Akira (1988) MOVIE REACTION!! [2001 English Dub]

Eric Shane Rick Calvin and Aaron react to and discuss the 1988 Anime Movie Akira (2001 Engish Dub)
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[@BlindWave]

Watch the Full Length Reaction on Patron HERE: www.blindwavellc.com/akira-full/ Watch our Movie Commentary for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a week Early HERE: www.patreon.com/posts/28892627

[@cartoon6874]

Blind Wave This was a reaction I wasn’t asking for but I’m happy it’s here

[@aidenurey7112]

Blind Wave I watched this when I was 8 and it is what got me into anime

[@Morder1990]

Watch maybe Princes Mononoke or Sword of the strange,best anime move

[@markhackett2302]

25:00 you should read Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Sorcerers do not last, they are not made for this world and tread only lightly on it. Though TP's least favourite Discworld novel, it still has some strong story notes.

[@cameronsingletary8941]

u guys should watch the whats the difference episode for akira it explains all the stuff that was left out

[@AngelTovar]

The animation still blows me away.

[@franklythemooch7413]

I pretty sure this was the first anime or Japanese animation done in 24 fps in the 1980’s...all hand drawn too

[@franklythemooch7413]

King Awesome think of the gore as a set piece, the violence is part of Neo Tokyo and it isn’t bloody for the sake of being shocking. The future is shitty and in this story, that’s a fact of life.

[@SuzakuX]

@@captainbirch9835 Anime in the 80s and early 90s had a lot of exploitation elements.

[@franklythemooch7413]

King Awesome it is, everything that the creator was to make you uneasy. I understand your distaste for gore as i am worn out from the Saw franchise, but I get you

[@Steddy]

Alright guys, the movie is incomplete so you won't have many answers but here's a bit of explanation without spoiling the manga content. In Japan, there are kids who start popping up with psionic abilities and naturally scientists gather and study them to theorise a reason and the extent of these abilities. Many theorise its the next step in human evolution. This is kept secret from the public to prevent panic. At the facility which houses dozens of child subjects, a young boy named Akira is introduced around the same time Kiyoko, Masaru, and Takeshi (the little old kids) are also brought in and they all become friends. Akira is subject #28 and this was over 30 years ago. Akira's power is far greater than any of the other subjects' and it quickly deteriorates his mind and erodes away his personality. In a freak accident his powers go out of control and he blows up all of Tokyo leaving behind a few other esper subjects who were able to survive the blast - Masaru, Kiyoko, Takeshi and Lady Miyako who is the old lady with the beads that dies on the bridge when the flaming car hits her and one of her cultist. Yes, she's a subject too (#19), yes she does have psionic powers and is worshipped because of them, and yes she's a woman. The dub messed up and cast her with a male voice actor. She has a stronger role in the manga but she's basically a cameo in the movie. The world believes Akira's explosion was a nuke from a foreign country and this inevitably kickstarts WWIII. The few in Japan who know the truth about the explosion keep it a secret and build a city several miles outside of the destroyed Tokyo wasteland called Neo-Tokyo which is now rife with corruption, crime, terrorism, drugs, and gangs after the economic collapse of Japan's original capital city. Now knowing the threat these psionic powers pose, the Japanese government becomes far more stringent in capturing anybody who has them. The politician that died in the ally (Mr. Nezu) is important because he's actually the leader of a terrorist resistance group that's trying to overthrow the government. The same resistance group Kei, her brother Ryu, and that guy that tried to suicide bomb the police station are a part of. His followers are fervent believers in the cause but Nezu is corrupt and greedy himself and simply in it to profit covertly. Nezu orchestrates the capture of one of the subjects from the facility, Takeshi, and Tetsuo encounters a psychic shock when colliding with Takeshi. This unlocks the power within him as well which the scientist realise and the military captures him immediately. Tetsuo, the runt of a teen criminal bike gang known as the Capsules is violent, angry, hates authority figures, and has a severe inferiority complex. Kiyoko senses how dangerous Tetsuo is and the subjects try to subdue him through psychological torment but it has the adverse effect and makes him even more violent. Kei has potential to develop psionic abilities as well and upon entering the facility Kiyoko resonates with her and unlocks that potential in her, using her as an avatar. Kei has a stronger role in the manga too. During their climactic battle Tetsuo's power goes out of control just as Akira's did 30 years prior nearly destroying Neo-Tokyo. The subjects interfere and they all get transported to another plane of existence where Akira who they thought died meets them. Tetsuo is now there too in this higher dimension, still retaining his individuality. The subjects basically conclude that the evolutionary shift has already begun. For better or worse, the abilities, so powerful a person can transcend a whole plane of existence with them, have begun to manifest in humans and will continue to. The manga explains a lot more and a lot of characters have much more expansive arcs. The Clowns, the rival gang to the Capsules, have a bigger role as well. Like I said, everything is basically cameo. Not Kaori tho. Her life is even more brutal in the manga. Poor girl.

