AKIRA & the Masochism of Katsuhiro Otomo

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  • Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
  • 30 years ago Akira debuted to a world that wasn't ready for it. Three decades later and it's still as important - and as fun - as it ever was. In this video I take a look at the creation of Akira, the legacy it left behind, and the madman responsible for it all: Katsuhiro Otomo.
    SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / beyondghibli
    FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: / beyondghibli
    Featuring the work of:
    Awaken Akira: www.awakenakir...
    Ash Thorp: altcinc.com/
    Zaoeyo: zaoeyo.com/
    Synthspiria: synthspiria.ba...
    Mechanized Dystopia by Speed Machine: speedmachine83...
    I Am Tetsuo by neon shudder: neonshudder.ba...
    Seigyo no Sakkaku by Gregorio Franco: gregoriofranco...
    Dark Side of the Road by Carbon Killer: carbonkiller.b...
    Flycruisor by Aerds: aerds.bandcamp...
    Neo Tokyo's Theme by ACIDULÉ: acidule.bandca...
    K&K (Lovers in the Light) by Bwana: www.residentad...
    Self Driving by Patrick Henaghan: discobible.com
    Akira VHS Remix by Tachyons+ : • AKIRA VHS REMIX
    Special Thanks:
    Joe Yang - Pause & Select : / @pauseandselect

Комментарии • 1,3 тыс.

  • @mascotwithadinosaur9353
    @mascotwithadinosaur9353 4 года назад +985

    "Back when the 2020 Tokyo Olympics felt like an impossible future."
    It still feels like an impossible future.

    • @tychothefriendlymonolith
      @tychothefriendlymonolith 4 года назад +60

      After the year 2020 has been so far, I legit would not be surprised if a giant miscoloured blob of screaming flesh grew beyond its ability to control its power and threatened the very existence of the world.

    • @falconeagle3655
      @falconeagle3655 3 года назад +18

      Lol, I watched this video in 2018 now watching again in 2020 as it came to my feed.

    • @technophant
      @technophant 3 года назад +11

      Sir, it will take 30 years before this is fully appreciated on the West. Otomo: Ok, print

    • @panosveto5729
      @panosveto5729 3 года назад +3

      2020 Tokyo Olympics is still impossible.

    • @SamWelker
      @SamWelker 3 года назад +5

      was just looking to see if anyone else from the future (2020) was going to leave this comment.....

  • @kd0525
    @kd0525 5 лет назад +2335

    AKIRA changed my life. Funny story, I spent 30 years trying to find a song from the soundtrack. It was the song that played when the boys were hanging out in the mall with the girls talking about Tetsuo and Kay and her crew set off the bomb. It was the only song missing from the soundtrack. Anyway just over a year ago and maybe my 5th trip to Tokyo I met a girl. Her English wasn’t great and I don’t speak much Japanese but we went on a date in Shinjuku. I fell in love with this girl and as we are having a beer and some izakaya style food I asked the universe for a sign. Was she the one? Should I do something about this... that song played. I grabbed my phone and Shazamed it. I got the song! And that was the sign. We are now engaged. Anyway if you made it this far I hope you enjoyed the tale. I love love love AKIRA

  • @davemarx7856
    @davemarx7856 6 лет назад +1169

    I had no idea there were so many _motorcycle slide away from camera_ homages.
    Neat.

    • @firsttimer2254
      @firsttimer2254 5 лет назад +36

      Some are in kiddie fare, too! It's what the animators can do to further amuse themselves; throw in Easter Eggs liberally.

    • @davemarx7856
      @davemarx7856 5 лет назад +27

      @@firsttimer2254
      Yeah. It's neat to consider the creators when paying close attention to their work.
      I'm conditioned to recognize the Wilhelm and Howie Screams. I smile every time I hear them

    • @ghnunes
      @ghnunes 5 лет назад

      Dave Marx where's Ready Player One?

    • @davemarx7856
      @davemarx7856 5 лет назад +7

      @@ghnunes
      Haven't seen it. Is there one in there?
      Can't blame the guy for not including *every* instance.

    • @ghnunes
      @ghnunes 5 лет назад +3

      @@davemarx7856 Of course we can! :) The movie is a must see, specially if you are an anime, game, movies, all-things nerd.

  • @keytee7708
    @keytee7708 5 лет назад +265

    I am Japanese. when i was 11 years old kid, I found that Akira had being played in the movie theater through the documentary of making of Akira. I remember that I feel something special of Akira, so I asked my mom i wanna go and watch this movie. that was shocker!! i was kid then, I don't understand this movie at all, but music, graphics, slangs, charactors and incidents in the movie was just so so cool. it's been 30 years since then, this movie is still my best one.

    • @horseenthusiast1250
      @horseenthusiast1250 4 года назад +7

      Wow! I wish I had been able to see it in the theatre, that sounds amazing.

    • @ferrarriohh
      @ferrarriohh 3 года назад +1

      And 32 yrs later, it still is.

  • @albingreen344
    @albingreen344 5 лет назад +331

    Akira is one of few films that makes me want to pause each frame and appreciate the artwork. The entire feature is like a flip-book of gallery pieces.

    • @christianblair8663
      @christianblair8663 4 года назад +2

      Well, in reality. It is. I believe theres 12 to 24 drawings per frame.

