Akira

Rating:
Summary: HaloKillah of the Killer 7's truth about Akira
Review: Heh heh heh...I'm sure you diehard Akira fans are wondering how your precious anime commodity would deserve anything less than a 5 star rating. Well I have news for you; Akira is one of the biggest overly acclaimed garbage anime out there. To even compare it to some of today's greats is a total waste. Face it, Akira had it's chance to shine in the 80's. It's over man, game over. Why is it in the related matches with Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust? I still don't understand that one. I mean, Akira is not a benchmark in anime history. It's actually pretty funny. I mean, when that girl gets hit in the face by those bikers...That to you is the stuff of greatness??? And that one part where he crushes his girlfriend on accident; that is one of the funniest scenes in anime. This anime deserves no accolades; only a throw away. Don't add this to your anime collection and feel proud. You are shaming the rest of your collection. If you want a great anime from the 80's, get some Voltron or something.

Rating:
Summary: Wierd wierd anime
Review: An interesting, thought provoking anime that delves into the human psyche and also deals with human evolution. Thought provoking until about the last 15 minutes. At that point it just gets wierd and makes no sense. The main character, Tetsuo, turns into a giant mutant bloatsac and they never really explain who the hell Akira is an how he really relates to the story. Also, Tetsuo's girlfriend has to be the ugliest girl in anime history. If you want to see a classic anime that delves into the human mind, then see Neon Genesis Evangelion. As for human evolution, wait for the upcoming Elfen Lied. I enjoyed both better than Akira. Elfen Lied, unfortunatly, slightly lacks some character developement and is too short of a series.

Rating:
Summary: Akira (4.1 stars)
Review: "Akira" is considered by most to be the masterpiece of Anime films. Made in 1988 it is a landmark film, both by the many great animated sequences and the detailed story. The film is rather graphic, but not many Anime films aren't. While the film is groundbreaking for both animation and film, it is marred by over length. The animation to me, seems a little more "cartoonish," than films such as "Perfect Blue" or "Ghost in the Shell." In a way it really doesn't hurt it, since the film acts as a very eccentric, exaggerated science fiction film. Also the film was made in 1988, the 80s where a much different time than the 90s. Since then the animation has matured, and things are looking more realistic. But without classic 80s Anime films such as "Akira," "Vampire Hunter D" and "Wicked City," the Anime industry may be lost.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Anime films, one of the best films PERIOD!!!
Review: "Blade Runner" blew everybody's mind with its stunning visuals and deeply philosophical story of the line between man and machine, creating the sub-genre known commonly as cyberpunk. "Akira" stands as not only a testament to the beauty of animation (especially Japanese anime), but also to the expansiveness of the genre "Blade Runner" created. But to call "Akira" an animated version of "Blade Runner" is not only inaccurate, but a serious injustice to the genius of "Akira." This special edition DVD captures all the essence of "Akira," giving any fan all he or she could ever want out of the film, and more.
First of all, the movie is as brilliant as ever, if not moreso. The newly restored movie gives brighter color, sharper picture, and thus intensifying the already wild visuals. The picture is better, the sound is better, and the subtitle translation is better (I refuse to watch the new English track though...while I generally hold no malice against dubs, this new version has the English actors using Japanese pronounciations of the names...it just doesn't work in English, even though the actual dialogue is a more accurate translation). The story is as brain-numbing as a university lecture on quantum physics combined with the philosophies of Socrates and Plato, with a little Philip K. Dick thrown in. Katsuhiro Otomo's storytelling is just brilliant! 30 years after a holocaust that went the world into WWIII, Neo-Tokyo stands where Tokyo once stood. A teenage biker, Tetsuo has been abused and mistreated his whole life, and when he has been granted paranormal powers, he lashes out at the world, forcing not only the ones responsible for his psychic plight, but his only friends in the world to stop him in any way they can before he reawakens a mysterious power known as Akira, the force that caused the holocaust 30 years before. Great story full of philosophical truths and possibilities, and the ending is something Stanley Kubrick would be proud of (a la "2001"). The music by Geinoh Yamashirogumi is amazing, and has to be one of the most diverse world music soundtracks ever produced (see separate review of soundtrack album).
Secondly, the DVD is incredible, chock-full of special features, from the "Production Report" documentary, to an interview with Otomo, to image galleries full of production sketches, backgrounds, and the original comic book covers, as well as a soundclip from the soundtrack. It's everything you could want out of a DVD for a film of this magnitude.
This is truly one of the greatest pieces of science-fiction literature and film-making, and I encourage both anime fans and non-anime fans to see it. To see it in any form less than the one presented in this special edition is a crime. See "Akira!"

Rating:
Summary: TTTTTTEEEEEEEEETTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Review: "Whoa"

That's exactly what I said after finishing the simply amazing Akira. I can't call my self a hardcore fan because I haven't even seen the original. But I don't want to. I've decided that the special edition is perfect. Therefore it's impossible to watch anything better so I'll stick to watching the special addition.

Based on Katsuhiro Otomo's 2,000 page graphic novel ( which is even better than the movie ) Akira follows Tetsuo, a teenager who lives in the slums of neo-tokyo. He comes in contact with a telepathic child. Soon he becomes telepathic too. But he becomes very powerful. As powerful as Akira. But can his body handle that kind of power?