[@Neurodivergent-j1f]

Thank you!!! This is so helpful!!!

[@billyjoejenkins2081]

Thanks! I just finished this movie for the first time today and this helped clear some stuff up.

[@mangaexpo3973]

really thank you for this

[@borabora1309]

Poor Kaori. I think she's the real victim of this chaos.

[@RUSHYRUSHY39]

One thing I found amazing about this movie is that the original Japanese dialogue matches with the characters’ lips.

[@Willlive032]

Not gonna lie I do prefer the original Japanese dub

[@blasphemous9693]

Yeah I remember liking that.

[@sarcataclysmal]

@@Willlive032 Well its not a dub, so...

[@starlit117]

Willlive032 “original dub” is an oxymoron

[@kingambrose9919]

I think some people in this reply chain need to learn what dub means

[@khaaaled2007]

The movie is brilliant but keep in mind that it's volumes and volumes of material packed into two hours

[@holysecret2]

And in some parts NOT packed into the two hours. I have heard there might be an Akira anime series in 2020, that would be cool. If that is true, I do worry about the soundtrack, though. It will feel so different without the same music.

[@efrenarevalo2025]

Just imagine all one piece arc before the grand line packed into a 2 hr movie.

[@saylosrelyks8645]

Funny thing is the manga wasn't even finished when this came out which is why it's so different in it's ending but even packing it in to two hours still isn't enough to do the whole story and it's themes justice.

[@yami2227]

and they pack it for us in 14 minutes xD

[@rasinshuriken]

nani

[@RebootedGaming]

Can you also react to the anime movie Redline? You'll undoubtedly love it

[@HollowAvarice]

Redline is one of my favorites and no one ever talks about it! Not enough people even know about it!

[@jjpark98]

I'm going to upvote you in the hopes they see this comment and see the movie.

[@RUSHYRUSHY39]

Rebooted Hell yes! That’s also one of the few anime I actually love the dub for!

[@janineadrianareguengagomez3708]

Oh yes! Red line is so good and better suitable for them jajaja the animation of redline is so amazing !

[@zombiedutch2253]

Oh god, yes please

[@tekatomon]

1st saw Akira when I was 14. My Comic book art class teacher showed us this, among other R rated movies. still great after all these years.

[@4YrStasis]

...What?

[@paulfriebe1824]

@@4YrStasis right!?! I would be traumatized

[@ToruKun1]

@@paulfriebe1824 LOL I first saw AKIRA when I was 10, I just decided to rent it from Blockbuster randomly and it blew my mind. Still my favorite movie.

[@paulfriebe1824]

@@ToruKun1 that’s crazy you had way more courage than I did at 10 I would’ve been covering my eyes the whole time

[@biocapsule7311]

Just a side note... there isn't any part of the brains you don't use, you just don't use 100% of it all the time. Which parts of the brain is being used depend on what you are doing at the moment. So an ESPer would be more about developing new parts or having existing brains do new things. Also 'Grave of the Fireflies' is something a lot of people can only stomach once.

[@ellesinky8667]

Exactly what happened for me for "Grave of the Fireflies". I watched it around 12-13 years-old and it left a long-lasting impact on me. Now 20 years later, I'm thinking of watching it again a second time.

[@SpockNRoll]

I haven't seen Grave of Fireflies, only read about it, but I want them to watch it because I think that just seeing snippets of it will be more than enough for me lol. I really can't handle kids in war situations

[@Tanerion]

I let my brother borrow my copy of Grave of the Fireflies once. I happened to be passing by his room just as he was done with it when he opened the door with puffy red eyes and tears still running down his cheeks and as soon as he saw me he just went "why?". He said he liked it but yeah it's super sad.

[@FlingGibstopper]

This movie is what inspired me to start drawing and animating. I owe my life to this film.

3:38 and there's the iconic shot that so many animated series & films have payed homage to. i honestly liked that they Redubbed this film, Johnny Yong Bosch as the voice of Kaneda sounds really good, and the rest of the cast actually gives decent performances. i can't really say anything new that others have already said about the art & animation, but i will say after 30 years, it still holds up.

[@travus111]

Really hope the crew know that this shot was recreated in the clone wars

[@patrickholt2270]

I'm gratified that the PE teacher now hands out slaps with the word "discipline!", which I always thought made more sense than the original translations.

[@Crazael]

The Akira manga was completed several years after the movie and goes in a very different direction. But its well worth a read. For a better understanding of the themes, you should look up the social upheavals Japan was going through in the mid to late 80s.

