TheOfficeMut
Unconfirmed Member
Canada with an accent?
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
I watched Akira for the first time and I dont get the love for it.
- Thread starter Hydrus
- Start date
- Status
Canada with an accent?
Yep, as much as I dislike the story much of the compositions and the fluidity and kinetic feel of the animation (especially action scenes) is still pretty satisfying.
CarpeDeezNutz
Member
Thanks for sharing.
I just remember feeling a sense of unease throughout the whole film in a way that movies rarely make me feel. Definitely wasn't expecting animation to have that effect on me. Props to the filmmakers if it was intentional, even if I'm still unclear of what the point of that would be in the context of the movie's story. Don't remember the plot that well TBH, but at the time I thought it was weird in a way that it might be if The Matrix or Blade Runner made you feel disturbed throughout most of the movie.
Death Metalist
Member
The tone and atmosphere. That's something you can't achieve with live action, animation has the ability to convey so much atmosphere, weight & mood that feels very heavy and well realized. The attention to detail just makes the entire thing feel so tangible, gritty and raw that's only emphasised by the use of strong colors that pop at you. It's almost like you could smell and taste the filthy streets they're in. Combined with the stunning score and you got yourself something special. The story can be a hit or a miss but overall it's serviceable.
Since Ghost In The Shell is being made into live action, I'd bet my life that nothing in that film will match the mood of the "Nightstalker" sequence in the anime or Ghost City for that matter.
Since Ghost In The Shell is being made into live action, I'd bet my life that nothing in that film will match the mood of the "Nightstalker" sequence in the anime or Ghost City for that matter.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Yeah. Gonna echo the chamber here.
Animation good.
Story weird.
Animation good.
Story weird.
JasonUresti
Member
I still don't enjoy it, but I forgive it's awful story somewhat after learning they were condensing hundreds and hundreds of comic pages into a single movie.
It then made sense why the characters, pacing, and exposition were terrible, and why it's comically thin plot is treated as some deep mystery in the film.
Looks real cool though.
It then made sense why the characters, pacing, and exposition were terrible, and why it's comically thin plot is treated as some deep mystery in the film.
Looks real cool though.
deadscreensky
Member
I don't know a single person who loves Akira and it was their "introduction to anime", including myself. Anime was already all over the place in the US when Akira got its initial popularity. You can maybe argue the violence in it was notable, but you're still talking about a generation of people who grew up on stuff like Robotech, and in the same era we were seeing things like Wicked City or even Golgo 13.
The film is just such an immersive experience, with the art and sound and just basic concepts, I can't really think of anything like it. Maybe the original Star Wars is kind of like that, just throwing you completely into a brand new, fully-realized world, but it's an extremely rare feat.
The story is definitely deliberately strange, and can be somewhat hard to parse in a first viewing. (It's clearly a film made for an audience which was already somewhat familiar with the manga.) But I don't see how that's an actual negative -- the scope of the film is astounding. Plenty of artistic masterpieces are "weird" or difficult, who cares?
I'm honestly struggling to express what makes the film such an achievement, it all feels so self-explanatory. But I love the damn thing, and find it endlessly rewatchable.
The film is just such an immersive experience, with the art and sound and just basic concepts, I can't really think of anything like it. Maybe the original Star Wars is kind of like that, just throwing you completely into a brand new, fully-realized world, but it's an extremely rare feat.
The story is definitely deliberately strange, and can be somewhat hard to parse in a first viewing. (It's clearly a film made for an audience which was already somewhat familiar with the manga.) But I don't see how that's an actual negative -- the scope of the film is astounding. Plenty of artistic masterpieces are "weird" or difficult, who cares?
I'm honestly struggling to express what makes the film such an achievement, it all feels so self-explanatory. But I love the damn thing, and find it endlessly rewatchable.
shattyboombatty
Member
The first time I watched it (96-ish), I hated it. I liked the animation, but it was so over the top weird in so many ways, that I just couldn't appreciate it. And then I tried it again later KNOWING it was just an insane experience, and really enjoyed it. It's definitely not a "watch it and love it the first time" type movie... at least probably not for most modern audiences.