    • @k3D4rsi554maq
      @k3D4rsi554maq 3 года назад

      They did a really good job.

    • @eduardoreal2428
      @eduardoreal2428 3 года назад +1

      Akira was all Hand Drawn, no Computer.

  • @fatsamurai869
    @fatsamurai869 6 лет назад +528

    My dad made me watch this when I was 6 and my mom freaked out about it. But this movie literally changed my life. I hold it close and dear to my heart to this day.
    This film is an essential for musicians, filmmakers and visual artists. And few movies this influential exist. It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for people to watch this in their lifetime. Great video. Keep it the quality work man
    Edit: 2 years later I’m just now seeing all the replies, everyone who did seems super cool. Thank you all for the likes

    • @firsttimer2254
      @firsttimer2254 5 лет назад +21

      Woah! 6 seems a bit young... at 9, 12 maybe, if not 16?

    • @markthornett7265
      @markthornett7265 5 лет назад +17

      Haha. Amazing. my dad made me watch it when i was 8 as well and it blew my mind even back then and even though i had no idea what was going on half the time i was captivated by the animation and has stayed close to my heart too. its become a bit of an obsession.

    • @brettcoster4781
      @brettcoster4781 5 лет назад +9

      Makes me feel better for edumacating my kids by showing them Metropolis (the Fritz Lang version) at about the same ages, maybe a bit older (but before 10, anyway). They still remind me of it, 25 years later, so I think it worked, I still remember seeing clips from Metropolis at the same age; it's become a family tradition.

    • @ahmedamine24
      @ahmedamine24 5 лет назад +1

      The sound design in that movie is awful, though. Completely throws you right out of the action when lots of things that should make sounds don't.

    • @beebeebee05
      @beebeebee05 5 лет назад +1

      Hahaha I watched it when I was 10. But then it was a few yrs after its released date. Lol don't think my mom knew what she rented at the time 😂😂😂

  • @BobbyDukeArts
    @BobbyDukeArts 3 года назад +161

    This was a great video.

    • @toblit6784
      @toblit6784 3 года назад

      Was?

    • @BobbyDukeArts
      @BobbyDukeArts 3 года назад +3

      @@toblit6784 yes

    • @toblit6784
      @toblit6784 3 года назад

      @@BobbyDukeArts alrighty I say it is a great video

    • @emilianomunozdiaz9494
      @emilianomunozdiaz9494 3 года назад +1

      Indeed, and it's so cool seeing you here lol.

    • @lucasroman6510
      @lucasroman6510 3 года назад +2

      Bobby i of all places i didnt expect seeing you here

  • @Kusanagikaiser999
    @Kusanagikaiser999 6 лет назад +832

    Along with Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, Princess Mononoke.....Akira is and always will be one of the greatest archives in animation PERIOD, I fucking adore every frame of this movie.

    • @wyass4722
      @wyass4722 5 лет назад +25

      Just wrote my top favourite movies lol

    • @firsttimer2254
      @firsttimer2254 5 лет назад +6

      Those titles are definitely accessible as well as popular overseas! Add maybe a dozen more, and you have the majority of my intake and the extent of my fandom.

    • @westbrook_apologist7422
      @westbrook_apologist7422 5 лет назад +20

      my favorites in this bish...............also Nausicaa and EoE

    • @MamaGator
      @MamaGator 5 лет назад +18

      Princess Mononoke is a tad bit overrated in my opinion, I think Nausicaää was a more impressive milestone for Hayao.

    • @Dubstone
      @Dubstone 5 лет назад +14

      Adding Evangelion for the "little before 2000 classic" and Death Note for the "post 2000 classic"

  • @nexxlevel4590
    @nexxlevel4590 4 года назад +178

    “Akira demanded to be heard”. That sums it up perfectly 💯

  • @XyphileousLF
    @XyphileousLF 5 лет назад +38

    Pairing AKIRA and Berserk is like pairing ice cream and pie. Their very philosophical statements acting are a perfect pair. Each of them a testament to the fact that manga is a compelling an art style as common literature.

    • @tja9212
      @tja9212 Год назад +2

      what would be gunnm in that equation? a rich decorated cake?

  • @MicahBuzanANIMATION
    @MicahBuzanANIMATION 6 лет назад +558

    Otomo was only in his early 30's when making this masterpiece.
    He's made some brilliant work since Akira - "Cannon Fodder" comes to mind as one of the most visually unique animations I've seen, and one of the most effective depictions of totalitarianism since Orwell's 1984.
    But I can't help wondering how making one's masterpiece so young would effect him later on. I remember reading in an interview that Otomo felt living in the shadow of Akira hasn't been good for him mentally, and while he's grateful for the success Akira achieved, he has little interest in returning to the world of Neo-Tokyo.

    • @erikwirfs-brock2432
      @erikwirfs-brock2432 6 лет назад +30

      Definitely, understandable that he might not want to return to the grind of being a manga-ka, but still kind of baffling that someone so visionary never really had a proper follow up to AKIRA (I remember Steamboy just being kinda boring).

    • @jengatowerr
      @jengatowerr 5 лет назад +46

      as someone who readily indulges in Otomo's other works i can see how living in the shadow of Akira takes a toll on him. he's incredibly talented, but his talent is constantly overshadowed by his own work which is over 30 years old now. he is not known that well outside of japan, and even there he is still kind of underground.