[@hanizawady6555]

What kind of social upheavals?

[@muhammedmooquin1365]

Its good to have some knowledge about the various facets of Japan before and after the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombing too

[@TheeKorovaMilkBar]

"That's the thing about these early animes, violence is violent." (Fist of the North Star, Devilman, and Violence Jack show up) "Allow us to introduce ourselves."

[@FuzzyDlop]

Berserk wasn't an early anime at all, it came out in 1998. Manga/anime was already very violent in the late 70s/early 80s.

[@brightbeyonddarkness]

What about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?

[@jehizkiel78]

Fist of the North Star was aaamaazinggg, used to had it on VHS.

[@afiffarhati4580]

What about UROTSUKIDOJI ?

[@jadenepia5960]

@@afiffarhati4580 i only saw the edited version as a teen, watched uncut recently and oh its a full blown hentai lol

[@gkalaitza2183]

This movie still just blows 99.99% of modern(and older) anime out of the water animation wise.. Purely handrawn..Only anime ever made at true 24 fps for its ENTIRE RUN...Only anime ever with the voice recording before the animation and animating mouth movements to match the voices..160.000 individual frames and 255 colors used ( both records) Animating with those parameters for a 2 hour movie consistently is insane ..Sure there are certain scenes in a bunch of anime that look better than the best in akira but as a whole Akira as an animation project hasnt been matched in anime..MAybe only by redline

[@michaelhudson3737]

was about to mention redline, then saw you already did...nice

[@rastiga9196]

@@michaelhudson3737 True that, the number of man-hours and talent is astounding. I feel the program for the animation in spiderman into the spider verse is gonna be the next new thing. It sucks that is the way it is now but it's so much easier.

[@mitchellwilliam95]

They also had to rewrite and rearrange some of the music because the Geinoh Yamashirogumi music collective wrote it before the animation was finished.

[@dcresistance]

Well it did have a massive budget of 10+ million dollars

[@Tanerion]

Otomo really likes his small details. Say what you will about his other movie Steamboy but the backgrounds in that one are probably the best ever in an anime.

[@michaelconnor1542]

Kei was someone who could be used as a focus for others powers. So when she is fighting Tetsuo she is using the powers of the three children. The research done to them, allowed them to tap into their entire bodies and use that energy to manipulate matter and energy, at a subatomic level. It becomes more difficult to control as one gets older.

[@acereporter73]

After watching this, my friends and I would scream, "TETSUOOOOO!!!" "KANEDAAAAA!!!" at each other when we'd meet.

[@Kronical69420]

Ditto. Every time we would see each other in the school hall.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

Who else is hoping they pay tribute during the 2020 games in Tokyo?

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

Hopefully the cycling events give the Gold medal to whoever crosses the finish line going sideways with one foot down 😄

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

@@Zombiewithabowtie only if lines of neon light are streaming past as they do it!!!

[@RamielDerLinke]

Well... That won't happen now

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

@@RamielDerLinke And it totally bums me out. The one thing I was looking forward to in the Olympics was some kind of Akira tribute but now even if they do it in 2021 with the rescheduled games it won't mean quite the same thing. Way to go Covid!

[@RamielDerLinke]

@@Jon.A.Scholt It makes me sad too. I watched Akira for the first time last year and I was excited for 2020. And now everything is ruined.

[@ssjwes]

Akira predicted the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

[@RenHeng_canon]

2019 in the movie, so not completely true. Just a nice near-coincidence.

[@imonceagainaskingforyourfi4432]

@@RenHeng_canon 2020😒 pay attention. The stadium was being built for 2020 Olympics but was wrecked in 2019

[@ssjwes]

@@RenHeng_canon No the current year in the movie is 2019 with the Olympics being held the next year.The years the Olympics are held are fixed. Why would someone use an incorrect date? At the end of the movie where the cryo area is under the stadium still being built thats for the 2020 Olympics. Sign outside of it says 140+ day until the events. So yes it is completely true.

[@RenHeng_canon]

@@ssjwes My bad. Yes, in the movie it says the Olympics will be in 2020 but believing that it *_predicted_* something is really dumb. Yes, I made a mistake. But in the movie they didn't predict anything. The director, writer and animators are not prophets. It STILL is, and will be just a nice coincidence.

[@ssjwes]

@@RenHeng_canon Seriously? Who the hell thinks the director, writer and animators are prophets?

[@Steddy]

There's actually a sequel anime series to Akira that is being developed now. It's based on the manga and covers the full story. It needs a series because of how long the actual manga is compared to what is shown here in the movie. This movie was directed by the official manga author Katsuhiro Otomo but it premiered well before the manga climaxed. He continued the manga for years after the film had been released and there's a huge plot point that continues after Tetsuo escapes the facility that isn't included in the movie. It also explains a lot more. If you think the movie is crazy wait till you see the manga adapted content in the series. Tetsuo essentially becomes a planetary threat and beyond.

