I Watched AKIRA Again 35 Years Later... 

On a technical level, oh yes, Akira is definitely one of the best! The animators did things with ice, smoke and lighting effects that have never been rivaled in animation. Just look at the light trails left behind the motorcycles at night, and look at how those trails fade. All of that was done by hand by an animator with incredible dedication and skill. When the frozen vault is opened and we see thin layers of ice fall away from metal, all of that was hand animated by incredibly skilled animators! The smoke effects in the explosions don't cycle, each frame is unique. No corners cut. Akira don't miss - that's why it's the GOAT!

Definitely one of, if not the, most influential anime movie of all time

That opening scene of Tokyo still gives me chills, AKIRA is one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen

The way the film was made is still so mind boggling. The way that every single light in every single building was drawn frame by frame dot by dot is just absolutely incredible. People broke their backs to create this masterpiece. I always find myself watching the doc on the creation of this film just because it’s so damn good. Edit: Had to go rewatch the doc and there are over 1,500,000 cells/drawings to make this mammoth of a film and there were about only 70 people that worked on it. It still blows my mind that actual human beings created this in the 80s!!!

Akira is also the only full length animated film to be shot on 70mm film, instead of the standard 35mm. Another anime film that that I think makes for a great cinematic experience is Kiki's Delivery Service. The bigger the screen that you see it on, the more amazing those flying scenes are.

i remember staying up very late to watch Akira on BBC thinking it was just a cool movie about cool bikes. boy oh boy was my young little 7 year old naive innocent mind dismantled in to pieces after watching this film (and i understood absolutely nothing about it). and that Kaori death scene scarred my eyes and memory for decades with utter shock and disbelief. Akira is an absolute gem, masterpiece and work of art.

Once every 5 years Joey convinces a new generation of anime fans to try Akira thus creating a new generation of Akira fans. I was one of those people once. Happy anniversary to this legendary movie!

I was around when Akira was new. I remember being stunned by the violence of the film. I have the “graphic novels “ published by Marvel and was able to buy a few volumes of the Manga while in Japan. You are spot in with your summary. It’s a beautiful work of art. Brought me to tears in some scenes even back in the 80’s. Cheers!!!

First saw Akira in my 2nd year of film school. It was a copy of a copy VHS tape, so the quality wasn't the greatest - it was eye opening. To see an animated film that could just as easily have been live action in the opening sequence changed my perception of what could be done with animation. Years later, any time Akira is re-released to new media it's an instant buy. Sadly, I've never read the manga, but now think I need to!

Definitely right about the use of silence. My Cinematography Analysis class back in my Bachelor's had one entire module about sound, and the professor focused on contrasting the cultural uses of it. She kept praising the use of silence in East Asian media and explaining how auditory saturation, especially in US hollywood films, sometimes did more to kill the mood of scenes rather than build them up. We compared all the versions of The Grudge and, lo and behold, the version we found scariest was the quietest, because of the tension. Same with what Ghibli films do, often emphasizing sad or shocking moments with a lack of music. Silence, for example, is one of the things that really made Breath of The Wild so immersive, to me.

I had the chance to watch Akira around march. In the cinemas here in Italy they organized a two-days event for the 35th anniversary of the film and my boyfriend and I decided to go and watch the original version. For me it was a mind blowing experience. I remember being stunned by the visuals and the music of the film, and once I got out of the cinema I spent the entire trip on the way home discussing with my boyfriend about the meanings behind the film. I still remember the CHILLS I felt during certain scenes. I’m currently catching up with the manga too and I even rewatched the film on my tv recently, and I can agree that it’s a whole different experience from watching it in a theatre. I treasure this film dearly, particularly because from an artistic point of view I got so much inspiration from it, and it’s my favorite anime film. I think people should experience Akira at least once in their lifetime, even if they’re not anime watchers. It’s really a visual masterpiece ❤

The bike drift scene alone has influenced so many shows in the last 3 decades it's actually amazing.

