Honest Trailers | Akira 

You know how you can tell a movie is a big deal? When even a heartless corporation like Warner Bros has its executives admit they’re afraid to adapt it because they’re worried about screwing it up. Warner executives said that.

ending with "every frame a painting" was awesome nostalgia... I remember watching that video they made, being mindblown, and sending it to every person I knew

I first saw Akira back in the 90's and I remember the description in the TV listing read "Be warned. Bambi, this ain't"

The Akira-slide is iconic for a reason.

The cool thing about Honest Trailers is that when they do one on a bad movie it's hilarious, but when they do one on a good movie, it becomes a celebration!

"Guys when you tell them to go to the doctor" was too real. "IT'S NOTHING!"

It's rare to hear Honest Trailers expressing such absolute _reverence_ for a film. But AKIRA deserves it, anime and manga both.

Back in 1991, the year I graduated high school, we had the last fews days of class, and for those of you who have been through those last few days of high school, it's pretty much just goofing off and waiting for graduation. So in my art class, I suggested we watch Akira, which I had a VHS copy of (we periodically rented VHS tapes from Japan Town in San Francisco and would make copies of them), but I explained there was no English subtitles or dubbing, and I would have to translate for the class. I also explained it had excessive violence and gore, but the teacher was fine with it (I had shown him some anime in the past so he had an idea what we were getting into, and he was cool like that. I miss you, Mr. Johnson). So the entire class sat through I think two to three full class sessions of Akira. I wonder if any of them are reading this and remember it. (Go Bearcats!)

Doing the bike slide will always be one of my favorite references when a movie or show does them.

Tetsuo’s Ego Collapse is one of the nastiest moments ever made in animation, and I mean that in a good way.

Every once in a while, the universe reminds me to rewatch Akira and I will once again oblige. Thanks!

that Kick in face on the Bike was the most badass scene in the movie

"Bike-curious dynamic." OMG.

Akira is iconic. Hope it doesn’t get remade by hollywood

It makes sense no one has done a live action remake for this, there’s no way they could do it justice

So many just jaw-dropping moments, like Tetsuo stopping the tank cannon shell in midair.

I recall reading somewhere a while back that even if they wanted to do an Akira sequal or remake in the same art style, they couldn't. Because the insane level of skill and technique the original animators used is lost. There's nobody or almost nobody around that knows how to draw or paint in that style. Akira was and is an amazing movie.

The fact that my film teacher showed this movie to my class when we were studying the topic of influential films really goes to show how good Akira was and still is to this day.

After over 5 years, my request has finally come true. Thanks from this Tetsuo cosplayer!

This anime was so beautiful. It's lived in my soul for like 35 years now. I still rewatch it sometimes and admire how smooth and detailed everything is, how good the ost is, the subversive characters etc.

Between this and the original Ghost in the Shell. Peak animation

If you'll ever get the chance to see Akira on cinema screen - totally do it. I've watched it for the n-th time lately, but for the 1st time in cinema. And WHAT A RIDE IT WAS. It single-handedly reignited my love for the movies.

omg I LOVE the Every Frame a Painting ref

Nothing will ever replace this original classic, this is was my first influence of manga art. I believe I even influenced other members in my family with their first viewing of Akira. It’s legendary.

"Blame Kaneda" killed me and brilliant meta-shoutout to the channel Every Frame a Painting

Every frame a painting got a shout out 😂

Appreciate you appreciate their craftsmanship in making old-school anime.

Akira was indeed the first anime I ever saw. It set the bar kinda high. I've loved many an anime since, but I don't know if any of them truly measure up on all levels.

Still one of the most memorable, original and awesome soundtracks ever put to film. Not even just animation, film _in general._ And it was made by a bunch of volunteers on their days off.

"Blame Kan-eda" well now you just HAVE to do South Park Bigger Longer And Uncut for it's 25th anniversary next week.

thank you for making this trailer. many anime fans of this generation are completely unaware of The O.G. I remember renting it on laser disc - the big ones the size of LP records - multiple discs. we named our cat Akira because it was the most amazing thing we had ever seen.

