Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful imagery, confusing storyline, tons of extras
Review: The strength of this DVD is it's extras. There's an interview with the creator/director that explains his concept of the film. The original production report for the film showing cells being painted, the voice artists, and more. The complete storyboard (4500 stills). An option for showing translations of graffiti during playback. After viewing the film, browse the exras to get an idea of the work that was involved. You won't be disappointed. As for the anime itself, the imagery is top notch, with attention to every small detail. From what I know, the original film was done without computer graphics. If you are a student of art, you will appreciate the effort put into each frame. Once the "wow" factor had worn off, I attempted to understand the storyline. After several viewings, there are some things that still confuse me. If you buy this and want to understand what's going on, expect to sit through it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: TETSUO!!! AKIRA!!
Review: Princess mononoke has been my favorite anime since the time I saw it. With its excellent animation voice overs that beat all others and suspense that makes your heart skip princess mononoke was (and is) a master piece. I never thought I'd see a better Anime, Until I saw Akira. Akira is my all time favorite Anime and one of my favorite Movies of all time. I don't know what they added in the special edition but I don't how it could be any better. Akira is about a teenager who gets involved with a biker gang. He comes in contact with a weird telepathic kid. After a while strange things start happening to him. Animation:10/10. This movie was supposedly made in the late 80's. well it has animation like it was made in 2039. The back grounds seem more detailed than actual life and the characters move smoothly across the screen. Plot:10/10. Well I already told you the basic plot. I'll just take this time to tell you what a amazing suspencful and brilliant plot akira has. Ahem. It has a good plot. Sound:9/10. The dub is superb and the voices are excellent and match the characters. Most of the music is good except for this one obnoxious sounding song. Don't worry, it only lasts like 5 seconds. Overall:10/10. Tihs film is exceptional. What else can you say? It was done perfectly and (slightly) better than princess mononoke.
Rating: 
Summary: An Incredible and Powerful Film
Review: AKIRA: this is the second best manga ever, falling just short of the incredible ghost in the shell, which is one of my favourite movies of all time, let alone animes. Akira is a definate purchase for anyone who can enjoy manga. The style of drawing on the characters is a little strange in the first 5 minutes, but after that you begin to question all other manga styles, as it looks great. Im not going to even start on the story, which is complex and intelligent, thick with symbolism and thought-provoking concepts. The music is classy, and fits the film perfectly. EG The amazing Tetsuo theme, brings the power and suspense of the films climax to your ears. This DVD is must purchase for any manga fan or anyone who has not seen this film. It also is a perfect starting place for anyone looking to get into anime/manga. (Beware the disturbing ending!)
Rating:
Summary: An excellent DVD
Review: I recently purchased Akira because my cousin had put up a lot of hype about the movie. Later that week ,after his first failed attempt, We finally watched it. It was possibly the best anime movie ever. The only dissapointment being the slight lack of extras on the double DVD set (Only 124 minutes, puny by today's standards with that 6, 10 and 20 hours of stuff) but I found that it was not overwhelming like the Episode One, or Planet of the Apes. Who would want to watch 10 hours of extras? anyway, thats the only slight drawback,but the movie itself is exellent, 10 of of 10 stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Best anime ever !
Review: I love Akira it is myt favorite anime ever!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Picture, Bad Dubbing
Review: Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Akira. It is by far the most classic anime that I personally compare all others to, but the new DVD version was kind of a let down in one big way: the new English dubbing is HORRIBLE. I have been an Akira fan for years and originally owned the English dubbed copy for VHS. That's the version I am familiar with and have only seen it in that version previous to the DVD. I was shocked when I started to play my favorite anime film of all time in the dubbed mode to hear a completely different set of voices. Not to mention the changed dialogue, but that I could get over. It was the extreme lack of emotion of the voice actors that made this new dubbed version terrible. There is no feeling behind most of them. Worst of all was the new female voice for Kei. Kei's big speech she gives Kaneda when they are caught and put in jail is so wooden and monotone. It was by far the worst English dubbing I have ever heard and for a classic like Akira they could have done much better. Since this is a special edition I think they should have included the original English dubbing to let fans decide which version to listen to. Basically this new version makes the old English dubbed version non-existent and anyone who was a fan of it and wants it on DVD is out of luck. Despite the horrible new English dubbing, the special features disk is jammed pack with documentaries, art, and photos that makes it well worth the extra $... over the standard version. The picture quality is also OUTSTANDING! They did a fantastic job restoring it to near perfect quality. If not for the new dialogue, this would've been one of the best VHS to DVD film transfers ever!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Anime with Great Information, but Slightly Confusing
Review: Akira is definitely one of the best anime titles in existence, ranking up along with Ghost in the Shell, Robotech/Macross, Mononoke-Hime, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Like Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion, there is quite a bit of philosophy involved with Akira; that philosophy is mixed with a great storyline and stunning animation shows the true power of anime beyond the standard glitz and fan service of titles such as Elf Princess Rane. The film is based upon the manga series of the same name. However, those unfamiliar with the manga are likely to be rather confused at what appear to be key moments in the film. At times, one action seems to follow another for no apparent reason. I purposely purchased this DVD to replace my worn-out VHS copy. What I find truly novel with the DVD version is the ability to use the optional information capsules scattered throughout the film. When the capsule icon (from Kaneda's jacket) is shown in the corner of the screen, pressing Play/Enter will show a translation of various signs and graffiti in the scene. This feature alone helps to improve one's understanding of the film, even if unfamiliar with the manga series. However, the main reason I can only rate this a "4" is due to the DVD's incompatibility with the PlayStation2 console. Unfortuantely, more and more anime DVDs in the States are incompatible with the PS2, and certainly some anime fans bought the PS2 for its games AND its DVD capabilities. That such a high-ranking title in the (unofficial) anime canon is incompatible with such a high-profile gaming console with DVD capability is a true slap in the face to anime fans everywhere :-(
Rating:
Summary: New Version Not Nearly As Good As Original
Review: I own both the original Akira on VHS and the new version on DVD.
The newer version may have the old beat on looks , but the old Akira has all the right voices. I found all of the newer voices to be too "Americanized" for my tastes, but that may suit some of you.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Anime Movie of all time!!
Review: In 1988, a Japanese animated Motion picture called " Akira" has took the world by storm and introducing the world to Anime. It spawned Merchandise, Graphic Novels, Video Games, Pinball Game, Shirts and it even got a limited Theatrical release in the U.S.A getting good reception from the Critics and Audiences alike. It's set in the near future of Tokyo, a Biker named " Tetsuo" gets Injured and is taken to a Hospital where he became a Test subject for a Government Experiment involving E.S.P and wants to find the source of his power. It's a Thrilling, Gory and marvelous Japanese Animated Thriller that will introduce you to Japanese Animation. 10/10 ( also check out " Ghost in the Shell.)
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I saw this movie 10 yrs ago and I still love it!! Wonderful anime.
| 
