Akira

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so after much debate, controversy, and press I decided to finally watch the "masterpiece" that is Akira.

imo, it had a fantastic plot, great characters, and a very grand setting. I thoughrouly enjoyed every part of it from start to finish and is one of the finest works I am proud to say I watched.

However, the ending left me a bit confused. When the children said it had already begun, what did that mean? the beginning of the rebirth of the universe? or just Neo-Tokyo

Also, was this on a grander scale so far as the world or just Neo-Tokyo itself?

Either way it was a fantastic movie that i thougrougly enjoyed and might visit again in the future. So many pretty colors, a very beautiful display, and top-notch animation.

I really hope to get some replys, seeing as this has "classic" status id like to know peoples opinions and expierences after watching Akira. Please answer back.

Re: Akira Discussion (just finished)

I found that Otomo had to work hard to come up with a worth wile end. The manga had not been officially ended.
In the movie Tetsuo has transcended. He is, for all intents and purposes gone with Akira, and so are the old children. If you recall one of them #28 saves the colonel by getting him away from the epicenter.
It was that next evolution that had just started. It was the Old children who make this statement, I felt they became part of the light, or one with Akira.

In the Manga, there is more story that follows the aftermath of Akira being awakened. In it Tokyo becomes a new nation which has "just started"

Kenada was at the epicenter as well, but was saved by Kei calling him back. Without her he would have become part of the light. But we all know she was showing signs of having the same power as the kids... well maybe more. If you notice Tetsuo was able to surpass the generation of the kids. I believe Kei was supposed to be of that same power.

I forget if it is being brought out in people throughout the world, but Akira at the moment in the anime was the MOST powerful, and was uncontrolable. In the Manga, he is not in Jars.
and you actually get to know him, but he is placed as a demi-god before a baffled surviving Neo Tokyo residence.
As for other nation in this story, the US, and other nations are off the border of Japan following events closely, and even sending in a covert operator to gain information and
I was also a huge fan of the soundtrack by the Geino Yamashirogumi. The percussion based beats and live instruments, with vocal choir and Noh style singing parts, makes it transcend ages where other anime can be horribly dated.

Re: Akira Discussion (just finished)

I completely agree. especially about Kei. there seemed more to her than just being controlled by the children. I honestly wished her character couldve been developed more. but thats kinda being nit-picky.


Thanks for clearing some things up for me. It seems that the manga has more to it afterwards.

I also agree with you statement of the music. (cant believe i didnt mention it before) It really did help MAKE the anime which few anime do. I was wondering if you had the same opinion on Cowboy Bebop. I think CB's soundtrack does the same and was maybe inspired by the way Akira's did.

Re: Akira Discussion (just finished)

isaacphantom said:

I completely agree. especially about Kei. there seemed more to her than just being controlled by the children. I honestly wished her character couldve been developed more. but thats kinda being nit-picky.


Thanks for clearing some things up for me. It seems that the manga has more to it afterwards.

I also agree with you statement of the music. (cant believe i didnt mention it before) It really did help MAKE the anime which few anime do. I was wondering if you had the same opinion on Cowboy Bebop. I think CB's soundtrack does the same and was maybe inspired by the way Akira's did.

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yeah Kei needed som TLC. Tetsuo is pretty much the same, and so is Kaneda.
Ryu the guy Kei is looking for also has a more expansive role. I really liked the colonel in both, and the scientist that becomes a crushed soda can is more a role for the movie.
There are also some characters not even in it.

Honestly though, getting away from the manga (sorry I did not mean to divert from the very good movie) The movie stands fairly well on it's own. You would not get those rich colors and textures and amazing frame rate animation, without the movie. (I believe it cost a LOT when it came out) It had those fantastic effects of the light trails. Also I would not call the characters "good" looking, so they looked very realistic when brought to movement.

I felt the music did wonders for Akira. It builds tension right from the start with the first track. A clipping fast beat with more and more added sounds, along with a rousing male vocal performance.
The only problem with it, is there are parts where there is no music where there could have been some.
This is probably due to it being written primarily before the movie was finished.