    • @SHIRO3301
      @SHIRO3301 5 лет назад

      shooot I'm subbed to you, love your stuff man :)

    • @KhayJayArt
      @KhayJayArt 5 лет назад +2

      30s aren't young

    • @firsttimer2254
      @firsttimer2254 5 лет назад +35

      @@KhayJayArt Yes, they are!..
      The degradation in body and mind expected in senility are still a long ways away, and many retain much of the strength and energy of years gone by. By someone's thirties they should have benefitted from having had more experience than someone in their teens or twenties, as well.
      The period may be thought of as a 'peak': The immaturity of youth has been outgrown, and the effects of aging still to come. This will vary hugely, and is dependent on individual traits, circumstances, and lifestyle choices of course!
      For Mr. Otomo to have completed his masterpiece relatively early in his career, the OP argues, it casts a shadow on what remains to be done.

  • @simonecordeddu4783
    @simonecordeddu4783 6 лет назад +282

    This video would deserve a thousand likes per view
    Stunning editing!

  • @rushthezeppelin
    @rushthezeppelin 5 лет назад +59

    I still remember seeing this at a friend's house when I was probably about 10 years old. I had already been a big Dragon Ball fan at that time but Akira just absolutely blew me away with the amazing grandeur of the Neo-Tokyo setting. I still watch it about every 3 to 5 years and it still gives me chills.

  • @nplateau
    @nplateau 6 лет назад +210

    Once again, aces. However, for the first time in my entire history of watching RUclips videos, I wish your film was longer! Whilst many others ceaselessly blather on, you practice a measured and deliberate economy of words here that informs the audience yet at the same time invites them to go and see for themselves. This very well could have been turned into an utterly enjoyable long form documentary, but instead you gave us a masterfully crafted peek inside to anime's watershed moment in reaching a global audience. As always, I look forward to everything you release. Cheers!

    • @BeyondGhibli
      @BeyondGhibli  6 лет назад +11

      Thank you so much for this comment :) it made my day.

    • @jeffnicholas6342
      @jeffnicholas6342 5 лет назад +3

      I hope he does more on Akira. Robotech/Macross was my first glimpse into anime as a kid, but Akira and Ghost in the Shell made me understand what the medium could do

  • @ToasterCatOfficial
    @ToasterCatOfficial 6 лет назад +330

    -yo the editing for that intro was actually awesome...-
    actually all the editing for this video was awesome... not that ur other videos are bad but this video just looked... better...

    • @wc7484
      @wc7484 5 лет назад

      ToasterCat it was on point

    • @DJPach
      @DJPach 5 лет назад

      Yeah, he actually had a credible opinion in this video.

    • @kroppskaka86
      @kroppskaka86 5 лет назад +1

      I really liked the flow of it, cool.

    • @xxxxxx5868
      @xxxxxx5868 5 лет назад

      It's probably the cyberpunk music

  • @davemarx7856
    @davemarx7856 6 лет назад +777

    The dystopian future of... next year 😐

    • @SHIRO3301
      @SHIRO3301 5 лет назад +23

      I know right, however I'd love it if something changed and 2019 became the future we expected

    • @lordjeff6894
      @lordjeff6894 5 лет назад +16

      I hope I be a psychic

    • @davemarx7856
      @davemarx7856 5 лет назад +12

      @@SHIRO3301
      Humanity's future will either be a degrading sycle of war on this one planet
      Or
      Become a zero waste society and take to the stars.
      (Wtf? Sycle? ... cycle)

    • @davemarx7856
      @davemarx7856 5 лет назад +7

      @@lordjeff6894
      I hope I become a computer.

    • @lordjeff6894
      @lordjeff6894 5 лет назад +1

      @@davemarx7856 why

  • @sasukes.6370
    @sasukes.6370 3 года назад +7

    My anime class collectively voted to watch Akira as our movie of choice. I was thinking it would be just a boring movie about a thug kid, and wondered why the whole class was getting hyped over an 80s animation like this. I couldn't have been more misled! It was so good. It left me feeling so empty when I finished it. It's truly something I didn't expect at all and everything in it just leaves you feeling something super cathartic yet questioning the future with a sense of uneasiness, if that makes sense. Plus, the animation wasn't choppy at all like I was thinking it would be. The fact that it was all done by hand just makes me appreciate the work so much more. Katsuhiro Otomo is a mad genius!

  • @drshoggothshow
    @drshoggothshow 5 лет назад +49

    Damn my one weakness: literally any video essay about Akira.

  • @weiwang9622
    @weiwang9622 3 года назад +7

    "Dad, how did the universe begin?"
    "Once upon a time, there are two motorcycle gangs..."

  • @kestrelpeak2270
    @kestrelpeak2270 4 года назад +7

    Having shown Akira to lot's of people who don't watch anime or even cartoons, I can say that it still holds up. The response I get almost unilaterally consists of amazement that "cartoons" can look so good and surprise that they can be so adult in their storytelling content.

  • @jittichai7872
    @jittichai7872 4 года назад +7

    After 3 watches over the years, the intro is still freaking exiting at every re-watch. Editing masterpiece!

  • @waakkeuppp
    @waakkeuppp 5 лет назад +21

    That opening song 😍 for my ears. Thanks for the links!

