Akira on DVD? It Might Happen

Xunker writes "I was mooching around, looking for infomation on the mother of all anime films, Akira, when I found an interesting tidbit pertaining to it's release on DVD. The gist of it being that Pioneer got the rights to it after MGM let them slip, and the word on the wire is that they're redubbing it in preparation for a re-release on DVD in 2001! Finally anime newbies like myself can see what all the fuss is about!"

Comments

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

[Jeff DeMaagd]

If the VHS version is $60, how much will the DVD be? $100? Of course, I'll still buy it.. but it better kick ass for that price.

It will probably cost $30 unless it's a super premium edition. Pioneer doesn't yet charge more than $30 for a single DVD.

The reason Akira on tapes costs so much now is that it is out of production, the original company that put it out (Streamline) picked an exclusive distributor that quickly died (Orion) and they couldn't get the distributor rights back.

Being out of production, the tapes have been in very short supply for a LONG time. Limited supply with a strong fan base = an exercise in supply & demand. The shops selling this tape generally know how hard it is to get, a local anime store kept getting their rental copies stolen.

Re:Don't bother...

[skoda]

Interesting...

I watched it recently, shortly after seeing "Ghost In the Shell", and it seemed that things were pretty vague at times in "Akira". I didn't realize I was only getting the middle part of the story.

For the anime newbies (such as myself), I recommend "Ghost..." first; I thought it was distinctly better than Akira. Akira, IMHO, was about 30 min too long -- the entire final scene should have been tighter. It was also even more vague than "Ghost...", which is saying something.

Still, both are excellent. They are very interesting and engaging movies, with some amazing animation throughout.
-----
D. Fischer

NEW Akira!!!!

[terminalkaleidoscope]

For the Anime/Manga geek, there's also other new Akira stuff to report --

Diamond Previews pg. 33(comics geeks will know what I mean) lists Akira vol. 2 tpb from Dark Horse Comics -- A continuation of the previous Akira storyline. On sale March 21, 304 pg -- but contact your local comics store to order now, since they order 3 months in advance.
Anime is cool and all, but anyone who's read the manga of nearly any Anime can tell you -- Manga is almost ALWAYS vastly superior to anime of the same story. VASTLY

McFarlane Toys have Tetsuo, Kaneda and Kaneda's cycle toys available -- very nice likenesses. I just picked up Kaneda myself yesterday, and he's overlooking my workstation at work (next to the Bob & Doug McKenzie figures already there)

Re:Akira Was My First Anime

[cpt kangarooski]

You just have to look for something good. Anime is a genre - you can't expect it to all be good, the same way that not all black and white movies are good or bad.

I suggest...

• Castle of Cagliostro
  The best of the many, many Lupin the Third films. Humorous adventure of a master thief. (movie)
• Patlabor 2
  Serious near-future police mystery. Can be a bit slow, but an excellent movie. (movie)
• Cowboy Bebop
  Bounty hunters in space - excellent animation, stories, music (by Yoko Kanno, who's absolutely great) and not to be missed. (26 TV episodes, generally episodic)
• Vision of Escaflowne
  A girl is transported to a hidden sister planet of Earth and is involved in the middle of a war there. Again, music by Yoko Kanno, so it's great. There's a nice payoff eventually for physicists. (26 TV episodes, running plot lines so watch 'em in order)
• Grave of the Fireflies
  Really sad story of a brother and sister in Japan during the end of WW2. (movie)
• Macross Plus
  Good action movie - a love triangle between two rival flight test pilots and a singer in the future. Again, Yoko Kanno music. (4 OAVs - i.e. direct to video episodes)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
  Big robots, cute girls, the apocalypse, a nice sixties flair but set in 2015. Starts out fine, gets weird fast. Helps to see the two follow up movies after the end of the series. (26 TV episodes)

This is all good stuff. I've tried to stick to things that are on DVD (the entire market is rapidly shifting that way) and of course, I strongly suggest that you watch it in Japanese with subtitles. There just really aren't any good dubs, IMHO. Really, if you asked your friendly neighborhood anime otaku what to watch, and indicated your tastes by naming some US movies you can probably get more suggestions. (e.g. if you like Star Trek you'd probably like Sol Bianca; if you like the Dungeons and Dragons movie you'd probably like Record of Lodoss War; if you like /.'s many NP posts you'd probably like La Blue Girl...) Additionally, many comic book shops and independent video stores rent anime, in case you're unhappy with the prices on the net. Don't even bother with stores, they charge too much.

It's around on VCD or VHS...

[Drakino]

Finally anime newbies like myself can see what all the fuss is about!

What? It exists in other formats now and can be seen. I currently own it on VCD (Official release, nice to have), and I know it exists on VHS. Waiting for a DVD is no excuse to not see anime. Any VHS based anime I want to see, I simply rent from the local anime store here.

The Dialogue: Movie-A-Minute!

[Grendel Drago]

[Neo-Tokyo EXPLODES.]

Tetsuo: KANEDA!

Kaneda: TETSUO!

[Neo-Tokyo EXPLODES.]

[CONFUSING METAPHYSICAL THINGS happen.]

[Credits.]

apologies to RinkWorks,
grendel drago