Slashdot Mirror
Akira Re-Released
Greg Lee writes "Pioneer Entertainment has re-released Akira! Originally released in 1988, this film is still cutting edge 13 years later. Two versions of the film have been re-released on DVD: One is a regular version, and the other is a special edition in a metal case with a second DVD filled with goodies. (Mine also came with a free animation cell from the movie!) Pioneer's website has not yet been updated to reflect the release." The deluxe DVD looks great - THX certed, Dolby 5.1, remastering script.
For those of you who may be wondering what Akira is about, it's a movie where Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes of World War III to become a dark and dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and terrorists. The government seethes with corruption and only maintains a token control over the powerful military that prevents total chaos and hides the secrets of the past. Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo's darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo, captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make him a powerful psychic, but unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo, Testuo's powers rage out of control and he lashes out at the world that has oppressed him. Nothing can stop the destructive forces that Tetsuo wields except possibly the last boy to destroy Tokyo.
Heh, Hollywood Video isn't any better than Blockbuster. I rented exactly 1 DVD from them, (Requiem for a Dream) found out that they gave me the edited version, (big label on the menu thankfully) asked for an unedited version, and cancelled my membership when they didn't have one.
I judge a video store by how many Troma films they carry.
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Why can't I moderate something "Wrong" or at least "Grossly Misinformed"?
I find that to be the case with a LOT of recent anime that's OAV or theater release -- they put so much into the action that very little goes into the characters, why the characters are who they are, why what they're doing has any importance, and whether or not you should care about them.
Having watched Yamato/Star Blazers, Robotech, etc, as a kid find that most recent anime is very hard to get into because there's very little to relate to. And its not because of cultural differences, is 'cause litterally there is nothing to relate to. A series (e.g., Ranma 1/2) gives time to properly introduce characters and relationships and give you a reason to want a relationship or a character to go one way or the other. OAVs and Movies that don't have series tie-ins tend to be too short and underdeveloped, character-wise, to give that reason to interact.
Its just action in the end. Even (to give non-anime references) Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, both "just action", gave you enough reason to want to follow the characters and support their part of the action. More appropraitely, contrast Akira to Mad Max -- both post-apacolyptic(sp), but with Mad Max, you usually found yourself supporting Max's attempts to change things / make things better. Akira (and most of its OAV clones) never did that for me -- I found nothing to care about, so I didn't care about the movie. The last anime movie that did was Vampire Hunter D.
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You know, you gotta get up real early if you want to get outta bed... (Groucho Marx)
"But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
-- Joe
I rented Akira from Blockbuster a few years ago, and both my wife and I thought that it made absolutely no sense whatsoever. A big, confusing, muddled bore.
Later I found out that Blockbuster had removed all of the "drug-related" scenes.
Yeah, haven't updated that in a while. To my defense, there's also pictures of me, my wife and other things family/friends have asked me to put pictures of.
I know I was overreacting a bit, I'm just so sick of Anime news. Yes, I know I can tell slashdot to ignore it.
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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
Yes, you're right, point taken. I give into the temptation for once and semi-trolled.
The thing is, I don't really have anything against Anime, I don't expect people to have the same likes/dislikes as me. What I do have a BIt of a problem with is CmdrTaco going totally nuts over the smallest, most trivial Anime news he ever comes across. That's who "Get Over It" is addressed to, him and that specific thing. Why did he bother starting Anime-Fu if he's going to stick the Anime stuff here anyway?
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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is kinky.
Since you ask me directly, no. I don't watch pokemon, anime or not.
I enjoy anime because I'm tired of the predictible plots. In the really good anime, the characters are far richer than in the west. Most of them have personal demons, and act from them. I don't recall seeing many pure good vs pure evil anime.
Even akira is about a little boy tetsuo who is picked on and never quite good enough. He becomes the most powerful creature in the universe, and it eventually destroys him. When I watched it, I could easily see myself acting exactly the same way for many of the things he does.
