|
Akira
 |
|
|
Animation - 8.7 |
|
|
Sound - 7.9 |
|
|
Story - 7.5 |
|
|
Character - 7.3 |
|
|
Value - 7.8 |
|
|
Enjoyment - 7.7 |
|
|
Average - 7.8 |
|
|
Wynter |
(2009-07-26 01:13:12) 2009-06-08 06:16:09 |
|
| Average |
5.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
3 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Akira's problem is not in the script- it kept to the point and story- but the characters leave a lot to be desired. I found it extremely irritating the character development appeared in the end- it makes the characters not all that likable until that point, but otherwise the animation was "Wow" worthy in terms of how much the characters move around, and there was some intriguing imagery within numerous scenes.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Summoner |
(2008-11-09 07:11:45) 2008-11-09 06:56:36 |
|
| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Akira is one of the best known and renowned anime movies in the world. If you haven't seen it, you have at least heard about it, if not, well, you live in a box, then. Anyway, it is certain, that it was no fluke it came to be valued so highly. While Akira is not one of my very top favourite animes, it is definitely a great movie which I enjoyed a lot.
Though as always in movies, characters hiccup along the way, I mean, it's hard to feel for any of them, since they simply have no time to reveal themselves fully to the viewers, as the story takes the hugest chump in this movie. And it's actually a good thing, at least, for Akira it is. You can rarely see such a huge and strong story in a stand alone movie. A whole new sci-fi world, its politics and atmosphere are created by a truly masterful hand. I mean, such future is possible, if we wont do something with our environmental troubles and similar things. Anyway, the best thing about Akira is its philosophical and scientific approach. While the future world in Akira is indeed fascinating, the most engaging thing there is an idea about the next steps of human evolution, about the existence and possible creation of whole universe. Though if would have been better if they would have given more detail to that idea, as way too many parts of that "evolution" and "creation" are left to viewer's imagination, and in this case its a bad thing, as it doesn't provide enough basis for you imagination to reach something solid.
Anyway, this completely story driven movie is certainly to be watched by anyone who thinks himself a true anime fan. As not only it is a masterpiece of the times old, it is a classic which defined much in anime history.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Akira…..The first anime I EVER watched..damn its been sixteen years since my first viewing on BBC2 in 1992. I’ve thought about it for a while and I’ve deciding to base my review upon how this animated movie affected me then and now. I’ll try to be impartial considering this is my favourite animated movie of all time (to date).
Animation
Upon viewing this the first time I was just dazzled by the detail in animation (keeping in mind before this the best animation I saw was from Disney studios circa late 1980’s). I was especially captured by the background/landscape designs which were very retro & neo-tokyoish (similar to Megazone 23). I will agree with another reviewer and say a downside was maybe the character designs were carbon copies but this never bothered me in the least, it didn’t come across as lazy or cheap in my mind then or now.
Again I was amazed with the detail in scenes containing tremendous city destructions & obviously the last 30 minutes with Tetsuos transformation where just mentally stimulating to a young 6 year olds mind. I don’t really expect anyone today watching
This for the first time to be as amazed as I was so maybe there’s an added layer of nostalgia for those of us who had the original Akira experience at the time.
Sound
Upon watching this anime the first time (I am proud to say) it was in its original Japanese language version with English subtitles, since then I have watch 2 yes 2 english dubbed versions. Long story short original is best (although the first older English dub is also acceptable) I digress……
The dialogue in Akira is cool nothing spectacular, same goes for character voices & background music. Actually the only thing I really liked about the sound where the music during the memory sequences near the end of the movie, very nice.
Story
People make too much of a big deal about how confusing the story is, yes I will agree chances are you will be confused by the story but I believe akira on a whole it is a story you either want to understand or don’t, in the case you want to understand fully what this is about you will probably find yourself watching this movie again.
If someone asked me what Akira is about my response would be “Akira is about many things that include friendship, science and the idea that some things are bigger than your understanding and should not be toyed with”.
