|
Anime
Synopsis:
Finally! A new
English translation of the original Japanese AKIRA script!
Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes of World War III to become a
dark and dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and
terrorists. The government seethes with corruption and only
maintains a token control over the powerful military that
prevents total chaos and hides the secrets of the past.
Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyos
darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military
operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo,
captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make
him a powerful psychic, but, unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo,
Tetsuos powers rage out of control and he lashes out at the
world that has oppressed him! Nothing can stop the destructive
forces that Tetsuo wields except possibly the last boy to
destroy Tokyo - AKIRA!
Pioneer Entertainment has re-mastered this classic work with the
highest technological standards: A new film transfer from new
interpositive of the original negative, completely restored and
digitally re-mastered by High-Definition digital mastering
(1080i, 16:9, D5). THX Certified Audio components are re-mixed
to Dolby Digital AC3 Surround Sound (5.1 Channels, English
only).
DVD EXTRAS:
Region 1 encoding (US
and Canada only)
Color, Widescreen, Animated
Theatrical trailer(s)
New Film Transfer From Original Negative
Completely Restored & Re-Mastered
New English Translation of Original Screenplay Used For
Dubbing
Disc Two:
Production Report (The Making of "Akira")
Sound Clip (a documentary on the creation of the soundtrack)
Director's Interview (conducted in 1988)
Production Materials
Restoring "Akira," a Documentary
Akira Glossary A-Z
Widescreen anamorphic format
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None
that I know of
DVD REVIEW:
Wow! Talk about
a re-release! The Akira: Limited Edition is packed with
extras!
First, I just need to
let people know that there is a limited edition and special
edition release. The Limited Edition came in a tin case.
Aside from that, not too sure what the main difference is unless
it doesn't come with the second disk which I doubt.
Second, you will
notice that the price for the limited edition is $39.99 or higher.
Well, before you rush out and buy it from amazon or ebay, I need
to tell you about the snafu on this one. K-MART instead of
selling the special editions sold the limited editions not at
$39.99 but for $17.99. They sold the the most expensive
version instead of the special edition and anime fans rushed to
K-Mart and bought all of them from the shelves to resell on eBay
or other auctions. Then there is the regular edition with
just the movie.
Anyway, aside from all
that, the movie. Why did Akira's English dub track have to be
redone again? Well, they wanted to produce a digital 5.1
version of the film for the re-release and had to digitally
restore everything. Also, in the older version,
pronunciations were off. "Kaneda" is supposed to
be "KA-NE-DA" but in the old version it was pronounced
in the dub as "Ka-nay-da". Also, there was a
reworking of the script.
You will see the topic
of this movie being debated 50/50. Those for the older dub
and those for the new. I prefer the new. Actually, I
prefer the Japanese with English subtitles but too bad that wasn't
made to digital 5.1
As for the special
features, a plethora of special features that will keep you in
your seat for days. A production report, interview and so
much more.
Will people love
Akira? For some, they were first introduced to anime via
Akira but not everyone will like it. It's quite cerebral and
very out there that those who want a simple storyline will simply
shrug their shoulders after watching it. But for anime fans,
for a 1988 film, the animation was top notch even by today's
standards. And just think, they did everything via cels and
not computers back then.
This is the ultimate
Akira DVD! Buy it today!
THE MOVIE: A
THE DVD EXTRAS: A
THE DVD OVERALL: A
Check out other
cool DVD reviews on this movie by clicking here: 1,
2,
3,
4
| 
