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Akira has to be one of those ground breaking movies that even after all these years since it first came out still has the power to excite and delight the watcher.
Discovering Akira
I first saw Akira many years ago in the cinema, with subtitles and with its original Japanese soundtrack, for me it was a pivotal moment in my movie going experience.
Not only was it an animated movie, but it was one with an adult rating, which intrigued me and I wasn’t disappointed with it at all. Those days of “cartoons” were going to be left behind as I had discovered the world of “Manga“.
Disney Smishney!
Right from the very start I was gripped by the action and amazing animation of Akira, its powerful storyline and characters that you could actually sympathise with throughout the movie, but also watching the movie in its subtitled version brought a whole new outlook on my movie going experience.
Later I would grow to love and watch many more movies such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Night Watch” in their native tongue.
Animation Is Not Just For Kids
There are those that mock the animated movies and some instantly say “Oh it’s a cartoon, aren’t those for children”, which really annoys me, it’s only another medium for film making after all.
And today, I still enjoy Akira and having a remastered version on DVD with its crystal clear picture and sound and several different versions just makes it even more enjoyable. I suppose you could say that Akira is a “Modern Classic” and that’s one of the reasons I chose it for the Classic Film Friday movie.
Taking Akira And Destroying It!
Bit a heading that isn’t? There was a rumour sometime back Hollywood in their unknown wisdom was going to take Akira and totally destroy it with a live action version!
For me and probably everyone that adores Akira were mortified by this.
But thankfully in July this year a post was posted up on the io9 website titled “One Reason to be Glad the Live-Action Akira Movie is Dead“, so thank goodness that that’s one classic movie that has been saved from the Hollywood Re-Booters!
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Twitter: stephwoo286
I’m a big anime fan too! Akira is a great watch, but it descends into the ‘floaty explain land’ cliche that all shorter-form anime are plagued with at the end, and I have to say I’ve always found a lot of the characters quite unlikeable. I adore the traditionally inspired soundtrack though ‘DA! DA! DAH DAH!’
And no mention of an american adaptation would be complete without: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jafd97yJFOI
Twitter: BlazingMinds
Twitter: dragonblogger
Akira was simply incredible, I saw it for the first time on Laserdisc again subtitled and the quality of animation and style of movie blew away anything Disney put out at the time. Literally this is the movie that started my journey into Anime when I was a kid and I followed up with so many until I was about 18.
Lately I rarely watch Anime anymore except for anything by Miyazaki that I can watch with my two younger kids. Arion was the 2nd Japanese Anime I saw after Akira also had me hooked.
Justin Germino recently posted..Sony Announces World’s First Digital Binoculars with HD Recording
Twitter: Lyndrick
I still have not seen Akira. I have read about it for years, but I have never gotten to view it. Naruto on the other hand, I have seen. I have also seen the anime for Street Fighter and some of the newer Marvel stuff.
Does Akira feature the slow as a glacier fighting sequences that plagues Naruto and Dragon Ball Z? If so, I dunno if I will ever watch it. I am so tired of Forever fights.
Lyndrick recently posted..The Fourth (48 HR Film Project: Chicago)
Twitter: dragonblogger
No, Akira is in a world of it’s own and the slow mo anime fighting style is really for cheap Americanized anime. Rent Akira or watch it, it will blow your mind and is unlike any of the modern anime you see on Cartoon Network or Adult Swim.
Justin Germino recently posted..DiRT 3 Review
Twitter: BlazingMinds
You pipped me to the post there Justin I was going to say the same thing about renting the movie. Watch the subtitled version, the character voices are so much better.
Karen recently posted..Creative Ways To Increase Your Twitter Followers
Twitter: dragonblogger
Right, English dubbing is usually horrible but some of the Miyazaki films where they get A-list actors have pretty good dubbing. I like the English dubbed version of Porco Rosso for example.
Justin Germino recently posted..Sony Announces World’s First Digital Binoculars with HD Recording
Twitter: money_whisper
I hate movies that replace the native language with english or anything else. The characters sound much better with their original voice and that is one of the best things in a movie of any kind. I don’t remember seeing Akira but I am going to in the next days
Akira is great and totally different than Naruto or DBZ.
Of course the fights in Naruto for example are extra long and slow because it is a series and needs to be stretched out over many episodes. Especially because it follows the manga and one chapter of manga can show a lot less than 24min of anime.
Akira is quite Hardcore action. Just watch it, you will probably love it.
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Twitter: dayafterstore
What a coincidence, I was just researching anime and manga for a blog I just wrote…And about this medium being just for kids? There’s a whole bunch of adult otaku that say different.
Sonny recently posted..Make Anime-zing Chibi Girl Charm
Thanks Karen will surely see this movie. keep on sharing more and more.