Akira (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Slightly less than the Manga, and Different
Review: I read the epic manga of Akira first and got this for my birthday. For being an adaptation (even if it was done by the creater), I felt even with the changed parts from the manga, this was good. The dub, like most will agree, sucked; Japanese audio with English Subs is the best to go with most anime (unless it's Inu Yasha, both aren't that good but the Japanese sounds like he has a headcold).

For a synopsis, Old Tokyo is destroyed in 1988 (when the movie came out) and another World War begins with the Soviets and Americans going head-to-head (which we don't see). Tokyo is rebuilt over thirty years in Tokyo Bay on a manmade island where the movie starts (2019). The government is hated in this movie and we'll see anti-governmental members everywhere (including riots and terrorist bombings). Kaneda is the leader of a biker gang which goes around causing mayhem in the streets while fighting their nemesis gang, The Jokers. During their battle, Tetsuo (a friend of Kaneda who is put down often by him) is injuried when a small man walks out onto the road while his bike is driving by. The bike explodes and Tetsuo is taken by military medics to a hospital. Kaneda meets Kei, a member of an anti-government group, at a police questioning. Tetsuo is revealed to be a telekenetic and quickly gains power, seeking the mysterious Akira (who in the manga was actually a boy). During a raid, Kaneda and Kei meet Tetsuo with his new powers, seeing he's turned evil with his newfound powers. After a long and explosive track, Tetsuo reaches Akira to find him dead, only jars of organs (that ticked me off a little, I liked the little boy Akira). Several other psychics revive Akira to suck Tetsuo into another reality where a new universe is born and destroyed, consuming Tetsuo into it.

Changes from the Manga: Otumo takes out all of manga 3, which requires Akira to become a bunch of organs becuase at the end of Number 2, he destroys Neo Tokyo. This destruction and lack of government creates a load of clans and territories, the most known is The Japanese Empire, lead by Emperor Akira. I felt that Manga #3 was needed becuase Kaneda comes into the story as a chauvanist, cursing, antisocial, arrogant, egotistical biker but leaves less chauvanist (at least in my eyes) becuase he develops a romance with Kei, a real tomboy who seems to change his views on girls. In the anime, they only hint at a romance (mostly one sided with Kaneda making really bad pick-up lines or starting conversations that are less-than casual) and Kaneda leaves the same chauvanist, cursing, antisocial, arrogant, egotistical biker he started out as.

Overall-I think the dub and differences in the storyline were a disappointment but the overall movie was great, especially the dub-synch in Japanese (the mouths ACTUALLY move with the words!). Four stars!

Rating:
Summary: HaloKillah of the Killer 7's truth about Akira
Review: Heh heh heh...I'm sure you diehard Akira fans are wondering how your precious anime commodity would deserve anything less than a 5 star rating. Well I have news for you; Akira is one of the biggest overly acclaimed garbage anime out there. To even compare it to some of today's greats is a total waste. Face it, Akira had it's chance to shine in the 80's. It's over man, game over. Why is it in the related matches with Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust? I still don't understand that one. I mean, Akira is not a benchmark in anime history. It's actually pretty funny. I mean, when that girl gets hit in the face by those bikers...That to you is the stuff of greatness??? And that one part where he crushes his girlfriend on accident; that is one of the funniest scenes in anime. This anime deserves no accolades; only a throw away. Don't add this to your anime collection and feel proud. You are shaming the rest of your collection. If you want a great anime from the 80's, get some Voltron or something.