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Anime

Akira Being Rereleased 111

Posted by Hemos from the more-motorcycles!-more-gangs dept.
Quite a number of people have been writing the news that Akira is coming back to the US soon. The proposed release is "sometime this Spring". Akira [?] is one of the biggies in anime movies - and was a darn fine comic book series as well.
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Akira Being Rereleased More

Akira Being Rereleased

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  • Yawn... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I had a unique reaction to Akira when someone was trying to convince me how great it was by showiing it to me and a few other friends, I physically fell asleep. Two other people I knew did. It was among the lamest Anime, IMHO that I have seen. Seemed to just be a stream of violent sillyness, and it seems to me a great deal of people really into the genre tend not to like Akira as much as say, Slayers, El Hazard, Fushigi Yugi (now *THERE* is a great series, if you are willing to give any Anime a shot, that would be it, as far as I am concerned..), stuff like that... A bit more fun, suspenseful. Streams of mindless violence are ok for some, but bore me immensely without a btter plot than Akira :)
  • Geez. Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Deagonball.

    Yawn.

    Give me Lain, Vampire Miyu, Oh my Goddess, Nadesico, Battle Athletes Coyboy Bebop, Sakura Diaries.

    There's more to anime than just mindless power trips.

  • Re:haha (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    overrated? bullshit. this man speaks the truth.
  • I have been kicking myself since I didn't buy it when it was originally released. Then when i looked for it again, nowhere to be found. Anyone know why it was pulled from distribution?
  • IMHO, Ghost In The Shell is far better than Akira (particularly the subtitled version) -- if not due to the art, due to the storyline.

    I found GitS's story to be coherent and believable, centered on rational individuals in an interesting yet coherent environment. Akira... [shudder].
  • ...and quite frankly, Akira's the reason I haven't really watched any of these Anime/Manga type films.
    I agree, Akira sucks -- the storyline and characters are hardly comprehensable, much less intricate. However, don't give up on manga entirely; Ghost In The Shell is an entirely different animal. Its characters are rational, well-defined adults living in a world which (mostly) differs from our own only in manners clearly defined early on; furthermore, the story kicks ass.

    Thus, don't give up on manga; watch GitS.

  • Thanks. (Score:1)

    by cduffy ( 652 )
    That clears it up quite nicely.
  • Pioneer's doing a new dub. Don't expect quite the same budget as with Mononoke Hime--Disney has slightly more funds at their disposal. The DVD will, of course, be bilingual.

  • Nah, it's not that big a troll. Not by Slashdot standards, certainly

    And the fact that the score is _just_ 1 and the poster is not an Anonymous Coward means that someone already modded it back down to default.

  • Actually, not Spring 2001, but more like 4th quarter 2001.

    All the info right here [yahoo.com].
  • I really don't understand why Akira isn't "understandable" -- what exactly is confusing? It deals in cosmic themes, yes, but so does "2001" and "Solaris". Then again, some people claim not to understand the connection between the Monolith and directed evolution in "2001" -- go figure.
  • I don't have anything useful to say other then that I would LOVE to see this movie in a theatre. I remember the first time I saw this movie, I was so blown away. It became a large portion of my life in High school, which was when I first saw it. My VHS copy is getting quite worn out!!. As you can see, this movie was a source of most of my nickname as long as I've been on the internet =) I shall wait with baited breath.
  • Hear Hear.

    There are a couple second run theaters in my area that tend to run things that aren't going to make tons of money in megeplexes. Plus, a few of them are locally owned, family businesses. For 6 bucks, you can see a double feature. The popcorn tastes better, too.

  • If you're in the UK, or somewhere else that gets the UK version of the SciFi channel (no longer related to the US one) this film is being shown tonight at midnight [scifi.com].
  • > Anime is *NOT* a genre. It is a medium.

    actually it's a genre.

    genre (zhänr)
    n.

    1. A type or class: "Emaciated famine victims . . . on television focused a new genre of attention on the continent" (Helen Kitchen).

    2.
    a. A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content: "his six String Quartets . . . the most important works in the genre since Beethoven's" (Time).
    ...

    medium (md-m)
    n., pl. media (-d-) or mediums. Abbr. med., m., M.

    2. An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.
    3. An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred: The train was the usual medium of transportation in those days.

    >Anime is no more a genre than books are a genre, TV shows are a genre, or live action motion pictures (movies) are a genre.

    >There are many aspects to anime, many of which fit just fine into your "god fearing christian american" view. And many that don't

    Books are a medium, Television is a medium, Shows fall into genres, film is a medium, movies fall into genres.

    I think your ranting in the wrong direction. If you are trying to prove that anime can have a story that is more than tentacles, gunfire, and panty shots. Then yes that is true. It's true of any storytelling device. The stories it tells can be innane, think hentai, or dramatic and moving, think 'grave of the fireflies'.

    However, if you are going to make a distinction between two well defined words, please make sure you know what they mean.
  • I truly hope that this is satire. You should note that you are judging an entire movie genre, if not an entire nation, based on only a few movies. But perhaps you are right and we should call out the thought police and arrest all of those filthy movie goers who enjoy anime.
  • Ok, I guess I was being a bit unclear.

