SUMMARY
In 1988, an explosion
rips through the heart of Tokyo. This explosion (believed to be an attack
by a foreign power), prompts an immediate response and starts
World War III.
It is now 18 years later. Tokyo has become a monument to restoration.
With the Summer Olympics being held in Neo Tokyo, things (at least on
the surface) appear well. However, a growing feeling of discontent is
lurking in the shadows. Antigovernment groups are constantly holding rallies,
biker punks rule the streets, and a shadow group within the government
is conducting illegal genetic experiments on children.
One such experiment is biker punk Tetsuo, now known as number 41. After
a freak accident, he starts to develop psychic powers. While being experimented
on, his powers begin to expand, causing violent fits of rage, and uncontrolled
mental outbursts. Attempting to find out what is going on, he learns about
the first child experiment, Akira. Determined to find out the secret of
Akira and challenge his power, Tetsuo rages through Neo-Tokyo, leaving
a wide path of destruction in his wake.
There are only three people who can stop him. Kaneda, the leader of the
biker gang Tetsuo once belonged to, Kay, a member of the resistance movement,
and the Colonel, leader of the research team. The three of them race to
stop Tetsuo before he awakens Akira, and destroys the world!
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO:
There has
been so much talk about the restoration, what else is there to say?
Plenty!
This is a gorgeous transfer. There is a level of detail missed in every
other version. Now,you actually can see some of the subtle details that
were lost in earlier releases. Things like Number 26 in the middle of
the flames of Tetsuo's bike accident. Nezu's very noticeable limp, and
Nezu's color change as he has his heart attack help to make this edition
one of the Top 10 best looking videos of all time, despite the fact that
this film is 14 years old.
Despite this rave review, we did notice a certain degree of color bleed
in about 2% of the film. This might be due to the settings on our TV,
but we feel that it should be mentioned.
AUDIO: Quite a loud mix on the 5.1 English track. Decent on the directionality
during scenes with the bikes, and when the Sol fires, you feel it to your
soul (pun intended).
The Japanese is in Dolby 2.0. It is a clean track and no noticeable hiss
is detected. Again, it has directionality, but just dosen't’t have the
"oomph" the 5.1 did.
EDITS: With the exception of the closing credits, no changes have been
made.
EXTRAS: Well, since this is a review for the special edition, we are going
to break it down by disc. Please note that Disc one is the same in both
the Movie Only version and the Special Edition.
DISC ONE: The only "extra" is a capsule option. When a capsule like the
one on the back of Kaneda's jacket appears, hit the enter button on your
remote to get translation of the signs, ID cards, and various graffiti
that covers all of Neo Tokyo.
DISC TWO: The "Akira Production Report" This 50 minute extra covers the
story of Akira, from concept, to completion. There is a "Akira Sound Clip"
about the people who made the music for the movie. You also get a documentary
about the restoration, an interview with director Otomo, pictures of just
about anything that had to do with Akira, a glossary, and some trailers
to round out this well packed second disc. It was a shock seeing ex-Power
Ranger Johnny Young Bosch as the voice of Kaneda.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: How do you
condense a power house manga like Akira? Well, if you are Kashihiro
Otomo,
you create a parallel story that comes in at just over 2 hours. Sort of
a gigantic "What if". While there are similarities to events in the
manga,
Otomo created enough variances so that it stands on its own. It still
manages to keep the "uniqueness' of the source material.
ACTING: Well, it's a mixed bag. Frankly, I thought that the Streamline
Pictures English Dub was better than this one. They did fine, but I really
didn't find myself that into it. My biggest problem was with the actors
for The Colonel and Takashi. Their delivery was horrible, a case of really
bad acting. I give Pioneer credit for matching voices better than Streamline
did.
The Japanese cast truly make Akira what it is. Akira is very Japanese
in that the character's respond to the situations in ways unique to Japanese
culture. The actors do a very good job at representing the kind of person
they are portraying, but despite their top notch work, there are no real
standouts.
FAN SERVICE: None in the nudity department. Sure, you see Kaori topless,
but not in a sexy way.
Lady Myako does make a cameo (she was a prominent character in the manga),
but has no real part of the story.
CONCLUSION:
Akira brought anime into the main stream. It was different
than anything that had come before it, both visually and story wise. When
released in the US, it was not edited, kiddified, or turned into "Psychic
Battle Bikers" by Celebrity For Kids video. This was a first taste of
a delicacy only a few hard core fans had known about. The fact it was
available only in English made the Japanese version all the more coveted,
an anime Holy Grail of sorts. Now, thanks to the miracle of DVD, I can
retire my separate VHS releases.
Akira is an interesting blend of Sci-fi and X-Files paranoia. It is distinctly
Japanese in its feel, so some of the scenes would not quite be what we
expect (the rumble in the first 15 minutes of the movie is a prime example).
Otomo created not only a fantastic movie, but an influential one. From
Dragonball to Batman Beyond, it's feel and flavor has influenced a generation.
The announcement of Pioneer doing a complete restoration of picture and
sound, along with a re-dub that is closer to the original script was met
with hungry anticipation. For the most part, the anticipation was well
justified and the hopes of the fans met. The video is excellent, and the
redone audio on both versions is wonderful. As far as the "closer to the
original" re-dub, this falls a little short. Frankly, except in a handful
of scenes, the dialogue is similar to the Streamline Pictures version.
The ending is still as obtuse as always . So with the minor changes, and
some bad acting, many original viewers may feel a little disappointed
with this "new and improved" script.
This movie is considered one of the true classics, not just of anime,
but of Japanese film. Not getting this movie is like not having the "A"
volume of an encyclopedia. Your collection may be great, but it wouldn't
be complete.
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