Akira

Rating:
Summary: Its here, Expectations?
Review: BRIEF HISTORY: I found the first English release of "Akira" on VHS by Orion. I was stunned by the story line and the action was more than appropriate...not over done. Perfect balance between quality plot, animation, and sound. The Orion pictures VHS English dub had super English voice dialogue. Akira set the standard for which all anime is STILL judged. Personally, I never cared to watch a movie and try to read subtitles at the same time, so I always wanted English dub. Frankly, I have been very disappointed with anime ever since, with all of the new animation styles...I have only seen one other anime ,"Ghost In The Shell", bring about any advancements in artistic expression in camparison to Akira. Seems like most anime today and over the past years has been equivalent to the daily afternoon cartoons --- lets crank them out as fast as possible, less detail, less planning, less story, less everything. Quick profit or entire artistic value...take note on which become classics. I have to say this, "How many years does it take to get Akira on DVD?!"

EXPECTATIONS: Like most, I patiently waited for an OFFICIAL US release of Akira on DVD. Well I saw the VCD copy of the original English release from Malysia...not good. Personally, not interested in the DVD release from Japan with Eng subtitles only. Anyway I expected something any collector on any level would be eager and happy to own NOW.

ITS HERE: I purchased the Limited Collectors Tin Edition with 2 DVD's (movie, extra features). The restoration was absolutely top-notch! The NEW English voice quality and content adequate but lacked the differentiation in the first English release. The dialogue content in regards to the story was no better or no worse in either English release. However I was so use to the original English release and there seemed to be more voice "character" in the original. Sound was excellent and again a visual and audio treat with a solid SCI-FI story line. Its been awhile since I watched the first VHS version and the re-release certainly ranks with any animation today! Animation is an expression of different artists and styles, whether it be a paint brush or computer generated. I believe any review done on either the first or second English release of Akira will give all the well deserved RAVE on this classic.

LET DOWNS: I expected that the Official DVD Release really would have went after the core Anime fan down to the casual movie watcher. Would have been nice to have seen a collection featuring the film in original Japanese dialoge format on DVD with NO editing or English additions/version. Next, absolutely nothing about the first English dubbed version released in the US...that certainly would have been another nice addition - lot of the fan base was generated from that first English dub release, give some credit at least!? Next, do the restoration and include that TOO. Finally, another problem is the additional features disc 2 has poor subtitles which are difficult to read due to coloring in contrast to background colors.

RATING: Found this to be difficult because I truely felt the Limited Edition with Tin could have been a collection geared to the Avid Anime fan - give something to show how the film has been viewed over the years...Japan, First Eng, Second Eng, etc. Perhaps, Pioneer felt the avid fan probably owned every other version, but still lets get it in DVD format. Therefore, I have to drop a point or perhaps a half point. The single DVD release certainly could have been geared to others only interested in the re-release and nothing more. As for "Akira", will always be MORE THAN 5 Stars!!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work restoring a classic anime
Review: Akira is simply an excellent movie. The attention to detail in the restoration is very good, right down to removing the bits of "dirt" that show up during filming. The picture quality is excellent, and the colors are bright and vivid. The re-mixed sound is excellent as well, even with the new voices. The extras disk includes some great info on almost all aspects of the production. And it's kind of silly, but I was impressed with the collector's tin. It opens up with hinges on both sides, rather than the usual "cookie tin" type.

The story itself is a combination of supernatural sci-fi, action, and a little bit of psycology all together in one. It's visually stunning, and sets a dark and intriging vision of the future. The music is top notch, if a bit different. The movie does more than wow you with visuals, but it doesn't force you to think too hard to enjoy it. It's a wonderfull classic to keep on your shelf.

I would have given it a 5 if it wasn't for the new voices. I have no problem with the re-done dialog, they did a good job on that. My problem with the voices is that they don't seem to fit the characters as well (in my opinion). Particularly the 3 "children". The best way to view the film is with the original Japanese voices. Because they recorded most of the voices before they did the animation, the movement of the mouths is stunning. But even if it was only in stereo, I would have liked the option for the original English voices. Other than that, no complaints.

Bottom line: if your a fan, get this. If you love a good movie, get this. If you love anime, get this. You won't be disapointed.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful version of a classic!
Review: When I first saw this movie, back in the 80's, I loved it. Now that a lot of time has gone by and I'm older, I watched it again. And I still love it.

To re-arrange one person's very admirable review: "It takes a very open mind to enjoy this movie. Akira draws fanatics too bloodthirsty to appreciate its message, and scares away critics intelligent enough to understand it. All in all, be careful with this movie; it's not for everyone. Just ignore the hype on BOTH sides (pro and con) and judge for yourself."

While this film condenses a long pre-existing manga (comic book) storyline, the movie's plot may seem "chunked together" at times. The film is filled with gritty violence to appease the blood-and-guts fans while they have "some morality shoved down their throats".

The new DVD picture quality is "heads and shoulders" above that of the original VHS/LD/VCD version. The film negative has been digitally cleaned up to remove scratches and dirt. The colors are so vivid and rich in this version. The picture actually looks BETTER than it would have when the film was brand new (in a theater in 1988).

This version's picture may be the most vivid, rich and colorful animation work I have ever seen. This DVD version looks and sounds the way every version of Akira should.