    In the setting of the movie, people can fly. Although I suspect this as a slight mistranslation. But that's ok.

    My point was, the areal acrobatics, however unbelievable to us, were presented with the same seriousness of Superman being able to fly, or James Bond having a car that shoots Sidewinder missiles, or Tom Cruise being able to fly an F-14.

    At least in CTHD you know it's actually Michelle Yeoh really doing all this stuff, and not some stunt person in front of a green screen. In that respect it's a hell of a lot more real than Superman/Bond/Matrix.



    --
  • I've been to 'ambiance' theatres. Now, ambiance is nice, but I don't need the chairs to rock because they're so old they're not steady anymore, and I don't need the damn springs poking me in the ass. Also, it'd be nice if the projectionist had kept the movie in focus.

    As for the whole laughing thing - I think you don't get it. Yes, people can't fly TODAY. But in Ancient China they COULD. It's not presented as a joke. Wudon Warriors (or whatever) could, definetly, fly. I suppose you laugh at Superman, too?

    What bugged me was the "That's stupid" giggles from people who went "Whoa" at The Matrix.

    And I for one think it was done very, very well in CTHD.




    --
  • I saw "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" last weekend, and now I can't wait to get it on DVD so I can watch it in some kind of DECENT quality.

    The thing was playing in only ONE theatre in Minneapolis, and the theatre had "Landmark" in it's name, which apparently in the US means "We have never changed the seats!!!"

    Also, people were GIGGLING during allt he flying scenes. Totally not getitng it.

    Oh, and since it was showing in one theatre in a 3.5million people area, you can believe there were lines. Standing outside for an hour and a half TO GET IN (not for tickets!) in -10 degrees F... was not fun. Especially when you get in and get crappy seats that are uncomfortable with crappy audiences.

    Anyway.

    I also note it never made it to #1. If it had opened at a normal number of theatres I'm pretty sure it'd have shot up there and beaten the crap out of whatever cheerleader movie is #1 this week...


    --
  • Actually Ghost In The Shell did it for me, but that's 'coz I'm a relative newcomer to the scene. Akira was much more provocative in every sense of the word.
    Fighting the War on the War on Drugs.
  • currently only volume 1 has shipped, and it is sooooooooooo much better than the movie (which I loved).

    It goes into much more depth than the movie, and has been released in it's original black&white format.

    It will be over 1000 pages when done. Buy yours today!! d$hahin

  • I mean, Akira was definitely a good movie, and it helped attract a lot of people to anime...but really, it pales in comparison to a lot of today's stuff, especially, say, Miyazaki-san'a [Mononoke Hime], or (in the cyberpunk vein) [Serial Experiments Lain].

    Besides that, it was either two hours too long or several hours too short. The problem with condensing a huge manga into a movie is that it just plain doesn't work most of the time.

  • I have mod right now; I'm not modding this down because I am not convinced the poster is a troll. I think he is merely misinformed. Look at his posting history; unless this is a spoof account he does not have a history of trolling.
  • I also saw CTHD at the Uptown last weekend. Apparently you don't "get" the Uptown. It has a certain ambiance. They don't make theatres like that anymore. Enjoy it.

    Also, I was probably one of the ones you were annoyed with. Why did I giggle during the flying scenes? Because it's FUNNY. People can't fly! In CTHD they don't even try to make it look real. The actors don't need to push off to jump to the next building, they are just repelled, apparently.

    Yes, I know it's a genre thing. Does it make you feel better that when I watch other Hong Kong action movies, I also giggle and groan? (My favorite is in All Men Are Brothers 2, when the guy runs straight up the 40 foot tall poll carrying the other guy on a chain, and ties him up at the top. Tell me that's not funny.). I also do the same thing in American action movies. Because it's rediculous, and therefore funny.

  • Um... I'm inclined to agree with your overall point, but one correction: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon isn't a re-release, it's a new movie.

    --Moss

    This is a .sig.
    Now there are two of them.
  • Yes Manga has put out a Wings of Honneamise DVD.

    but...

    There is a lot of controversy over the quality of the video. Some people have analyzed it and have said that the video is not simply buggy, or made strangely, but that it is defective outright, and only looks good on the best highend players.
  • Why are you asking if there will be subtitles?

    Now that DVD is the major vehicle of newly released/re-released anime, subtitles are virtually guaranteed.

    And yes, the Pioneer DVD will have subtitles. Guaranteed.
  • Then i wonder what american companies you refer to, since everything i've gotten is uncut.

    Except Kite, but then that's a whole section of law, age of consent, and all that...
  • ... no, you cowardly fuck, Taco referred to it as a comic book.
  • Streamline Studios and Carl Macek were the first group to get their hands on a lot of anime, most notably, Akira.

    The dub, which everyone is familiar with because Macek hated subs, wasn't all that great, and really confused some of the story.

    Streamline and Orion lost their license a while back, so the US "lost" per se, Akira. Pioneer did reacquire it, and is giving it a proper release.
  • Good thing.

