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LttP: Akira or WTF did I just watch?
- Thread starter TheExodu5
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The Interrobanger
Member
TheExodu5 said:
I'll take it off your hands.
The Interrobanger said:
No thanks. I payed $40 for this crap.
At least it looks nice, other than the fact that girls look like guys in the film.
ckohler said:
Yeah. I understood that much. It doesn't change the fact that it makes no sense at all. I mean, the scientist just looks at the pattern and is like: "oh shit,
this is the center of the universe!
WAT
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
No, you understood what was presented to you perfectly. People praise it because of the animation, not because the story's good.TheExodu5 said:
blame space
Banned
I don't know if I fully understand it, but I fucking love this movie.
elrechazado
Banned
don't forget the music. also amazing
The comic series is incredible! Goes into a lot of stuff that I always thought was missing from superheroes in general (abuse of power, deifying the superheroes, stuff like that)
the movie came out before the comic was finished, so there is a lot of cool stuff they do toward the end that wasn't in the movie. Good stuff!
the movie came out before the comic was finished, so there is a lot of cool stuff they do toward the end that wasn't in the movie. Good stuff!
Ether_Snake
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The story is fucking simple really: It's about two orphan friends part of a biker gang, growing up in Neo Tokyo abd becoming more and more distant from one another.
That's all. Tetsuo and Kaneda used to be good friends, but as they grew up, in a city where a lot of kids are left to themselves and believed to have no future, Kaneda's bold and "take it or leave it" attitude moved him further and further away from Tetsuo, who was still not much different than when he was a child; a scared and bullied child looking for a friend and a family. This leads him to try and prove to the rest of the gang that he's no child, ends up in contact with a mysterious power, and being unable to contain himself goes on to destroy his friends, his city and himself in an ill-fated attempt to be accepted.
I mean really, there is no need to figure out what Akira (the boy) is, this is junk left from the manga. The manga is complete shit, and the movie does in two hours what the manga couldn't do in a bunch books. The story is extremely simple, and the reason a lot of people are left thinking "WTF" is because they think the explosions and the laser beams are the story, rather than the relationship between Tetsuo and Kaneda. The whole Akira part, with the super powers and all, is just there as a plot device to allow us and Kaneda to see Tetsuo's feelings, which otherwise would be difficult to perceive and would require a much longer movie.
Really, watch it again with the understanding that the movie is about Tetsuo and Kaneda's lost friendship, and Tetsuo trying to prove that he isn't just a child, when he fact he still is.
That's all. Tetsuo and Kaneda used to be good friends, but as they grew up, in a city where a lot of kids are left to themselves and believed to have no future, Kaneda's bold and "take it or leave it" attitude moved him further and further away from Tetsuo, who was still not much different than when he was a child; a scared and bullied child looking for a friend and a family. This leads him to try and prove to the rest of the gang that he's no child, ends up in contact with a mysterious power, and being unable to contain himself goes on to destroy his friends, his city and himself in an ill-fated attempt to be accepted.
I mean really, there is no need to figure out what Akira (the boy) is, this is junk left from the manga. The manga is complete shit, and the movie does in two hours what the manga couldn't do in a bunch books. The story is extremely simple, and the reason a lot of people are left thinking "WTF" is because they think the explosions and the laser beams are the story, rather than the relationship between Tetsuo and Kaneda. The whole Akira part, with the super powers and all, is just there as a plot device to allow us and Kaneda to see Tetsuo's feelings, which otherwise would be difficult to perceive and would require a much longer movie.
Really, watch it again with the understanding that the movie is about Tetsuo and Kaneda's lost friendship, and Tetsuo trying to prove that he isn't just a child, when he fact he still is.
Yeah see that's that kind of artsy bullshit I can't just buy into. If you want to give me a story about Kameda and Tetsuo's friendship...just do that. Don't throw it into the worst sci-fi storyline ever.
I didn't like BSG and Blade Runner for trying to do the exact same thing.
I didn't like BSG and Blade Runner for trying to do the exact same thing.
blame space
Banned
TheExodu5 said:
ElectricBlue187
Member
KANEDA!!!
TETSUO!!!
KANEDA!!!
TETSUO!!!
KANEDA!!!
that's pretty much the plot synopsis.
TETSUO!!!
KANEDA!!!
TETSUO!!!
KANEDA!!!
that's pretty much the plot synopsis.
It's a masterpiece
Ether_Snake
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Well the problem is that the movie is based on a manga, and the manga is shit.
Not everyone can like every movie, you're not special for not liking it
Not everyone can like every movie, you're not special for not liking it
Red Scarlet
Member
I was told to watch it twice for stuff to click, but I couldn't be bothered to watch it more. It's like a bunch of those other 'omgsogood' anime movies that I'm supposed to like but don't (Akira/GitS/Mononoke).
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
That was better than Akira.blame space said:
Ether_Snake
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BTW anyone knows where I could find it on Blu-Ray but in French? I HATE the English translation. The French one was excellent.
