Akira | Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama | The Quintessential Anime Film

Akira | Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama | A haunting&horrific masterpiece

DVDs:

Akira

	Akira Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama Geneon [Pioneer], 2001 average customer review:based on 656 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Quintessential Anime Film

It is 2019, 31 years after World War III, and the citizens of Neo Tokyo are plagued by crime, gangs, and terrorists. A teenager named Kaneda is the leader of his own motorcycle gang, and weakling member Tetsuo is one of his closest friends. On what seems like a typical night for the group, they find themselves in a high-speed battle with rival gang "The Clowns," but the night takes a frightening turn when they cross paths with a powerful, mysteriously aged child moments after his adult companion is gunned down in the street. Kaneda and his gang soon find themselves in the hands of the police, and Tetsuo, injured, is taken away by no less than the army. Tetsuo escapes from their clutches with the help of some newfound psychic powers, but when the gang is reunited, it's clear that their old friend is not well. Plagued by pain and hallucinations, not to mention years of frustration from always having to be rescued by Kaneda, Tetsuo is slowly becoming something no one can predict or trust. He is soon recaptured by the military, as Tetsuo has become a very important and dangerous part of the secret Project Akira. Meanwhile, Kaneda has troubles of his own. His attraction to a young girl he met at the police station has led him into the dark underworld of anti-government terrorism. It seems the new paths of Kaneda and Tetsuo are linked, though. When Tetsuo escapes again with thoughts of discovering the mysterious child called "Akira" on his mind, Kaneda decides he must try to save his friend once again, before his ever-growing powers completely overtake him.

"Akira" is one of those films anyone with even the slightest interest in Japanese animation, AKA Anime, has at least heard of. It's widely known as THE "must see" Anime film. One need only see the "Production Report" (making-of featurette) in this 2-disc Special Edition to understand why. The amount of work and attention to detail put into this animated feature is phenomenal! Katsuhiro Ôtomo explains in the featurette, and in the included interview, all that went into the production of the 1988 film, which is based on his comic series started in 1982. The film is a fascinating and dark tale of post-apocalyptic, urban survival and evolution. While not hard to follow, some details may feel left out here and there (perhaps to be found in the pages of the long running graphic work), and aspects of the ending can be seen as slightly unclear. However, the excellent production values, including the most fluid animation I've seen from Japan and the most widespread on the picture screen, along with Disney style pre-animation voice recording, heart-pounding action and music, excellent performances, and no fear in the violence and gore department, will likely please most viewers to no end! Akira is Anime eye-candy at its best, except for one crucial factor: No gorgeous, big-eyed schoolgirls! Oh, well. This DVD 2-disc Special Edition has so many extras, it's about to explode! In addition to the Production Report and creator/director interview, we get a thorough glossary, an unbelievably huge gallery, sound topic clips and restoration topic clips, and a load of trailers too! This DVD set is on par with and in some ways an improvement over the typical Disney Platinum Edition release of one of their films (and this is coming from a Disney fanatic). I WISH Disney's "making of" featurettes were like this one, showing the creators actually working on the film rather than the after-the-fact stuff Disney has been giving us lately. Presented here in widescreen with subtitle, dub, and original language options, and even a capsule info version, "Akira" is undoubtedly a must own for fans of Anime, but also for animation and film fans in general. It's not like your typical animated feature, and not even like your typical Anime feature. "Akira" is something all film fanatics must experience!

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A haunting&horrific masterpiece

I had never seen anime before seeing the masterpiece that is "Akira." It's mind-blowing,in terms of plot,the quality of the animation,and the sheer complexity.

In short,the movie is about a biker named Tetsuo,who lives in the ruins of Neo-Tokyo with other teenaged gang members.One day,he comes upon a prematurely aged child named Akira.The government subjects Tetsuo to increasingly horrific tests that traumatize his mind,and he eventually lashes out at everyone around him.I won't give the ending away,since it's powerful,and will stay in your memory for a long time.

"Akira" is a marvel.It has the stuff of nightmares,but the beauty and perfection of its execution is the stuff of dreams.

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Astonishing.

I'm relatively young in the grand scope of things, but after growing up on all things animated and illustrated, I'm still blown away by Akira's graphics. The attention to detail and painfully meticulous artwork on this film holds a special place in the realm of anime and in my heart, especially in the context of when it was created. I was handed this DVD as a passing "la-dee-da you should watch this it's really good and trippy zomg" and didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised and very very very confused by the story. I had to watch it more than once to completely understand what was going on exactly, but after the second time it dawned on me that this was truly something special. Not only are the visuals stunning, but the story is complex and wonderfully laden with philosophical nuance. The movie covers about the first volume of the Akira manga. (Which is why it is so confusing in the first place; it only covers a fraction of the story!) I strongly advise reading the comic books at some point before (or after) viewing the film as it will prove to be a good read and a crucial supplment to Otomo's story.

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The amoeba that devours them all

You'll understand the title after you've seen the movie. Know this: when this anime hit theaters (yes, it was on a limited run), I can't imagine anybody but the underground really knowing what they were getting into. In the States, animation was either Disney/ Looney Tunes or those old, badly dubbed Speed Racer cartoons. "Akira" changed all of that. Decades later, the film still holds up against your average Adult Swim anime. Its adult themes, gloriously colored animation and haunting soundtrack still inspire awe. Admittedly, the story gets a bit confusing - but pay attention to the amoeba. This one'll leave you screaming "Tetsuoooooooo!" and wanting more.

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Akira