In ninja scroll, the hero got a spike through his eye because he trusted his father. His father was trying to teach him to trust nobody, including his own father. It wasn't an accident either. You'll never see that on friends, or in even an 'Ahnolld' movie.
Not to mention, the hero often bites it. Sometimes halfway through. Another thing that's extremely rare in the west. It's the unpredictability that I really enjoy.
Usually the evil are multi-dimensional characters, too. They have reasons to be pissed off. Often, as in 'Ghost in the Shell' you don't even have truly evil characters.
Good luck if you want to really watch some good stuff. I recommend 'Ghost in the Shell' and 'Akira' highly, as well as Ninja Scroll.
hanzie
********* sig: If you don't like the law, get filthy stinking rich, and buy a better one.
It was my introduction to Anime. I shall buy.
Also, I've noticed in the last 2 years that anime has gone from nowhere to having a full shelf at the local media play.
********* sig: If you don't like the law, get filthy stinking rich, and buy a better one.
I got my DVD, in the tin box, early last week! The official release date was yesterday, the 24th. I got mine from MediaPlay.com ($30), but at the time I ordered it, there was only 1 collectors edition. Then I emailed their customer service department when I found out that there were 2 collector's editions--one in plastic, the other in metal. They promptly emailed me back and told me that I would more than likely be getting the metal tin, since I ordered so early, and before they made notice. Now there's a "Collector's Edition" and a "Special Collector's Edition" on their site. But good luck finding a tin in any retail store. They only produced a limited quantity that was supposedly out of stock due to all the preorders.
Oh, and mine didn't come with any production cell! What gives? I thought the metal box was the "top of the line" for this release? Oh well.
Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.
Okay, nothing to add, except that UPS dropped mine off about an hour ago. (And someone was at home to get it, so don't try to look me up in Google to get my home address and steal it. You'll only find a trashcan, a PC-XT filled with concrete, and a garden gnome with a collection of photos from his round-the-world trip)
One more tidbit: anyone else see this in the theatre? Somehow, I managed to do that three times. I miss the Biograph in DC.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Actually, none of my local merchants carry things like this. By the time I factor in sales tax and the gas bill, having bought from Amazon with a discount they offered and free S&H netted me a couple of bucks.
BTW, sometimes comics shops go through totally different distributors, so maybe the packaging was a bit different.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
It also appears that the music timing is different. For example, the first fight with the clowns: the contrasting music of Kaneda vs. the clown boss -- when they're playing chicken -- isn't as dramatic as I remember it. In the older version, switching between shots of each charachter also switched music... and it was a very powerful contrast. In this new version, the music is, well, 'smoothed out' -- it's more consistant, but you lose a bit of the drama.
I got my copy last night from my local mom-n-pop anime & rollplaying shop -- heck, the 2-disc set was $2 cheaper than Best Buy! ($25.99 vs. $27.99) I like the metal case, but there was no cel in it... I guess Greg Lee got a different version. Also, mine is black & silver, not metallic blue & silver (like Microlith's / comment #27) How many versions are there???
The in-depth look at the music of Akira is a nice plus, too (it's on Disc 2). Geinoh Yamashiro Gumi actually made the music before the movie... I did not know that. The bamboo instruments, the ability of (at the time) new tuning abilities of MIDI instruments & sampling... all kinds of things we now take for granted that were bleeding edge in the 80s...
DAMN.
Been waiting for this ever since last November!
You did remember to support your local merchant instead of a megacorp, didn't you? Even Amazon is more expensive than Best Buy!
"...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
I got it last night, and I have to say... the voices are a lot less cartoony than in the original dub. Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru don't sound all funk and high-pitched, and they don't make those weird groaning-whimpering noises all the time.
I don't care if he was cheesy, I *liked* the old voice they had for the Colonel. I know, it's more realistic this way, but "Men, we're goint to the Olympics!" will forever be burned into my memory...
-grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Actually, I liked the mini-flashback the Colonel had while riding the elevator down into Akira's holding cell near the beginning. And when he sees the big "#28" ball.