TheExodu5 said:
Try re-watching it, looking for human characteristics. I dunno man, there's a lot to like about Akira beyond the plot, and no it's not just the animation. It's the world that's created there. The plot is kind of not the point, IMO. It's, as mentioned above, a story of a relationship as well as a not too different world in chaos. If you can't find value in that the second time through, then it's simply not the medium for you.
magicalsoundshower
Member
Akira is basically what you get if you take on the difficult task of condensing a somewhat long manga into movie length and fail at it. This is basically the reason why the story seems badly paced and convoluted as hell. I'd say that it's still worth it for all of the eye candy that can be had.
Although I'm not sure if I'd pay 40 bucks for it.
We used to have a local UHF station where a dude would just show cool movies. He aired Akira one night when my buddy was over and it blew our minds. I'd never seen Japanese Animation outside of Voltron before.
That was almost 20 years ago, and I still have no idea what the movie was about. :lol
That was almost 20 years ago, and I still have no idea what the movie was about. :lol
thetechkid
Member
Is the movie different from the manga in any way?
elrechazado
Banned
No, the dozen or so people who already said they are totally different were all lying.thetechkid said:
ConfusingJazz
Member
Something about Canada nuking Tokyo, and using small blue children as infantry.
And giant teddy bear robots who are powered by milk or something.
And giant teddy bear robots who are powered by milk or something.
GillianSeed79
Member
Wow. I thought I was the only one who thought Akira's story was crap.
The only thing I'll add is that you have to take into account that before the big anime boom in the west it was really hard to actually find anime in most of the country outside of Akira or random anime movies on the Sci-Fi Channel.
I guess people liked it because back then the animation was great for its time and anime was such a novelty over here. I'll take something like Vampire Hunter D over Akira, though I stopped watching anime like 15 years ago.
The only thing I'll add is that you have to take into account that before the big anime boom in the west it was really hard to actually find anime in most of the country outside of Akira or random anime movies on the Sci-Fi Channel.
I guess people liked it because back then the animation was great for its time and anime was such a novelty over here. I'll take something like Vampire Hunter D over Akira, though I stopped watching anime like 15 years ago.
magicalsoundshower said:
Well, failing... it's not like it's possible to really cram six big volumes into an hour and a half just like that. Especially when the manga wasn't even finished and Otomo had no clue how to end it, which by the way, it's different from the movie, to begin with,
Akira is an actual character
Ether_Snake
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thetechkid said:
The manga's story is about nothing. It's the equivalent of your average pointless manga story, and it probably sucks for the same reason that most comic books or manga sucks; their length gives the author the chance to improvise as he writes it, to the point where eventually it's as thin as a paper sheet and the story becomes a pointless mess.
The movie is a nice self-contained simple human story, where the author was force to actually think about a way to present a story that could be wrapped up in two hours, with a backdrop of flashy action sequences. The manga just doesn't know where it's going (like it is being improvised as we go along). It's really bad, but most manga/comic books are really.
Phobophile
A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.
KAAAAAAANEEEEEEEEDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
*repeat for 120 minutes*
*repeat for 120 minutes*
qcf x2 said:
I didn't like Children of Men for giving me the exact same thing (but better, IMO), so I don't think I'll appreciate this one either.
Red Scarlet said:
Yeah, not a fan of Mononoke either. Now, I actually really liked Spirited Away though. It was charmingly imaginitive.
thetechkid said:
the stories are similar, but the book elaborates a lot between tetsuo breaking free from the center, and ultimately going out of control. Roughly 1/3 of the manga story is not in the movie. Also, the art in the book is incredible. I found his ability to potray speed and movement in still ages to be particularly awesome, and there is much deeper character development in the books.
I thought some of the more interesting points were left out of the movie. Tetsuo taking over as leader as the clowns being one.
If you liked the movie, they are worth checking out.
UnluckyKate
Member
Akira the movie is really stiff compared to the comic, because the movie forgot HALF of the comic but still put the comic's ending after that. It feels like... missing half of the material, really.
But the atmospheric that made Akira so special is still here and the animation and music are awesome.
But the atmospheric that made Akira so special is still here and the animation and music are awesome.
UnluckyKate
Member
JeFfRey said:
I second that so hard that I'm going to read them right now.
Ether_Snake
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I can't understand how anyone prefers the mangas to the movie. The story in the manga is meaningless, drags on, and was obviously being improvised along the way. The movie actually has focus, it's just that the actual story of the characters is not in your face. It's obvious that Otomo had the chance to actually sit down and write the thing down and think about it like a novelist would, or a script writer, unlike the manga which was just being drawn because he was asked to make a serial and he'd never know for how much longer it would go.
ZephyrFate
Banned
People not liking Blade Runner should be ashamed.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
One of the best animated movies ever made. Rich, fluid animations with good direction, even if it's hard to understand at times.
A must watch for any adult fan of animation.
A must watch for any adult fan of animation.
Ether_Snake said:
Sounds like the manga simply didn't hold your attention, which is understandable, but to call it meaningless is pretty naive. It's about very different things, and it's a much more sprawling story that doesn't really have a truly central character, but that doesn't make it inferior. I actually prefer the manga because it deals more with the post-apocalyptic aftermath of the unleashing of Akira's power, and has a sort of cyberpunk Lord of the Flies flavor to it. The Kaneda/Tetsuo relationship is handled with much more focus in the film, but I'd say it is explored far more fully in the manga.
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