Akira - Renegade Cut
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2016
- An analysis of the 1988 anime film Akira and how it relates to apotheosis and post-war Japan. Support Renegade Cut Media through Patreon. / renegadecut
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Please watch: "Blade Runner 2049 - Do Androids Dream of Being Human? | Renegade Cut"
• Blade Runner 2049 - Do...
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I grew up in Manhattan and when I was 11 *Akira* was playing in a small east village art theatre. I can't describe how powerful an experience it was as I'd never seen _anything_ like it... the animation quality blew me away and I was instantly hooked on anime. *Akira* will always have a very special place in my heart :)
I was born in '84. I always heard of this anime growing up. I was always intrigue by the culture. When I actually sat down and watched it. It blow my mind. All types of philosophical mind sets came to me. And I truly feel that was the moment my mind expanded to think beyond normal things.
Akira is one of the most beautiful anime movies I have seen. It blew away to just see garbage and trash to be shown with such detail. And the music is so good. I think they did an amazing job of transferring the manga into an anime movie.
Akira is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen. My favorite movie of all time.
That's because the director of the film is the same guy who wrote the manga
Wobbles and Bean I don’t think the film is meant to look ugly at all, I would say it looks really pretty along with having some of the most fluid animation I’ve ever seen in any film.
this channel really needs more respect and visibility. this is amazing. well done!
The Japanese emperors were also god-kings. In fact one of the demands of the allies to the Japanese was to for the emperor to reject his divinity. In the 70s when fascist poet/playwright Yukio Mishima used his private militia to try to stage incite a coup in the military one of his main goals was to restore the divinity of the emperor.
I don't know if it was intentional or not and I feel like it pales in comparison to the grander themes brought up and the narrative aspects that you point to... but one thing that really resonated with me from both the manga and film are what I perceive as the roles of characters based on their age and how they perceive the world and act.
It seems to me like the teenagers in Akira are all potential, energy and rage. Rebels without a cause.
The young adults like Kei and Ryusaku are shown as idealistic, and combative thinking they have things figured out and can change the world.
The mature Colonel is a gear of the system. We can't deny his experience, authority and even integrity, but he's been assimilated into it. He probably tells himsel this is the realistic and sensible thing to do. His arc is even more interesting in the manga, especially after the destruction of Neo Tokyo.
The older generations, portrayed by Nezu and other minor generations are detached with the current world, they don't know what's best for a world that isn't theirs but that doesn't stop them. They're also shown to be very corrupt. Lady Miyako is VERY different, much more spiritual and a much more positive and extremely badass character in the manga.
I also have to say that I miss Chiyoko, my favourite character from the manga, but if a character can't make the cut, that's sadly her. Her involvement in the plot is not that important. She's just badass and a great side character.
For those who like Akira and Chiyoko I recommend reading Legend of Mother Sarah, also by Katsuhiro Otomo with art by Takumi Nagayasu, although I wouldn't know anything about its availability in English.
One of my favorite films of all time. Glad to see you doing it justice, Leon. That being said, Perfect Blue being on the recommended viewing list just reminds me of how badly I want a Blu-Ray release of it. Why are so many great foreign films so hard to get a hold of? Ugh...
Ah, finallynsomeone talking about Akira here... One of my favourites.
Akira is fascinating look at Japanese fears and anxieties concerning the apocalypse and the impermanence of life.
Amazing episode! Thank you so much for the insight! I feared I was alone in thinking Tetsuo's path wasn't exlusively one of ruins.
If I may dare, I think that Tetsuo manages to reach his apotheosis because he uses his powers following his instincts (even the low ones) instead of abstract values. In a way he is a deconstructive force: he destroys the symbol of the reconstruction (the Olympic stadium) because even though it seemed new its foundations were old (the lab below that had something to do with Akira that I don't remember very well), and maybe those foundations were the reason for the endless cycle.
In this sense, Tetsuo and the military are different: while the military uses power to destroy in order to enforce its worldview, Tetsuo wants to destroy EVERY worldview. His rage is primitive and, in a way, pure: he doesn't want power to realize some goal, but to realize HIMSELF. To become strong, to grow.
At first view, this rage might seem petty and egoistical. The problem is that the world of Akira is a world that is changing in a way that people can't understand, which is why they are losing their humanity, as you brilliantly remark at 8:58. From what I know, Japan was going through a similar situations, with parents trying to raise children after the war with values that belonged to a different world.
Instead of holding to values that are no longer appliable, Tetsuo goes back to basics, to what he feels and through that he uses his power to deal with the world. Instead of dominating his condition, his power, his pain, he embraces them. By doing this he manages to overcome his limits and Akira (which might be the zeitgeist?) rewards him with the apotheosis.