[@Thoremac]

Not a sequel. Just re-doing it and having the original movie in 4k.

[@Steddy]

@@Thoremac That's what I meant. Akira: Brotherhood.

[@SuzakuX]

The easiest way to explain the manga: expand the movie into a full story arc involving more characters, and then add on a whole additional post apocalyptic Mad Max story arc with a three way war between biker gangs, psychic cults, and foreign soldiers. It is incredible.

[@anthonypoole5688]

Did they skip a massive bit at the end or was it just not there. Because i remember morethan this

[@anthonypoole5688]

@@symonheiloguu ok

[@_FirstLast_]

*Guy get's half of face shot off* Blind Wave: "Jeez Louise, this is terrible!" Akira: "Hold my giant baby fetus monster"

[@franklythemooch7413]

The original creator of Akira the manga series, personally directed the movie as he knew what to cut and what to keep and in fact made Kaneda the lead when he wasn’t in the source material

[@santiago451]

Kaneda wasn't in the source material? Are you kidding? Not only was he always the narrative focal point of the story, he's one of 4 characters out of a much larger cast that actually survives to the end. He's always been the hero. The freaking manga ends with him literally riding into the sunset, repairing the demolished city as he rides past. Do yourself a favor and stop trying to pass off second-hand information that you know nothing about.

[@franklythemooch7413]

@@santiago451 are you gatekeeping about an anime that came nearly over 20 years ago, for real? First off, the movie cane before the manga could even finish; Kaneda became the main protagonist after the fact and not before. Akira came out in 1982 and ended the final volume in 1990, the movie came out in 1988...how about you do yourself a favor and watch AKIRA &The mascohism of Katsuhiro Otomo by Beyond Ghibli.

[@GlennWH26]

@@santiago451 It was badly phrased, but I think he was saying Keneda wasn't the lead in the manga, not that he wasn't in it at all.

[@santiago451]

@@GlennWH26 You're right, he was trying to say Kaneda wasn't the hero of the manga. Which is still dead wrong.

[@franklythemooch7413]

@@santiago451 it's not, Katsuhiro was struggling over who should be the main lead, Kai or Tetsuo and Kaneda was viewed as the comedic foil in the story until he decided otherwise

[@UtenaOfRoses]

How funny. I just watched Akira last night. Such a classic.

[@sandrosliske]

Only watched for the first time a few months ago.

[@dilftracker]

where can you watch the movie

[@ThorfinnGodsSon]

@@dilftracker did you find a way?

[@dilftracker]

ALL MIGHT no lol but it’s whatever

[@daymancomet]

@@dilftracker soap2day has it

[@ElRincondeMixUnboxingsyReviews]

I didn't expect this one at all! Next Anime Movie we need: Metropolis (2001)

[@replayXstudio]

Keeping the CyberPunk theme going huh lol then Armitage and Twilight of the dark masters

[@sebastiendefra8877]

Akira is a one man movie, one man vision, animation and scenario. It's the kind of movie that will never exist again. The perfection by Katsuhiro Otomo. A film from another time but completely contractual ...

[@PedroGBSilva]

This movie probably has the best animation of the 20th century

[@todlerSkater12]

Ghost in the shell and Akira are my favorite anime movies of all time. loving this channel guys cant wait to see more. THE BEST REACTION CHANNEL ON KZbin

[@kossemoore3342]

To be real its ok not to fully understand akira. because the movie is an adaptation of a 2000 page manga, directed by the man who pen and drew the manga while he was still in the middle of writing the manga. So think akira was written in the early 80s and didnt end until the early 90s. This film essentially acts as a concept to what the manga truly is. Reading the manga actually makes this film make sense. Alot of people who think they know what they're talking about go for years only watching akira, and they think they get it, but they dont get it. The manga in my opinion is one of the greatest works of science fiction(probably in fiction in general) ever made next to the manga of Battle Angel Alita(GUNNM)

[@Garrettheparrot]

Sunrise is doing an Akira series! It sounds like it'll stick much closer to the manga rather than the film. Hopefully it turns out as well as the Gundam Origin OVAs.

[@hanizawady6555]

That sounds good.

[@FuzzyDlop]

It won't stick closer to the manga, the miniseries will be a full adaptation of the manga. The film was written separately while the manga was still ongoing.

[@carn9507]

Over 30 years old and still an amazing piece of cinematic art. I'm not fond of this redub, far preferring the original one by Streamline (with original ninja Turtle Leonardo, Cam Clarke voicing Kaneda) but its a classic movie whichever version you watch. Man I loved the early 90s era of anime when things felt cool and edgy. The pre-Pokemon days. Good Times.