I got to watch Akira in 1993 when the VHS reached my country (Greece) in some obscure music stores 😅 Not only did it left a lasting impression (to this very day) but it became the starting point of my lifelong fascination with Japanese culture and history. I read the manga a couple of years later and found it to be equally stunning. Akira is not only a landmark achievement in film but also a reminder of what true passion & dedication can bring about in art.

I rented this recently from Amazon for $4 for 3 days after seeing the surge in meme's using the 'Akira' 'NO LEAVE ME ALONE!' bit. I watched it 3 times and every time I see a clip i want to watch it again. it's truly a amazing movie!

I remember dubbing the VHS in 1993 just to have it for myself. It’s still my favorite anime movie of all time. It’s actually my favorite movie of all time. Thanks for the spiel!

The only thing that sucks about the movie is how much it had to cut out and change from the manga due to having to fit in movie length. In many ways, the manga is completely different from the movie. Hopefully that new Akira show turns out good so more people can experience the full complete story.

Watched this a few times back in the 80’s early 90’s. I really should watch it again. Iconic indeed. And I’d say it’s a big part of the “golden age of anime”.

i was 10 years old when i saw Akira for the first time. my friend has the vhs and it changed my life. it influenced my entire life, my love for animation, cyberpunk, japan, and soon after dragon ball and later dragon ball z, the guyver, macross plus, gundam, ninja scroll, demon city shinjuku. i love this film and has a very special place in my heart.

I saw Akira at my college's (Univ of Colorado at Boulder) "International Film Series" in Spring of '88, a year before wider release in the US. To say my mind was blown doesn't really do it justice.

I totally agree about the best experience being in a cinema, I saw it on a local re-run & original w/ subtitles and it was by far my best watching experience

Watched it for the first time about 3 years ago at a watch party with my friends. All seven of us agree. Akira slapped, continues to slap, and is at this point seemingly timeless.

one of my all time favorite movies. and no its not nostalgia bc i didnt watch it until i was an adult, only a handful of years ago. the animation is still so gorgeous after all these years, and then delving into the manga after watching the movie just pulls me into that world even more

Got a funny story based around this movie. There's a media store called HMV in the UK, and I have one in my town. Now HMV has an anime section, and in that section Akira is a part of a 2 for [insert price] deal. Only problem here is Akira is the ONLY thing that is a part of that deal in the anime section in my local store. The ONLY way to take advantage of the offer is if you were buying 2 copies of Akira.

I was around when Akira came out (it reached Spain in the early 90s) and you guys can't imagine how tremendously impacting it was. I have the feeling that so many of its themes went over my 12 y.o. head at the time, but it was definitely something you felt was important.

One praise I will always give Akira that many other "apocalypse" based films or anime fail to do is actually feel like the world is ending. I think many more could draw this as inspiration of adding more than just a kaiju-level disaster to make it feel like an apocalypse is happening.

As a fan of long format RU-vid, I for one would welcome a 2 hour Joey/ Anime man video. I mean even the podcasts are about that length and I don't find they drag or seem to long. Oh and Akira, straight fire it is! 🔥

Akira was shown in national tv in chile in like 94-95 maybe... My parent let me watch it at 5 years old because they thought it was like other anime like doraemon or shin-chan. I ended up vomiting in the climax. It was great, best movie ever

1988 - my Freshman year in college at UCSD... you can't underestimate the impact Akira had on the audiences that got to see it. It was the major cross-over movie that even non-anime fans saw, because people who saw it would tell ALL their friends that had to see it. It blew my mind when I first saw it. I would go on to buy the Criterion laser disc which has some amazing extras, and then seek out the manga, which was serialized by Epic, an imprint of Marvel. It's one of my favorite films of all time no matter the genre, and I re-watch my Blu Ray about once every 2 years.