By this (rambling and insane) approach, the whole film might also be read as an allegory for a world based around change: progress might be brought forward by primitive instincts that force us to rethink our reality.
Few things:
It's kinda odd to bring up religious themes without a mention of Buddhism or Shinto, the religions most popular in Japan, with Shinto considering the Emperor of Japan a descendant of Ameterasu. The Manga goes into more detail about the cult seen in the film, and I think it actually plays a very different role, I would need to re-read.
Second, I think youth is a much more central theme in the story (having read the comics as well as seen the movie). Japan inthe 80's had a lot of anxiety about youth crime which was on the rise. I can't really speak on specifics about the theme because I'm not that well versed, but I think the idea was mostly that it looked like the old traditional ways were dying and a generation of rowdy ingrates would be taking over, though the author doesn't seem to think so, because the youth, with all their motorbikes and drugs, are still the heroes.
Another theme I think is important is the revolution, which neither vversion of the work really goes intoo details about, but which borrows heavily from the Japanese student protest movement in the 60's and 70's; the red flags and the hard hats with slogans painted on etc. The student protest movement also spawned two militant terrorist groups (Unified Red Army which more domestic, and Japanese Red Army which more international ties), which were still active around the time the manga and film were made (JRA formally disbanded in 2001 though there's a continuation movement)
That's what I gleaned as important in my reading and viewing of the works, but I did like the episode.
The film is, of course, an incomplete adaptation. IIRC it ends around volume 6 or 8 of the Manga, which spans 12 volumes, and includes a new order in Tokyo with Akira and Tetsuo on a throne, the threat of a foreign military intervention and more.
I like you!
What a pleasant surprise to start the day!
Akira shows some metaphor from 1954 Japanese Manga or 1964 Japanese TV Anime 'Tetsujin 28 Gou '(iron man No. 28) or [Gigantor] , base story created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. Tetsujin was a radio controlled combat robot secretly created by Japanese Imperial Army during WW2. After WW2, the son of the inventor of Tetsujin no.28 obtains the controller, and he would use Tetsujin No. 28 to fight against the evils. This son's name was Shotaro Kaneda, who controls the Tetsujin. Also in the opening song of Tetsujin No.28 1964 anime, there's a verse singing as " Good or Evil, depends on whom hold the controller". FYI
Having read the manga [not saying im better for having read it, its really long] you pretty accurately nailed down the point of it all. Which is pretty impressive since the movie only rushes through about half the manga. Theres some really interesting Refugee stuff in the second half and the ending im pretty sure is a full throated endorsement of Yakuza activities post WW2.
Please may you make The Neon Demon Renegade Cut episode?!!! I love that film and have been trying to dissect it since it came out.
By the way, this is not a formal request, I'm just letting you know personally that I want an episode on this film, because it is such a good type of film to analyse (and I am still racking my brain around it lol).
Just found this channel last week; have been going through the cuts ever since. This is awesome, incredible, amazing work. Just perfect visual critiques/analysis of cinema as an art form. Keep up the great work!
Just subbed to you yesterday after browsing your past videos and today you do one of my favorite films!! Thanks for the content and thoughts.
best analysis I've seen so far!
Such a great episode! Kudos!
Thanks for revisiting a classic, it was a good video
Great video 👍🏼
The fact they hosted the Olympics in 2020 and had to postpone is so eerie to me.
one of his best
my favourite film
mate im loving ur videos... great film choices!! have u seen a movie called Dead Mans shoes? its great.. would love it if u analysed it too
Question: Do you Leon enjoy seeing the movies you analyze? I'm just saying because it feels you appreciate the art of how these movies are made and what they contribute to history and current topics. Like they don't have to be in your top 20 favorites but, like Akira, enjoyable in a sense you can rewatch a lot in your spare time.
I felt bad for Tetsuo's girlfriend. She seems so sweet, but she just gets randomly killed by her boyfriend.
so the kid at the end of this created his own universe but why did he leave the world he was in and why did he want to leave his friends behind? and why did his friend at the was smiling and happy at the end when he grabbed the light and with on his bike and drived off with his friends at the end? and by the way i hope they make a remake to this cuz all this didn't happen in the manga lol
Also: guys, check out the Patreon page! I know we all usually hate those things, but this guy has some awesome rewards. I might pay the 30$ reward--where you can pick the movie--just to see him deeply analyze something ridiculous like C.H.U.D. or Humanoids From the Deep! :P
As much as the Anime is one of the greatest, if you haven't yet, read the manga, it is way more fleshed out in every way. It's over 2000 pages, they couldn't fit everything in 2 hours, specially when otomo hadn't finished it yet at the time.