"Not much to look at now. Hard to believe that it brought humanity right to the brink. A giant step backward in mankind's evolution -- I can't believe the politicians would dare tempt fate again!"
Whew, I butchered that. But there was some damned good dialogue. Much better than that P.O.S. The Spirits Within script. **shudder**...
-grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Dude, the movie's **logo** (on the back of the tin, on Kaneda's jacket, on the books...) was a pill.
-grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
Yep. The thing I really was blown away by, though, was how many characters they just decided to leave out in the movie! A faithful adaptation would have been seven hours long or something... *drool*
-grendel drago
Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
That's because Carl Macek replaced the original music. What you hear now is the original music that was created for (before!) Akira.
Or you're listening to the 5.1 Dub with an improper setup.
The reflection off the case appears blue to me, but the case is indeed black.
And there are 4 versions:
Dub VHS
Limited Special Edition (Tin), 2 DVDs.
Special Edition (plastic), 2 DVDs.
Regular Edition (plastic), 1 DVD.
Dip dip dip dip...
None of the anime companies except Manga Entertainment are members of the MPAA (through Polygram). And people are really pissed at Manga now for their poor handling of a high profile release and their incredibly poor attitude towards their customers.
Akira has no CSS or Macrovision. Neither do any other non-Manga releases.
Enjoy!
The restoration is incredible, especially when compared to the video in the extras Pioneer got for the second disc.
The second disc is excellent as well. Tons of extras, including 2 documentaries made back in '88 on the making of Akira. Both in Japanese, they have subtitles and a voiceover read the onscreen text.
The case itself, at least the tin one, is beautiful. A slight metallic blue, both sides hinge off a silver center, with the disc mounts attached to the inside of each panel. A beautiful case, but it won't fit in a standard DVD holder.
For those who are cheaper, they're releasing the movie in a standard keepcase sans the extras disc. And those who missed/don't want the tin, they'll be releasing a plastic-cased "special edition" set with both discs.
Although I ignored the dub (which I hear is pretty good this time around), I finally got to hear the Japanese track. With the new translation, the story MAKES SENSE NOW. All you have to do is pay attention. It also helps to read the first few books of the manga, which'll introduce you to all of the characters (though their roles are changed significantly).
A great release, best of the year so far. Pioneer spent the money and made good on their promises.
If you didn't manage to get the limited edition in the tin, or you ordered it from somewhere like Amazon that is now ignoring your order, there's still a chance. It looks like Tower has them in stock still for the list price of $31.99.
-Todd
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"The details of my life are quite inconsequential..."
Tower isn't. And no, I don't work for Tower.
-Todd
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"The details of my life are quite inconsequential..."
Tower has the tins still (at least according to their site). Not an employee, just ordered mine from there.
-Todd
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"The details of my life are quite inconsequential..."
No, it's not. Akira was cutting edge because it (as someone else put it) 'blew our scooby-doo-minds away', with all the gratuitous violence. Sure, the bood is nice, but it's all it has. The story is boring, and very difficult to understand without the background knowledge from the manga.
And I don't mind a bad storyline on a normal anime, because there is always babes with big breasts. But no big breasts on Akira.. They are all 'chinese'.
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Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!
Take for instance the Sixth Sense. I enjoyed that moveie immensely, but it would have been much more powerful had it ended without explicitly showing the twist. Just enough of a hint to allow people to figure it out. Kinda like how Blase Runner ends. The unicorn is just enough of a hint to make the connection.
I'm the big fish in the big pond bitch.
By the way as a Japanese major, you should (better than most people) that Japanese media tends toward that trend in general. Every last bit of the intended meaning of the author(s) is not spelled out (as it generally is in American films), requiring the viewer to draw their own conclusions. This isn't a trait that is held only by this partcular movie, it's inherent in Japanese culture.
I'm the big fish in the big pond bitch.
... I still await the re-release of the MC Hammer cartoon.
