Akira is more stylized, and has an interesting look. But Ghost in the Shell with it's detailed world of secret government special forces groups and conspiracies is I think more involving. It's like a real version of a possible sci-fi future Japan. I was so impressed when I first saw it, and then I understood what all the enthusiastic talk about this anime was about. And, of course, they go into even more detail on those subjects in the anime series version, which is great.