As for Bebop, other than it is another topic in a way, I would agree it adds to the overall feel of the show. (which can be hard to do) The fact I own 4 CD's of music for it probably is a good indication of how much I enjoyed it. Then again I have been a fan of Jazz used in anime since Lupin the III (Yuji Ohno is the man!)

the soundtrack was awesome. i still listen to it occosionally.

Can't read too much into what is being said since I've yet to read the manga (haven't found volumes 1 and 3). But I cna say that the anime is pretty confusing since as others have said, the manga had not been finished at the time. But the animation still stands the test of time and so does the soundtrack. One could argue that the animation of Akira is the epitome of hand drawn anime animation.

Akira is the anime that got me into anime. Having not seen any anime before (I had but I didn't know it was anime) Akira blew my little 12 year old mind like it was Ash himself wielding his boomstick.

Since Funkgun did such an amazing job explaining the ending I don't have too much to say. The ending itself can stand by itself or can be completed with the Manga. I feel that if you really do appreciate the movie the manga will only increase that appreciation. The two are very similiar and that's what makes them really great tie-ins.
I think that overall the movie would hinder itself if they had actually completed the movie with Akira returning. In the manga of course he does return, but the focus is more clearly on Kandea, Tatsuo, and Kei. The ending, specifically #28's statement is merely in reference to the continuation focusing more on Tatsuo and Akira.
I think it'd be awesome if they wanted to make a second movie to do the rest of the manga =D but that's just me.

Apples said:

Since Funkgun did such an amazing job explaining the ending I don't have too much to say. The ending itself can stand by itself or can be completed with the Manga. I feel that if you really do appreciate the movie the manga will only increase that appreciation. The two are very similiar and that's what makes them really great tie-ins.
I think that overall the movie would hinder itself if they had actually completed the movie with Akira returning. In the manga of course he does return, but the focus is more clearly on Kandea, Tatsuo, and Kei. The ending, specifically #28's statement is merely in reference to the continuation focusing more on Tatsuo and Akira.
I think it'd be awesome if they wanted to make a second movie to do the rest of the manga =D but that's just me.

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I would love a sequel too.
Didn't they at one time talk about a TV series? Obviously not going to happen, but that would be the only way to truly do the manga's large story.

I for one would love to see people's reaction to Chiyoko; the manliest female protagonist to ever grace the pages of a manga. =D

I find this to be one of the more overrated anime's. The animation was indeed flawless. Better than things being made today. The story was confusing, and not even in the it makes sense in it's confusion. It was just void of any cohesiveness or anything substantial to hold onto. 2.5/5.

Funkgun said:

I would love a sequel too.
Didn't they at one time talk about a TV series? Obviously not going to happen, but that would be the only way to truly do the manga's large story.

I for one would love to see people's reaction to Chiyoko; the manliest female protagonist to ever grace the pages of a manga. =D

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I believe that they did in fact, but I don't remembering hearing it as more than a rumor. It was still be amazing though! =D

I feel Otomo does an amazing job throughout the series creating balances between characters. Every character in the series has an opposite yet equal partner. Obviously Kaneda has Kei, Tetsuo has Akira, but even the characters that are not shoved so closely to the forefront have matches as well.
Chiyoko is one of the most equal females as a fighter. Rarely do we see a female fighter in anime that doesn't at one point or another submit to being a damsel in distress. In fact Otomo highlights this when
It is not a man but a woman in this position. I find that she is also the perfect equal to the Colonel. Here is a character that by all means in the manly man he embodies the strong, intelligent, independent characteristics that is admired in fighters of all types throughout anime. Chiyoko is all of these things if not more, making here a perfect equal.

Apples said:

I believe that they did in fact, but I don't remembering hearing it as more than a rumor. It was still be amazing though! =D

I feel Otomo does an amazing job throughout the series creating balances between characters. Every character in the series has an opposite yet equal partner. Obviously Kaneda has Kei, Tetsuo has Akira, but even the characters that are not shoved so closely to the forefront have matches as well.
Chiyoko is one of the most equal females as a fighter. Rarely do we see a female fighter in anime that doesn't at one point or another submit to being a damsel in distress. In fact Otomo highlights this when

Spoiler

Ciyoko is sent to save Kaneda, by Kei's request.

It is not a man but a woman in this position. I find that she is also the perfect equal to the Colonel. Here is a character that by all means in the manly man he embodies the strong, intelligent, independent characteristics that is admired in fighters of all types throughout anime. Chiyoko is all of these things if not more, making here a perfect equal.