    Streamline Studios and Orion, who originally released it, did so with only a dub, and it wasn't that great of a dub either (macek would alter things, like THE STORY, if it suited him), and he hated subtitles, so he never released tapes like that.

    But a while ago Streamline died, and Orion lost the rights to Akira. The rights sat idle for some time, and were recently reacquired by Pioneer.
  • I've an old dubbed copy of Akira that reads:

    AKIRA
    C 1989 Akira Committee
    Running time approximately 124 min.
    (Blah...Blah...Blah)
    Distributed throughout North America on video cassette by Streamline pictures

    What do I have here? This is the only version of Akira I've ever seen; are there any scenes cut from this?

    Thanx.
  • That's a troll. Please moderate as such.

    ------------
    CitizenC
  • Better, IMO, to subtitle it. I've seen it both ways, and it makes a lot more sense subtitled.

    Although, to be fair (and wishy-washy), and damn good dubbing would be acceptable, too.
  • You're so right on this mark. I have the dubbed anime as well as the manga, and I must say that the depth that the manga goes into is fathoms beyond the anime. The anime has some nice qualities and imagery, but it glances over characters that are actually quite significant in the manga.

    For instance, the priestess woman (name escapes me right now). She shows up in about 20 seconds of screen time in the anime as a building is falling, but in the manga, she provides sanctuary to Kay and reveals secrets to her. It's been a while since I read/watched it, so forgive me if I'm hazy here.

    I would have liked to see Akira done as a series or mini series, so that they could expand on the sheer vastness of the characters and plots and sub-plots. And we would get to hear more of Col. McGruff the Crimedog.
  • Nice troll..

    Just FYI, animation movie are not strictly for kids, Akira was / is NOT a series it's a feature length movie and one of the best animated out there.

    Yes, there are "bad" movies in Anime, but there are worse movies in real life (faces of death just to name one) and to blow everybody away here because of what you don't understand it typically troll.

  • Troll crime #1: Generalizing about anime
    Troll crime #2: Generalizing about readers
    Troll crime #3: I think you misoverestimate the leaderabilities of Dubya
    Troll crime #4(tentative): Not realizing I'm joking about #3.

    That said:
    1. Akira is 10 years worth of weekly comics crammed into about 90-120 minutes.
    2. How are we supposed to represent a disillusioned age if we're not allowed to portray it truthfully?
    3. If you have a story about a boy who refuses to learn to control the powers that have been given to him, you are going to have consequences.
    3A. So much for children being gifts from God. Perhaps we should spend less time dressing them up in suits and uniforms and "cherishing" the poor souls, and more time teaching them which includes the lesson that world is dangerous and providing clear examples.
    3B. Judging it because it was graphic is a lot like arguing that the ugly thing about war is blood and gore not death. Please try to be less superficial.
    4. That bit about martial arts. Try Rurouni Kenshin, a story of a samurai at the end of one of Japan's dynasties. He specifically swears he will never kill again, and gets a sword with the blade on the wrong side so that even in the ugliest moment of anger he cannot kill. Add on 95 episodes of people trying to avenge friends lives lost (he manages to prevent bloodshed repeatedly), crooks, fighting corruption, and of course evil pushing the guy to revert to his assassin self though never succeeding. Do you have a problem with a series that depicts the consequences of murder, unearned pride, and even trying to honor a loved one's death? Go argue about something you have a clue about.

    5. Akira is a joke because it was the first and it's disorganized. I saw it and am offended it shares a similar storyline with some absolute masterpieces such as Evangelion and Escaflowne.

    6. Oh and that bit about going to the movies for entertainment. You know what. Go fuck yourself. Everything is a sign or a promotion or entertainment to you jackasses. I watch anime to see art, to learn. I couldn't care less about Hollywood, the latest fad, or the free Coke if I go to see some crap movie.

    Gah why does God make morons so... moronic?
  • No. I want to see explosions in the shapes of crosses, angels attacking using Handel's Hallelujah, and other stories about scientists bringing their loved ones back to life just like any 7 year old is dying to see.

    Seriously, go back to your Air Force One movie, and I'll keep my anime.

  • haha (Score:1)

    by niekze ( 96793 )
    It sucked the first time
  • Finally i can see that without mistranslated subtitles and bad bootleg quality!
  • Akira was originally released in the US by Streamline. When they went out of business, no more copies were produced. Eventually, Pioneer picked up the movie. The film is being digitally remastered, probably so an anamorphic transfer can be done. A new dub track is also being produced, to fix the translation errors (and poor acting) in the original release.
  • Sooo... What do you like? Serial experiments Lain? Perfect blue? Ghost in the shell? (Lain is my favourite. It's like a book. You are given some frame of reference, the rest is up to your imagination.)

  • KICK ASS!!!

    This is gonna save me a few hundred dollars! I've been trying to get a copy of all 36 issues of the Dark Horse version of Akira but have only since aquired 6. :(

    So what if I'm at work I'm still gonna do a happy dance!

