In 1988, the landmark Anime film AKIRA, by director Katsuhiro Otomo, defined the cutting edge of Anime around the world. By today's standards, Akira remains the pinnacle of cel animation and retains the explosive impact of its highly detailed animation and its intensely violent saga of power and corruption. 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, Tetsuo'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. Insert: 1) Black BRC response card (regular version).

2) Todd McFarlane Toy Insert (limited to 300,000 total inserts) * Anime masterpiece first time ever on DVD for North American release! * Created and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. Special Features: * Digitally re-mastered including High Definition film transfer, High Definition restoration. * THX Certified * New English dialogue, new 5.1 mix (on the English audio only), scene access and more. * Disc 2 contains supplementary materials including "Akira" Production Report, "Sound Clip," director's interview, trailers, production materials, Restoration of "Akria", and "Akria" glossary. * Widescreen format (1:78) and enhanced for widescreen TV's (anamorphic). Akria The Special Edition (DVD9, 2 discs)
Artist-writer Katsuhiro Ôtomo began telling the story of Akira as a comic book series in 1982 but took a break from 1986 to 1988 to write, direct, supervise, and design this animated film version. Set in 2019, the film richly imagines the new metropolis of Neo-Tokyo, which is designed from huge buildings down to the smallest details of passing vehicles or police uniforms. Two disaffected orphan teenagers--slight, resentful Tetsuo and confident, breezy Kaneda--run with a biker gang, but trouble grows when Tetsuo start to resent the way Kaneda always has to rescue him. Meanwhile, a group of scientists, military men, and politicians wonder what to do with a collection of withered children who possess enormous psychic powers, especially the mysterious, rarely seen Akira, whose awakening might well have caused the end of the old world. Tetsuo is visited by the children, who trigger the growth of psychic and physical powers that might make him a superman or a supermonster. As befits a distillation of 1,318 pages of the story so far, Akira is overstuffed with character, incident, and detail. However, it piles up astonishing set pieces: the chases and shootouts (amazingly kinetic, amazingly bloody) benefit from minute cartoon detail that extends to the surprised or shocked faces of the tiniest extra; the Tetsuo monster alternately looks like a billion-gallon scrotal sac or a Tex Avery mutation of the monster from The Quatermass Experiment; and the finale--which combines flashbacks to more innocent days with a destruction of Neo City and the creation of a new universe--is one of the most mind-bending in all sci-fi cinema. --Kim Newman

Customer Rating:
Summary: AKIRA!!!
Comment: This movie is a must-see for any anime fan. It's as simple as that. The makers of Akira were ahead of their time. Akira inspired and influenced many other films. It's the movie that brought anime to the US. It is a wonderful classic. However, I will say, if you have read the print version, expect changes as you would any time a story's format changes. Even if some viewers end up disliking it, Akira is a film all anime fans should experience.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: All the hype, nothing on the delivery...
Comment: Won't go into lengthy description (plenty of other reviews for that), but as someone admittedly new to anime, I was told that I HAD TO see Akira (and read numerous reviews that said the same). I was very anxious to watch it, but found it to be anything but what the reviews said. I have chalked it up to one of those films that is a classic because everybody says it is because everybody says it is because everybody says it is...

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing conversion from the print version
Comment: I'll make it short; there is no reason to fully restate the contents of this, as it's available from countless other authors and places.

*SPOILER WARNING*

I read the original comic (in Danish, though, and later in English), and in watching the Anime adaptation, I got severely disappointed. Yes, I know that you can never make a perfectly 'honest' translation of something from one form of media to another, but still, I had my hopes set for something more than this.

One part of it is the way the plot and storyline of the print version is torn apart and odd stuff that seems out of place is inserted in the animated version instead. Fx. (probably the most noticable difference, in retrospect) why is Akira reduced from a living being to a collection of formaldehyde specimen jars? Why has the foreign intervention been erased (the US Aircraft carrier in Japanse waters). Why is Lady Miyako changed from a withdrawn and insightful person to what appears a religious lunatic cult leader (i for some reason, found this insulting!)? Why was the Post-Nuke Neo-Tokyo cult following around Akira/Tetsuo toned down to the point of annihalation?

Too much of the good stuff that gave essence to the comic has been ripped out, and it shows.

Sitting back and seeing the movie end, and the scrolltext enter the screen, I felt robbed. I expected more than this. (Sure, it's an open ending, but you can surely make open-ended movies much better and more telling than this!).

Even though this classic is obviously praised by many of the old-timers, I wouldn't recommend watching it if you haven't already. (If you haven't read the print version, you may like it better that I have, but on the other hand, if you go ahead and read it afterwards....). I also expect to get a few flames directed at me too, judging from other responses to critical reviews on this board. Oh well. :I

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Anime Classic
Comment: I found this Anime to be enjoyable. Vivid colors and DTS sound envelope you into the movie. Backed by an interesting story.

Very imaginative and captivating. However as good as it was I have sceen many other Anime's I would rate better then this movie. Still a must see.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: What led to so much more
Comment: It really is unbelievable just how many animes derived and used something from this movie. Obvious origins can be compared to Dragon Ball and Elfen Lied, but so many ideas were first featured in this film that later translated into full-length anime series. Aside from setting the groundwork for future animes, this film was also one of the greatest, if not the greatest, anime film ever made (though my favorite is still Spirited Away).
The best aspect of this film, in my opinion, is the character development of Kaneda and Tetsuo, best friends in the film. While Kaneda evolves into a more empathatic person, Tetsuo makes the most dramatic changes, from a jealous and weak individual, to an insane, angry, blood thirsty villian, to a frightened child who clearly realizes his mistakes. Tetsuo has to be my personal favorite villian from any film, purely due to how well he is developed and the absolute human, kind-natured side to him that is apparent throughout the film.
Besides that, the movie is the orgin of anime for most anime fans, and is an absolute must-see film for anyone in my opinion, even for those who don't usually like anime. I mean, who doesn't like an awesome story line, great character developemnt, big explosions with high intensity sequences, and a great ending in my opinion. One of the greatest anime films ever made, and the film that really started it all for anime's popularity.

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