Ceci n'est pas une sig.
I thought it was a nice transfer. However, I was disapointed that the Japanese sound track wasn't remastered in 5.1. I had the Laserdisc of this movie. Certainly having a DVD copy brings better sub titles and slightly better audio than the LD. But after putting in the disc and hearing all these special effects in the menu and then seeing the japanese track wasn't in 5.1...well, it was a let down.
Good luck finding the Tin case limited edition now. If you're in Toronto, check Planet Hobby in the basement of Square One. There will be a non-limited Special Edition, and a movie only edition. As always, check http://www.animeondvd.com for all of your anime on dvd needs. Not affiliated, just a plug from a happy fan.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
As cool as the movie is, the manga is even better because Otomono(spelling?) has the time and space to tell the epic right. I was down at my local comic book shop and noticed the the manga is being re-released in large, phone book sized paperbacks. I have most of the colorized version that Marvel put out and that was a real good read. The new trade paper backs are all in black and white, but that doesn't detract any from the story or the art.
In my opinion the producers of both films, Dune and Akira, made the same mistake: They tried to squeeze a multi volume--with each vol over 1000 pages--print epic into a two or so hour movie. You lose a lot in the process and make the plot almost incomprehensible. The good news is that the manga's being reissued.
I've had my set for about a week now and here are some of the highlights:
Re-dubbed english dialog with new translations. (More story details!)
Remastered and improved audio. (better foley effects and other realistic touches)
Capsule mode, English translations of the graffiti!
4500+ stills and production art
Interviews with the director and a sequence about the soundtrack.
Origional Japanese soundtrack left intact.
I highly reccomend this.. the restored video and surround sound make this an amazing movie to watch.
Rats would be more funny if they could fart.
You know, I still can't figure it out. Who whould have thought in 1988 that a movie would look modern, cutting edge, and indistinguishable from a new release 13 years later! C'mon, do you think Atlantis, or even Final Fantasy will look up to date 13 years from now? I doubt it!
The really sad thing is, nothing coming today, from disney, dreamworks, heck, even regular hollywood is as entretaining and elaborate.
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those with good memory.
Akira is the exact same way. Very confusing with no explaination, and not just that you have to sit through the whole thing to get it explained at the end. The *entire* thing is pretty much left unresolved; not just the various subplots. It makes a very poor introduction to anime in general, unless you just get hooked on the very well done art and the entire idea of animation for serious adult consumption.
To prevent anyone from thinking I'm totally bashing it, let me say that I'm not. It's just that IMHO it was made for a specific audience, ie: the people who knew the story already, just like Dune. Now that I've thought about it, Akira was like the dark version of Blue Seed, a series that did explain itself as the story progressed.
Hate to spam, but we are still waiting for our original shipment, we ordered from an additional source, so we'll have an overstock.
_ action=detail&catalogno=PIO-AKI002D
Available at our store at 15% off retail, here's the link below:
http://www.dragonmagicstore.com/dmostore.cgi?user
Dragon Magic
Human nature is the same everywhere; the modes only are different. -- Earl of Chesterfield
I recieved the Special Edition of Akira and it is awesome. After watching many times on VHS or TV and now seeing it on DVD, you have no idea how much you are missing in the quaility of the art. Unfortunatly I still don't have a 5.1 surround sound system yet, but I believe that the sould quality is excellent too. The special edition comes with over 4,500 still of the movie, storyboards, character designs, etc.. One neat thing that is also has is the "Capsule Mode " This will give you background info while the movie is going on.
No good deed goes unpunished.
Although it's somewhat of a corp (not that it's mega anymore IMO), K-Mart in CA is running the Akira Special/Limited Edition for $19.99. All this and more over at the dvdtalk.com forums where they discuss great deals on nearly everything DVD related (B&M and online).