This film blew my tiny mind when i was a teenager. I wouldn't have known about it unless I hadn't owned a super nintendo. Super Play magazine at the time had a staff of complete anime geeks, and were constantly publishing lists of best anime films, series etc. even though they had nothing to do with Nintendo in any way. Guess which film was always #1?

Now I have to rewatch Akira. Forgot how much I loved it

Best motorcycle slide ever!

I've been thinking for 10 years how amazing it would be if they did Akira, but never thought it would happen. Thank you so much!

Very first R-rated movie I ever saw, and it just so happens to be one of the founding fathers of anime. Akira was an experience like none other.

"The most influential and iconic anime film ever made." ~Wikipedia Woah, one of the best anime of the 20th century and even in these times.

Finally an Honest Trailer for this classic!

It’s crazy that even made for tv animation of that era is so intricate. One of the first anime’s I saw was Iria: Zeiram the animation, which was an animated prequel to a couple of low-budget live action Japanese horror-sci-fi movies. It had no business going that hard, and yet it does.

AKIRA is the Citizen Kane of anime. Even to this day there is NOTHING else like it.

Love the every frame A painting reference. You guys know your audience haha

1:27 Tetsuo's mutation was the most horrifying I've ever seen in Akira.

One of the best "friends that fall out" movies ever made. Also cool visuals. Also the anim- THIS IS FUCKING AKIRA FOR THE LOVE OF GOD OF COURSE ITS FUCKING PERFECT

This movie was a prophetic documentary.

If I had a nickel for every time Screen Junkies did an Honest Trailer for a Japanese sci-if film about a metaphor for nuclear war featuring a character called Shikishima, I’d have 2 nickels which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

My friend Les Claypool (not the guitarist) worked on the 2001 English dub. His recording studio Magnitude 8 Post (since closed in 2015 due to his tinnitus and increasing costs) has also worked on iconic classics like Cowboy Bebop, Wolf’s Rain, Ghost In The Shell, Trigun, Code Geass, The Castle of Cagliostro ( Hayao Miyazaki’s First Movie), Perfect Blue, just to name a few. He’s actually a pretty chill dude. You can find him in conventions sometimes with his wife Mary Claypool, who was also the English script writer for most of the dubs.

this 1988 movie looks better than most stuff been released today. Craftsmanship at its finest

The Epic movie voice guy not yelling "Tetsuo" genuinely hurt me.

Now that you made a trailer for Akira. Please make one for every Hayao Miyazaki film.

This movie is insanely good looking. Every shot is a masterpiece of art

Akira’s my favorite animated movie of all time. The rare occasion where everyone including Screen Junkies knows that there’s little to critique (save the “supposed pocket dimension” line 😂, but understandable granted the translation from manga to anime) for this honest trailer because how much of a masterpiece Akira is. I know it, you know it. Big fans.

2:07 almost did a coffee spit take at work

Please say in your epic voice: “You wanna drive through the woods and dump THAT out?”

Akira having a cool metal arm and at least one hand in inspiring aesthetics and tropes that future anime would copy for years to come was like money in the sweet pocket dimension in the pocket for this groundbreaking masterpiece.

This movie, seriously, changed my perspective of animation and how it was done and how well it could be done. Each frame is like a masterpiece of art.

I refuse to believe there is a single dude in his late 30s who haven’t seen Akira at least once.

While the US had animation studios in the 70's and 80's, Latinamerica were buying animation from Japan and the US and dubbing it in Spanish. And that's how in Latinamerica we had Mazinger and Knights of the Zodiac and other anime while the US had Care Bears (and the other cool cartoons but that's not the point)

Funny how Akira predicted Japan getting to host the 2020 Olympics.

Oooo, you have got to do "Your Name". Also; yes, Akira was my first exposure to Animé. Strangely it was on BBC2 is the 90s when they decided to put it on late at night.

"BLAME KANEDA" damn that south park reference was gold 🤣

Keep the Bluey references coming guys, but we won’t be satisfied until you do a Bluey Honest Trailer!