It’s hard to say how today’s audience would take the story of akira because upon first viewing it’s a complicated story with many subplots that eventually come together.
In a nutshell I believe Akira is a good science-fiction action/adventure drama anime with a deep and thought provoking story which IMO will either catch you or drop you.
Character
I’ve read a lot of reviews where other people claim the worst part of Akira was under developed characters….well I completely disagree. The characters in Akira are predictable-yes because everyone is just playing their role in the story, the teenagers act like teenagers, the scientists act like scientists and the army surprise surprise act like the army would! I mean are you expecting each character to delve into a monologue about how they are feeling or what they are thinking lol akira is long enough without it.
These charters are on an adventure whether they know it or not and I found it entertaining watching them all come together so in my humble opinion there was NOTHING wrong with ANY of the characters in akira.
Enjoyment
Akira to me is just a dazzling experience of a fictional Neo-Tokyo which was animated wonderfully and given an exception storyline to boot. I have 3 different editions of Akira on DVD so I guess that kind of answers the “did I enjoy it” question.
Value
Well in the past I have recommended Akira to other people with mixed results. In todays anime scene Akira is still rated highly but many people find it confusing and overrated so I think newbie’s to anime would enjoy akira but I’ve learnt that its probably not good for first time anime virgins.
So bottom line, Akira still has high value to this day but I think it’s a movie for the more experienced and not so superficial anime fan.
9.8/10
Btw If you did watch Akira and did enjoy it I would recommend these titles: Neo Tokyo, Memories, Metropolis & Megazone 23.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
sarquee |
(2007-06-03 21:47:54) 2007-03-21 15:08:09 |
|
| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| [Warning: review contains spoilers]
This extremely well animated apocalyptic fiction set heavenly standards in areas of visual composition. Set in a severe dystopia that can only face, as the various elements in the story work towards their goals, massive armageddon and apocalypse, Akira carries immense dramatic value but falls rather short at organization, consistent quality in leveled character depth, and evenness of powerful or dramatic mood. Besides Tetsuoh's rage filled character, nobody else really sets a mark, and Akira's mythic person, established throughout the movie as some sort of incredible phenomenon, when shown, doesn't really fulfill the promise (well he’s shown for about seconds, so I guess that’s why). Some characters, not only lacking in personality, even add to an unevenness in the mood by a sort of bumbling, exaggerated behavior, Kaneda being the forefront in this race: for example, at a certain point in the movie, serious destruction due to a laser satellite is happening, and some boulders happen to fall around Kaneda, all of which he dodges with an almost cartoon like agility. Kaneda turns out to be one of these boring characters who are full of confidence and don't get down, even if someone is trying their best to kill them. Not only that, all the girlfriend humor and the clumsy attitude of Kaneda's friends poses in as badly inserted, unfunny comic relief. The female lead and the army captain are likewise forgettable, but the esper children, due to their amazing character design and expressive faces, are not.
The sound was beautiful. The haunting music in the background when Tetsuo is seeing (hallucinating?) the espers as giant, grotesque stuffed toys and the eerie, elastic music which plays whenever we see Tetsuoh past as a child rubbing his eyes with his knuckles adds a heap load of mood to the scenes. I felt way more sympathy for Tetsuo as a kid than I felt for Shinji, so I would say the creators did a good job with that particular character.
From the very beginning the story doesn't have a very coherent, thorough structure, and there is really no reason for the ending or for most of the events throughout the movie. I don't think there is really any logic in even the basis of the movie: psionic kids somehow transcending beyond human boundaries into the realm of epic physical forces, while at the same time retaining human/organic vulnerabilities, characteristic, etc. Still, just as in Eva and a few other apocalyptic technical animes, the absolute lack of logic becomes in a way a strength, as the viewer can't possibly form a formula/skeleton of the plot comfortably and feel the power of comprehension over the causes and effects. Therefore, tones of enigma and mystery lace the story, and add to the anxiety or tension produced by the dramatic sequences.
