy it better as an experience as a result, but I think that Ghost in the Shell has more interesting themes and story.

Based on (old) memory Akira was more of a dystopian super power deal. Where all the characters displayed a wide range of emotions, from empathy, to wanting to be needed, to self sacrifice. Ghost in the Shell on the other hand was pure hardcore cyberpunk, where everyone was evolving into emotionless machines. The emotional factor is what makes akira great. The emotionless machine factor is what makes gits great.

I personally prefer GitS, but I feel like these two movies were going for a different feel from each other. I think that GitS had more depth in the story and plot development and you could really feel for the characters more, which I prefer. The setting was there to assist in this regard. Akira on the other hand kind of let the setting soak in. It was less about a well explained plot and the events of the story and the characters in them and was more about the atmosphere of which it all takes place in. The story and characters served the atmosphere rather then the other way around. This is just my personal opinion after watching both. Both were excellent movies and I would suggest both.

i prefered gits but akira was still alright

Personally I slightly prefer Ghost in the Shell over Akira, and here's why. Both are great films, brilliantly drawn and animated, faithful to their source material, and flawlessly produced and edited. Both contain potent content, ultra-violence, and meaningful dialogue. But Akira's artwork and visual style stole from Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise, and Akira the film was not nearly as good as the manga. Ghost in the Shell on the other hand was, in my humble opinion, better than the original manga. Even if you don't agree that it's better than the manga, you have to acknowledge that it improved on some things in terms of the artwork and a more serious tone. Ghost in the Shell had a distinct style of its own and an incredible original soundtrack. The philosophical concepts that Ghost in the Shell touched on were better communicated while Akira was more ambiguous with the concepts it was exploring, in other words Akira never really answered the questions it raised about evolution, and a lot of its concepts were there but weren't really discussed. I think some people prefer Akira because its more violent and action packed. Appreciating Ghost in the Shell takes a little more patience, mental acuity, and artistic awareness. If you watch Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and consider that it came out the year before, you'll understand why Akira's artwork and animation is a bit less impressive.

The gulfs of a post-apocalyptic and totalitarian world are the main theme of the film. Despite his age, the film still manages today the construction of a reliable image of the near future in which the social order has completely changed. If you have not seen "Akira" yet, you can count on a great action-packed science-fiction story that is worth looking at.

He must be stupid. Akira is trash when compared to GITS.

i preferred ghost in the shell, old akira movie left me in confusion with that ending, until i read the manga that is