[@KitsyX]

I understand why many people prefer the redub, but I'm with you, I prefer the old dub... Not sure if they improved the digital remastering later, but I'm glad I got the DVD set with the original VHS version on the other disc too... So many early digital remasters removed so much texture... Oh well, I assume they improved it later... I hope, just in case...

[@alldattalk]

I need to get a copy of that original dub. I loved it.

[@shootingreal5945]

Yeah I agree..i was mad they redubbed it..loved the original dubbed voice for kanada.

[@keithmoon3190]

The original Japanese and the streamline English version is better.

[@keithmoon3190]

The original Japanese and the streamline English version is better.

[@takaoageishi]

The value of describing the desire to become a superman, the destination of such a pursuit of power, and the doom that awaits there.

[@steverogers8163]

Someone probably said it already but Akira is originally a Manga which is much, much longer. The movie is basically cutting and compressing a lot of information. Which is why there is a lot of threads that don't really go anywhere in the movie but do in the Manga.

[@UncleMilo]

WOW! One of my only spoken lines actually made it into the Blind Wave reaction! I am so psyched!!

[@3DJapan]

6:41 This past is not far from reality. I know teachers in Japan that have said when a kid gets in trouble the principal or someone will take them into a room and literally scream at them for a half hour straight.

[@HardHeavyLoud]

Sick fun fact : The walls that framed the construction sites of the Olympic sites for these Olympic Games were covered with gigantic boards from the manga AKIRA; It was a big hit there.

[@user-wb2tq9ym6f]

4K Remastered Version is now showing at IMAX theatres in Japan. I never expected WATCHING AKIRA experience would get THAT better. Mind blowing

[@Mugthraka]

Akira is so much important for the animation and animated movies in general, so much more then people could actually imagine. See in the end of the 80's early 90's, japan's economics was so freakin strong, that even blue collar jobs had enough cash to spend on entertainement. Heck studios at the time not only had money to throw at the animation departement, but they also had a near limitless creative freedom, since in japanese culture, Anime/Manga is not like comic books in US, meaning its NOT ONLY for kids, lots of anime/manga had mature themes and was aiming at adults ( not necceseraly in the Porn way), so Anime/Manga was considered a creative tool for an art form. And a thte time the studios involved into the adaptation of the Akira manga into an animated movie feature, were so numerous that it had a huge founding for the time( 1 billion yen, so +/- 10Millions$), so they could spare the extra cash on crisp animations, stark visuals, and gut wrenching action. Before the international release of Akira, the only few animated features coming out of Japan and into foreign theaters where like 2 Ghibli movies, from wich nauseaca of the valley of the wind, and there was a 10 minute cut, because there was a few scenes that needed to be "censored" because deemed too violent... Then comes Akira, that just steamroll and crashes everything, its a huge succes and finally the outside world see's what Real unbridled Anime is and can be. After that the number of Animated features went from 12 a year to 85 a year till the end of the 90's and the early 2000's. Manga and anime is where it is today, because Akira and the huge impact it had on the people's perception of the medium. Of course at the start of the 2000's the industry kinda took a left hook to the jaw with the economic reccession, where studios got closed and people got laid off, cause there was just not enough money anymore for this much entertainement. You can see the change in the quality of animation, the color palets used and also the themes and plots becoming lighter and more friendly and thus it kinda lost the appeal that people who grew up in the 80's and 90's had for it, but thanks to the evolution of the market and the industry( enven thouhg it still kinda struggles today) more mature and serious themes resurfaced in the late 2000's early 2010's. I know that personally i stoped watching anime all togheter at the early 2000's, din't like the friendlier atmosphere, din't like the new "bubble gum" like pastel colors and the latest anime that was kinda still good Evangelion turned into an absolute turd at the end... Took me a while to dive back in, but it was mostly thanks to the surfacing of Streaming sites and fansubs.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

I always love hearing people's first reactions to Akira. I was waiting for someone to mention the music though. The soundtrack definitely adds to the weirdness and personality of the film, and I can't imagine any other soundtrack working so well for Neo-Tokyo.

[@WingZero1223]

If you guys are lost, that's completely understandable. This only covers about half or less of the manga's story. Take comfort in the fact another anime is going to try to adapt the entire story within a year or so.

[@cuzidodgebullets6797]

I've heard out of the 6 volumes that make up the manga the movie is the first half of the first and last half of the 6th. Oddly enough he didnt finish the manga until after he made the movie.

[@WingZero1223]

@@cuzidodgebullets6797 I think I remember hearing or reading that before, too. Either way, I do remember Otomo saying that he knew how he was going to end the manga when the anime released in Japan. Now, I just need to finally get the manga for myself after all these years. Man, I make myself sound old, haha.