    If it wasn't for Akira I would never have seen Evangelion. If it wasn't for Evangelion my life would be of no value!

  • That's silly, why not just watch it in Japanese?. Seems like a "duh" situation to me.

  • There's value added by seeing something on the big screen or getting inserts / liner notes with DVD's you could otherwise download.

    Let's not forget that this is a rerelease of Akira, so chances are good there will be a lot of extras on the disc (omake).

  • This is Akira. The chances of anything important (yes, to us) getting cut out are virtually nil. If you're buying or renting the movie, you pretty know what you're info.

    Not to sound flippant or anything, but I don't think you need to worry.

  • I'd hate to go over anything that's been posted to death, but it's fairly safe to say that Akira is probably the most important anime for us non-Japanese fans.

    Akira brought critical success (Siskel and Ebert made it a video pick - and this was in the days before the acclaim of Mononoke Hime or Dragon Ball Z/Pokemon fandom) and an understanding that American cartoons and Japanese anime are a breed apart.

    It was very important for a movie like this to come out when it did. The animation style and the plot were not only great, they were concrete enough to move the film along with American unused to anime (unlike. say classics like Vampire Hunter D or Robot Carnival).

    Since then Akira's visual style and plot elements have been important in anime (the idea of a post WWIII Neo-Tokyo, for example) and in Japanese "pop" culture (Final Fantasy VI's plot is higly indebted to Akira).

    Akira's one of the first anime I saw when I started out in anime and it holds a special place in my heart. Plus, you know a movie like this has made it when people who are not fans of anime, know and love it (like many students at my high school).

  • Excuse, that should be Final Fantasy VII (just to get away from any confusion). You can disregard the other typos ;)

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • its a theatrical release, isnt it?

  • its GOT to have subtitles. dubbing always takes the emotion out of it. language is part of the art - dubbing takes something out and fails to put it back in.

  • I've seen both although that's really the only anime i've seen other than princess mononoke. honestly, i was really stoned when i saw akira, so i don't remember it that well, but i would say the main difference is that it has more action than ghost in the shell. ghost in the shell is a lot of drawn out plot development and such, which is less of a factor in akira.

    Care about freedom?
  • the reason the "thought police", as you phrase it, have been unsucessful in banning movies, magazines, and books is that most of the media you have previously mentioned have at least some redeeming aspects or artistic value, while Anime does not.


    The very fact that anime has such a global widespread appeal among millions of fans proves your argument wrong before it even began.

    - Amon CMB
  • Vol. 2 is about to come out. you can pre order it a www.tfaw.com. which is the sister company to darkhorse who is doing the publishing.

    lizard

  • I have to wonder just what anime you've been watching? At a guess I'd say you were tied down and forced to watch a bunch of Urotsukudoji-esque "tenta-porn" followed by a marathon of "Fist of the North Star." Not exactly representative of anime as a whole.

    Lots of people don't seem to realize that anime is not one type of show anymore than non-animated films are all of a type.

    Yes, there is anime available with graphic sex, violence and some pretty vile things I prefer not to think about, much less watch. Lumping it all together is not appropriate.

    To use Akira (definitely not one of my favorite anime's, actually) as an example, I wouldn't put it on the same shelf as oh, say Maison Ikkoku (my all-time favorite series, both in the anime and manga format). I love to show MI to people who think they know what anime is.

    No murders. No graphic sexual scenes. No guns. No psychic powers. No giant robots. No magical girls. No explosions. No half-naked bimbos. Okay, *one* half-naked bimbo, but with Akemi it's more of a running joke than it is anything sexual.

    Anyway, I thought I was saying something but I seem to have wandered off the topic. Hmm. This stupid laptop seems to have finished re-building. Time to go home. I have episodes of Love Hina, Slayers Next and Rurouni Kenshin to work my way through. Hey, whaddaya know? They have sexual situations and some violence. No rape, and it's not "senseless." It's all in context with the stories. Cool.

    Bryan
  • Actually, the disc looks fine on my "elderly" Panasonic A120U. That was a 2nd generation mid-range player. Cost me around $400 when I bought it (you can buy the few left on shelves for $99). Certainly not a high end player.

    It looks truly awful on my Apex, but that model player is a weird beast in it's own right.

  • Anime usually doesn't go through the MPAA rating system. This means that all the adult (I use the term loosely) film is mixed in with the other stuff, and a person who doesn't know much about anime is likely to get burned. That isn't a good reason to trash a whole genre...the reasoning you've presented would ban every form of art in existence.
    While there is lots of nasty anime out there, there are also works of sublime beauty. I recommend just about anything by Hayao Miyazaki (here's a good fan website: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/). His stories are beautiful, well thought out, and suitable for just about any age range. As for Akira? Yes, it has violence, but at the same time it tells an exciting and thought-provoking story about the abuse of human potential. [nausicaa.net]
  • I liked ghost a little better, but only a little. Akira is definitely groovy.
  • how the hell would someone find a picture like that? goddam. fucking flamer. this is the same coward who posts all the nasty pictures. must be a hobby of his to show everyone his torn up ass-hole. This guy brings the whole weirdo from se7en "rubbing peanutbutter on himself wearing his grandma's panties" to a whole new level. as far as the anime thing goes? ive only watched ninja scroll... (im new to the anime shit i guess) can anyone tell me how great that compares?
  • And a lot of my questions have been answered.

