Rating: 
Summary: 2019: The world is on the brink of absolute destruction
Review: Katsuhiro Otomoto's "Akira" is one of the most impressive films that has ever come out of Japan. And in the manner of contemporary Japanese comics, it is explicitly violent, intellectually provocative and emotionally engaging. Otomoto has condensed the narrative sprawl of the comics to provide coherence, though there's a bit of incompleteness to the story. That hardly matters, since the film moves with awesome energy. "Akira" is set in Neo-Tokyo in 2019, 31 years after an apocalypse. The rebuilt city, looking like an animated "Blade Runner" prototype, is under military rule, though barely: Packs of motorcycle-riding cyberpunks race through the streets engaging in deadly jousts. One pack, led by Kaneda, has a run in with a physically withered but telekinetically charged child named Takashi. As a result, one of Kaneda's pals, the emotionally scarred Tetsuo, is captured by the mysterious military-scientific coalition that rules Neo-Tokyo. Soon, Tetsuo's powers grow out of control and he becomes the focus of a battle between oppressive authorities, an underground resistance group, Kaneda's gang and a trio of fellow psychics terrified that he will unleash "Akira" and once more destroy the world. The detail in the film is realistic, fluid and multidimensional, suggesting both a futuristic world and ancient quests. Altogether, Akira is a marvellously gory post-apocalyptic tale, relating some powerful themes. Towards the end the film becomes needlessly obscure, since it's never explained what Akira really is or where it came from. However, a tidy ending wouldn't have rung true - thus the result is a compromise. Apart from this flaw, Akira contains a high proportion of mind-blowing images and scenes, making it a truly intense experience. The Special Edition DVD should be awesome.
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Summary: Akira is the Animé Classic!!!!
Review: I never heard something bad about AKIRA. You won't understand the story the first time you see the movie... but the more you watch it the more you will be fascinated of this great animé!
Rating:
Summary: The best movie ever made
Review: This movie is a masterpiece. I am a major anime fan, and this is my favorite anime. It is my favorite movie really. This is the reason why anime became so popular in America in the first place, and I can see why. It tells the story of Tetsuo and Kaneda. They were childhood friends, yet Kaneda always protected Tetsuo. This got Tetsuo pissed, because he didn't want a reputation as a wimp. Tetsuo has a motorcycle accident when he runs ahead of the other gang members to chase a member of the Clowns (One of the rival gangs). Government officials airlift him away, and experiment with him. From these experiments he gains psychic powers.......The animation is unique, and wonderful. Not like most of the animation in Nickelodeon, (Those make me puke!) and most American cartooons. The movie makes you think as well. It is chock full of symbolism. The story is original, and progresses without boring you. The characters are all individual, and you hate your bad guys(I can't stand the rabbit-toothed midget who died of a heart attack), unlike most animes which in them, the coolest characters are the bad guys(Not that that's a bad thing ^-^). Even if you are not an anime fan, you'll love it. My favorite fight scenes were the ones on motorcycles. If you want more Akira knowledge, I recommend the manga, which is much longer. It has been said that this anime is extremly violent, but it is not. I have seen a ton of real movies that are more violent. America is just used to cartoons being for kids, and the rating companies tend to exaggerate. I feel sorry for Tetsuo, and Kaori at the end (Stupid meddling mutant kids had to interfere, and Tetsuo could have been the most powerful being in the universe), and it is kind of sad. Also recommended, Ninja Scroll, Princess Mononoke, Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Those are all great animes.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This is one of the best anime movies that I have seen in a long time. The movie is VERY complex and it takes a few views to understand it completely, which is good, because you want to watch it more than once. The movie starts out as just a bunch of street punks that have motorcycle wars, but a problem erupts in the movie that becomes an international crisis. This is a great movie that I recommend for all.
