Akira
·
Introduction
Akira (Japanese: アキラ Hepburn: Akira) could also
be a 1988 Japanese animated post-apocalyptic cyberpunk film directed by
Katsuhiro Otomo, created by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō, and written by Otomo
and Izo Hashimoto, supported Otomo's manga of a similar name. The film had a
production budget of ¥1.1 billion($9 million),making it the most expensive
anime film of its time.
Set in associate degree passing dystopian 2019,
Akira tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, a leader of a local biker gang whose
childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires incredible telekinetic abilities after
a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex amidst
chaos and rebellion in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. While
most of the character styles and settings were tailored from the manga, the
plot differs considerably and removes much of the last half of the manga.
Akira premiered in Japan on 16 July 1988 by Toho,
and was released the following year in the United States by pioneering
animation distributor Streamline Pictures. It garnered an international cult
following following its theatrical and VHS releases, eventually earning over
$80 million worldwide from home video sales.It is widely considered by critics
to be one in every of the best animated and phantasy films of all time, as well
as a landmark in Japanese animation.It is also a landmark film in the cyberpunk
genre, particularly the Japanese cyberpunk subgenre,as well as adult animation.
The film had a significant impact on popular culture worldwide, paving the way
for the growth of anime and Japanese in style culture within the Western world
also as influencing varied works in animation, comics, film, music, television
and video games.
While working on the Akira comic, Katsuhiro Otomo
did not intend to adapt the series outside of the manga; however, he became
"very intrigued" when the offer to develop his work for the screen
was put before him. He agreed to an anime film adaptation of the series on the
grounds that he retained creative control of the project — this insistence was
based on his experiences working on Harmagedon. The Akira Committee was the
name given to a partnership of several major Japanese entertainment companies
brought together to realize production of an Akira film. The group's assembly
was necessitated by the unconventionally high budget of around ¥1,100,000,000,
supposed to attain the specified epic customary up to Otomo's over two,000-page
manga tale. The committee consisted of Kodansha, Mainichi Broadcasting System,
Bandai, Hakuhodo, Toho, Laserdisc Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation who all
forwarded money and promotion towards the film. The animation for the film was
provided for by animation producers, Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now TMS
Entertainment).
· Releases
· Box office
At the japanese box workplace, the film had a
distribution financial gain of ¥750 million in 1988. This was equivalent to a
total Japanese box office gross of approximately ¥1.5 billion,as the
distribution financial gain represents regarding 1/2 the box workplace gross at
the time.
Akira was free by Toho on sixteen July 1988.
Fledgling North American distribution company Streamline Pictures soon acquired
an existing English-language rendition created by Electric Media Inc.for
Kodansha, which saw limited release in North American theaters on 25 Dec 1989.
Streamline became the film's distributor. In the UK, Akira was theatrically
released by Island Visual Arts on 25 January 1991, and was re-released on 13
July 2013 celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film and again on 21
September 2016. In Australia, Akira was theatrically released by Ronin Films.
In Canada, the Streamline dub was released by Lionsgate (at the time known as
C/FP Distribution), who would eventually become Manga Entertainment's owner
through their media in operation unit Starz Distribution, in 1990. In 2001,
Pioneer free a brand new English dub that was created by Animaze and ZRO Limit
Productions and was given in choose theaters from March through Dec 2001. GKIDS
later announced that it would distribute the film within North America, with a
theatrical release scheduled for December 2018.[citation needed] In total, the
film has grossed $49 million at the worldwide box office.
· Reception
· Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film
has an approval score of 88% based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of
7.5/10. The site's necessary agreement reads, "Akira is distractingly
bloody and violent, but its phenomenal animation and sheer kinetic energy
helped set the standard for modern anime."
Anime News Network's Bamboo Dong commends the
Limited Edition's DVD for its "superbly translated" English subtitles
and the commendable English dubbing, which "sticks very close to the
English translation, and the voice actors deliver their lines with
emotion". THEM Anime's Raphael See applauds the film's "astounding
special effects and clean, crisp animation". Chris Beveridge comments on
the Japanese audio, which brings "the forward soundstage nicely into play
once required. Dialogue is well placed, with several key moments of
directionality used perfectly".Janet Maslin of The New York Times commends
Otomo's artwork, stating "the drawings of Neo-Tokyo by night are thus in
an elaborate way elaborate that every one the individual windows of big skyscrapers
seem distinct. And these night scenes glow with delicate, vibrant color".
· Awards
Akira was one among the four nominees for the
2007 yankee Anime Awards' "Best Anime Feature" award, however it lost
to Final Fantasy VII: Advent youngsters.
Johnny Yong Bosch, Kaneda's voice actor in the
Pioneer English dub, was nominated for Best Actor and Best Actor in a Comedy at
American Anime Awards, but lost to fellow Naruto and Persona voice actors Vic
Mignogna and Dave Wittenberg, severally.
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