In my memory of Akira, the entire plot is "Two Japanese guys screaming eachother's names" and "motorcycles" KENADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! TETSUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! KENADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! TETSUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I think I finally watched this movie for the first time last year. And the thing that amazed me more than the soundtrack (especially the theme song) or the story was the bloody synchronization of mouth movement in Japanese. I can't actually recall any anime I've watched where the characters mouths *sounded out* the words they're saying. You can even see it the comparison IN the honest trailer where's Faye's lips are just flapping like usual. I was staring at the movie in awe half the time because of it. I can absolutely see why this was so influential in the popularization of Japanese manga/anime in the West. It deserves all the credit.

FINALLY! And well done, too!

When I first watched this movie I had no idea what was going on. all I knew it was that it was gorgeous

Say “Spencer and Lon are NERDS for not doing honest trailer commentaries anymore” in your epic voice

Woah you guys actually made one that’s like close to the length of real trailers for the first time in years

An Akira TV series was announced by Otomo in 2019. Sunrise was slated to develop it, but not a word has been heard since then.

We need more anime honest trailers

0:16 I see you Honest Trailer. I see you. 😈

I remember how hard it was back in the day to get anything serious manga/anime, at least in Poland in the first half of 90s.

Best one you guys ever done and my fav I’ve been waiting for you to do .

Make a Knuckles Honest Trailer or I'll send you to the great battleground in the sky

OMG when you guys finally do this one and you're no longer doing Honest Trailers Commentary. I miss the commentary show and everyone on it.

Saw this in the theater when it first came to America and had no idea what it was. FING blew my MIND at 18yrs old!

This Ani-may is too perfect that even Honest Trailer had a hard time making fun of it.

1:03 And Neo Gotham is basically Neo Tokyo, go figure. And that is most likely _not_ a coincidence by the way. Hiroyuki Aoyama worked on both Akira and Return of the Joker. The Batman Beyond show itself seems to have been outsourced to South Korea but not Japan though.

I'm still waiting for Honest Trailers Idiocracy, it is about time now

I forgot how absolutely fluid the animation is in this movie

I had this movie and its documentry on VHS back in the 90's... Wow, what a blast from the past 😇 Havn't seen a OVA movie in years... Venus wars was good too 😃

A badass movie!!! Back when animators did everything by hand

Arguably the most influential movie ever made

This masterpiece sent me down the deepest rabbit hole and I’m glad every day.

before akira, i didn't think much of anime but this movie changed everything. from the insane animation to the iconic sound track, this film is a master piece through and through.

Akira is my favorite anime movie! Let’s GOOOO!

It's amazing how well the animation has held up over 30 years.

"A cool metal arm fixes everything!" Cable: I have a counterargument or three...

After this trailer, I think its time you brought back honest anime trailers in some shape or form.

Akira bike slide referenced ANYWHERE Leo pointing meme. The "bike - curious" line got me.

There was also all the Magna Corps movies. Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D, Ghost in the Shell. The SciFi Saturday Anime with Battleship Yamamoto, Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999, Project Ako, Etc. And I didnt smell :o

"Every Frame a Painting" after all these years Tony, how I still miss you 😢

This movie is the only movie to ever made my jaw drop and keep it hanging after it was over. An unbelievable, spectacular, perfect masterpiece! One of my all time favorite movies!

Please do every Stanley Kubrick film, or at least full metal jacket

Peacemaker please!

One of these days I need a comedy where the Akira bike slides fails, and the driver drops on the ground.

Akira revolutionized color in animation. One of the first movies I ever watched with that "graded" look. They invented fifty new colors for the movie, which might not sound like a big deal now that we have millions of colors to play with via digital coloring, but the 300 plus colors in the movie's palette were a big deal for hand painted films.

Never expected this honest trailer

The fact “anime” is what we call good cartoons now, it’s accurate. I mean, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hazbin Hotel, Arcane, Owl House, they’re the goats.

I watched Akira back in the 80's and rewatched over the years. A true masterpiece

Apparently they're going to make an anime version of the original AKIRA manga in its entirety soon, but they'll definitely be using CG, so it won't be able to compete with this amazing lost technology hand-drawn animation.