"Akira" Talkback (Spoilers)

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gowrishanker v

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Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.



"Look at what they abandoned in their panic! They were too scared so they hid it away from the public! Losing all sense of shame and honor! Casting aside the civilization and abandoning the science that created it! Shutting the lid of the Pandora's box the THEMSELVES had opened!" - Col. Shikishima

Release Date: 7/16/88 (Japan)
Studio: Toho, Bandai Visual, Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Akira Committee, MASH ROOM,
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Plot Summary: Kaneda is a bike gang leader whose close friend Tetsuo gets involved in a government secret project known as Project "A" (for Akira). On his way to save Tetsuo, Kaneda runs into a group of anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader. The confrontation sparks off Tetsuo's supernatural power leading to bloody death, a coup attempt and the final battle in Tokyo Olympiad where Akira's secrets were buried 30 years ago.

COMMENTS?

LD Talkback #107

Would you believe nobody's ever done a true talkback for this? Really! I actually did a search!

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The movie was good for its time, but it's not ZOMG best anime movie evah.

I never got to see the old dub, just the 2001 redub in all its THX glory.

SOL pwns you.
 
I agree with Beefy.
It's good but not the best ever.
Close though and in terms of traditional hand drawn animation? It is one of the best.
Blu-Ray ftw.
 
A lot of people say that, but 95% of the people who do probably haven't read all 6 TPBs of the manga.

Luckily, I have.

And I think both the anime and manga are significant achievements in their own right. And the anime does generally make sense. People just overthink the details.
 
I only saw the new dub, but I thought it was great. A bit overwhelming when you first watch it, but easy to understand the second time through.

Is there a (legal) way to hear the first dub besides hunting down an old VHS? I'd like to compare the two.
 
You can get a region free dvd player and import the R2 Manga UK dvd. Otherwise the old dub is extinct outside of VHS and the old Criterion Collection laserdisc.
 
This movie blew my mind when I first saw it, as it was the first R-rated animated film I've seen. Though I don't like all the violence and how creepy it got, and I did get confused at times, I think it's a well-animated film that should be considered one of the best animated films ever made.
 
Saw this the first time back in my anime club a few weeks ago. Beautiful animation, and an interesting story. OK, the ending got kind of confusing, but overall a good film.

I saw the new dub version. Johhny Bosh was great for Kaneda, sounding perfectly as the kid who wants to be a punk. And Jousha Seth as Tetsuo, its werid, but it works for me. Though, I will never view Tai the same again.

Oh, ION CANNON READY.
 
I purchased the Blu-ray when it came out because I'd heard so much praise for the movie. I didn't really understand it, but the animation was pretty neat.
 
Good movie, but you need to read the manga as well to figure out WTH is going on. A lot of important character and plot detail was cut here and there to squish a 1,000+ page manga series into a 2-hour movie. The manga makes a lot more sense in comparison.

One of my first anime on video. I remeraber first renting the Streamline VHS dub back in 1997 from Blockbuster. Pretty confusing upon initial viewings, unless you're just mesmerized by the animation and action itself. Some people I've shown the movie to have either been wowed by it, or just leave after the first half-hour due to the not being able to make sense of the events that take place.

One of the few anime movies I can recall where the animation style reminRAB me a lot of Western animation. Probably due to Otomo's designs essentially being parodies of those in American comic books. The complicated use of pre-lay where the lip-movements were matched to the Japanese voice-actors is also something more common outside anime.

Both dubs are watchable, but the original Japanese version is the way to go (also because of the lip-movements). The older 1989 dub is amusing but only for nostalgia, because it's not that good. The Pioneer dub is an improvement, but the translation is too literal and the acting a bit stiff. The older dub was atleast a bit more memorable, if only for its campiness.
 
I heard so many good things about this movie, so I rent it. And yeah, I love it. From the story, animation and the music. Oh, I heard this is one of the first anime movies that used accurate mouth flaps.
I am planing to buy all the manga's soon and get the limited special edition tin DVD as well.
 
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