Dramatic value is through the roof. The classic biking images, scenes of destruction, release of Akira, Tetsuoh's hideous transformation and the events at the end (minus Kaneda and the girl character's [sorry, don't remember her name] "heartwarming" reunion, which felt completely at odds with the destruction which has followed, and which, except for the scenes of thick beams of light coming through heavy clouds, does not invoke associations with rebirth. This scene gets absolutely annoying when Kaneda's friend comes in and starts bantering) are some of the most powerful scenes.
People call Eva the eve of experimental anime, but I really saw more powerful alternatives to Eva’s means in this show. The mechanical interiors have nothing on ANY other anime (or animation, perhaps), and scenes where Kaneda is inside Tetsuoh’s mind bore extreme resemblance to Shinji’s crisis at the end of the series.
Overall a really well made entertaining movie. I recommend.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Budding |
(2007-02-18 09:31:10) 2007-02-18 09:30:03 |
|
| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Akira is an extremely high quality anime movie made in 1988.
Akira's animation is amazing. Despite the character designs lacking uniqueness - many of the characters look pretty much identical - every scene is as detailed, if not more detailed; and every motion as fluid, if not more fluid, than many anime movies released in the 1990s and beyond.
The soundtrack in Akira fits in quite well with the scenes. Other than that, there isn't much else to praise about it. Unless you were into cyber-punkish music, you would not have any incentive to get the OST.
The storyline of Akira is nothing short of odd. There are plenty of well animated action scenes throughout, but the general storyline could have used more development and the ending could have been greatly improved.
Character development is quite poor. A large number of characters are barely developed, including the female lead. The purpose and motivation of a number of characters are vague or not known, not to mention that the actions and personalities of some are so idiotic that one cannot help but wonder how that person got to his position of responsibility in the movie.
Akira will no doubt leave most viewers quite confused and not interested enough to watch the sequel if there was one. Nevertheless, the animation and action sequences are great to behold, and Akira is at the very least presented excellently to the audience.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Akira is a really strange piece. Extremely psychological in every way, this is not my kind of type of anime.
Akira starts with a quite awesome racing scene, with a memorable piece of music played. After that, it becomes interesting, learning more about Akira, and then after, it loses it's intensity. I don't know, I didn't really seem to like Akira that much. The characters weren't great, since i was watching the DVD quality version the animation was quie good for 1988.
But i liked the music. As queer as it was, I guess it really did match the whole Akira feel to it.
I guess a lot of people would enjoy watching Akira, since it really does mess with your mind. It wasn't my kind of anime, but Akira is a classic anime movie; watch it if you can.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Akira - often hailed of bringing out anime into the west, is perhaps the most talked about anime movie ever. However I believe that it is a tad to over-rated especially in terms of it's story.
The animation is spell-binding. It is very hard to believe that this is a 1988 movie. But then it came as no surprise that this was one of the costliest movie ever made in Japan during that time. None-the-less the animation is excellent. the faces are kept true to the Japanese style. No pink hair, no large eyes. The backgrounds are also drawn with precise detail. The work deserves a 10 considering how old Akira is.
The sound is also good. The music during the bike wars was extremely good. same goes for the music during the action scenes.
The movie starts out quite nicely, 2 biker gangs fighting each other. Then Teutso gets injured and somehow his psychic powers awaken. The story continues to hold up until the last 25 minutes. Unfortunately, then the movie fell apart. While I later came to know that the manga was much to large for the movie to made properly, that did not give the movie makers the right not to explain what was going on in last 25 minutes or so. Weird mutations, Teutso becoming very large and grotesque. Then some cataclysmic actions and thats THE END!!! What ever happened? I dunno....
Also the characters are not developed properly. The plot is so large, that the movie forgets about the characters themselves. By the end, almost all the characters are shrouded in a deep cloak of enigma.