  • @Ju-on
    @Ju-on 6 лет назад +27

    whoa, the dynamics of this episode are crazy. I love it so much, it felt like you were experimenting a little more. I DIG IT!

  • @eyrrogg
    @eyrrogg 3 года назад +2

    I"m just 21 yo and AKIRA is my very first manga I read but I was a child and the books belonged to my uncle. Far as I can remember I always loved the story even if I understood it after few readings. I watched the anime 2 years ago and it was amazing, I prefer this type of graphics than those of today.

  • @Xyos212
    @Xyos212 5 лет назад +155

    Amazing how they did true 24 fps with an animation. I always loved the "feel" of the movie as a kid, but couldn't put my finger on it until now. The smoothness and detail, its amazing. Sad how 2d animation rarely met that level after the movie.

    • @firsttimer2254
      @firsttimer2254 5 лет назад

      It's a high water mark, for sure!

    • @franesustic988
      @franesustic988 5 лет назад +21

      parts of it are "on ones" (24fps), but its a mix of that and traditional 12fps animation.

    • @DeadKraken
      @DeadKraken 5 лет назад +18

      Akira is a particular case, it costed a fortune at the time(it was in fact the most expensive animation movie ever made in Japan), they gave a lot of freedom to Otomo and kinda flopped in his home country(like another animation masterpiece of that time, Angel's Egg). Since then, with few exceptions, no one has produced a 2 hour long movie that used 24fps that much, nowadays the approach is to use 24fps animation only when is really required(action scenes, particular important scenes, scenes in which the suddle change of expressions is essential) and go as low as 7-6 fps for the scenes that feature simple talking or non-important movements. Which is smart imo, keeps costs lower and reduces the burden on key animators and in-betweeners.

  • @will_wmgc
    @will_wmgc 6 лет назад +62

    Holy crap, that bike slide edit - so, so good. Well done on this one (and all the others too tbh :D )

  • @alexlee2581
    @alexlee2581 5 лет назад +201

    I have no idea how they hand drew all these scenes

    • @alexanderlopez-guevara8357
      @alexanderlopez-guevara8357 5 лет назад +50

      Asses glued to a chair and desk. With the lamp on and passion too, I bet! 😂

    • @smith507
      @smith507 5 лет назад +3

      By hand 😅

    • @DamianLewd
      @DamianLewd 5 лет назад

      We didn’t ALWAYS have com buyers 🤦🏽‍♂️

    • @pw6002
      @pw6002 5 лет назад +8

      OMG, people had actually to WORK to fulfill their goals, unimaginable !!! 😉

    • @brayanfelipeserrano6486
      @brayanfelipeserrano6486 4 года назад +9

      Lots and lots of references, model designs both 2D parallel views and 3D mock ups on scale, photos, Perspective grids, etc.. This is the same material that goes through the making of certain comics/manga. Computer graphics where used in the making of this film for some scenes backgrounds and effects too.

  • @hsatin20
    @hsatin20 5 лет назад +5

    Your first 50 seconds of this video summarizes exactly how I felt as a kid watching Akira. Up to that point it had all been saturday morning cartoons, GI Joe and Transformers. Akira totally blew me away. As you said, it was on a VHS bootleg copy one of my elementary school friends had :)

  • @doodbob2250
    @doodbob2250 5 лет назад +29

    The only time 'watching this in 2019!' is relevant..

    • @hvegaval
      @hvegaval 4 года назад +2

      And Blade Runner.

  • @MrPrice2U
    @MrPrice2U 5 лет назад +16

    I saw this in a movie theater back in the day. The insane​ experience I will never forget.

  • @Flugmorph
    @Flugmorph 6 лет назад +95

    nice synthwave music there :3
    and of course the editing is great

    • @Flugmorph
      @Flugmorph 5 лет назад

      @BrandoTendie ayyyyyyy waddup. never gon be active in the anigayminaysh again?

    • @necropig
      @necropig 5 лет назад

      sup flug

  • @oraddadi
    @oraddadi 6 лет назад +56

    I never thought things could ever get any better until I came upon the bike slide scene... you got us nostalgic for a minute there friend, and for that you earned a slow clap, a like, a share and a minute stand out of respect to your work and the legendary AKIRA that changed the world of anime forever indeed.

  • @GangiFilms
    @GangiFilms 6 лет назад +16

    1:15 that is god tier editing man. Great!!!

  • @Zeldakostv
    @Zeldakostv 5 лет назад +9

    Akira was the second anime movie i watched, after Spirited Away, i grew up loving art, and am currently majoring in illustration/sequential art, my parents knew i loved this shit so they got me Akira and i'd watch it in the car as a wee lad but i never really payed attention because i was always distracted by my game-boy and what-not, I've re-watched the film now dozens of times, and read the manga through. This, Cowboy Bebop, and Ghost in the Shell are my biggest inspirations, i know it's really far fetched, but i hope to create something similar one day, to at least hear the phrase "this kind of reminds me of Akira!" my life will pretty much be complete lol. Amazing video and amazing editing! Liked and subbed

  • @trentonarney6066
    @trentonarney6066 5 лет назад +4

    Akira is the movie that turned me on to anime. I had only a few bucks for a weekends entertainment so down to the local blockbuster I went. When the latest release I wanted to see was all checked out, I started perusing the aisle and I came to the foreign film section and there was Akira with a must see recommendation by Siskel and Ebert. Good times.