I really do enjoy these videos of Joey gushing about something he loves and is passionate about. As an adult, this is the content I enjoy the most from your channel and thank you for sharing this excitement ❤️

I’m glad you made this video cuz I agree! More people need to watch Akira! I wrote an original song inspired by Akira called Tetsuo. Every time I perform my song at an Anime con and ask the audience who likes Akira…the crowd is so quiet!!! Seriously it’s one of the best Anime movies ever. Please go watch people❤

Keep up the great work and videos Joey

As someone who saw it as a kid in the mid 90s, the most jarring thing was that Kaneda was being voiced by Leonardo of the Ninja Turtles (Cam Clarke), lol it's certainly not a negative but it did kinda dent the immersion at times.

The only reason I knew about akira was because of Memes...Damn

What an awesome video on one of the most influential anime movies of all time. I’ll be sharing this with my friends who haven’t seen it yet. I just got back from a trip to Japan and found an original theatrical release program that they gave out during the premiere. Needless to say, I scooped that thing up instantly! Thanks Joey for such a great video!

Amazing video Joey.

Great analysis of a classic!

I've seen Akira just yesterday and I'm so glad it was in a cinema. One of the best experiences of my life...

I remember how throughout the years people kept recommending this movie. When I finally decided to watch it I did not do so alone. I got 2 of my friends who isn't into anime/weeb culture like me to watch it with me. In the end of the movie I could do nothing but apologies for wasting our movie night. We were all quiet just watching this movie trying to make sense of it. The animation was indeed legendary with really good music. But what about the story and the characters? I can't help to think that you need to read the manga to understand anything that happened. It was just chaos and violence. Things was just happening and going somewhere without any explanation. I just find it unfortunate that I couldn't enjoy the movie like so many others seems to have. Yet I hear people say its a flawless movie with nothing to critic. Which confuses me. I know no one who personally liked this movie yet strangers badmouth me just for trying to understand. The movie did not convince me to read the manga since if I have to read it to make sense of it. Then that is just a bad movie with amazing animation and music.

Akira does audio really well compared to so many things from it's time. Would love to hear you talk about the movie for 2 hours!

thank you joey for todays video

I couldn't agree more, Joey. I first saw Akira when I was eleven, and it changed my life. It is a timeless classic. Akira stands alongside other greats of its time (Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke, etc) as the standard by which all anime films can/should be judged. The music too; scores and soundtracks alike should strive to fit their material even half as well as Akira. It came out the year before I was born, and it is one of my favorite films of all time, animated or otherwise. ❤❤❤

This video could have easily been main channel video for Joey if he talked more about anime there.

I was born January 88’ so technically I was around but unaware. We found this at the local video store in 97 me and my brother were 9 and 7 . The way my brother and me got nightmares for months from this movie but still watched it 4 more times cause it was so cool. It’s still fucking cool and still Stan it.

Akira for me remains as the bastion of traditional animation. The amount of work that has been put on this film is insurmountable and deserves the recognition it has today. Movies are not made in this fashion anymore, and while that's not a bad thing it definitely 'feels' different. Geinoh Yamashirogumi's primal music as you describe it is used on purpose; Otomo's work is deeply influenced by Stanley Kubrick's body of work among others. Almost every decision for this film was done with love and true care. The film itself may have some pacing issues naturally, because it is based on a manga series. A medium that can take advantage of a slow burn pace better than a film can. On top of that the manga's scope is monumental, many characters are not developed enough in the film leaving some of them in very ambiguous waters or as background actors really. I think Akira, Paprika and Redline are three examples of impressive, thrilling and beautiful animated movie opening sequences.

I love Akira, it’s one of the best animated things ever. People think it’s well animated for it’s time, but it’s better than most anime today. Even before I was into anime, I knew about Akira as a film buff. I said to myself “I won’t watch anime, but I will watch Akira.” Ironically I ended up getting into anime before I saw Akira. Funny how things work

When I saw it as a kid, a lot of it didn't make sense to me, but more stuff like: I'd never been in a bar. Sure, I saw bars in movies, but it's a far cry from say, the bar scene in Crocodile Dundee. Gritty realism about places and things I had never seen or experienced, so I didn't know it was realism. The interpersonal interactions made more sense at an older age too. It's like, realistic in ways that the Hollywood movies I was allowed to watch were not, which my parents surely didn't realize - it was a CARTOON, so it was okay!