    1.) Summer 2001: Eva movie is coming out! Don't know which one it is, no details, although I'll lay odds it's Death And Rebirth.

    2.)Honneamise is indeed out on DVD. Bilingual Japanese/English, with the remixed soundtrack. It's going on the "gotta get" list...that is, when I have a JOB again, dammit...


    ----
    http://www.msgeek.org/ -- Because you can't keep a geek grrl down!

  • First off: love your pseudonym. Nuku Nuku kicks ass.

    Second: I have to disagree with your comment about Streamline: not every movie they dubbed got cut. They did a great job on My Neighbor Totoro. They didn't treat Castle Of Cagliostro well, but Totoro was nicely done.


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    http://www.msgeek.org/ -- Because you can't keep a geek grrl down!

  • Anime is also the romanization of the Japanese katakana for the word they use for animation.
    ----
    http://www.msgeek.org/ -- Because you can't keep a geek grrl down!
  • I was talking about an US theatrical re-release.

    It was released briefly in a few theatres towards the end of the 1980s...'89 or '90 if memory serves me right.

    Has Manga Entertainment put out a DVD yet?


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    http://www.msgeek.org/ -- Because you can't keep a geek grrl down!

  • >> ^--the only conservative on slashdot

    I beg to differ, good sir! I myself am a huge fan of P.J. O'Rourke. Don't consider yourself the sole voice of reason out here. :-)

    Seagis
    ======

    =====
  • I realize that the parent post is probably a troll, and fully accept being modded down for responding to it...

    First of all, does it occur to you, Mr. atrowe, that not everyone who reads this site is God-fearing, Christian, or American?

    But beyond that, I can obviously tell that you have not watched a lot of anime, since you seem to be of the opinion that it is all smut, violence, filth. That is like condemning all movies because some of them are pr0n, ultraviolent, etc.

    Anime is *NOT* a genre. It is a medium.

    Anime is no more a genre than books are a genre, TV shows are a genre, or live action motion pictures (movies) are a genre.

    There are many aspects to anime, many of which fit just fine into your "god fearing christian american" view. And many that don't.

    - Try watching Princess Mononoke and see the message that no one is all good or all bad, you will lose your soul if you allow yourself to be swallowed by hatred, and balance is very important for man to coexist with nature.

    - Watch Marmalade Boy and see the dreams and romance that many people feel while coming of age.

    - Watch Fushigi Yuugi and see that love does indeed conquer all, love is timeless, and true love can never die.

    - Watch Graveyard of the Fireflies and see how war is not only horrible to the people who fight but to the families that remain at home. See how hard war is on a society and how sad it is no matter what side you are on.

    - Watch Record of Lodoss War and see that in order to be human, good and evil must balance. See that balance is EVERYTHING.

    - Watch Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind and see that all living things are precious regardless of their differences.

    - Watch Serial Experiments Lain and perhaps dare to question who God is and what makes him God. See where technology is going and see if the physical world is truly more important than the "wired" world.

    I could go on an on. And I have yet to mention an excessively and needlessly violent anime. So, I guess your comment doesn't really hold much water, does it?

    There is violence in many forms of media. Do you want to know what the most violent, brutal, and smut-ridden book I have ever read was?

    The Holy Bible.

    Sorry to flame so much, but stuff like this really gets to me.

  • While I agree that it is worthwhile to see a really good movie in the theater and a decent movie on DVD or VHS rather than a smaller free download, what about the tons of marginal movies out there? Unfortunately the studios do make a lot of movies that folks wouldn't pay for if they didn't have to.

    Imagine a movie that has lower quality standards then a straight-to-VHS or made-for-TV movie... Seems like it wouldn't be worth the download.
  • Awesome! I have been collecting the original US release for years, but lately it's been getting hard to find the issues I don't have. This is better news than the film being re-released (of course, maybe I'm only saying that because I've got the tape of the movie.)
  • I'm normally not one to speak out against the articles posted here, but I feel the need to voice my moral objection to Akira and similar Japanese filth in a public forum. I do not do this for the intent of angering or alienating any Slashdot readers, but merely to make my views heard and perhaps sway other's away from such morally degrading media.

    While I've never actually seen any of the Akira series, I have (regretablly) had the opportunity to view several other "anime" movies, and I must say how horrified I was at some of the gruesome scenes depicted thoughout. I for one, certainly hopes that Slashdot's self proclaimed "geek" readership has enough sense to see past the flashy martial arts, bone-shaking explosions and poorly dubbed voiceovers and realize that foul degrading filth such as this has no place in the homes of God-fearing Christian Americans. Scenes such as fecalfilia, gang rape, and the senseless murder of innocent caucasians. I am appaled that a culture that prides itself upon it's knowledge and refinement would consider something like this to be entertainment and I can only hope that now that our nation is under the strong leadership of George W. Bush, such despicable filth will soon be banned and owners and advocates of anime will be arrested.