[@stevendc83]

You had two of my favorite scenes back to back.

[@SpockNRoll]

I would absolutely love it if you guys reacted to: Princess Mononoke (MASTERpiece, holy crap) Wolf Children Perfect Blue Although if I had to choose between them, Princess Mononoke is definitely the way to go

[@Max25670]

The weird thing about the Akira film is that it was directed by the original manga artist who was simultaneously working on the manga which wouldn't be finished until 2 years after the film's release. The movie is basically the cliff notes version of the first act of the manga. The manga is a great read over all, while the film serves as some amazing eye candy to introduce people to the manga.

[@alexandercummins]

Ghost in the shell was influenced by Ridley Scott's original Blade Runner. Infact Japan's anime culture was considerably shaped in the 1980's by that film.

[@nickgoodnough6262]

The children were involved in an experiment of forced evolution. While the 3 kids were more or less successful, when Akira hit his tipping point, his mind trans-substantiated physical form. His body released energy on the order of a nuclear explosion, which kicked off wwiii. When Tetsuo encounters one of the kids evolved consciousness, it kick-starts his forced evolution. He instantly starts losing control an inch at a time.

[@fadelessjazz9082]

This is one of my favorite anime movies ever

[@mitchellwilliam95]

Oh heck ya-- been waiting for this for a long time! HYYPE

[@kah_hota]

Haven't seen anyone mention that this was also written as a commentary of Japan's insecurities and fears at the time Otomo-san began writing and drawing the manga in 1982, and also as a commentary of Japan post-World War II, the only country in the world to have 2 Atomic bombs used on them, so that is why there is so much death and destruction, it is a part of their shared national psyche. I mean, Japan is where Godzilla was created. A giant walking fire breathing atomic bomb metaphor.

[@SergioTupacUzurin]

What a great idea. I'll always remember channel surfing as a kid and landing right on the mutation scene and being traumatized. Then as a freshman in college I decided to watch this at 2 in the morning. Life changing.

[@sophielove7896]

Great review guys!

[@jacksmith4460]

best film ever IMO, this film is levels deeper than Ghost in the Shell, GitS is great and has depth...but this is on another level. To the people who have seen it before...It used to feel like the future...actually feels current now, (less look more the chaos)

[@Narutoanime16g]

I'd love them to react to a Silent Voice, I wanna see em all cry lets break Rick! lol but its a very good movie so I wanna see em watch it

[@Narutoanime16g]

@Trashthlete I know

[@AirPokemonNaruto22]

Oh same! That and Your Name would be so amazing for them to react to!

[@Narutoanime16g]

@@AirPokemonNaruto22 Hope those are on the poll lol and Your name

[@AirPokemonNaruto22]

@Trashthlete I actually haven't seen any of those. I've been meaning to check out Paprika, heard great things about it.

[@AirPokemonNaruto22]

@@Narutoanime16g Yeah I hope so too. Maybe people on Pateron will see our comments and put both of the movies on the poll.

[@Max25670]

Aaron always has the funniest reactions.

[@ojwh1933]

I was in Aaron's position the first time I watched it. It's a lot to take in and without knowing the relevant context so I imagine it would easily go over a lot of people's heads. I wrote an essay on both 'Akira' and 'Ghost in the Shell' earlier this year though and through researching and rewatching, I now have a pretty sound grip on it. It's really interesting to look into the making of the film for anyone who likes behind-the-scenes information (same goes for Studio Ghibli works). It had an amazingly high frame-rate for the time and even today, I think - hence all of the fluid-feeling shots. Also, if I recall correctly, it makes up about half of the manga. There are 5 big books and I think the film is something like the first 2 and a half and then skips to the end of 5? The KZbin channel, CineFix does a good video on it ('Akira - What's the Difference?'). In fact, there are a lot of video essays on it. Also, on a personal note, it's rare that I'll choose a subtitled animation over a dubbed one. However, I feel like part of the reason I didn't get fully into it the first time is that those modern English voices are so grating. I don't like disrespecting performers but Kaneda sounds much less obnoxious in Japanese and the kids aren't as wooden. And people have written/talked about what the existence and destruction of the Olympic Stadium in the film means. Japan as a nation had been recovering from the shock of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs and the 1964 Olympics were a beacon of hope, I've heard. So the stadium's role in this film can be read as symbolic of the destruction of that hope.

[@morrison5106]

hey fun fact guys the guy on the motorcycle is the voice of adam the black ranger and and lelouch from code geass johnny yong bosch and the other main kid is joshua seth the voice actor for tai from digimon

[@reverseBLT]

I love this movie and I especially love its soundtrack.

[@MrUndersolo]

Movie seriously messed up my head as a teen of the 80s. Good to see this here...