Rating:
Summary: This is no "Dragon Ball Z"...
Review: "Akira" has a special place in my teenage years, seeing as it was my introduction to adult Japanese animation. While re-watching the film on the new special edition DVD, I remember why I enjoyed it in the first place. While it's not a word-by-word translation of the comic from which it was based (if it was, we would be talking about "Akira" the trilogy, not "Akira" the movie), it's a solid piece of animation that holds up to today's computer generated epics. Seeing the detailed animation (particularly with the Tetsuo "monster", still an image that's hard to shake out of my system) and realizing it's only been 13 or so years since it's been released is quite amazing, as how it was all done with traditional cel animation. The picture and sound on this transfer was incredible, and I found the "capsule option" for reading the Japanese text helpful (being as how I'm not fluent in Japanese to begin with). I'm still wading through the extra features on this special edition (particularly the production materials, which has an IMMENSE amount of stills and images from the movie and comic) and I've had this thing for some time now. Anyway, this should be a part of any hard core Anime lovers' collection, and is definitely one of the best animated features of our time.

Rating:
Summary: Visual Panache Overwhelms Story--But What Visuals!
Review: "Akira" is not my favorite anime movie by any stretch of the imagination--that title would have to go to "Mononoke Hime"/"Princess Mononoke," the greatest accomplishment of anime's greatest film director, Miyazaki Hayao. But there is no way that Miyazaki's imagination, as expansive, intelligent, and vivid as it is, could ever come up with something as visually and aurally striking as Otomo Katsuhiro's "Akira."

First, even with a five star review, "Akira" in terms of contents has some storytelling problems--the oft-noted fact that there were thousands of manga pages to condense into a two-hour film production obviously did not help in clarifying the story, especially for newcomers to anime and manga. However, I am happy to report that the new dub and subtitling job has made many elements much clearer than the old Streamline release. The explanation of the psychic powers in the children and the ending have been clarified a great deal, though not entirely (the movie simply couldn't condense the manga that much).

Also, contrary to most of the reviewers who have panned the new dub, I personally can't see on any technical standard how the old dub is in any way superior to the new one, which I found a lot less irritating and overacted. I actually do agree, however, that they might have added the old dub as an extra audio track for nostalgia's sake and it would add to the value of this already excellent package. "Akira" was the first anime to become popular in the mainstream American culture, and so perhaps the memories of those early fans should have been taken into consideration. Nevertheless, I don't consider it a huge loss, especially since the dub is definitely clearer in explaining the story and is more accurate. (Me? I still prefer subtitles, of course. :)

The storytelling problems I mentioned above, however, definitely are overwhelemed by the fantastic visuals, of which just about every reviewer has spoken. The video restoration on the DVD is nothing less than astounding, considering the film's age. Details like tiny lamps and desks in the thousands of lighted office windows are now clear. The hyperkinetic racing sequences are even more glorious in their energy than before, as the colors have been restored and the dark color palette, which made VHS releases look fuzzy and muted, is now sharp and distinct. The soundtrack is one of the most thrilling and innovative ethnic soundtracks used in film, anime or not, and it too has been digitally restored.

"Akira" is an absolute aesthetic triumph in anime, and despite its less-than-perfect storytelling qualities (and, for me, excessive bloodletting), it is the defining visual statement of what cel animation can accomplish. The DVD release also sets a new standard in audio/video quality and also in the wealth of informational material included on the Special Edition's second DVD--for me, it was a fascinating first peek at the actual production of a feature anime. First, "Mononoke" set THE standard for quality audio/video transfer, though it lacked in extras and was a recent film in either case; now, "Akira" takes my top spot for technical and aesthetic excellence for a Region 1 anime DVD release.

Rating:
Summary: The Grand Exalted Poobah of anime deserves it's praise
Review: "Akira" is one of those exceptional moments when an art form transcends itself and becomes something greater. It is one of the few anime's to be viewed by the "mainstream." It defines animation in the way that "Watchmen" defines comic books, "The Empire Strikes Back" defines science fiction, or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" defines wuxia, as something to strive for and not quite achieve. It is a watermark.

That's some pretty flowery praise, but "Akira" deserves it. Inside this movie is some of the best, most crisp and exiting animation ever captured on film. There are so many stunning moments (the battle with the clowns, the sewer race, Tetsuo's battle with the army, Kaneda's race to save his friend, the background of Neo-Tokyo) backed up with an exceptional soundtrack that blends techno music with traditional Japanese styles. The story line is traditional anime, with an explosive mixture of youth and technology juxtaposed with the traditional need to impose order on chaos. The characters are both righteous and stupid, heroic and annoying, competent and naive. Ah heck, just watch it!

Seeing "Akira" get this collector's edition DVD treatment is like seeing the Mona Lisa get her own room at the Louvre. All you can say is "it's about time."

Rating:
Summary: Incomprehensible, but Beautiful
Review: "Akira" is the best example of why anime can often times be so frustrating to watch. Many praise "Akira" as the greatest film of its kind, a landmark in animation. True, from a visual standpoint, "Akira" is dazzling, especially in this new DVD version where the colors are more vibrant than ever before. But can anyone make sense of the damn thing? I've seen it a few times and still couldn't tell you what happens in the last 30 minutes. And to be quite honest, I don't think I care. The characters are never devloped all that well, and their faces are drawn in such a manner that it is easy to confuse them. The new voice dubbing doesn't help either; everyone in Kaneda's gang sounds exactly the same. Then there's the seemingly requisite misogyny found in many anime releases, but not the best -- "Princess Mononoke" still stands taller than all other films in the genre. Is "Akira" a masterpiece? No. But I suspect that it will always be seen as one because of its cult film status. But it just doesn't work for me; I'm more interested in the fates of the characters in "Final Fantasy IX" on PSX than I am in these street thugs.

Rating:
Summary: Weird but good.
Review: 'Akira' is a really weird movie but a good one nonetheless. It entertaining and a joy to watch as long as one doesn't try to make too much sense out of it.