    Thank you for listening.

  • Remember folks, it's an exhibition, not a competition... Please, No wagering. ;) Actually, both movies rule. The animation is totally excellent on both, and they look a bit alike in that respect. The acting of the english dub is WAY better in Akira, but the line "It's like a cosmic rebirth!" makes no sense at all. The subtitle says "It's like the birth of the universe!" and then the whole movie gets better from that one line. Akira's more freaky-weird, psychological, impressionistic. Ghost in the Shell is more concrete, more plot-oriented, has better naked bits. Oh, the music in Akira's really cool and the vehicle designs are more cooler. Get both.
  • Man, I hope that they dont cut out scenes... Every good anime I have see has been a OVA subbed tape, because americans tend to cut out all the good stuff

    My $.02
    -Bucky
    The few, the proud, the conservative.
  • But in Ancient China they COULD.

    Have humans evolved in the past 1500 years? Have we lost the ability to fly? Although I suppose that would be more like de-evolution. Have the laws of physics concerning gravity been altered

    Or, have you read in history books that Wudan Warriors really could fly. And St. Patrick really did drive the snakes from Ireland, and St. George really did kill a dragon.

    Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie and will be back to see it again. But please don't claim that the ancient Chinese actually posessed the ability to fly. I'm assuming that what you said was in a serious fashion, but that Superman comment threw me off.

  • Both are overrated. Especially given the mediocre dubbing jobs...
  • A new dub track is also being produced[...]

    THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

    I was afraid this was going to be the revenge of bad Streamline dubs. Maybe another "anime festival" featuring Akira, Fist Of the Northstar and Lensman.

    I didn't realize Carl was out of business. I'll never forgive him for what he did to Captain Harlock...
  • The proper term is manga.
  • I'm suprised you didn't mention the mainstay of all hentai anime, the TENTACLE RAPE MONSTER!
  • ...perhaps including some kind of halucinogen with the movie would make it more enjoyable. The plot's almost impossible to follow, but I'm sure that all the flashes of strange color would give an interesting back drop to a halucination.
  • I think that the company that owned the rights to it died out or something like that
  • Now I can throw out my vintage sealed box VHS tape.. erm, did I say that?
  • IIRC, is because Streamline Pictures got out off business. They got very good franchises, but with the exception OF Akira, the company was famous for cutting the movies to make them more politically correct.

    Well, it was Carl Macek's company, so it isn't estrange, he was the one who made Robotech, from 3 different TV series, and cut the Macross movie in to "Class of the Bionoids" ouch!!

  • I'm all in favor of a nice, visually-pleasing restoration, but I'd be even happier if they could give it the ol' Princess Mononoke treatment. (Hire a professional writer to re-work the translation, get some better actors instead of the usual "five voices that you seem to hear in every Anime film", that sorta thing.)

    I do realize, of course, that real Anime fans are supposed to listen to the Japanese track only and read the subtitles, but I always find that reading subtitles tends to take my attention away from the visual elements, which is usually the main draw of these movies in the first place.

    It's probably not in their budget, though. Anybody know how much it cost Mirimax to re-dub Princess Mononoke?

  • You're right, of course, but in the Western press (and I mean in the US primarily but most other countries as well with the exception of Canada) Akira was widely noted as having broken the mold in the sense that it was a commercial success. Fantasia did not do very well when it came out because it wasn't just for kids. Heavy Metal, Rock 'N Rule and other adult-subject western animations were always critisized and marginalized. Now, you see hollywood proclaiming that animation isn't just for kids anymore.

    What changed? Basically it was the aftermath of Akira and several other movies from Japan (Ghost in the Shell, Mononoke Hime, etc) along with a few key movies in the West (most notably Iron Giant for having gotten crittical aclaim for it's adult themes in the face of zero expectations and effort on the part of the studio). The long-running success of the animation festivals has not hurt either.

    I lay a lot of credit at the feet of Akira for waking the west up, not for inventing anything.
  • Crouching Tiger has already been released in DVD in Hong Kong (region 3). Thus it was available for 'home viewing' prior to it's theatre release in US. There are plenty of copies available on e-bay [ebay.com].

    -- Greg
  • While I agree that it is worthwhile to see a really good movie in the theater and a decent movie on DVD or VHS rather than a smaller free download, what about the tons of marginal movies out there? Unfortunately the studios do make a lot of movies that folks wouldn't pay for if they didn't have to.

    My response would be that perhaps if we DID start downloading movies as an option, that perhaps those really LAME marginal movies you're speaking of would [gasp!] stop being made?

    What harm would there be if people stopped churning out horrible, thrown-together plots, bad acting by bad actors, rehashed plot devices, etc? It might actually re-legitimize the hollywood moviemaking empire...

    Unfortunately, we'd never get to see Britney Spears in her acting debut (unless she was nude) but I think that the overall improvement in the way moviemaking was approached would be well worth it (for the viewers AND the movie producers).