  • @nicholasnajibi3082
    @nicholasnajibi3082 4 года назад +2

    Hey man this was well done. I’m 40 years old and a long time Akira fan. You did this work justice.

  • @Namukab
    @Namukab 5 лет назад +5

    Holy moly, the intro editing made my eyes watery. what a introduction for this absolut brilliant masterpiece. Love your video!

  • @bjornsan
    @bjornsan 5 лет назад +64

    I was happily surprised when I walked past a construction site in Sibuya a year ago and saw that they had printed Kaneda on his bike on the wall to the site. This spring they had printed more frames from the manga there. You can see it on google maps.

    • @antigrav6004
      @antigrav6004 5 лет назад +1

      Saw that on my own trip in April.

    • @fidgetypenguin8153
      @fidgetypenguin8153 5 лет назад

      Coordinates? If its not any trouble.

    • @bjornsan
      @bjornsan 5 лет назад +6

      About 35°39'43.77"N 139°41'57.35"O

    • @2legged
      @2legged 4 года назад +1

      Photos of it here for anyone who wants to see -> facebook.com/dedo.officiel/photos/pcb.10156676693896773/10156676693576773/?type=3&theater and beckyjewellart.com/blog/tag/tetsuo

  • @corinneambler4165
    @corinneambler4165 6 лет назад +13

    1:00 - 1:30 That was beautiful. This is such a great video. You got yourself a new sub

  • @dgnas
    @dgnas 5 лет назад +4

    wow!!!!! this was probably the most noticeably well edited video i've seen! the spinning akira transparency layover thing? the separate layers of the incredible detail in the manga popping up? pairing the timing of the music with the images onscreen with an unobtrusive voiceover?? amazing. really great work! i look forward to seeing more of your work!

    • @BeyondGhibli
      @BeyondGhibli  5 лет назад +1

      Thank you :) I put a lot of time into these elements so Im really pleased when they're noticed! Thanks for the lovely comment.

  • @moreblack
    @moreblack 5 лет назад +12

    There's nothing like Akira, even today 2019.

  • @danielnewton2390
    @danielnewton2390 5 лет назад +4

    Ash Thorp's Akira tribute is one of the best fan recreations ever made. So short, but so perfectly and meticulously capturing the feeling that Akira creates.

  • @x3janna95
    @x3janna95 6 лет назад +30

    Epic is not only the word needed to describe Akira. Your editing leaves me speechless *tipfedora*

  • @stagelinedpro
    @stagelinedpro 6 лет назад +430

    KANEDA!!!

    • @tdugong
      @tdugong 6 лет назад +46

      StageLined great...here comes the inevitable back and forth shout.
      Eh, what the hell... TETSUO!!!

    • @abhijeetshrestha1502
      @abhijeetshrestha1502 6 лет назад +30

      KANEDA!!!

    • @coolbeans5911
      @coolbeans5911 6 лет назад +37

      TETSUO!!!!!!

    • @tdugong
      @tdugong 6 лет назад +18

      Ka...ne...da!!!!

    • @coolbeans5911
      @coolbeans5911 6 лет назад +20

      @@tdugong tetSUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

  • @MC_ToyDawg
    @MC_ToyDawg 5 лет назад +15

    Akira and Ninja scroll were my first introduction into japanimation in the early 90's.

  • @NekoEspada
    @NekoEspada 5 лет назад +9

    I rewatched the Director's Cut last night, and wow it still amazes me, it is truly the GOAT.

    • @manastiwari324
      @manastiwari324 4 года назад

      Bro is there an actual director's cut or are you talking about the extras

    • @k3D4rsi554maq
      @k3D4rsi554maq 3 года назад

      That was one amazing anime.

  • @fizzgigmalmy2567
    @fizzgigmalmy2567 3 года назад +1

    Absolutely amazing!!!...the effect this movie had on me as a child and still does to this day is just completely overwhelming!!!...great job man

  • @filippopilutti4450
    @filippopilutti4450 5 лет назад +2

    this video is so much underrated, easily one of the best videos on youtube. Great job.

  • @dojee8993
    @dojee8993 6 лет назад +5

    What a great video. Your presentation made me shed a tear in awe for this piece of art. Kudos to you!

  • @brianoconnell6459
    @brianoconnell6459 4 года назад +4

    One other factor that drove anime into the mainstream, was when Streamline Pictures (one of my friends, Fred Patten, now deceased, formed it with Robotech's Carl Macek) released Akira in theaters. They were one of the earliest anime import and dub companies that really pulled it in.
    Fred Patten formerly ran the C/FO (Cartoon/Fantasy Organization), a multi state/multi city anime club, back in the 1980s, that also attracted early anime fandom, with bootleg copies of anime, we'd all sit around and just soak in that old school anime goodness. As such, that's where I first caught Akira.

  • @mfcoom9485
    @mfcoom9485 5 лет назад +1

    The bike slide montage gave me chills. Thanks for the experience

  • @charlesballiet7074
    @charlesballiet7074 2 года назад +1

    I just wish we could get more of this fluid and lush animation style its so good.

  • @uriahmartinez113
    @uriahmartinez113 5 лет назад +5

    I’m actually mad that I’ve put off watching this video for as long as I did... I loved everything second of it.

