Movie Description
A landmark film that introduced much of the Western world to modern animé, 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 recognizing 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.
| Credits | | Producer: | Ryohei Suzuki, Sawako Noma, Shunzo Kato |
| Details | | Edition: | Special Edition; Regular Packaging | | Sound: | HiFi Sound, Stereo Sound, Surround Sound, THX Sound |
Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Two Disc Set
Disc One: AKIRA
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78:1
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Surround - Japanese
Subtitles - English - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Disc Two: Supplementary Material
Full Frame
Audio:
Stereo - English
Additional Release Materials:
Featurette - 1. Akira Production Report - "The Making of Akira"
2. Akira Sound Clip - Documentary on the Creation of the Soundtrack
3. "Restoring Akira" - Documentary about the Restoration of AKIRA
Interview - 1. Katsuhiro Otomo - Director
Interactive Features:
Chapter Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Akira Glossary
Production Materials, Original theatrical release: July 16, 1988 (Japan).
Copyright 1989 Akira Committee.
Editorial Reviews
"...A phenomenal work of animation with all the hallmarks of an instant cult classic..."
New York Times - p.C12 - Janet Maslin
"...The movie's strengths are speed, attitude and incessant dazzle -- so much so that this expensive post-World War III urban fantasy is widely regarded as Japan's greatest animated feature..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (07/27/2001)
"...Parts of AKIRA are as well directed as anything you'll ever see..."
Entertainment Weekly - Mark Bernardin (07/27/2002)
"...The film itself is well worth revisiting, if only to admire how well it stands up next to more recent genre classics such as METROPOLIS and SPIRITED AWAY..."
Sight and Sound - Matthew Leyland (10/01/2003)
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