    -The Reverend (I am not a Nazi nor a Troll)
  • It was announced in July of last year at AnimeExpo that Pioneer was rereleasing Akira in the summer of 2001. :]
  • I saw Akira (English Dub) on the big screen in an art theater in (of all places) Montgomery Alabama. I have the Japanese version with English Subtitles on VHS tape. While the VHS version is good and all and I prefer the original Japanese, there's just nothing like seeing it on the big screen.

    Of course, I'd be more inclined to see something on the big screen if it didn't cost $8. Another good reason to check out your local art theaters...

  • While I've never actually seen any of the Akira series, I have (regretablly) had the opportunity to view several other "anime" movies...

    Then how the hell do you know what Akira is like?

    "Anime" is the japanese word for 'animation.' It's not a genre.

    You're lumping G-rated, X-rated, and everything inbetween into one generalization. Idiot.

    [later:]

    ...that foul degrading filth such as this has no place in the homes of God-fearing Christian Americans. Scenes such as fecalfilia, gang rape, and the senseless murder of innocent caucasians.

    You don't have a bible in your home? It's all in there, ya know.

    [still later:]

    ...strong leadership of George W. Bush...

    Dubya have never lead anything that required strength. The Carter administration will look powerful compared to this one.


    --

  • I'm not sure why you would consider Akira to be "one of the best movies out there" unless you enjoy staring at unrealistic gore, explosions, and shiny things for hours on end.

    You said earlier that you had never seen Akira. So, how would you know if it had a plot or not?

    My opinions apply to Anime as well as other "bad" movies, as you so eloquently phrased it.

    Once again, 'anime' is not a genre.

    It is high time that the competent leadership of our country takes action to stop this perversion of our culture with the Japanese menace that is Anime.

    Which perversion? Totoro? Grave of the Fireflies? Speed Racer?


    --

  • most of the media you have previously mentioned have at least some redeeming aspects or artistic value, while Anime does not.

    How would you know if Japanese animation had redeeming aspects or artistic value? Apparently you've seen less than 0.01% of what's available.


    --

  • Royal Space Force: The Wings Of Honneamise was the first great opus by the wild gang of Otaku turned animators called Gainax. Gainax later gave us Nadia, the series that some claim the upcoming Disney movie Atlantis is based on, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, the awesome series that has been incredibly influential on everything that came out after it from Japan.

    It was sort of like The Right Stuff, but set on a planet where a great conflict not dissimilar to World War II had been raging for decades, not years. Aside from one nonsequitur rape scene which could be excised without screwing up the plot, I believe it could become THE breakthrough movie for Japanese animation in the US. Without that one flash of skin, it's fine for family viewing.

    Someone's got to sit Tom Hanks down and get him to see the movie...his love of the history of spaceflight would really get him excited about it. Maybe his Playtone Productions could bankroll a theatrical re-release in the US.

    In 1997 Gainax did a 10th Anniversary re-release of Honneamise in Japan. It included THX sound and a remix of the score done by the incomparable Ryuchi Sakamoto. So there is a high-quality digitally remastered version available to work from.

    Since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon proved that US audiences WILL sit through a subbed movie if it kicks enough ass, a dub might not be necessary. However, an intelligently-done dub that preserves Sakamoto's score and the sound effects and uses a well-written dubscript (Mononoke Hime is a worthy example...it is lovely prose, although Miyazaki's own translated words are sheer poetry) wouldn't be bad. In fact, Hanks would be a great voice for Shiro Lhadatt, the misfit kid turned fly guy.

    I don't know WHO has the rights to Honneamise...I think it's Manga Entertainment but I don't know for sure. But Honneamise is as important, if not MORE important to the history of Japanese Animation than Akira. It deserves an US theatrical rerelease.

    Oh yeah, don't get me started about the unavailability Stateside of the two Evangelion movies, Death And Rebirth and End Of Evangelion...


    ----
    http://www.msgeek.org/ -- Because you can't keep a geek grrl down!

  • I think it's better to compare Akira to Dune.

    When I first saw Dune I asked, 'What the heck was all that about? Who was that freaky old hag with the torture box?' and my dad said, 'Oh! She was the leader of the Bene Geserit who do this and that and the other and all those other people were doing their thing because of these other reasons'. I protested, 'how the heck did you derive all that?!?' and he said, 'Oh, I read the five novels that go along with it.'

    EXACT same thing happened with Akira... (except with my roommate, not dad). She thought it was cool and I was lost. 'Oh, but so-and-so did all that for all these reasons and I know because I've read this huge series of books from which the movie was condensed.'

    The people who made Akira made it for the people who had already read the mangas. For anyone else, it's a bunch of disconnected images (though I admit well done disconnected images) about characters who have no discernable motivations.

