Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6156 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-03-18
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Animated, Box set, Dubbed, Limited Edition, PAL, Special Edition, Widescreen
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 200 minutes

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
English
English
Japanese
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English\Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital Stereo
Interactive Motion Menus
Make Your Own Akira Trailer
Scene Access
Production Report
Making Of Akira Feature
Stills Gallery
Hyperlink
Multiple Choice Quiz
Danish\English\Finnish\Norwegian\Portuguese\Swedish

Synopsis
A landmark film that introduced much of the Western world to modern anime, AKIRA is a marvel of modern animation. Based on Katsuhiro Otomo's 2,000 page manga, AKIRA begins on July 16, 1988, when what was believed to be an atomic bomb was dropped on Tokyo, completely destroying the city and marking the beginning of WWIII. Thirty-one years later, Neo-Tokyo has sprung from the ruins of the old city and is experiencing a prolonged period of civil unrest caused by student uprisings, political instability, and, most destructively, biker gangs. One of the members of these biker gangs, Tetsuo, is detained by the military after a near accident with a strange young boy. After recognising innate psychic ability in him, the military begins using Tetsuo as a test subject to channel Akira, a source of unimaginable power and the cause of the explosion that destroyed the original Tokyo. However, the military's plan backfires, and instead of locating the source of Akira's power, Tetsuo becomes a medium for it. Endowed with incredible psychic powers that make every one of his destructive impulses a reality, Tetsuo begins to go on a rampage that threatens to completely annihilate Neo Tokyo. Combining a complex science-fiction universe with intricately detailed animation and phantasmagoric images, AKIRA is a stunning visual experience and a disturbing vision of the future.

Customer Reviews

Behold the greatest anime film of all time.
Neo-Tokyo: thirty-one years after a horrific release of energy during World War III destroyed the original city, this bustling, degenerate mteropolis has sprung up in it's stead. Citizens riot in the streets, government corruption runs rampant, and behind it all, the messianic force known as Akira watches and waits...

The characters of Kaneda and Tetsuo are the driving force behind "Akira"- their tentative friendship/ rivalry providing the drama which fuels the storyline, and what a storyline it is.

Reviewing the movie without revealing any spoilers would be next to impossible, so I'll keep it simple- get this DVD. Although over a decade old, the animation remains unequalled by anything released since. The music, by Soji Yamashiro, is a revolution, and the English dub has to be heard to be believed. It really is that good,and it's a damn sight better than the old one, which messed up a huge amount of critical lines of dialogue.

Crisp DVD visuals and audio will only serve to heighten this incredible experience. Buy it, and see for yourself...

An absolute Masterpiece
To call Akira a piece of 'classic' Manga would be a serious insult. This isn't just a piece of Manga history that has found its way into the hearts of millions - this is Manga incarnate. Without Akira it's very possible that us Westerners would never have got to see a single Manga film!

This was a massive hit over here and off the back of this landmark piece other Manga titles began to flow. And you know what? This is still better than most of them! The vibrant colours of the breathtaking Tokyo cityscape and the crisp sharp images that assault the mind show up most other films of its kind to date. This is something that has been improved on further still with this DVD that features a remastered picture as well as sound.

The soundtrack in particular makes this a worthwhile purchase on its own - even if you do already own the film. The music is, as ever, superb in Akira but the entire English dub has been completely redone for this special edition to give you speech that is not only good but also very convincing.

The story is something of a testament to the whole Manga name. It delivers all the usual themes but still manages to keep you firmly in its grasp right up until the explosive ending. Akira revolves around a group of bikers who stumble across a government run testing program that is trying to unleash (and control) psychic powers. Powers that lie dormant in all human beings - Unfortunately for them their latest subject and gang member Tetsuo becomes a little bit unstable to say the least. The result is some explosive animation and a deserved two-disc set.

After seeing some other fantastic two-disc sets this package may be a bit of a let down to the compulsive DVD buyer. The film alone is well worth a purchase with its remastered sound and picture but the extras aren't quite as forthcoming as you might expect from such a cult piece of Manga. The second disc contains all of the goodies but you get the distinct feeling that everything could've fitted onto one disc.

Having said that, big fans of the film should not be disappointed by the 'Production Report'. Basically a making-of documentary, this runs for 50 minutes and includes an obscene amount of behind-the-scenes footage. You get to see the offices where Akira was made (an amazing feat!) and scenes from the film being sketched out. Not to mention interviews with the voice artists, real artists and director.

It's the rest of the second disc that really destroys the whole package. The gallery, although extensive, is fairly pointless and the 'create your own trailer' feature is pretty much a joke when put next to discs like Men In Black. However, Akira is still one amazing piece of work and this is one of those cases where you should buy regardless of the extras. Even the non-Manga types usually enjoy Akira and this DVD is sure to win over many more to the ways of Japanese animation. Buy it now, sit back and enjoy the holocaust.

The Masterpiece returns to DVD!
Akira is now over ten years old, but its ground-breaking cel animation visuals are still absolutely astonishing. The storyline is complicated to say the least and requires several viewing occasions to fully understand and appreciate!

The film centres around two main characters, Tetsuo and Kaneda when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to re-capture an escaped experimental "human". But in doing so they capture Tetsuo and begin to conduct experiments on him - to discover that he has a similar psychic ability to that of "Akira". Tetsuo, in a state of rage, then uses his newly founded powers to seek out revenge and to find "Akira".

This was the film that made the world stand up and take notice of Anime - and quite rightly so. Still a classic after over a decade!