That's Mr. Kaneda to you, punk!
Akira is one of those movies that you never forget. The images are extremely powerful and graphic, so that they stick with you long after the movie is over. Despite its sometimes-confusing plot line, this movie is a wonderfully written, chilling look into the future, and into humanity as a whole. The movie more or less centers around a teenage biker gang in Neo-Tokyo, thirty-years after World War III. The main characters, Kaneda and Tetsuo, are two childhood friends who are constantly in competition with each other (Tetsuo being the weaker, taunted one.) Regardless, Tetsuo still looks up to Kaneda. As the introduction moves out of the chase scene, an interesting encounter with an odd looking child (who awakens the physic abilities lying dormant within Tetsuo's mind) truly begins the movie.
The animation quality in this movie is almost enough of a reason to buy it. The detail is incredible, umparalled even by Disney?s standards. No one background or setting is used twice, and the environment is in constant change, be it blinking lights or a person exiting a random building. Oddly enough, the Bladerunner-esque buildings throughout the movie also help to establish the feeling of urgency, and the sensation of teetering on the edge of something great, something that we cannot possibly understand. The characters also move in a realistic, smooth motion, something that is missing from many anime television shows, like Pokemon or Digimon.
The music in this movie is also an aspect that really stands out, with a sound all its own. With this new DVD cleanup, you can hear every bell, whistle and drum beat. It sounds more Japanese than most animes out there, and that is not a bad thing. Every single song fits the actions incredibly well, from the haunting Requiem at the end, to the oddly infectious Japanese drums in Kaneda, heard during the motorcycle chase scene and credits of the movie. Hats off to Shoji Yamashiro.
The voice acting is good, but not great. I feel that the original dubbing job used voice actors much better suited to their animated counterparts. For example, Kaneda's original voice actor fit his attitude well, as his voice had the same inflection and as a teenage boy's does. The new voice actor, however, sounds like an adult trying to speak like a teenager. Tetsuo?s voice sometimes sounds a little off too, as the inflection in his words do not always coincide with the action on screen There is no mention of the original script or dub however, but there is a small interview with the English voice actors of Kaneda, Tetsuo, and Kei.
The extras on this DVD are excellent, with detailed information on how the music was created, the voice actors of both the English and Japanese scripts, and it also holds about 4,500 stills from the movie and the entire movie's storyboard. The menus are easy to follow and understand, and contain colorful backgrounds with music-sound bites from the movie.
Overall, this DVD is a must have for any Sci-fi or animation fan. It shows the best of what anime has to offer. You will never forget the magnificent story, or the unforgettable characters that make this movie a classic, inside and outside of anime.
Remember though, this movie is NOT for young children and the squeamish. If your child is under the age of fifteen, or if you do not like the sight of blood and body parts, the movie is probably not for you.Read full review