  • @christopher_schwab
    @christopher_schwab 5 лет назад +6

    "and a city who's structural integrity is out to get him" - haha so good!

  • @danhitrec1606
    @danhitrec1606 2 года назад +1

    This video deserves way more views. Great video bro keep it coming!!

  • @xXxAngelicKratosxXx
    @xXxAngelicKratosxXx 3 месяца назад

    How is this NOT in the millions in the viewcount?! This is absolutely wonderful, isntantly subscribed!!!!

  • @MrTheil
    @MrTheil 5 лет назад +104

    There better be Kaneda bikes next year

    • @Raction_
      @Raction_ 5 лет назад +6

      With all the fucking stickers and designs too

    • @thatfloridakid
      @thatfloridakid 5 лет назад +2

      There is only one motorcycle produced to mimic the style.. check out honda's NM4. Hella sweet looking, but it's automatic. A cool thing about the bike's dash lights can change colors depending on the riding mode your in, ie. sport-red, other riding modes=different colors. Some fabrication work and I'm sure you can get it really close.
      there is another one called the "stingray" made by a small company in japan. can't really find much information about it tho.

    • @KriegZombie
      @KriegZombie 5 лет назад +10

      If you want one, steal one yourself!

  • @LDBaha
    @LDBaha 6 лет назад +6

    Well I subbed. This was fantastic
    Akira's 35th anniversary collectors manga is Amazing. You should all buy it

  • @sevenclouds5484
    @sevenclouds5484 4 года назад +2

    This is so carefully crafted, I love this episode a lot.

  • @philipdelagarza8039
    @philipdelagarza8039 5 лет назад +2

    I LOVE Akira, at the time it was so ahead of what was out there, that depth, that tone, and that talent behind the hands of the animators, they showed their ass in that film and it still stands the test of time like any GREAT title will.

  • @3DSage
    @3DSage 5 лет назад +3

    I love how you ended it. It's a movie that "demanded to be heard."

  • @synx6272
    @synx6272 5 лет назад +3

    i was just finished watching it before watching this, this is such a great video man, the wording and everyhing, so damn good!!!

  • @lazylion420
    @lazylion420 5 лет назад +2

    Akira 35th anniversary boxed set is still the best gift I ever got. just hundreds of pages of incredible artwork.

  • @cardiac.arrest.2966
    @cardiac.arrest.2966 5 лет назад +2

    I was left speechless after watching this video, as I usually am after watching any video analysis of Akira. it's such an awesome anime that any perspective from any person regarding Katsuhiro's masterpiece of a story is always amazing. a lot of the clips from the movie you used actually emphasized on the animation of light, and that's pretty important to right? since the name of the manga literally means "of light". Nerdwriter made a phenomenal video about how light was animated in the movie Akira and how it discretely plays a major role in the story.

  • @sinbindinchin
    @sinbindinchin 6 лет назад +17

    This is the only animated Japanese film where the backgrounds blend so well and feel part of it, as nice as the backgrounds are in Ghibli stuff, it is so apparent they are water colour backdrops, in Akira it's the most homogeneous presentation ever. In that respect, nothing beats this film, and I don't believe anything will.

  • @louhemmings4255
    @louhemmings4255 6 лет назад +5

    How do you do it joe each and every one of your videos leave me in shock and with a smile on my face

    • @BeyondGhibli
      @BeyondGhibli  6 лет назад +1

      Thanks Lou, glad you liked it :D

  • @Babba16
    @Babba16 2 года назад

    This Video is a total masterpiece, i watch it once a week JUST FOR THE VIBE. Youre a Genius dude

  • @tja9212
    @tja9212 5 лет назад +1

    it's not the essay we deserve, but it's the essay akira deserves.
    thank you for that masterpiece of a youtube essay, wonderful intro and bridges, which also let the viewer >feel< the imagedriven narrative of otomo.
    i didn't know he painted 25 frames, i wasn't even aware of disneys number.
    how many pictures are the ghibli ones?
    i appreciate your content very much. thanks for all your work, and thanks all of your supporters and friends.

  • @SynthStreet
    @SynthStreet 5 лет назад +5

    Very nice video! I still have my original VHS version.

    • @ozbullymorales1020
      @ozbullymorales1020 5 лет назад +2

      I still prefer the VHS version to the DVD/BLU-RAY

    • @SynthStreet
      @SynthStreet 5 лет назад

      Yea for me the dvd had new audio, that i really didn't like, but the 25th Anniversary Edition got that original audio :)

  • @DanTheMan2150AD
    @DanTheMan2150AD 4 года назад +3

    We’re finally getting a 4k release of this, as well as another adaption this time as a series rather than a movie.

  • @solalpld5978
    @solalpld5978 5 лет назад +1

    jesus u deserve so much more subscribers and merits than that ... The work you put into your vids is so crazy...
    I'm rly enjoying all of your work, we need more people like you ! :D
    Keep it up !
    Love

  • @howiedidit7577
    @howiedidit7577 5 лет назад +1

    This movie changed my life as a teenager and is still epic!!! Great edit!

  • @kianadea7149
    @kianadea7149 4 года назад +6

    My friend was named Akira after this movie.

