Akira [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]

Overview

One of the best sustained examples of "Japanimation" (or "Anime," as fans of the genre called it), Akira is based on the manga (comic book) by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story is set in the post-apocalyptic community of Neo-Tokyo. Akira is a fiercely individualistic member of a scrungy motorcycle gang. The despotic authorities, the robotlike police, and even the cycle gang pursue Akira when he's bombarded with a new, insidious energy source that has rendered him telekinetic. Budgeted at $8 million (an enormous amount for a Japanese film of any kind), Akira has become a cult favorite thanks to generous midnight-movie exposure and multiple showing on cable TV's Cartoon Network.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/18/2022
UPC:	0704400103612
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	R
Source:	Funimation Prod
Language:	English
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	2,656

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Mitsuo Iwara	Kaneda (Japanese Version)
Nozomu Sasaki	Tetsuo (Japanese Version)
Mami Koyama	Kei (Japanese Version)
Taro Ishida	Watanabe (Japanese Version)
Mitsuo Iwata	Actor
Hiroshi Ôtake	Actor
Kôichi Kitamura	Actor
Michihiro Ikemizu	Actor
Masaaki Ôkura	Actor
Kazumi Tanaka	Actor
Masayuki Katô	Actor
Masato Hirano	Actor
Cameron Clarke	Kaneda (Streamline English version)
Jan Rabson	Tetsuo (Streamline English Version)
Lara Cody	Kei (Streamline English version)
Masaaki Ohkura	Yamagata (Japanese Version)
Tony Pope	Yamagata (Streamline English Version)
Barbara Goodson	Kaori (Streamline English Version)
Yuriko Fuchizaki	Kaori (Japanese Version)
Yôsuke Akimoto	Store Owner (Japanese Version)
Yasuko Ohno	Girl C (Japanese Version)
Takeshi Kusao	Kai (Japanese Version)
Bob Bergen	Masaru (Streamline English Version)
Drew Thomas	Ryu (Streamline English Version)
Jimmy Flanders	Actor
Stanley Gurd, Jr.	Actor
Barbara Larsen	Actor
Lewis Lemay	Actor
Simon Prescott	The Doctor (Animaze English Version)
Tessho Genda	Ryu
Mizuho Suzuki	Doctor
Tatsuhiko Nakamura	Takashi No. 26
Sachie Ito	Voices
Kazuhiro Kando	Voices
Tsutomu Tatsumi	Actor
Shoji Yamashiro	Composer

Technical Credits

Katsuhiro Otomo

Katsuhiro Ôtomo

Izô Hashimoto

Katsuhiro Otomo	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Shunzo Kato	Producer,Producer
Sawako Noma	Executive Producer,Producer
Ryohei Susuki	Producer
Katsuhiro Ôtomo	Director,Screenwriter
Izô Hashimoto	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Ryohei Suzuki	Producer

Editorial Reviews

When Katsuhiro Otomo's landmark sci-fi anime feature Akira arrived in U.S. theaters in 1988, fans and newbies alike came, saw, and often walked away with mixed emotions. Which is why Pioneer's wonderful 2001 reissue of the film, which brought clarity to various cloudy narrative issues, is such a welcome addition to the library. Upon that initial release, there was no missing that Akira was an animated work of unrivaled power; its Neo-Tokyo cityscape a media-rich, neon-lit labyrinth of plastic, glass, and concrete. Set 31 years after World War III, it was a dystopia where pill-popping tribes zipped around town on tricked-out motorbikes -- a vision destined to be regarded as the stylistic ground zero for sci-fi films yet to come. (You can bet your Matrix action figures that the Wachowski brothers are fans.) Yet, Akira's story seemed vague and unfocused when compared to the version that was familiar from Otomo's original graphic novel. The English-speaking audience could only presume that the narrative holes were a result of style over substance, and had to be content with the fact that the style was breathtaking enough to forgive substantive shortcomings. The 2001 re-release of Akira restores focus and clarity in more ways than one. The new, high-definition transfer, produced by using the original negative, captures Neo-Tokyo's postapocalyptic luster. And the new English translation and dub, far more faithful to Otomo's original text, reveals Akira's symbolic genesis in Japan's political zeitgeist. It is an epic conflict between youth and age, chaos and control, personified by two childhood friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda.

Barnes & Noble - Patrick Macias

Anime has had a devoted following since its beginnings, but it didn't have much crossover appeal in the U.S. until Akira came along. The drawing style was always respected for its distinctive characteristics -- the large soulful eyes, the expressive color, the jagged representation of fantasy worlds. But it fell short of true sophistication, since many of the drawings had the herky-jerky quality that comes from animating fewer backgrounds or character movements than necessary for a seamless flow, usually for reasons of speed or poverty. Akira represented a fully realized anime film, both smooth in its appearance and coherent in its narrative, and the result was to awaken the affections of fans outside the anime kingdom. It's a thoroughly unsubtle film, with big explosions, mystical platitudes, and hysterical emotions, but it is also visually glorious in a way that far outdistanced its predecessors. Akira is never going to win converts beyond a certain age -- the overblown, angst-ridden plot, which stretches on for over two hours, is best lapped up by wide-eyed teenagers. But this brash, brave effort to bring anime to the outside world is remarkable in how well it achieved that goal, and how greatly it exceeded the modest expectations of its brethren.

All Movie Guide

The detail is exceptionally realistic, fluid and multidimensional, suggesting both a futuristic world and ancient quests.... Of course, Akira is not a long cartoon, but an ambitious animated feature that can be seen as a parable of scientific responsibility and cosmic rebirth, or just an action-packed serial. Or it can be seen as a visceral example of the future of animation.

Washington Post - Richard Harrington