Why does everyone like Akira so much?

Dec 18, 2013 4:04 AM

#101

xz0045

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Oct 2013

1315

Nah, I didn't enjoy it.

Dec 18, 2013 4:15 AM

#102

animehater69

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Dec 2013

dblbch said:
Nah, I didn't enjoy it.

i know im talking alot (i did cocaine) but akira isn't watched to be enjoyed, its to expand ur mind and make u think. its full of satire / ironic moments where the usual audience (people who seek enjoyment purposes) dont see or get. again i like to say akira is way ahead of its time. maybe when the world is crumbling from corruption and its own citizens fight each other over power, maybe then humanity can truly "enjoy" akira.
btw i can see why u didnt like akira. u watch stuff like bleach

animehater69Dec 18, 2013 4:20 AM

Oct 21, 2014 4:05 AM

#103

EvenJellyOn

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Mar 2013

1876

I found it to be meh but the animation is amazing for the time and it was the first major anime released overseas.

added the fourth most popular anime onto this site

Nov 4, 2014 12:12 AM

#104

SaveTheAralSea

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Sep 2014

1336

animehater69 said:
the movie is ahead of its time.
you either get it, or you don't get it

This.

And the movie was dope. It's been several years since I last watched it and I still think about it from time to time. The moment Hollywood remakes it I'm going to scream.

Nov 4, 2014 1:31 AM

#105

RedRoseFring

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Jan 2014

17169

Because most of them were kids when they watched it. It's the same with DBZ, Gurren Lagann and such titles.

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Nov 29, 2014 2:49 PM

#106

MikeMike

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Jul 2014

I can understand the mixed reviews, after rewatching it today, if I put on my personal standards of today on it I'd also say it a mediocre anime (~7-8).

Graphics are nice (even by todays standard, everything is nice and detailed - and hand drawn), Sound is okay to (not to much, but mostly fitting), but it somewhat lacks in story compared to the manga (like many anime titles do...)

As a 'representative of the older generation' I'd like everyone to put their nostalgia glasses down and respect other opinions. If someone enjoyed it then good, if they didn't then you probably won't make it better by saying 'you are wrong' or 'you didn't get it' ;-)

Mar 13, 2015 6:56 PM

#107

malonur

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Oct 2014

497

As evidenced by many posts in this thread not everyone likes Akira, so the assumption in the title is wrong. Setting that aside, I think we can all agree that Akira is considered to be a classic anime.

But what makes Akira a classic? Is it because it has a solid plot, a great soundtrack, believable characters or amazing animation which stood the test of time? I'd say no. These are the makings of a great anime, yet not a classic.

In order to understand why Akira is considered to be a classic we need to look back. When Akira was made in 1988 it changed the anime world irreversibly. Back then sci-fi was pretty much a niche genre within the anime medum with only a few examples that worth mentioning. Akira changed all that. Not only it paved the way for many future sci-fi anime, but its visuals and art also inspired many manga illustrators and animators. Actually, I'd argue that Akira did the same thing for the anime industry as Blade Runner previously did for the film industry.

Another striking aspect of Akira is its main characters. None of them can be truly categorized as complete good or evil, unlike the most characters within the anime in those years.

Even though Kaneda is the protagonist of the story, who is smart, courageous and reliable in times of need, he is also a lecher, selfish and a morally ambigious character. He primarily takes action only when it benefits him, not to help those in need. Yet he still manages to inspire others as a leader and doesn't hesitate to jump into danger in order to protect the ones he care about.

Tetsuo, who is the antagonist of the story, is a character with some serious anger management issues. Rather than labelling him as an evil person with a chip on his shoulder, it would be more accurate to look at him as a teenager who is going through a rough adolescence. He wants to be appreciated by his peers , yet he is mostly overshadowed by Kaneda and this ultimately results in a clash between the two. While he later claims that he hates Kaneda, deep down he still cares about him. Tetsuo spares Kaneda's life on numerous occasions, even though he could have easily killed him if he wanted to do so. Not to mention, he deeply cares about his girlfriend and feels really sad when he accidentally kills her.

Colonel, namely the "villain" of the story, might first seem as a run-of-the-mill evil character with selfish intentions who seeks power without caring for the harm done to others. But deep down he deeply cares for his country and gets really angry when others, namely corrupt politicians, put their own interests before the interests of Japan. In the beginning he sees Kaneda only as an annoyance and an obstacle for his plans regarding Tetsuo. Yet after experiencing various events he begins to appreciate those around him more and even shows some sympathy for Kaneda and feels remorse for some of his previous actions, though these are better explained in the manga.

Leaving all that aside, Akira is a classic because it handles universal themes which we can all relate to even today. Those themes include; corruption, both at personal and government level, social inequality, youth alienation, generation clash and an impending threat of a nuclear war. Sure, the nuclear aspect of the story is largely related to Japan's own history but one can't deny that similar occurrences are still very possible even today.

In short, Akira is a classic because it shows us that no matter how much time has passed somethings never change, yet once in a while a work of art emerges which inspires us all. Appreciating Akira has got nothing to do with nostalgia but with intellectualism that helps us to understand the world around us better.

malonurMar 13, 2015 7:11 PM

Mar 23, 2015 7:16 AM

#108

onur

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Nov 2009

*malonur blackmailed me to remove this post*

onurMar 23, 2015 8:37 AM

Dec 28, 2015 10:49 AM

#109

Enjyu

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Dec 2007

663

I've had Akira on my plan to watch list for a long time and I appreciate I didn't see it earlier. It was plain, I couldn't figure out the main idea, plot and reason for this anime. It has the potential for a series but this was nothing more than showing off flashy animation. I'm disappointed as it was recommended to me few times and I've heard a lot of positive feedback for it.