Was this a patreon request? Because it seemed a bit of a stretch... Don't misunderstand me, as always, you provided an interesting piece of conversation. Just asking.
I hope you are interested enough in the potential of anime movies to review more in the future by your own initiative, like this one.
"Boku wa ... Tetsuo." The childish/youthful/boyish/masculine version of saying "I am"
Hello. Would anyone know the name of the music being played in the background of the video please? Many thanks…
I think I'd fit right in
Is there a renegade cut of princess mononoke?
I looked, but hoped I'd just missed it.
Funnily enough, the 2020 Summer Olympics actually are going to be held in Tokyo.
have you read the manga's? - The film covers mostly book 2 of 6
Nathan Pierce Exactly.
Nathan Pierce They are the last comic I've read recently
You did it! I was hoping you'd one day analyze this movie. Katsuhiro Otomo also wrote and illustrated a manga of AKIRA. A lot of differences from the movie but the themes remain. If you love the movie then you should do yourself a favor and get the manga. It is amazing. Katsuhiro Otomo's attention to detail is one of the best I've seen in that art form. Also the ending is changed from the film's. I believe he said he never knew exactly how to end Akira so it's interesting seeing the different endings.
Akira is GORGEOUSLY animated and directed. But, like a lot of anime, the story makes absolutely sense. This is partially because it was re-written as a adaptation of a very long, and involved manga. The Manga is VASTLY superior as a piece of storytelling. It is a post-apocalypse story about the characters in the film living in Tokyo after it has been destroyed by Akira and their journey to try to stop him and his disciple Tetsuo. If you enjoyed the film you should really go seek out the manga. You will probably enjoy it more.
i'm probably starting the cinder of a fire in my posteriors but one ( minor i know) detail that almost everybody knows that bugs me a little is the sometimes chopines of the movie because of the source material, we know that otomo only was half tru making the manga when he did the movie and i love akira nethertheless (it can't be more legit of an adaptation than the same creator doing both) but and if the announcement of the tv adaptation comes true, to see all the story play out like in the manga and i can scrach the little feeling that i'm only watching part of the story and those little plotholes will be filled somehow
angelgris001 but it's a different story, IMO. It's not really more true or false than the manga--just a different take on the same material. Much as I love the manga, I also prefer the more sympathetic Tetsuo of the film. It's a lot more interesting to me.
I can second that feeling. Because, to me. Once the impact of the animation quality wore off the film feels very uneven. It is great in its 5-10 min chunks. bite sized perfect for youtube clips. But as a whole. Taken in with a a single sitting viewing it from start to finish. It feels less like a film an more like a recap episode of a long running series. It has that same feeling of stop and go until the next awkward full stop. Then start the next sequence that ends with a degree of awkwardness. Until the film ends.
I always appreciated this film because it allows the American viewer into another point of view and invites us to empathize with an idol of Japanese WWII culture, how they got to a point where they could not turn back, how they fear making the same mistakes again, how the bomb is almost an act of god to them, a lesson in humility. Unlike other heavy handed animes about WWII (Grave of the Fireflies, etc.), this movie stands out because it uses metaphors and symbolism, which ring far more true than emotional manipulation. It is easier to see a feeling expressed in pictures than it is to explain a feeling expressed in words. For me, Akira is film about sorrow, regret, and rebirth, but by saying very little, leaving the themes to implication and visual storytelling, the film says far more than many other attempts managed.
Akira was the first anime I watched, it set my expectations way too high.
the fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth
Akira is a many layered movie. Like an onion, to the first viewing it seems like an action movie with hints that something is different. This isn't your usual action movie.
It is once you see it more and more that you pick up the hints that something is quite different indeed.
I read the manga's. Bloody expensive to buy, The movie itself is only part of the story. There is more much more.
Why show clips from the terrible dub?
That's too bad. It's better in its original audio.
every version was just as awesome ...
Here we go with the anime sub snobs
I still think Akira is mostly remembered for its animation quality, violence and brief pointless nudity. It has a lot of symbolism, but nothing that can be defined as a core meaning or message. Which I suppose helps with multiple interpretations.
But i still think it's overall a bad movie, overhyped a bit too much.
Having read the manga, I have to agree. The manga is also very violent and has some pointless nudity, but it's a lot more coherent. The characters and storyline are more complete and in general make a lot more sense
HaiDaiyu I also hear the events of the manga take place across years?
StarTsurugi
Yes, I don't remember exactly how long but it was a year or two. The city descends into anarchy for at least a couple months before the final confrontation