[@realswobby]

This dub is hilarious, I love it xD 15:26

[@saylosrelyks8645]

I remember watching this when i was around 12 too, such an amazing film and later i bought the volumes in a box set, love this film. It basically pioneered Anime as a whole and introduced American audiences to Eastern animation the likes of which had never been seen before which makes this film monumental, the 30 year anniversary Blu-Ray steelbook edition is a worthy addition to my collection and i recommend it to everyone.

[@gonzaloolguin5980]

In the full manga series, the political aspect of it all it's actually the more compelling part of the story. In the decade's after Akira release, there's been a lot of socio-political essays and analysis about the fulfilled dream of anarchy, of true freedom. The ending it's very deep and touching. Fully recommend to read the whole thing if you haven't, I read it like 10 years after the first time I watched the movie and it felt revolutionary in its themes and concepts. Boy, I hope Taika goes for it.

[@ThatFreikugel]

Grabbing popcorn for this one

[@denjipochita3398]

Akira. The anime movie that moved the course of history. Even celebrities recognize this. Absolutely flawless.

[@TheDunnDusted]

Geezer, Lelouch went crazy after his first rebellion.

[@ethannorton738]

They should watch Perfect Blue. That would be great.

[@esguy502]

What incredible animation for its time even for today honestly

[@mykeleddy2608]

Akira was the first anime I ever watched and was hooked on anime ever since.

[@Doublebarreledsimian]

Akira was a seminal moment in Animation and Film Making. Bruce Timm was heavily influenced by this film and paid homage to it in many episodes of Batman the Animated Series. Mask of the Phantasm and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. This movie continues to influence modern pop culture. Eleven from Stranger Things, Exploding bodies in The Boys. Motorcycle fight scenes. I'm rambling now so yeah if you haven't seen Akira, go check it out.

[@Taveren]

In film school i did my film history thesis on this film, the composer had never composed for anything before and yet created this. Also, im pretty sure they revolutionized something regarding the background, im pretty sure before this film animation didnt have the kind of budget nor the technology to created the kind of moving parallax effect. Not to mention the attention to detail in every animation is flawless

[@FulciLives]

I saw this in a movie theater here in the USA when it first came out. I've owned versions of it on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and BluRay :)

[@Kronical69420]

Sooooo......which dub do you prefer? lol

[@patrickholt2270]

As referenced in _Spaced._ And _Anime Crimes Division._ I very much prefer the animation style of Akira to contemporary anime norms. It seems much more realistic and dark and gritty. And those bike chase fights are dynamite. They completely hold up. See you in Tetsuo-Kaneda Tetsuo-Kaneda park. I always find myself wanting to see more of the bike club's bar where they do pills, and what else is going on in that neighbourhood, and those characters from their immediate environment in and outside of school. I figure it would be like a Japanese version of Rumble Fish, and I want to see all that, the tough street life in this rundown working class area they're from.

[@johnglue1744]

I remember being home from college one weekend back in 88 and my brother who knew I liked anime called to see if I would be interested in a film that was having a special showing at a theater near me here in the ATL. So we go and it was amazing. Get back to college and I tell my roommate who never got over it lol.

[@PirateDogAMV]

I can't wait for the AOS reaction, it's my favourite show currently, it gets better and better. 1 more season though. =[

[@yashmalhoe332]

Whats it called???

[@checkadime8779]

what is it called?

[@TheUndeadFish]

For anyone trying to find the right version to match theirs, Hulu's dub does.

[@BenjerminGaye]

do redline, then some satoshi kon works like perfect blue, or paprika

[@chinahatchild3030]

Holy shit, this film in 4k and the new sound mixing is mind blowing once again

[@DutchDread]

I watched this when I was like 7, on a tv screen in the city (the entire idea of the city felt almost like a steam punk adventure back then), at a lasertag facility. It was the strangest experience, not only was it disturbing as fuck, but it was so alien to me in a way that I find it hard to describe. These days the world seems like one dull bland place, but when I first saw Akira, I felt like I had seen some forbidden records from a people so distant and different that they might as well be a from a fictional place, but it was real. Great anime still has that power for me, to transport me away from our boring world into the art of a different one.

[@kevinpogue7294]

This movie was made when the manga was only half finished. So the story in the movie is very condensed, and ends in the middle of the manga story. So read the manga to see the rest of the story.

[@queensaharaice7376]

Wow, this is the first time I'm seeing this. Awesome movie and reaction!😍😍 I have some possible Anime movie suggestions for you guys to react to (in any order🤷). 1. Howls Moving Castle 2. Grave of the Fireflies 3. The Girl who lept through Time 4. The Shape of Voice When you guys have time please do these!😊

[@muhdshafiq2523]

please make these guys watch the 2016 anime film "your name".