I bought a pack of 2 Akira dvd’s from ebay earlier this year, one that has the actual film and the other that have special features like behind the scenes of the film. This became a coincidence because the Leave Me Alone meme was developed just days later and this year is Akira’s 35th anniversary.

Akira was groundbreaking in a way that no animated movie will ever get the chance to be again (imo) are there more recent anime movies with more compelling stories, maybe. Have animation techniques improved, sure. But Akira advanced the medium and put it on the map like no other. It's not just one of the most important and greatest anime movies ever made. It's one of the most important and greatest *movies* ever made full stop. Also, thanks for making me feel old in the opening of this video, I was 9 in 1988 🤣

The first time I watched Akira was my sixth grade summer. My dad knew my and my brothers were into anime. So one summer night while we played monopoly, my dad brought the film and played it for us. We didn't finish playing monopoly that night. Also I am happy my dad didn't stop the film either.

I saw Akira in 1988 at the brand new art cinema in Wolverhampton, where I had previous been a student and where I was still going to the university (polytechnic at the time) cinema society shows. Being a dedicated design there were not that many rows, you all got a good view, and the screen was large and wide enough to provide peripheral vision. A friend talked me in to going knowing I liked art cinema, cartoons, and comics. I did not know what to expect. The movie started and ... WOW - as you mentioned the absolute silence as you see present day Tokyo explode was just on another level, which then was raised by the next scene, the bike fight with the Clowns. As soon as Akira was released on video in the UK I bought it, same for DVD, both directors editions with the additional making of film. Well worth watching that as well as it really goes in to how they composed the music, animated mouth movements to the spoken word (not the other way round) the colour pallets .... And to the sound track, I still occasionally listen to it.

My cats name is Akira after this movie. My dad also showed me the film and I was also 11. I've seen this film over 100 times. I saw it in theaters on the 30th anniversary with my brother. there was maybe 3 other people in the theater it was amazing.

As a child of the 70s watching John Carpenters The Thing I can't feel the glass scene as much as you but I did buy Akira when it was released in America .

as someone who read the manga before watching the film... i had issues with the movie, the animation sound desgin and all that is fantastic, my only issue is with the characterization and how the story just feels fast (because i read the manga).

In terms of visuals it definitely is one of, if not the actual best. Having seen this in cinema (on film!) as well really is something else. It deserves all the praise mentioned in the video and comments. What I personally like is the animation: everything moves. Be it in the background or the main characters, everything feels alive. Even in the background there's always something going.

Hell yeee, joey video about akira, finally!. Also, id fucking love a 2 hour video covering the movie and manga! maybe some less known facts about its production- or just your opinions on everything would also be great

I love Akira. Ive rewatched it like 8 times (With the latest being my 1st time watching it on the big screen) and its still my 2nd favorite anime movie too this day. Everything from the animation to the sound design/ost and the simple yet amazingly executed story makes it absolutely timeless.

Akira and Ghost in the Shell, is 2 of the best movies for the 80’s and 90’s, in my opinion, regarding anime.

I saw Akira under covid in 4k in the cinema what an experience 😮

I've seen this movie so many times, but never in cinema... Maybe I'll rent out a theater and watch this for my birthday. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Joey!!

I actually saw a bootleg copy of Akira when I was either not quite a teenager or barely a teenager. It was not subtitled or dubbed, so I had no clue what was happening, but I was blown away by the animation, the music, the aesthetic, how visceral it was, etc. Like many Gen-X anime fans, it was my gateway drug. I did finally see a dubbed version (rented from a Blockbuster) a few years later and though I still didn't quite grasp the plot, the impact of the movie had not been diminished.