I would highly recommend this version to any and all Akira fans. I would highly recommend this title to anime or science fiction fans, but simply recommend it to everyone else.

The animation equals or exceeds Disney's current BEST. And this film came out in 1988!

Rating:
Summary: Akira Special Edition ROCKS!
Review: This is the way all DVDs should be released, with highest video and audio quality. If you are a fan or someone who has never seen this movie, this is the only version to get. The extra material on the second disc and the incredible video restoration Pioneer did with this edition will keep you glued to your TV for a very long time.

Rating:
Summary: The benchmark
Review: This is what all other animation Japanese or otherwise is compared to for the direction, the visuals, the music and many other things. If you are into animation you should own this film.

Rating:
Summary: Akira DVD - Buyer Beware!!!
Review: This is a note to let all of you Akira fans out there know to be cautious and check your store's return policy before buying this DVD. I bought it yesterday only to bring it home and have my DVD player reject it - repeatedly. My DVD player is a JVC and can play DVD's, Video-CD's, and CD-ROM's with region 1 encoding, and it plays all of my other DVD's (about 200 of them) just fine, but will not play Akira.

I took it back and exchanged it for another one off the shelf, picked at random, and that one wouldn't play either. My DVD player is about 2 years old, that's the only thing I can think of that might explain it, maybe there's some kind of new technology on this DVD that the technical specs don't talk about. There certainly isn't any information about such a thing on the packaging. It just don't play.

So enjoy the DVD with caution. Almost all of the reviews I've read about the DVD so far are dated before it was actually available (7/24/2001), so keep in mind that a lot of these people hadn't actually bought and played the DVD at the time.

I don't know if the Special Edition has any of these problems. Hope this helps.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best DVD's I've Ever Bought! A Must Own!
Review: Akira has been a long time coming on the DVD format, but it was WELL worth the wait. This is THE classic Anime, a masterpiece indeed. All I can say is just check out the film. It's filled with stunning imagery, a complex and fascinating story, a GREAT soundtrack, and a mind blowing ending. It's a real stunner of a film. As for the DVD, Pioneer has done a splendid job in presenting Akira. The transfer is GREAT as is the incredible sound. The second disk of the set is jam packed with extras exploring the film. GREAT stuff this is. And the packaging is AWESOME! The limited edition is definitely the one to buy, if you can find it by now that is. Very highly recommeded.

Rating:
Summary: TETSUOOOOO!!!
Review: I had to watch this movie 5 or 6 times at different times in my life to understand what was going on. I admit, I was a little young when I first saw it, back in 1989 when it was released on video. Akira was awesome and my first anime since such U.S. conversions as StarBlazers and Robotech. It's very much a strong story with great art. The motorcycle scenes are so cool, with the light trails... The whole secret experiment element is still prevalent in today's stories... Back in the day, THIS was the anime that all strived to be like. Unfortunately, there is one major problem. The voice acting isn't nearly as convincing as in the original! Kaneda and his group don't sound like teenage punks. And the dialogue has been changed (tweaked here and there) just enough to throw us older types off. Apparently, Pioneer was trying to get the dialogue closer to the original story, which doesn't always work. I'm glad I only bought the movie and not the special edition. In any case, this is an anime that should be in your collection because this was a pioneer anime. And remember, this was BEFORE Ghost in the Shell or Princess Monoke. It's a classic like Bladerunner. Have fun.

Rating:
Summary: Akira Limited Special Edition Review
Review: THE MASTERPIECE RETURNS! This DVD set is really a master work, a piece of art, it's really the cutting edge of Anime around the world. You won't believe the quantity of special features included; it was restored,Remastered with THX sound, the image quality was digitally remastered too, the added image gallery with tons of pictures and original trailers and tv spots. There is so much stuff in this set, they had to put it on 2 DVDs. This is really a must have for anybody who loves Anime and japanese animation. And if you are a real Collector, get your hand on the Limited Edition Metal Collector's Case.

Rating:
Summary: A review of the DVD!
Review: (Ok briefly a small rant. If you are going to review a DVD please include comments about the quality of the disc.) If you are reading this you probably have already seen Akira and enjoy it. The question that I am tackling is... Is the DVD worth it? The answer is definately. A lot of care went into the restoration of this film and it shows. The film went through three seperate processes just for the image alone. The image quality is far better than watching the old murky streamline Vhs version. Akira is the perfect example of what the medium of vhs can not handle. Vhs is incredibly poor with dark or colorful images. If the image is dark like much of Akira is the picture will have alot of grain because Vhs can't display different hues of black well. The same is true for color except instead of grain they bleed all over the place. DVD was created to handle high contrast pictures with dark blacks and bright saturated colors. The backgrounds show so much more color and depth that it almost like see the film again for the first time. The audio is also a stellar 5.1 track. The new dub is more consice and flows better than the one on the one streamline did. In short the movie alone is worth the price of admission. Now on to the extras. The extras are thankfully on a second disc. The extras are a mixed bag. There are tons of interesting bits of information, but they are presented in such a dry fashion that you won't care. The image gallerys are nice and have everything from story boards to comic covers. The other good extra is the glossary of terms that help you understand the complexity of the movie. Two last things the menus are fantastic and so is the packaging of the disc in the tin. If you are an Akira fan do yourself a favor and buy the limited edition.