And thus the movie fails. While it continues to hold the viewer for the entire lenght, one cannot help wondering what happened. And what became of the characters. The story thus seems incomplete, leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
None-the-less, Akira remained enjoyable. The action and the plot are quite well made. i do plan to read the manga soon (if I can find it) and i ceratainly hope that my questions will be answered.
Akira is truly a good work. However its shortcomings are too large to be ignored. Watch it with reservations and enjoy it while you can.
|
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Asgurd |
(2005-12-11 04:28:29) 2005-12-09 13:13:18 |
|
| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| The animation of this old movie is quite amazing. Just watch the Tetsuo transformations. Something good to be noticed : people drawn look like true people of Japan, and more generally, true people. They don't have oversized eyes, green or purples hairs, ...
Musics are great, and more over, unique. You could recognize them very easily.
Akira tells the story of the manga, but obviously the time was too much limited. Though if you have read the manga, or are quite familiar with these sort of stories, you can still understand its meaning. In short, a few years ago, there was an explosion unleashed from a release of lot of energy in Tokyo. It is believed to be Akira action. Who he is, and where is kept secret and is a military matter. I like this story, it deals with a lot of things : science issues mostly, amazing powers men could possibly afford (as in 2001, Space Odyssee).
Characters are ok, and we avoid this "mama" of the manga, female version of Rambo. We can quite understand how Tetsuo became what he has become, and the general is as described in the manga. But the shortness of time make others children and secondary characters quite less interesting. Still Kaneda - the "hero" - has enough screen time.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
petran79 |
(2006-04-27 14:30:53) 2005-08-24 19:49:47 |
|
| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
0 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
0 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| The movie that started it all. I wanted to see it since it was so popular and had good reviews. My feelings are mixed however. Especially after reading the manga.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Dylan |
(2005-07-09 14:05:35) 2005-07-08 23:34:06 |
|
| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I finally rewatched Akira after seeing it once a year or so ago. Well, when I watched it the first time I was kind of busy tuning my guitar and not paying much attention. I did remember it being badass, so I finally decided to rent it again.
It is kind of odd how it doesn't have more reviews because it seems like 'thee' anime title (the classic, so-to-speak). It is actually right up my alley genre-wise because I love the weird ones. It definitely influenced a lot of anime out there I dare-say.
Anyway, with a twisted crazy story that makes it enjoyable, who couldn't at least like this anime? Definitely good for it's time period and definitely worth a watch.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Akira was amazing. Hands down the best action/sci-fi oriented Anime movie I have seen to date.
It really lived up to the expectations I had of it. The sound and score of Akira may be its strongest feature. In fact, I had acquired the soundtrack long before seeing the movie.
I have a personal preference for Future Dystopias (1984, La Jetee, Fahrenheit 451, Delicatessen, City of Lost Children), so I may be a little generous in my ratings. However, if you too have a fondness for Future Dystopias, then this film is a must see. It ranks right up there with the some of the all time greats.
Akira is definitely a classic.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Kaj |
(2005-06-13 20:17:55) 2005-06-13 20:13:22 |
|
| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Hailed as a classic, I can kind of see where the praises are coming from. These brutal, uncompromising, apocolyptic animes always seem to be popular. But personally, I was less impressed with it. My main problem was the vagueness of the story. I was watching it with a friend and he was having to constantly explain to me what was happening using knowledge that he'd accumilated from reading the manga (and in fact my friend still doesn't really fully understand everything himself cos he hasn't read all the manga). My own view on this is that anime should be made to be self contained, I shouldn't have to go digging for the manga in order to understand what the heck is going on. This was certainly an interesting watch, but for me, that's about as far as it goes.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
SteeJans |
(2005-08-02 16:53:53) 2005-06-11 15:25:57 |
|
| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Akira is one of the nost famous anime ever produced.
The animation, especially if we think that this anime is dated 1988 are terrific! I saw it in 2003 and I couldn`t believe that was so old.
The music recreates a very good sci-fi atmosphere and is not simple to forget. The sound effects are excellent.