I also happen to really like the original dub, but that's probably because it's the one I'm familiar with. The newer one is just so awful in comparison (at least to my rose tinted ear holes)
I also happen to really like the original dub, but that's probably because it's the one I'm familiar with. The newer one is just so awful in comparison (at least to my rose tinted ear holes)
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
It's good, but not great anymore. It suffers from the Blade Runner effect. Still decent, but not the top tier amazement it once was due to the passage of time.
MomoPufflet
Member
Whether or not Akira is a good movie overall is definitely debatable but you lose all credibility saying the soundtrack is bad. Get better taste.
sans_pants
avec_pénis
this dude didnt like the soundtrack to akira
whats to discuss?
whats to discuss?
Turbo Killer
Member
Yup.
That box is tempting but I know Amazon is gonna ship it in a shitty box and damage it.
StrangeRoboMemory
Member
Huh. I'm kind of surprised at all of the negative takes on Akira. Yeah, a lot of that late 80s, early 90s Blockbuster Restricted Viewing anime wave is super overrated and has lost its appeal...Ghost in the Shell was always kind of boring and uninteresting to me, though beautifully animated; Ninja Scroll is just a trashy B-movie (nothing wrong with that, of course); Perfect Blue is solid but nowhere near as great as when I first saw it as a kid.
Akira, though. Akira. Something about that movie and, of course, the manga. I loved it since I saw it when I was 11 or so in 1994, when a friend got it on VHS and he wanted all of us to come over and see this weird movie about "a ghost who is made of jars filled with his organs". He obviously misunderstood the movie but you can't blame him. The film completely rocked me. Yeah, the characters are nothing to latch onto and the story is nonsensical, but the vibe and the whole feel of the thing, this crumbling, corrupt, gross, drug-addled, cyberpunk universe, was mindblowing. It really influenced my sensibilities when it comes to sci-fi, animation, comics, etc. Give me style and tone any day over something that makes sense.
I don't think Akira is something to see as being in the same thread as "anime." I feel like it's closer to some sort of weird French/Belgian sci-fi thing, like Jodorowsky/Metal Hurlant/Valerian with Japanese eye...it comes from a different, Euro-style sci-fi/graphic tradition that's more about serving you a wild, trippy vibe and and atmosphere for the gods than straight sci-fi epic. If you come the to film expecting something "anime", I think you'll be disappointed, as you were, but if you go in with a different mindset, it's going to be much more satisfying.
Then again, the thing that it's doing might just not be for you, no matter what sort of perspective you go in with. You didn't like the music at all, so yeah...
Akira, though. Akira. Something about that movie and, of course, the manga. I loved it since I saw it when I was 11 or so in 1994, when a friend got it on VHS and he wanted all of us to come over and see this weird movie about "a ghost who is made of jars filled with his organs". He obviously misunderstood the movie but you can't blame him. The film completely rocked me. Yeah, the characters are nothing to latch onto and the story is nonsensical, but the vibe and the whole feel of the thing, this crumbling, corrupt, gross, drug-addled, cyberpunk universe, was mindblowing. It really influenced my sensibilities when it comes to sci-fi, animation, comics, etc. Give me style and tone any day over something that makes sense.
I don't think Akira is something to see as being in the same thread as "anime." I feel like it's closer to some sort of weird French/Belgian sci-fi thing, like Jodorowsky/Metal Hurlant/Valerian with Japanese eye...it comes from a different, Euro-style sci-fi/graphic tradition that's more about serving you a wild, trippy vibe and and atmosphere for the gods than straight sci-fi epic. If you come the to film expecting something "anime", I think you'll be disappointed, as you were, but if you go in with a different mindset, it's going to be much more satisfying.
Then again, the thing that it's doing might just not be for you, no matter what sort of perspective you go in with. You didn't like the music at all, so yeah...