    • @GoldenAgeSk8Video
      @GoldenAgeSk8Video 3 года назад

      Hopefully your friend is not named “Asa Akira”...LOL 🤦‍♂️😳😅

  • @cheatcode3737
    @cheatcode3737 6 лет назад +3

    Beautiful video once again, love it ;)

  • @codekhalil6437
    @codekhalil6437 5 лет назад +1

    Bloody hell this editing was a pleasure to watch! From the scenes timed to the beat @1:57 to the bike slide homages. I tip my hat to you good sir. That was an easy subscribe.

  • @1986LuisK
    @1986LuisK 4 года назад

    BRO Im a huge AKIRA fan and let me tell you this is the best video ESSAY I have watch about akira because of the soundtrack and the coherent structure of your arguments really a master piece. Thanks for this bro.

  • @nickmattio3397
    @nickmattio3397 5 лет назад +11

    God help us if this literally all happens at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo

  • @garybesta1222
    @garybesta1222 6 лет назад +4

    I love this movie and have owned it in various formats over the years (now inc. bluray).
    It sparked my love of Anime which continues to this day.
    An early OAV worth a mention is Cyber City ~ Oedo 808 (1990~91).
    Worth checking out if you haven't seen this trilogy of Sci-fi Anime Gold.

    • @Loader2K1
      @Loader2K1 5 лет назад

      It's nice to meet another fan of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's work. I like Cyber City Oedo 808 as well, but I'm sad that there was never an official conclusion to the franchise.

    • @garybesta1222
      @garybesta1222 5 лет назад

      As you say it's a shame it was never completed, but I've seen it's ideas included in many Anime films and series since.
      Another favourite from that time is Roujin Z OAV (1991).
      Very funny and futuristic for its time.

    • @Loader2K1
      @Loader2K1 5 лет назад

      I know of Roujin Z, but have never seen it.

  • @yu-we1
    @yu-we1 6 лет назад

    Jesus man this video is insanely well made. This video essay is on an entirely new level. Akira is one of my favorite animated films of all time and your insight on it's cultural impacts heighten my appreciation for it. Also, your voice is incredible, please keep creating.

  • @ThatGuy-px7he
    @ThatGuy-px7he 3 года назад

    Your intro sequence is SO well done. Just WOW!

  • @aegidoll
    @aegidoll 5 лет назад +4

    Thanks for going over how much longer and more involved the manga is than the movie; I've always been in awe of the film, but only just read the manga last year, and it seriously dwarfs the film in every conceivable way. Still such a mind blowing and iconic film, but I think everyone should try to read the manga, too. I found that it has aged flawlessly, almost eerily! It is almost prophetically relevant to what today's political and social climate seems to be moving towards. Even the plot twist is completely different. Also, what fantastic editing you've done here!

    • @DeadKraken
      @DeadKraken 5 лет назад

      I read the manga before seeing the movie, and honestly I think that while the manga is more "complete" and does many things right, there are certain things that the movie did much better. Jodorowsky(a visionary artist, director and writer that worked in french comics and media during and after the 60s sci-fi revolution) gave Otomo some suggestions on how to conclude the story in the movie and in the comics, and it shows.
      I prefer the movie version of Akira for example, where he's only a bunch of brain slices preserved in test tubes but he's so powerfull that he's still active and able to make Tetsuo feel his presence. It's logical to tear apart, experiment and then mostly destroy a person so powefull that caused an atomic bomb-like explosion, instead of just preserving him in hibernation with almost no security. Plus Akira has really no personality, having him in person doesn't contribute anything to the story aside for the second explosion and the conclusion, and both could be easily archieved by awakening him accidentally or voluntarely with the power of Tetsuo(or all the others combined). There are also some pretty slow paced parts, like all the political\corruption part, that while essential to understand certain characters, could have been done in a more interesting manner.
      I still like the characterization of all the characters, especially Tetsuo and Kay(or Kai or Key or whatever your language has translated than name into xD)much more in the manga tho and Otomo's art is amazing.

  • @decibelfilm
    @decibelfilm 5 лет назад +3

    In truth many shots in Akira feature a very clever combination of frame rates, often based on where the eye will first be drawn.
    You'll have your main subject in 24fps (but also often in 12fps) then with less central elements in the plate running at sometimes as little as 6 or 4fps, depending on the complexity of their motion.
    Helping to smooth all this out however, all optical camera moves and mechanical motion of both animated elements and still plates across the frame are always performed in 24fps, adding to the terrific illusion of fluid motion throughout.
    Think of it as optimisation of resources, similar to what a video game chooses to render in high or low detail based on where the player is and what's in their field of view.

    • @mycollegeshirt
      @mycollegeshirt 5 лет назад +2

      thank god I wasnt the only one who heard that and was like wtf, I was like there has to be another animator here who was like yeah that's wrong?

    • @KazuyaMithra
      @KazuyaMithra 5 лет назад

      This is common practice for most anime films even now

  • @yogendramisra9137
    @yogendramisra9137 2 года назад

    "Akira demanded to be heard; and the world, has never stopped listening"... So well put..Kudos.

  • @KarlHessey-db6mf
    @KarlHessey-db6mf 8 дней назад

    The artwork and style is amazing.

  • @pointlesstalk6924
    @pointlesstalk6924 5 лет назад +3

    "Anime was about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E."
    Damn right.
    Who else is psyched for 2019 and the Tokyo Olympics?

  • @JG-td3qw
    @JG-td3qw 5 лет назад +3

    It feels surreal that 2019 is now.
    I never thought the side sliding motor has been cameoed so many times.