The story is interesting, but I thought it wasn`t very clear. I haven`t read the manga and I needed to watch the movie two times to understand it good.
I didn`t like a lot the characters. I felt like they weren`t so inspired.
Finally, Akira is a very good anime, not my favourite, but still a very good anime.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
acide_bob |
(2006-08-08 14:01:17) 2005-05-30 00:28:58 |
|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Good plot, interesting characters, cool setting, dark atmosphere and cyberpunk styled action. You have here a classic in the sci-fi genre. And a masterpiece of anime.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Akira is a complex and thought provoking film, which deserves much of the praise it gets. Considered a genre defining work of anime, and it truly is a must see for any anime fan.
Read my review for more
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Tsone |
(2005-04-19 14:49:35) 2005-04-18 12:35:51 |
|
| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| One of the first anime movies I have ever laid my eyes on. It is still very inspirational and mind bogglingly weird experience.
The weirdness is because the story is a truncated version of the plot in the original epic manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. (which spans numerous volumes, a manga classic)
It is considered the piece which brought the western audience in touch with anime. It has clearly served as inspiration to some later classics such as Ghost in the Shell and Final Fantasy VII. (the game)
Basically displays a typical cyberpunk world from the the Mirrorshades group literature (Gibson, Sterling etc.) with some japanese twist and notably psionics.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This was always a much-talked-about anime in my group of friends, but it was serveral years after watching anime that I actually sat down to watch this masterpiece. And I must say, I wasn't knocked down by it. That's not to say that it's not a great anime, because it is; either by tradition or quality. I thought the music was fitting, but could have been better integrated. I also felt the characters were a bit underdeveloped. However, the story was a fantastic idea and although the end left you with lots of questions, it gives you the freedom of viewer interpretation, which is always quite nice. All in all, a very enjoyable anime!!
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Akira was always THE classic anime but not exactly for me. Largely because I found the manga much better. So much that's in my 6 large volumes is lost in the movie, condensed into a mere 2 hours. Still its a valiant effort and still comes off as a great movie with an astoundingly fresh story at the time which still resonates today within the sphere of anime and popular culture.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
|
| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| OK Anime Classic as we all know it, but classic doesn't make it that great.
The animation, Ok cutting edge at that time, but character designs are just too oogly for my liking. If you watch this anime, you'll know for I mean, the animation quality is great, but the characters designs aren't.
The Sound, its the best aspect of this anime, back then if I remember correctly was the highest budget anime, and most of it spend on the sounds.
The story is classic, many animes will or have copied this plot line, almost every year an anime or two comes out with the a similar plot, and here is where it all started for japanese animations.
The characters, well I will just say, they are very anime generic, and annoyed the hell out of me.
Classic a must watch if you're actually into the aspects of anime, and its overall a great anime.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
CoachZ |
(2005-05-27 12:31:08) 2005-03-29 01:03:02 |
|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I wish there were more anime movies like this. As I watched this again, the animation was still unbelievably astronomical and outstanding as ever. It was just so highly supurb from its time. The music was quite trippy, which I thought they did a good job on. I think this one did well for a decent story that added some importance to it. As for the concept, it had many strong areas. The story was involved with the relationship and issues that most younger people like Tetsuo and Kaneda were conflicted with as childhood companions. You can mostly see that when they were viewing those flashbacks from their past. However, the bond and friendship that kept them together were stronger due to their loneliness and grief. Most adolescences would usually have a problem when in terms of adapting within their society, and it is sometimes unfortunate to see that when they are mostly involved with gangs and its deviances of how they were mostly perceived, mainly to the authoritive figures. A lot of good side characters were very in-depth and had some good insights about their post-apocalyptic wasteland they were living in, and how most of their society were only indulging themselves. Not really different when it comes to our modern society of today. Even though I’d seen this a very long time ago, it still works. I would encourage anyone to watch this, especially for the sci-fi genre fans and new anime viewers.
|
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes /
No
|
|
|
Site design by ecxol.net:
|