Public service announcement: just last week I found the 25th anniversary edition for only $5 at a local Wal-Mart. Glad I was patient about making the movie purchase! This version has two different English dubs, if you're into that. I've only watched Akira in Japanese, and not sure what going to English would be like after that.
While you have to be in the right mood to fully enjoy Akira -- it's appeal is mainly in the atmosphere and visuals/mood -- to say the story is "crap" is just...erm. Nah.
This thread is finally making me want to invest in the manga, though. The first volume is $15 on Amazon now, but the later volumes are more around $20. Hrm. Not sure I want hardback versions in the new release... I prefer my manga paperback. Will have to think about it.
Also, since I had no idea Marvel / Epic originally released the comic in English colorized, I looked into it and found this cool article written by the guy who did the coloring. It was one of the first computer colorized comics. It's a shame that this version isn't available anymore just for historical sake, though apparently the colorized version was flipped back to read right-to-left, with English edits restored to Japanese, and published in Japan. Weird! The scans online honestly look really good, but I think I'd rather read the comic for the first time as it was intended in black and white.
While you have to be in the right mood to fully enjoy Akira -- it's appeal is mainly in the atmosphere and visuals/mood -- to say the story is "crap" is just...erm. Nah.
This thread is finally making me want to invest in the manga, though. The first volume is $15 on Amazon now, but the later volumes are more around $20. Hrm. Not sure I want hardback versions in the new release... I prefer my manga paperback. Will have to think about it.
Also, since I had no idea Marvel / Epic originally released the comic in English colorized, I looked into it and found this cool article written by the guy who did the coloring. It was one of the first computer colorized comics. It's a shame that this version isn't available anymore just for historical sake, though apparently the colorized version was flipped back to read right-to-left, with English edits restored to Japanese, and published in Japan. Weird! The scans online honestly look really good, but I think I'd rather read the comic for the first time as it was intended in black and white.
The sequel is way better than the first, IMO, but I'm an unabashed Batou fanboy.
NightShift
Member
The animation is a lot more than just 'fine'. I also watched it pretty late and I do recognise that it is a bit overrated but rightfully so for its time. I like weird shit but the movie length and pacing did not complement the story well. Maybe I should read the manga some time.
Dangansona
Member
My exact feelings. I need to read the Manga.
sans_pants
avec_pénis
of course it was intentional
look at this anniversary trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UhLderbuGI
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Plotwise it's a garbage but the technical proficiency in that film is absolutely noteworthy even by today's standards.
Say what you will about the characters, story and pacing (Otomo crammed a 2,000 page manga into a 2 hour movie) but the animation, art direction and music are objectively phenomenal.
I mean, I get if they aren't your (others) favorites and all, but overrated? Really? I just can't see eye to eye with someone who says something like that.
Like others have said, it's best viewed as a companion piece for the manga. Think of it like the best clip episode ever made.
But even going in blind, you should be able to appreciate the animation. Watch some of those packed crowd scenes and ridiculous environmental effects; That quick shot where the sinews of Tetsuo's arm are ripped from the concrete chair they've buried into. Recognize that those scenes are a sequence of single frames, that someone kept track of and drew all those elements moving at odds with one another in twenty, thirty different directions at a time. Even a couple of seconds of those shots represent hundreds of manhours of someone at their drawing board, flipping continuity from one drawing to the next to make sure everything's fluid on its own little path of continuous motion.
If you can take a few seconds to think about and appreciate the logistics like that, the behind the scenes of making the thing, it's a mind-blowing parade of human artistic achievement and collaboration.
It'd be more impressive if it were a better movie, granted, but any empathetic person should be able to appreciate individual elements that show outstanding workmanship, even if the package they're attached to isn't the best cohesive whole.
But even going in blind, you should be able to appreciate the animation. Watch some of those packed crowd scenes and ridiculous environmental effects; That quick shot where the sinews of Tetsuo's arm are ripped from the concrete chair they've buried into. Recognize that those scenes are a sequence of single frames, that someone kept track of and drew all those elements moving at odds with one another in twenty, thirty different directions at a time. Even a couple of seconds of those shots represent hundreds of manhours of someone at their drawing board, flipping continuity from one drawing to the next to make sure everything's fluid on its own little path of continuous motion.