  • @DraconiusLux
    @DraconiusLux 3 года назад

    And a huge thank you to too. This is a very good critique. You made me love it again

  • @myriadpath
    @myriadpath 4 года назад

    super slick editing and animations here. with the sole exception of "kuh-nay-duh", this is a near perfect video essay

  • @DTSsince2016
    @DTSsince2016 6 лет назад +45

    AKIRA is the Greatest Anime Movie Ever Made, along with Castle in the Sky!

    • @ChinChin-wx4zy
      @ChinChin-wx4zy 6 лет назад +8

      alot of the other studio ghiibli movies are better then castle in the sky

    • @DTSsince2016
      @DTSsince2016 6 лет назад +1

      Chin Chin I know. My Second Favorite is TALES from EARTHSEA, and my Third Favorite is Princess Mononoke! The rest are all great and magical!!

    • @SchmuckMartin
      @SchmuckMartin 6 лет назад +1

      umm, no, Castle in the sky is a great film for what it is. My personal ghibli favorite, others may be "better" but that film has so much charm. Iconic ghibli adventure film.

    • @DTSsince2016
      @DTSsince2016 6 лет назад

      Schmuck Martin Exactly! It's the first Ghibli film I ever watched, and it changed my view of Anime Films Forever!

    • @ericcota4732
      @ericcota4732 6 лет назад

      Death THunder Studios I completely agree with you! Castle in the Sky is also my favorite anime movie!

  • @GangiFilms
    @GangiFilms 6 лет назад +5

    Well done man. you are on your way to 1 mil subs

  • @hazbiniznow89
    @hazbiniznow89 3 года назад +1

    Lovely presentation. Masochism is a strange way to describe the pursuit of excellence.

  • @naomiuriostegui8261
    @naomiuriostegui8261 4 года назад +1

    Amazing job dude... Simply amazing...

  • @djshrike
    @djshrike 5 лет назад +3

    A fantastic soundtrack to a fantastically edited essay.
    Could you please tell me which track is used between 1:00 and 1:30 with the voice samples please?

    • @Jaybee999
      @Jaybee999 4 года назад

      Look up awaken Akira

  • @swtup5950
    @swtup5950 6 лет назад +8

    C L A S S I C

  • @ClarenceDass
    @ClarenceDass 5 лет назад +2

    I watched this again on Bluray the other night and it just blew me away. I hadn't seen it in years and only just got the bluray. Story and themes aside, the movie is just beautiful to look at too.

  • @djgizmoe
    @djgizmoe Год назад +1

    I saw AKIRA shortly after it was released, my friend having rented it from the local Japanese video store. Even with no subtitles, I was enthralled by the animation, the music by Geinoh Yamashirogumi and the epic nature of the story. It sparked an interest in Japan that eventually led me to living there for almost 15 years, and I plan to retire there.

  • @KINGJADEX
    @KINGJADEX 5 лет назад +7

    What is the song that started at 0:13?

  • @jmalmsten
    @jmalmsten 6 лет назад +10

    I loved the film growing up, but the last few times it's been hard to rewatch it. And the reason is its way of handling its fractured story structure. It's composed of 5-10 minutes of superbly put together sequences strung together with dips to black. And while I know there are plenty of anime films that are heavily abridged versions of their sources, Akira feels too much like the dreaded recap episodes that tv anime insert to gain some time to work on future episodes.
    Don't get me wrong. Those snippets are jawdroppingly awesome. But it's still structured like a clip show. It almost is as if they made it to be released as a RUclips series back when the runtime of youtube was limited to 10 minutes. And then they just strung these episodes together using fade to black between them.
    Akira, the cipshow episode of the most awesomest of tv anime we never got to see...
    Also... The soundtrack is just friggin mindblowing... On that note I cannot fault it at all.

    • @tdugong
      @tdugong 6 лет назад +3

      jmalmsten it's a 6 volume tankobon squeezed into a 2 hour movie. A lot of stuff either got condensed or cut out entirely.

    • @DeadKraken
      @DeadKraken 5 лет назад +2

      @@tdugong The manga wasn't even finished during the production of the movie, so most of what you see in the second half, it's entirely original to the movie and not a condensed version of the manga. Otomo had a lot of problems in deciding how to conclude the movie and then on how to make the manga different from the movie's ending, I remember reading an old interview in which he explained that he talked with a lot of fellow artists about that, including many western ones that were heavily into the delirious Sci-fi of the time, like Jodorowsky.

  • @VioletsOnMars
    @VioletsOnMars 3 года назад

    I grew up on some of the more classic anime. Lupin, Nausicaä, Macross, Royal Space Force, Ashita no Joe, Space Pirate Captain Harlock-- etc. Yet, Akira still remains the greatest work of Japanese animation I've ever seen. Additionally, having read manga like Berserk, Parasyte, and Devilman (all astonishing works!). Nothing kept me in a constant creative space and awe like the Akira manga. There was just something so raw and genuine about it.
    Great video! Brought back all the good memories of this work of art. 😁👍

  • @mho...
    @mho... 2 года назад

    Im born in '83 & the first time i saw Akira back then, it was in the truest sense of the word an "Eye Opener", having only known disney & other morning kids tv shows.
    These days its the first "Eyecandy" movie that truly deserves this title,imho!