[@ReptarTheUgly]

That shit was lame.

[@aikonatsumi5611]

@@ReptarTheUgly I liked it but the entire middle part of the movie where it's just Taki crying was nonsense. For a body swapping story it had very little body swapping, and the parts it did was way too fast, like during the song.

[@adriancardenas3323]

Muhd Shafiq done

[@panzerkin9097]

And now we wait for Trigun

[@thewhitestroke182]

yoooooo i can't believe you reacted to the best anime movie ever made

[@Avocado11]

33:43 The manga is 6 volumes long, one of the reasons when they kept trying to do a live action adaption they were gonna have it be 2 or 3 films. To compare with a series most of you know better, in DBZ the first 6 volumes cover from the arrival of Raditz to the meeting of Guru on Namek. It's a lot.

[@Taveren]

this is like the first and last books of a series of mangas with the middle volume having been condensed for time

[@NocnaGlizda]

Full 60 fps throughout the movie. This is the only anime that did it. It's amazing.

[@GridCube]

TEEEEEEEEEETSUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO

[@smudgetheignored]

I saw the movie my freshman yer in college. When the show before mine got out, I saw a bunch of faces with a "What the hell did I just watched?" expressions. My friends and I laughed. We were reading the manga and we were like "Hah, that won't happen to us, we've been reading it". We left the theater with the same expressions. So Aaron's reaction was totally understandable. The anime was significantly different from the manga, but both are amazing. Thank you for the reaction.

[@conancotan]

This was the very first anime i've ever watched and it shaped me to the twisted person I am today.

[@ThomasMontez]

just got done watching the movie and it was awesome.

[@madeinsound08]

I don't know if it's the same in the United States, but in France they released the film in theaters in 4k, and I finally saw it for the first time and frankly, this film is just crazy!

[@xatanos]

"AKIRA", "PUÑO DE LA ESTRELLA DEL NORTE", NINJA SCROLL... Lo mejor que he visto en VHS en los 90s, le sigue "Alita" y "Ghost inthe Shell".

[@testpattern23]

congratz on watching one of the most influential animes...ever. No kid stuff here, it's a full on cyberpunk adventure. Still holds up.

[@UsernameyMcUsernameFace]

The film barely covers a fraction of the manga. For one, we never actually meet Akira! The manga has some absolutely stunning moments, visually and philosophically, that make reading the six volumes very worthwhile. Edit: I suspect Mob Psycho 100 is in part ONE's take on Akira. Mob and Akira even look alike.

[@Le7emeChat]

One thing: when people say 6 volume, it's not 6 modern volume. Each volume is 5 or 6 of today standard volume.

[@sageky]

This film aged pretty well. : )

[@StreetHierarchy]

34:39 😲 BLOOP! That's a hell of a take, and you are the first to lay it down like that for me.

[@nerdpocalypse5004]

Blindwave should definitely react to your name, patema Inverted, Wolf Childern, or Redline

[@Feoktistovs]

You got one of your wishes 😉 Your Name is a Masterpiece.

[@lettylunasical4766]

I was hoping to see your reaction to Kaori's death. That... that stayed with me.

[@devinwalters8769]

Such a sweet girl, and ended up dying in such a terrible way. I felt mad sorry for her when i saw that scene for the first time.

[@keno4770]

Devin Walters she gets a worse treatment in the manga.

[@trashyoiks]

Finally you guys watch this aesthetic !!! I love this anime !!! 😊😊😊

[@brianjohnson3795]

A violent as Akira is. The Guyver Bio-Booster Armour makes this look tame. Check it out. It's also actually really good. The animation not the live action.

[@DI-QueenmoEMino]

A another Movie that needs to be seen: Perfect Blue (1997) these dudes need exposure to Satoshi Kon goodness.

[@in6087]

I think the difficulty of this is that it’s based on parts of the first and final issues of a 10 volume, 3000 page graphic novel.

[@kastlerock01]

Ate some acid and saw this at my local art theater on opening weekend. Talk about an experience!

[@Bibimbapski]

Just in case you're interested, the original creator is working on an animated TV series of Akira and there might be an Akira live action film in 2021.

[@Kronical69420]

Live action has been in development hell. Which is fine by me because every synapses Ive read has been westernized horribly. The live action Ghost In The Shell and the Netflix Deathnote pretty much ruined everyone's opinions of western adaptations to the point that Alita: Battle Angel failed despite being faithful to the source material. 1 out of 3 is not enough to justify risking a beloved classic like Akira to be sacrificed on the alter of Western adaptation. Ill be happy if I never see a live action Akira.

[@brigade146]

I watched this when I was really young, thought it was insane, had nightmares days afterwards, but I own a physical copy now and refuse to watch it again...