It still does surprisingly Tubi shows classic animes and alot of the 80s anime and movies have been really good

I remember having a copy of this movie on VHS back in the day and still remember some of the iconic moments in the movie! I must watch the film again cause it is such a amazing movie in terms of effects/soundtrack/visuals/character designs!

Good video, i still love Akira to this day, i need a 2 hour review now!

My fiancee and I just watched it for the first time a couple months ago and to say we were blown away by it is an understatement. An absolutely fantastic movie.

Crazy how i just watched this movie, for the first time, yesterday and now i'm watching this video. The stars aligned (reference) perfectly my dude

Actually, yes. I would love to see a 2 hour long video analysis on akira- Please and tHANK YOU!

Redline is still my favourite anime movie of all time but Akira is still up there for sure

I absolutely love this film/manga since I was like 11 years old. Now I'm almost 37 years old, and I probably watched it more than 50 times by now. I just watched it yesterday again too. Absolutely the master piece of all time ;) By the way, I bet many people cranked up volume at beginning and blown up their ear drums when the laud drum sound happened xD

Seeing it only on VHS on a CRT TV (yup. Old guy!), it was still ASTOUNDING. So many subtle pieces of animation that I rewound and watched over and over. Fun fact: the dub I watched back in the day pronounced the main character's name as Kah-NAY-duh. For years my wife and I would play a game of 'Marco Polo' by yelling "Tetsuo!" "Kaneda!" when looking for each other.

great video. i love when you cover the history of anime, you do it so well. i do get the copyright risk etc reason you probably don't do it much any more.

I think what makes Akira so brilliant as an adaption is that it knows what to cut and what to change to confine it from a large epic manga into 2hrs. There's so much that is cut overall but it holds the story and spirit that still allows you to get a different experience with both. Incredible visual design, soundtrack, colours, animation but I think it really needs to be given credit how an original creator having a full grasp of what their story is and what they want it to be. Truly groundbreaking stuff.

Just remember that while we got this in 1988, we got Ex Arm in 2021

One of the very first anime i ever seen, was in my teens (46 now). flipping through the tv stations one night and TBS was having an anime night, the movies was "Robot Carnival" , "Vampire Hunter D" and "Akira" to top off the night. Been hooked on anime ever since.

I watched Akira for the first time in early 2000, and I was blown away. It got me into anime and manga. I can also say that ever since no other film came close to it

I remember watching this back in the mid 90s when they used to show it on the sci-fi channel out in the US. I was around 8-10 years old and despite it being edited for tv, it still was extremely captivating and violent. Anytime its been in a physical theater out where I am I will go and see it. I actually got to see some of the animation cells on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures a year ago and its just crazy to think of the cultural and animation impact this movie has made. Its definitely a landmark movie in animation for all the things it did.

My little sister entered college and hadn't really been exposed to anime. Her friends started to slowly get into it, and being the great big brother I am, she asked me to help her get into anime and go through classics and the best of the best. Well, it just so happened that a 4k viewing of Akira was running at the local art house movie theater. I took her and she had such a blast. It could not have blown her mind more. After that one showing with me, she proceeded to take each of her campus roommates to see it in that theater one on one so she had more reasons to watch the film over. That is a core memory of Akira for me. It's why I will always look at it with even more respect and awe, seeing as it was one of my best experiences with my little sister and so influential in her life. Happy 35th birthday to the GOAT.

I like how Joey's grumpy voice is an impression of Chris. Poppycock!

This is hands down my favourite movie of all time and one of my favourite anime’s of all time. I loved Akira since 2021 and now I’m reading the manga and being blown away from it.

Timeless classic and still holds up today. Phenomenal film and one of the rare instances where the film and manga are quite different but they are also equally good in my opinion.

100% agreed about the cinematic experience of Akira, I also watched the movie several times and when I watched it when the 4K remastered aired in the cinemas It was a complete different feeling.