The mpaa recieve royalities on each dvd player sold. This is why they hate decss with a passion. A dvd manufactor would no longer have to go through them to have region encoding and would not have to sign a restrictive EULA like trade agreement for css encyption. If you are thinking of buying a dvd player to watch these animated movies then you are supporting the mpaa. Also macrovision support is also licensed and not sold from Hollywood.
http://saveie6.com/
Wow, a story about a guy still in prison for voliating the dmca right below this story about the latest DVD movies!
...and to top if off the comments here in favor of buying the dvd's are by the same authors as thoughs who just critized the dmca in the previous story. Boy, you all sure showed hollywood that the consumer is king. I assume they are shaking in their pants right now. No, they won't continue with other lobbied laws that take away consumer freedom. Like excessive international trade laws that make the DMCA global. After all, you showed them you won't take that kind of abusive crap. Right?
Keep up the good work and thank you for lining the pockets of the lawyers for the MPAA in the 2600 vs MPAA case.
http://saveie6.com/
I don't get what the big deal is. I had a friend or two mention I'd be confused as heck while watching the Akira movie on the silver screen, and I thought it made sense!
Of course, I'm not a newbie. Still, why would people say it shouldn't make sense?
Tell me if I got the story wrong:
Inferred: Akira the psychic monster is found/created, and later destroyed, yet his power and influence is so great that there is still a cult surrounding him and that he is still talked about and planned for by the government/military/psychic research institutes.
Implied by the end: Akira, and now Tetsuo, have the power to create universes, or something like that.
Story:
Tetsuo, average biker punk, has a run in with psychic escapee who's name escapes me at the moment. Government takes both.
Kaneda, trying to be smooth, has a run in with an anti-Akira/psychic group and joins them and tries to rescue/avenge/punish/find Tetsuo
Tetsuo is found to be a very powerful psychic, with the proper activation drugs.
The other psychics think he's too powerful and try to 'contain' him, but he's powerful enough to beat back all three of the kids. Confused and angry over the pain and treatment he's getting, he decides to confront Akira, who everyone compares him to.
He finds Akira; Kaneda finds him. Akira's history is explained to him by the general. Kaneda and the general both want to end Tetsuo, as he is a threat. Enter SOL, sub-orbital laser.
Tetsuo, in a drug and pain induced frenzy, loses control of his body and powers.
Akira re-appears, his psychic powers more than enough to overcome death and a lack of body. He takes Tetsuo with him, until everyone is ready for the next page in history, whatever that is. This triggers something like the birth of a universe, as implied by a stupid scientist who allowed Tetsuo to become too powerful.
Kaneda loses his best friend and rival.
That's what I saw in the theatre, and it seemed to make sense to me!
Geek dating!
GPL Deconstructed
I guess. Does that mean I've interpreted it at least somewhat correctly? It was puzzling why so many of my friends seemed to think it would be impossible to understand, or rather, impossible to absorb, in just one sitting...
Geek dating!
GPL Deconstructed
I thought it was TETSUO!! (etc)
Akira! was my first exposure to Anime, back in highschool. It was neat then, and now with all the improvenents mentions, the re-release will be ausome. Looking ofrward to seeing it.
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--Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
Back in 1990 when it first appeared in VHS in japan. His father was a businessman who traveled and picked it up at a store in tokyo. When I first watched it, my jaw nearly broke the floor! The chase sequence at the beginning was the most amazing use of animation Id ever seen. My previous exposure to anime was the classic Harmony gold Robotech series that was on television in the late 80's. Just a quick Akira story for you folks...
There is no spork.
Ain't no accountin' for tastes, Jethro.
It Is the Nature of Information to Transgress Artificial Boundaries
Had mine pre-ordered from Amazon as soon as it was released, only to find out that it was "Out Of Print", and they just hadn't informed me.
:p
SamGoody.com has it, and I ended up picking up my copy at my local SamGoody, so that's probably a good place to check for the "limited edition".
I'm actually surprised that a "limited edition" is actually hard to find for once. Nothing like seeing 50 copies of the Manhunter "limited edition" at any given Wal-Mart.