If you can take a few seconds to think about and appreciate the logistics like that, the behind the scenes of making the thing, it's a mind-blowing parade of human artistic achievement and collaboration.
It'd be more impressive if it were a better movie, granted, but any empathetic person should be able to appreciate individual elements that show outstanding workmanship, even if the package they're attached to isn't the best cohesive whole.
darkistheway
Member
The story was meh? What the fuck?
Watch it again. The story is incredible.
Watch it again. The story is incredible.
The movie also used pre-recorded voices with mouth movements drawn to conform to them rather than the lip-flap animation and post-production recording typically done in Japan.
There is an incredible draftsmanship running through the film. Amazing construction and form and weight. The use of light is stunning.
Nerdwriter has an excellent video called How To Animate Light that analyses Akira in example. Highly recommended viewing.
Might have to watch it about 5 more times. Or better yet, read the book. The book is a much better way ro digest the plot and understand the characters and the art is mind-blowing.
The movie makes so much more sense after reading the manga, it's kind of a cliffnotes take on a very dense story.
Tarextherex
Banned
You clearly don't know much about animation
Idk about the manga or anything but the character/plot was good enough, pretty simple story, you either like it or don't
But when you look at the visuals/animation/directing... top notch
TheGameshark
Member
This is so true. Going from the anime to the manga gives you so much context and background info that the film simply doesn't give you.
I was blown away when I found out that akira is actually alive in the manga.
cryptosporidium
Member
Sountrack was MEH?!?! Geinoh Yamashirogumi are fucking amazing! what in the world is this blasphemy
Kabuki Waq
Member
Has the animation quality been topped yet?
The movie cuts out loads of character development and lots of characters in general. Entire subplots are completely missing and the film ends about 2/3 into the manga's story.
Say what you will about the characters, story and pacing (Otomo crammed a 2,000 page manga into a 2 hour movie) but the animation, art direction and music are objectively phenomenal.
LOL
Wonderful post.
pixelation
Member
I think it's because you've (likely) heard the praise it gets everywhere so when you finally watch it you can't help but feel non-plused, it happened to me as well.
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
It was the first anime/manga I ever watched so I have fond memories.
But I disntinctly remember having no fucking clue what was going on. Like, I haven't watched it since the early 90s but why did Tetsuo become an all consuming giant blob?
But I disntinctly remember having no fucking clue what was going on. Like, I haven't watched it since the early 90s but why did Tetsuo become an all consuming giant blob?
Losing control of his power.
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
Ah ok. Gotcha. Thanks.
cryptosporidium
Member
I want to add that I watched it for the first time last year and not only did it blow me the fuck away but it got me into anime movies.
Akira, GITS, Ghibli/Grave of the Fireflies, Satoshi Kon, Jin Rou, all so fucking good. and akira started it all. now that Ives dropped vagabond I might start reading the manga.
Akira, GITS, Ghibli/Grave of the Fireflies, Satoshi Kon, Jin Rou, all so fucking good. and akira started it all. now that Ives dropped vagabond I might start reading the manga.
The movie also used pre-recorded voices with mouth movements drawn to conform to them rather than the lip-flap animation and post-production recording typically done in Japan.
There is an incredible draftsmanship running through the film. Amazing construction and form and weight. The use of light is stunning.
Nerdwriter has an excellent video called How To Animate Light that analyses Akira in example. Highly recommended viewing.
Might have to watch it about 5 more times. Or better yet, read the book. The book is a much better way ro digest the plot and understand the characters and the art is mind-blowing.
The movie makes so much more sense after reading the manga, it's kind of a cliffnotes take on a very dense story.
Hungh, that artwork. Some of the pages and pages of city destruction are fucking phenomenal. Otomo is an insane artist.
- Status