Akira Forum

Variety just reported WB finally greenlit Akira to start principal photography in like Spring of next year. I'm curious, anyone a fan of the material? I saw the movie first a long time ago, really disliked it, then read the manga a couple years afterward and thought it was fucking amazing. It was a really weird, adaptation to the screen, especially considering since the original creator was involved so heavily with it.

I think the books actually provide a solid blueprint for 2 movie split -- book 1-3 ends a pretty heavy arc, then continuing with 4-6 on the repercussions of that arc.

Anyway, I know this whole topic has been discussed to death, but I'm just curious if anyone has a similar stance of contrasting appreciation of the books and anime? This isn't really cause I hold the manga in any kind of high-esteem -- it's just that the movie made no sense to me, and I was super shocked at the opposite response I had to the books.

@PatVB: Yeah, that whole thing seems kind of funny, especially since the theme of the story is so rooted in Japanese culture and the historical impact of mass destruction. Curious to see how it's handled.

@JoeyF said:

@PatVB: Yeah, that whole thing seems kind of funny, especially since the theme of the story is so rooted in Japanese culture and the historical impact of mass destruction. Curious to see how it's handled.

Joey c'mon.

Every question about weapons of mass destruction will be about terrorists, New York, I'd be thoroughly surprised if they didn't change the whole state government/military angle into corporations..

@JoeyF: I wonder who they're trying to appeal to. Most people probably aren't going to be interested in a manga adaptation and previous Akira fans are probably going to be turned off by the changes. I'm really interested to see how this movie turns out.

The reason the movie seems odd when compared to the Manga is because the creator wasn't done with the manga. He'd only gotten drafted so far into it and only published the first book. He didn't have a clue how he was going to end it and ended up going with a variation of what he was thinking about doing for it. After the movie he came up with a lot more stuff and decided to extend his story arc.

As far as the american movie...eh. I will pass. I really don't think, even with the manga as a basis, they could pull it off live action. Knowing the typical Hollywood treatment of material, the source will be skimmed and trimmed and current events will be slipped in, as well as modern "current" trends, to try to make something far more universal in appeal.

@PatVB: you want weird watch the anime its got some great animation but I was just confused by it

If they can do the manga justice that i'll be happy and the idea of Morgan Freeman as the General is cool (if that still happens) I don't think the first movie is that great its solid but dosen't convey what exactly is going on that well.

@PatVB: I see you plunged on ahead with that screenname shift! Good on ya.

Akira's one of those anime that I run VERY hot and cold on, but regardless of what you feel about it, this production sounds like a nightmarish mess, ESPECIALLY if they plunge ahead with this PG-13 nonsense. I remember in the mid-90s, an infomercial used to run on late-night cable that advertised Akira (as well as some other hard-edged anime like Wicked City) and played UP its ultra-violence. I get that there's more to it than just the violence, but what that violence represents is important and toning it down is missing the point entirely.

@Undeadpool: Thanks, it was a tough decision!

So dose this mean the ending will be in the garden?