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Summary: Apparently Not Many of You Have Seen the New Version
Review: I caught the remastered version of Akira on a digital projector in Burbank a few weeks back. I am a huge fan of the original release of Akira. It is by far one of, if not the most amazing works of animation ever created. Five stars. I caught it on the big screen back in the early 90's and it forever changed my visual perception. I must say that the newly recorded dialogue and script is, by and large, a waste of effort. The new print is beautiful, colors are glowing, as saturated as they have ever been. I also noticed myself gazing at some new details in the shadows that were brought out by the new print. Although the new hi-fi sounds ie. explosions and glass shattering are impressive, I found my stomach turning at how the lines were butchered by voice actors who didn't seem to characterize the various players in the story very well. The voices of Kaneda and Tetsuo, who would seem most important, are just not there. Kaneda's voice is not authorative or interesting enough, and Tetsuo's voice is lacking in intensity. The Colonel's voice is nowhere near the original actor's entertaining delivery. Down the line, all the actors just fail to capture the original spirit. They chose to go with younger actors to play the three numbered experiments, not just for Takashi. This was an interesting choice, but again, they lack "screen presence" in an audio sense. If you have seen the original, you might find it slightly irritating that they pronounce "Kaneda" with a soft "Kah-nehda", which is proper Japanese pronunciation, but the original pronunciation just sounds cooler phonetically anyways. Oh well. As a writer, I have plenty to deride about the reworking of the script. It adds very little in the way of story. The entire rewrite is essentially Akira: the Thesaurus Script. Replace every combination of words with another set of gramatically correct, but unusual responses in a situation where the original dialogue would've fit. The cliche that applies in this case is if ain't broke, don't fix it. I really hope they include the original English dialogue, but somehow, as easily they could, I doubt they will.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Treatment
Review: Pioneer has done an excellent job with this film. THX certified and it includes the original Japanese audio track, not to mention extras on a second disc. As for the film itself it's a flawed classic, and in part it's those flaws that keep people coming back to it. A highly ambitious project as well, condesing over a thousand pages of story into a film that runs less than 2.5 hours, but amazingly, much of the feel comes through. The goofball below who gives the film one star is a fool. Even if you didn't like the story there is so much here that is excellent that to give it one star (basically calling it trash) is a travesty. I figure between an excellent double disc set and a classic of animation it's a must own, so I give it five stars.
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Summary: If you don't already know, this is required viewing!
Review: Seriously, this is one of the best movies of all time. Every anime fan owns a copy of this movie. Even if you aren't a fan of anime, you must see Akira before you can call yourself a movie buff. This movie is like good music. The desire to experience it will never totally go away. Even if you get tired of it after many viewings, you WILL get the urge to view it again. I guarantee it. Do yourself a favor, if you haven't seen this movie, make it a priority.
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Summary: Just a prediction!
Review: I have to admit that I'd NEVER seen this movie before and I feel sad for this reason.If you haven't seen this animated movie you can't consider yourself as an anime fan.Even though I hadn't seen it I know it would be a blast in DVD and I'm going to buy it for sure.I hope that you feel just as I do.
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Summary: old boys
Review: have anyone read the orginal story books. this dvd or any ld didnot show the whole story, it will change all your views to 5 stars maybe amazon.com sells this comic books form japan. it's a must get item also.
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Summary: Long overdue but finally arriving on DVD.
Review: AKIRA is the benchmark Japanese animated film, instilling an intelligence and uncharacteristic adult element into the false world of cell animation. The results are breathtaking. Each bit of trash, each shard of glass, each drop of sweat is amazingly animated, giving AKIRA a highly realistic, yet fantastical, look and feel. Set in post-World War 3 Tokyo, AKIRA tells the story of two boyhood friends who become entangled in a government experiment to harness the power of the human lifeforce, an attempt to speed up the human evolution. One of these friends, a young and mistreated boy named Tetsuo, finds himself the unwilling guinea pig in these experiments. He developes strong telekinetic powers and sets out to seek revenge upon those who have put him down and made him feel inferior. All this strong emotional material is set against a chaotic backdrop of a city in the midst of revolution. Protests and terriorist bombings sparks the streets, sidewalk preachers scream out their gospel, all while the government and the army fight to keep control. It's strong stuff, aimed at adults, with oodles of violence and true, thought-provoking questions. The ending is a bit convoluted for most, highly reminescent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001, but nothing can quite ruin the 100 minutes that preceed it. What transpires is a work of art that is extremely fascinating and genuinely exciting. This is a startling example of the power of animation and deserves to be viewed as a true film and not just a cartoon. But this is for thinking audiences only. DOn't expect any talking bunnies. Do expect a massive adrenaline rush.
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