Akira

[Punisher Rising]

I did a search and only found a few threads pertaining to the live-action adaptation. Figured now is as good a time as any to start a fan thread for the 1988 anime that made anime a household name,

I've never read the epic manga it's based on but it is a priority of mine to track down the complete series one day and read it all. The anime however remains one of my favorite films and one that never gets old or overstays it's welcome. I remember it well not only for it's weird and gruesome visuals and many great action scenes but also it's compelling story and characterizations. It's always a movie that feels like a special experience and not just another film.

 

[OsGom]

You mean the live-action adaptation that was recently shelved for good reason? Pretty sure the forums beat that dead horse pretty soundly. I believe the overwhelming sentiment is that filmmakers are generally not committed to doing the story right and therefore should just drop the project. We were looking at this film being rewritten to be set in New New York and the cast would have been white washed. Stick with the classic anime because a live-action adaptation has no where to go but down.

 

[Tanin]

The thread for the anime Akira is probably in the Anime section. I have never seen the original cut of the film.. though I own the special edition with a reworked translation and new voice actors.

Loved it!

 

[The Morningstar]

One of my favourite movies ever. Animated or live action. A true masterpiece.

 

[obin_gam]

Watch "Chronicle"

 

[The Morningstar]

Yea Chronicle is awesome. It's clearly heavily influenced by Akira, but it still does it's own thing. It's probably the closest we'll ever get to a great live action Akira movie.

 

[Punisher Rising]

The thread for the anime Akira is probably in the Anime section. I have never seen the original cut of the film.. though I own the special edition with a reworked translation and new voice actors.

Loved it!

Why didn't I think to look there before

Still, won't hurt to have another thread to talk about this awesome moviet:

 

[Tanin]

How different are the new and old 88 cut of the film voice?? Am I missing out on anything?

 

[Punisher Rising]

I have no idea, maybe someone who owns them can say.

 

[Punisher Rising]

On another note, does anyone love (and is creeped out by) the Mutation music track from the film?



Such an eerie track, and fits very well with the scene it was used in.

 

[Gabe99]

Katsuhiro Otomo Teases Possible 'Akira' TV Adaptation

Legendary manga author and anime director Katsuhiro Otomo has been making an appearance at the comics festival Angouleme in Paris as Guest of Honour. Speaking at a press conference this past weekend Otomo surprised attendees when he suggested that a new adaptation of Akira was in the works.

Otomo was asked about the possibility that he might consider another adaptation of his legendary comic opus one day that would go further than the original 1988 movie. Neither the person who asked the question or the audience could have been expecting the answer that came. He replied that a series was currently "under study" but that he could not say any more at this time.

The report comes from a French language site (Manga News) and Otomo was presumably talking in Japanese at the time. So it's worth bearing in mind this is coming through several levels of translation so misunderstandings are a possibility. We're not clear that what stage any such project is as- whether it is actually in development or is just under consideration at this time.


If this is true though: this is big. Very big. The original Akira movie is considered one of the classics of anime- and of sci-fi cinema in general, and with good reason. However it represents just a fraction of Otomo's epic original manga, which ran between 1982 and 1990. There's certainly a lot of room for an alternative, more faithful adaptation that could run for quite some time.

An Akira TV series would certainly be the biggest deal in anime for some time and would be a no-brainer from a commercial perspective. Everyone involved would most likely be extremely careful to get it right though- as that is not something you want to screw up.

Which means- we're probably not likely to see it anytime soon. Could it even be planned to tie in with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics- an event which was predicted by the manga some 30 years earlier? Or - perhaps more likely- maybe for the film's 30th anniversary in 2018? Are you excited to see a new Akira adaptation? It's a better idea than the long-gestating Hollywood adaptation at least!

[Via Catsuka]

 

[Gabe99]

YouTube:
AKIRA: How To Animate Light

 

[HammerDown]

Taika Waititi still making stop-motion movie about Michael Jackson's pet monkey; also in talks for Akira

"Everyone's still talking," he said. "I'm concentrating right now on finishing two other projects and a bunch of TV things. I'm not focusing on that right now. We're still talking."