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| Source: Wikipedia |
The bottom slot changes position more than an electron running for president, but on 01-01-15, it settled on Akira.
In the late eighties, this gritty imported classic slugged Western audiences square in the gut. It blasted a Japanimation-shaped hole in the chest we’ve been struggling to plug ever since.
Fine, I confess--I’ve seen this one. The anime bug caught me young. In middle school, Naruto on Toonami snagged my feeble pubescent attention span. I hopped aboard the weeaboo wagon waving a rubber kunai and squealing, “Dattebayo!”
Let us never speak of this again.
Like many popular Asian cartoons, Naruto suffers from tedious monologues, highly stylized action sequences, and clunky dubbing. Akira, however, offers…tedious monologues, highly stylized action sequences, and clunky dubbing. (Don’t match the voices to the flapping lips; you’ll sprain your brain.)
At least the 2001 Pioneer English dub’s roster stars Johnny Yong Bosch (Vash the Stampede, Ichigo Kurosaki, Lelouch Lamperouge, everyone who's NOT Stephen Blum) and his immortal name-yelling...
"TETSUO!”
KANEDA!
“TETSUOOOOOOOOOOO!”
KANEDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
“TETSUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Also like Naruto, the hero and anti-hero spawn a bromance that could engulf planets.
Sound quality aside, the animation is BEAUTIFUL. Every frame of lovingly crafted ultraviolence screams genius, obsessive attention to detail, and probably agonizing wrist cramps.
Call it the rebellious step-cousin of Studio Ghibli (repeat offenders on the 250), replete with motorcycle chases, brutal violence, urban destruction, drug-induced progeria, and toon boobs. (Objectively superior? Perhaps.)
Recommended for mature audiences who can appreciate spectacular animation, blood geysers, and awesomely awful dubbing.
121 minutes.
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