  • I've never seen any of the movies you mentioned, but the reason the "thought police", as you phrase it, have been unsucessful in banning movies, magazines, and books is that most of the media you have previously mentioned have at least some redeeming aspects or artistic value, while Anime does not.
  • If you don't want to watch anime, then you can't be forced to watch it. You are also lumping all anime into one big group. I wouldn't consider "My Neighbor Totoro" or Princess Mononoke as being harmful to anyone. Also isn't banning something just become you don't like it against the first amendment. The thought police have tried to ban movies, magazines, books, etc. and they seem to have failed everytime.
  • In my opinion, seeing a film on the bigscreen is the *only* way to see it. Especially a high end/ up-to-date theater. It's the way the director wanted you to see his/her artwork, not on some crummy television screen where it's a crapshoot with quality. I'll pay 8 bucks any day to see a great film on the big screen.

  • , I have (regretablly) had the opportunity to view several other "anime" movies

    Hey! A Troll - and now for some real(ish) content:

    Akira is *not* one of my favorite movies, as a dialogue-free build up to Tetsuro the rapidly expanding Swanson family dinner is not my cup of tea. However, it is far better than the "Fist of the North Star", "Dragon Ball Z" genre(1).

    So, hell... it's been awhile since the "What is good Anime?" thread started. Here's my contribution:

    If you like golden age SF, try "They Were Eleven" (the Manga "2001 Nights" is much better). Cyberpunks like "Ghost in the Shell", the Manga is rather more zany but also much more interesting philosophically. "Serial Experiments: Lain" is good along the same lines (ish). "Cowboy Bebop" is possibly one of the best series released in America: it claims to be the synthesis of a new genre, and pretty much is... winding Jazz, Westerns and Space Opera into tight scripts. And if you watch all of "Neon Genesis Evangelion", then the (as yet unreleased in America) movie "End of Evangelion" is the closest thing to modern art as a cinematic work that I have seen. Abstract and primative shapes and images work to create an emotional thrust that arcs, crashes, and arcs again. Splendid, if you are into that sort of thing.

    So, yeah... there are baser Anime out there, but there are some other genres of animated japanese art that are worth considering.

    (1) BTW - the actual Dragon Ball saga is very different than DBZ. The live action movie is a hoot, and the plot is actually based on some real folktales.

    --
    Evan

  • AICN info (Score:3)

    by ajs ( 35943 ) <ajs.ajs@com> on Friday January 26, 2001 @03:42PM (#478678) Homepage Journal
    Ain't It Cool News has slightly more news [aint-it-cool-news.com] on their site. In general, such items tend to show up on AICN first (from which Slashdot has gotten more than one headline in the recent past).

    I look forward to the re-release. There were a lot of things about Akira that might seem minor today, but were HUGE at the time. The two that come right to mind are:

    • Akira was the first animated movie to use computer-generated wireframes for all of their perspectives. This is why the obviously hand-drawn cityscapes have perfect perspective through long, and often complex pans.
    • This was the movie that convinced the world that animation != cartoons. The level of gore and adult plot you might actually have to think about stunned most non-Japaneese that saw it (I know I was one).
  • Then you need ot go to your local comic book store, and have them start bringing in the reprint of AKIRA for you.

    Some of you may remember the Epic Comics release of Akira back in the 80's that Hemos referenced... Well, Dark Horse Comics [darkhorse.com] has gotten the rights to this fantastic series, and is going to reprint the entire run, in the form of six HUGE trade paperbacks. Granted, these are not in color, (the original japanese version wasn't either, I think..) but they have a new, more accurate and understandable translation than the Epic run.

    Dark Horse is also publishing Trade Paperbacks of the truly awesome Lone Wolf and Cub [darkhorse.com], another comic that was all over the place in the 80's. This one is the complete, in-order run. (And its supposed to be on the order of 6000+ pages long!) Dark horse is bringing it to america in its a original, paperback-sized format that it was released in Japan. Both of these are not to be missed, and are worth every penny.

  • A big MPAA lie. (Score:4)

    by Greg@RageNet ( 39860 ) on Friday January 26, 2001 @02:57PM (#478680) Homepage
    'Why would anyone go out and spend their hard-earned money to see a movie when they could download it from the net for free?'

    If anything the last two re-releases 'Legend of Drunken Master', and 'Crouching Tiger...' have shown that people will go to theatres and pay for what's been available more cheaply on VHS. Same with Akira. There's value added by seeing something on the big screen or getting inserts / liner notes with DVD's you could otherwise download.

    It's pretty clear that open availability of a movie will not drive the movie industry out of business, shooting a big hole in their argument on why everything must be encrypted and propriety.

    -- Greg

  • The entire thread condensed into one post: (Score:4)

    by Dirtside ( 91468 ) on Friday January 26, 2001 @03:52PM (#478681) Journal
    Akira sucks! It's just overblown because it's so popular, it's not really that great!

    Akira was a milestone! Excellent animation, an intriguing, deep story, and more!

    Why would you see this for free? You can download it for free on the net!

    Because, you dumbass, seeing a movie on a GIGANTIC SCREEN is somewhat more impressive than seeing it on a tiny computer monitor!

    Movies suck!

    They're making a live-action version of Akira, with Natalie Portman and Leonardo DiCaprio as the blue midget psychic children!

    *phew* Glad I saved us all that effort.

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