Akira - Blu-ray & DVD

Product Ratings

About This Product

Neo-Tokyo is about to E X P L O D E! Akira isn’t just a movie – it’s the genesis of a genre. Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. Akira’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for movies like the The Matrix to be dreamed into brutal reality. Without Kaneda and Tetsuo, without espers and psionic assassins, without that badass motorcycle – our world would be a far less exciting place to exist. But the manga became the movie and the movie became a phenomenon and the world took notice. Now, Akira is everywhere. If you can’t see it in the streets – if you can’t feel it crawling around inside your brain – then you have yet to be initiated. What. Are. You. Waiting. For? • Listen How You Want: The 25th Anniversary release of Akira features both English dubs that have occurred since 1988, letting you choose the track that’s best for you. • An Audiophiles Dream: Includes the “Hypersonic” 24-Bit, 192kHz Dolby TrueHD remaster of the original Japanese audio track. • Exploding with Extras: Packed with over 120 minutes of on-disc extra features; including the “Restoring Akira” documentary and original storyboards for the anime.

Product Details

Brand

Johnny Yong Bosch (Actor), Jan Rabson (Actor), Katsuhiro Otomo (Director) & 0 more Rated: R Format: Blu-ray

Manufacturer

Johnny Yong Bosch (Actor), Jan Rabson (Actor), Katsuhiro Otomo (Director) & 0 more Rated: R Format: Blu-ray

ASIN

B00ENNA62W

Customer Reviews Summary

I've seen this movie a couple of times before on DVD and seeing it finally in high definition I fell in love with it all over again. Yes, it's a long, bizarre, dark and gritty vision of the (then) future. Yes, we are approaching the real 2020 Tokyo Olympics (a year late because of the pandemic), so let's hope no teenagers blow up into giant blobs after trying to kill everybody. This cartoon is definitely not for kids, having quite a bit of blood, brutality and some nudity. This is a the mature blockbuster that shocked the Western world into the knowledge that Japanese Anime had come into its own.The artwork is incredible (and the style has thankfully not been copied much, although fans of Dragonball Z will see clearly the inspiration their shows have taken), with fluid animation and lifelike, frightening images of destruction and illusion come to life. The troubled characters try to live within the bizarre nightmare world in which they are placed. The story follows a couple of young men caught up in a government scheme to bring about a psychic super-being: a human weapon that cannot be controlled, a warning about tampering with the mind and doomsday weaponry as well as the loss of innocence and cheapening of human life when overwhelmed by technology, greed and the lust for power. It's a thrill ride that inspired many later on down the line besides Dragonball, but also the Matrix and Blade-Runner. Sci Fi fans will recognize inspiration taken from the Star Wars movies and Tron, and video game fans of the early 90's will see images shown here (Turtles in Time for one). Next to the works of Studio Ghibli, this is probably the best example of big budget anime as mature entertainment one can find (mature as in 'not just for kids').Package includes the DVD version as well as the Blu-ray, extras and you can listen to it with or without subtitles and have the choice of original Japanese language or two different English tracks (from the 80's and a new one done in 2001). This is worth it for collectors of the genre not just fans of the movie.