18:47 bro went full Chris Abroad for a sec😆

I just finished the manga and HOLY F ! What an adventure! In my top 5 forever. Makes me wish for a remake that has the whole story - but as you’ve pointed out - it’s anime is a masterpiece in itself and who’s trying to touch that? If people haven’t read the manga - READ THE MANGA

It was aired on early pay-tv here in germany in 92, I was 10 when I saw it, blew my mind I´d really like that 2 hour in-depth analysis video of akira ^^

I remember being a kid and seeing ads late night for the VHS. Its probably still one of my favorites. I've watched it with my kids a while ago.

As much as I often prefer to refrain from potentially traumatizing cinematic experiences, you may actually finally convince me to watch this. The more I hear about it, the more I get curious! And on top of it all, there were clear Akira references in the latest music video from my favorite band, Ateez. They've got a lot of their own lore and storyline going on, and often reference movies. Perhaps its time I checked this one out so I can have a deeper understanding of why they may have referenced it! (Of course, its also very possible they did it just because some of the visuals are so cool. xD)

I've seen it at 4K on IMAX. Absolutely stunning! As for nitpicks it definitely needs more than one watch to get your head around a few things.

I'd love to see a new Akira movie based on the manga story.

Akira got me hooked on old anime movies. The very analogic animation is just a beautiful sight to behold

I first watch Akira when I was in a bit of a haze from a fever, and, that bell/ding noise does something wild to your head, Akira is such a good movie

My favorite is seeing the Akira slide in different forms of media

Looks like I’m gonna be rewatching Akira tonight ❤

This was the first anime I ever watched late night as a pretty young kid on sbs. And I have compared everything I has watched since to this movie lol. This was such an overwhelming experience with the emotion that it evoked and even as you said some of the scenes you could just feel. Like the glass haha. Whenever people would ask for recommendations I would always say akira not because I thought they would necessarily enjoy it, (it's not exactly a happy fun time) but because I feel like it was such a good example of how good anime can be and that it's not just a cartoon as so many people use to tell me as a teen. I still occasionally shout tatsuo and cannada back and forth with my partner when the situation seems to call for it lol

watch it for the first time last year and I was blown away. I was shocked to see how good this movie was after so many years.

I watched this a kid in the mid 90s when Anime movies would be on saturday night tv at 1am. It was my 1st introduction to anything anime/manga. And because of that, Akira will Always remain my favourite Anime movie.

i watched Akira last month because of the poster i kept seeing in Joey's background and boy was i in for a treat. did not understand shit for the first 40 minutes and then had to let it digest for two days only then i realized how amazing this film was and considering it was from 1988, holy crap that was so good

props for giving this movie the recognition it toootally deserves. Even if someone didnt like it or if it's not his / hers cup of tea, you cant NOT appreciate it, since this movie along with original GITS and Spirited Away make the 3 most important anime movies in terms of cultural impact, japanese animation industry and opening the western markets for japanese animation. Not to mention how many artists, filmmakers, etc have been influenced and inspired by GITS / AKIRA.

Its so good that I watched the dubbed and subbed versions back to back

Managed to watch this the hour it was removed off Netflix, worrying that as it turned to the next day and I saw it disappear from my phone it would cancel the movie on my iPad lmao. Masterpiece of a movie 10/10 for sure

Akira is a true masterpiece as well as the soundtrack. And there is only one thing which makes a soundtrack even better: a symphonic suite! Also a lesser known fact about Akira: the (motorcycle) slide - this slide has so many homages, not only in Anime, but also in real movies (e.g. _Nope_ ). Maybe you'll make a video in the future about mangas which turned out different as an anime.. _Claymore_ and _Ghost in the Shell_ are the first ones that come to my mind, but I guess there are even more. PS: Violent old movies? M.D. Geist!

I saw Akira in HD some years back for the first time. It was like, "I haven't seen Akria in a while," but I was totally blown away when I did see it, since I'd only seen it on VHS before - all the detail that popped out at 1080p really blew me away. (I remember specifically you could see people's eyes being animated inside of like, helmets they were wearing)