whats the big deal about akira

[ryo_senpai]

OK first off i know you hard-core akira fan are gonna have my head on a poll but oh well." and no i haven't read the manga yet"i base this on the movie.i watch akira not to long ago on tv and to tell you the truth "to me"
it wasn't aw of the second coming that all my friends and plp on this form and around the world said it would be.the story to was just one big "HUH" maybe i need to give it a second look. as for the reason for this could someone explain what it is that you all saw in this story

[Ken-Ohki]

It came out in 1985 which is pretty epic all things considered. As for the story, it's about transcendence and corruption. Maybe it's because you've seen other stories which were influenced by Akira such as Ghost in the Shell and the Matrix (first one only, the other two movies don't exist) that you may not realize the full extent of how incredible the story was in it's time.

[DazarGaidin]

Yeah i wasn't too impressed with it either.

[Gasaraki]

At the time it came out, which was in the 90's mind you, poeple in the US hadn't really seen anything like it before. The animation and content was amazing.

I'm not much of a fan of the movie either though, it really doesn't make alot of sense without prior knowledge of the manga.

[Kaoru-sama]

1989 actually.

Ditto what Gasaraki said. Upon Akira's release, it wasn't like anything else that (at least) American's had seen yet. Most anime exposure was limited to the 'kiddie' faire that ran on TV in terribly edited-down versions. (ie: Robotech).

I remember when I used to be part of the Columbia House record buying club, they'd often have an insert in their monthly sales circular/catalog. It was geared towards anime. Obviously all that was out there at the time was anything from Streamline / Orion, or very early Viz Media titles. This was way back in 1995-1996 or so. (Back when I was completely unkowing or caring of what 'anime' was). Anyways, the first video they always offered for joining this sub-section of the club was Akira.....and obviously with good reason.

If you weren't around during the time it came out in the U.S., you'll never get it. Just enjoy the movie for what it is, and if it's not your thing, then it's not.

For myself, Akira didn't do too much.....that is, I didn't persue anything else within the sort of genres it probably belongs in. I do give it credit for it's use of visuals mixed with the various musical themes. I've seen both the original Streamline and the later Geneon/Pioneer re-release, both dubbed. The re-issue is more faithful, the Streamline version more nostalgic, so....it's really a toss-up between which one I enjoy more.

[Rahxephon91]

Akira is just great. Its not just a good anime, its a good movie.

[Ken-Ohki]

Ah right, 1985 was Macross, 1988 was Akira.

[Mag]

The Manga. Read it. Seriously.
The movie is highly condensed and was really only meant to be seen if you'd read the manga.

[old hat]

It's just a movie. It can't cure cancer or turn water to wine or anything like that

[ryo_senpai]

if you listened to some of my friends the way they talk about it like JC himself wrote and produce it

[tenshi_a]

I really didn't like that movie, and I haven't liked anything else that the guy who wrote / directed it has directed later on. I think he's a really bad director, and fails to get his ideas across in an interesting manner, in film.

However, the original manga of Akira that he wrote and drew is really huge, epic, very well drawn, and is well worth the read. It is one of the greatest manga I have ever read. No really, it is.

The film is terrible, truly terrible. It's a disservice to the manga as well, skipping from the 1st volume of the story to the end of the last volume, and leaving out AKIRA. It's the worst idea ever - make an Akira film without the person that the film is named after. It's still hard to believe that someone would do something that bad to their own work.

[Mag]

Originally Posted by tenshi_a

I really didn't like that movie, and I haven't liked anything else that the guy who wrote / directed it has directed later on. I think he's a really bad director, and fails to get his ideas across in an interesting manner, in film.

However, the original manga of Akira that he wrote and drew is really huge, epic, very well drawn, and is well worth the read. It is one of the greatest manga I have ever read. No really, it is.

The film is terrible, truly terrible. It's a disservice to the manga as well, skipping from the 1st volume of the story to the end of the last volume, and leaving out AKIRA. It's the worst idea ever - make an Akira film without the person that the film is named after. It's still hard to believe that someone would do something that bad to their own work.

Like I said. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to know that's going on already. The film was made primarity for an audiance who was already fans of the manga.

[Anamin]

I don't really know what all the hype is. I saw it, was very confused, didn't even realize there was a manga. By itself, I'm not impressed. I just hoped it would end sooner rather than later and I never want to see it again.

[tenshi_a]

Originally Posted by Mag

Like I said. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to know that's going on already. The film was made primarity for an audiance who was already fans of the manga.

That's another reason I just can't fathom why it's so popular with people who have never read the manga.

The ending probably makes even less sense to them than it does to everyone else.

[Darren]

I wasn't too impressed the first time either and there never was a second time. Maybe I'll try again some other time.