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I miss this movie and when i saw it I had to get it. It is still a great movie though not used to new voice actors but when I first saw this it was the Orion Dub on VHS. The blueray does have both audio tracks for the old dub so that is a plus.
I added this to my collection of anime DVDs to eventually watch because I keep putting it off This listing i bought it from the disc was mint condition and was free of any scratches etc new quality
I've seen this movie a couple of times before on DVD and seeing it finally in high definition I fell in love with it all over again. Yes, it's a long, bizarre, dark and gritty vision of the (then) future. Yes, we are approaching the real 2020 Tokyo Olympics (a year late because of the pandemic), so let's hope no teenagers blow up into giant blobs after trying to kill everybody. This cartoon is definitely not for kids, having quite a bit of blood, brutality and some nudity. This is a the mature blockbuster that shocked the Western world into the knowledge that Japanese Anime had come into its own.
The artwork is incredible (and the style has thankfully not been copied much, although fans of Dragonball Z will see clearly the inspiration their shows have taken), with fluid animation and lifelike, frightening images of destruction and illusion come to life. The troubled characters try to live within the bizarre nightmare world in which they are placed. The story follows a couple of young men caught up in a government scheme to bring about a psychic super-being: a human weapon that cannot be controlled, a warning about tampering with the mind and doomsday weaponry as well as the loss of innocence and cheapening of human life when overwhelmed by technology, greed and the lust for power. It's a thrill ride that inspired many later on down the line besides Dragonball, but also the Matrix and Blade-Runner. Sci Fi fans will recognize inspiration taken from the Star Wars movies and Tron, and video game fans of the early 90's will see images shown here (Turtles in Time for one). Next to the works of Studio Ghibli, this is probably the best example of big budget anime as mature entertainment one can find (mature as in 'not just for kids').
Package includes the DVD version as well as the Blu-ray, extras and you can listen to it with or without subtitles and have the choice of original Japanese language or two different English tracks (from the 80's and a new one done in 2001). This is worth it for collectors of the genre not just fans of the movie.
This is the best version you can get (easily), mainly because you get your choice of audio/script/voiceover - you can choose, Japanese, the goofy 1980's original dub, or the newer dub with Vash the Stampede's voice actor. Plus having the 780p DVD so you can watch it in fuzz-o-vision is crucial.
Looks great. Packaging came clean and new. It has both of the dubs. This means the 1988 Streamline dub and the 2001 Pioneer dub. Mine has both dubs for the DVD and Blu-ray.
Akira was a watershed moment for Anime in America. Until then most Americans associated Anime with cheaply made cartoons involving giant robots, flying battleships or teams of five fighting heroes. Then came Akira and Americans discovered that the Japanese were capable of producing high quality animated films without cutting corners. 27 years later Akira remains a visual treat with an unforgettable story.
Here is a confession. Although I think that Akira is an absolute must have for Anime fans I was never as big of a fan of it as I was other popular Anime. There is something extraordinarily disturbing about the film. It is most definitely not a film for young children and contains some extremely graphic violence and horrific imagery. When I was 18 this film really messed with my mind as there are moments that play out like a waking nightmare. Nowadays I appreciate the film a lot more but back in the day I would have preferred Castle in the Sky or Ninja Scroll, which also had violence but didn’t mess with your head.
My other issue with Akira is some of the design issues. In most cases the designs are beautiful from the spectacular Neo-Tokyo to Kaneda’s gorgeous bike. The character bodies and movements are fluid and believable. My one issue is with the faces. Just as a Hiyao Miyazaki film has a very distinctive look so does Katsuhiro Otomo. The difference is I find Miyazaki’s faces very aesthetically pleasing whereas Otomo’s faces are often pinched up with narrow set eyes. It sort of adds to the creepiness of the film but in this case I think it was inadvertent.
So I’ve criticized what I didn’t love about the film but it remains a monumental achievement. Despite the main characters having some rather unpleasant characteristics Otomo still managed to make them highly sympathetic. The pacing is well done, the music is very distinctive, and the backgrounds are beautiful. The cyberpunk atmosphere is totally 80’s but that gives the film a certain charm rather than making it feel dated. I first watched this film when I was 18 and found it remarkable but creepy. All these years later and I appreciate it a lot more.