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I always liked the fact that she was not a thin good looking woman that could kick some tail... Instead she is a rather burly looking woman who could kick some tail. ( more realistic)
And about her and the Colonel, yes, indeed they are actually two of my favorite characters. the colonel is one of the very few who translates well into the movie.

Funkgun said:

I always liked the fact that she was not a thin good looking woman that could kick some tail... Instead she is a rather burly looking woman who could kick some tail. ( more realistic)
And about her and the Colonel, yes, indeed they are actually two of my favorite characters.

Spoiler

Especially when they meet up at one point when Chiyoko is injured, on her mission.

the colonel is one of the very few who translates well into the movie.

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That's extremely true. It's a problem that occurs in both anime and live action. Specifically with anime female fights always fit the same mold: thin, long flowing hair, and skimpy outfits. It's pretty awesome that Otomo made her look the way she does. There really is nothing sensual about her so what she looks like has nothing to really factor in for a reason she should be a favorite for the majority of otakus (regardless of the fact she isn't a stereotype).

The colonel did translate the best, but so did Kaneda. I feel Tatsuo got the short end of the stick sadly. They made his character so flat in comparison to what he is like in the manga. It's not like they had all the time in the world to go into that much depth though...

I loved this anime because of the flowing motion of the entire movie. I liked the manga better but the Anime was still one of the best I have seen. And was clearly the best for its time. :)

I revisited this over the weekend, and there's a reason this is regarded as a milestone in anime and opened western audiences up to the medium. It's simply one of those rare pieces of animation that stands up to and indeed surpasses most live-action cinema.

Incredible attention to detail and fluid animation throughout; engaging, gritty characters, and a genuine mindbender of a plot focusing on the realisation of self, life and the universe around us. The english dub is excellent, especially Tetsuo being infused with a perfect blend of dissaffected youth and angst ridden fury. The soundtrack becomes timeless by not falling into the 80's sci-fi trap of wierded out synths, and goes with high-tempo percussion and vocal pieces.

Granted the Manga takes it several steps further with deeper characters, more intricate plot details as the medium naturally allows. But as a stand alone masterpiece of animation, you can stand this next to the likes of Bladerunner/Silent Running/The Matrix and say "Yep this is just as influential and significant as these".

Genius.

Apparently a live action remake is in the works, and it isn't low budget. Will probably be horrible, but there is always hope......
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Extreme q vaporizer

I read a rumour in Empire magazine a few years back linking Paul Thomas Anderson to it... dear, dear GOD no!

From Wikipedia:

In the early 1990s, Kodansha Ltd. was in negotiation with Sony Pictures to produce a live-action remake of the film. Talk circulated again a decade later,[15] but the project has yet to materialize. Rumors circulated that the project was canceled in both instances when the projected budget for the film was upwards of $300 million.

Talks began again as Warner Brothers signed on to produce the movie with Stephen Norrington (writer) and Jon Peters (producer).[16] Akira was to be developed into two live action films; the first was to be scheduled for a summer 2009 release.[17] Warner Brothers and Appian Way planned to adapt the two movies from the manga, with each one covering three volumes. Ruairi Robinson signed on as director, Gary Whitta wrote the script and Andrew Lazar, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jennifer Davisson were to produce the film.

Andrew Lazar has stated that the film is not dead and is in fact a priority project for Warner Bros. Pictures and when it does go into production, it will be very high budgeted.[18] Screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are currently working on the script. Gary Whitta has revealed that he has no idea whether they are re-working his script or starting from scratch.[19] The film is still on course to be released in 2011.[20]

NY Magazine has recently stated that Warner Brothers is in negotiations with the Hughes Brothers to direct the film.[21]

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Toyota corona exiv history

That's not exactly a list of top movie making talent, but the Hughes Brothers do have a good nack for comic book adaptations like From Hell, and Menace 2 Society showed they can do violent dissafected youth. It should be a good match of styles and subject for them, and it could be a lot, lot worse.

Saw the movie yesterday. It was a terrible adaptation of the manga. I admit that I liked the animation, very fluid for its time, and I thought the music was special but that's all. What was Otomo thinking?

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