Mar 28, 2016 9:23 PM

#110

BrianMerritt

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Oct 2015

For the people who keep saying this movie was garbage because it made no sense, this was a movie where they tried to cram a complicated series of developments into a very short movie. I agree it doesn't make much sense because it moves so fast, but many interesting conversations can be had out of it.

Apr 14, 2016 8:22 AM

#111

Kinzo

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Jun 2009

345

For it's time, it was an amazing piece of animation. It still looks pretty nice compared to the cheap animation that gets rushed out today. But the story is complete crap. Even the manga's story wasn't that great. I respect it as a classic piece of anime that opened the gate for the genre of cyberpunkish anime to be realized, but I don't think I'll ever bother rewatching it.

Jun 15, 2016 1:06 AM

#112

TheBigGuy

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Nov 2013

20356

A movie or series doesn't have to do something new, to be good. And in 1988 the movie was innovative. It's like people playing FF 7 in 20XX for the first time and complaining about stereotypical story/characters and bad graphics. I haven't seen Megazone 23, but Vampire Hunter D was pretty cheesy and a simple monster movie. As far as I remember, it did nothing new and can't be compared to Akira.

I first watched it in the 90s and it looked great back then and it still does today. Outdated, yes, but still great. People love this movie, because it's a good movie. Simple as that. And a bit Nostalgia of course.

You're a louse, Roger Smith. - R. Dorothy Wayneright
This is my fight! No Senpai, this is our fight! - Kojou Akatsuki & Yukina Himeragi

Jul 4, 2016 11:46 AM

#113

bigmustache93

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Jun 2016

578

Ther is a YouTube channel called wisecrack they analyse movies and explain its hidden meanings.
they have a video about akira check it ,maybe it will change your view of akira

Jul 6, 2016 7:22 PM

#114

Okiri

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Jun 2008

I have both the movie and the manga. The movie story is meh compared to the manga, as for the movie itself, if I see it with 1988 eyes, let me tell you something: "This looked and still looks excellent, so many details." Wish they adapted the manga into OVAS or a Tv anime.

Aug 19, 2016 4:54 PM

#115

Akabane86

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Aug 2016

To be honest the only thing about Akira I found cool is that badass bike. I had high hopes when I watched it but in the end I was like "duh". Those of you who keep reminding the rest it was released way back in 1988 I would like to remind them even Takahata's "Grave of the fireflies" was released then and that's what I call a masterpiece. Dont start that "different genres" argument now,it won't help you.

Oct 18, 2016 1:31 PM

#116

Juan_Punch_Man

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Mar 2015

I don't know why it's so popular. I've seen better animes from the 80s.

Oct 18, 2016 2:35 PM

#117

Wardog_E

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Jul 2016

The principal reason is that it is very well animated. From a technical standpoint the animation is one of the best in history. It's hard to apreciate for me but a lot of the animation techniques used are unlike anything before or after this film and the detail of the drawings is at points a sincere waste of money.

I know most people think its butt ugly and all the characters look the same but people respected that it wasn't trying to be a crowd pleasing, all singing, all dancing spectacle but it was trying to project thoughts and ideas via image and sound.

It's also well loved because the story is very ambitious and covers a wide range of themes while it explores many issues in the then contemporary Japan and world in general. It deals with youth criminality, police violence, government corruption, religion, failing educational systems, human rights, transhumanism just off the top of my head. It's pretty jam packed with ideas and political statements. Compared to other films it is pretty notable for how dense and provoking it is.

I don't personally treasure it or anything but I can realize that at the time it was a great achievement for japanese animation.

Nov 3, 2016 6:24 AM

#118

AllenVonStein

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Jan 2012

31481

Jensofthedesert said:
I've never seen so many fools who obviously couldn't comprehend Akira. Maybe this generation is just stupid and only appreciate moe after all...

animehater69 said:
the movie is ahead of its time.
you either get it, or you don't get it

agree with you both , they don't seem to understand the greatness.
how many movies and anime got inspired by Akira.

Nov 30, 2016 12:19 PM

#119

Pixel_Vapour

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Nov 2016

2949

The film is incredibly overrated and I got bored halfway through. I appreciate the influence it had on the western audience but it's my second least favourite anime movie (above Final Fantasy VII Advent Children which is anime right?). The movie is a 6/10 for me. However saying that I still want to read the manga because it's apparently a lot better. If nothing else it can't be as convoluted as the movie was.

Akabane86 said:
Those of you who keep reminding the rest it was released way back in 1988 I would like to remind them even Takahata's "Grave of the fireflies" was released then and that's what I call a masterpiece.

Indeed that was a great movie. 9/10

Nov 30, 2016 2:00 PM

#120

Skittles

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Jul 2009

5808

This movie has some nice animation and good cinematography, but everything else about it range from decent to mediocre. I'd honestly say this and the GitS film doesn't stand the test of time very well. Spawning countless spoofs doesn't mean it's good.

Pixel_Vapour said:

Indeed that was a great movie. 9/10

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Fireflies is an immortal classic. In fact, most of Takahata's work like this and Akage no Anne transcend to modern times really well.

See All Discussions

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» Am i the only one who think that akira is a bad movie? ( 1 2 ) Harley3579 - May 14, 2019	59	by peterross »» Dec 14, 2023 9:36 PM

Why does everyone like Akira so much?

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