TOYSREVIL's Top Ten Favouritest Must-See Anime Movies List #1
Favouritest Must-Watch Anime Movie #1: AKIRA
Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, based on his own manga of the same title.
Released: 1988 / Duration: 125 minutes
WHY: Concept wise. Execution wise. This 1988's animated splendor shone by itself in the world of modern animation. Crossing over beyond their Japanimation notions and crossing into popular culture, bring neon-lights to an apocalyptical future, this was Mad Max on two wheels and bathed in fluorescents in the dark. This movie had inspired and moved me, and influenced me till this very day, not just because of it's hackened storyline, or garish colors, but of the notion of power and it's immortal existence to the world who both fears them and respects them, but only until it is too late. And it took some blokes on souped-up motorbikes to face it.
There is no evil to triumph over, for WE are the evil. We are the unjust.
Aaaaahhhh who am I kidding? It was Kaneda's bike that hooked me in! LOL
[12" figures Tetsuo and Kaneda & light-up Bike from Medicom Toy (x Project BM)
featuring awesome Toy-Photography by Alice Adrenochrome]
Although not everything is hunky-dory here in Neo-Tokyo...
Matt Walls of Smash Tokyo Toys feels "nothing" for the film, nor does Indonesia-based illustrator Bryan Lie, who remains "untickled" by the mention. Singapore-based Illustrator Aileen Ye also has this to share: "When u say 'Akira' it always makes me think 'Kurosawa' and therefore by that association alone, Kuroasawa is 'haunting' but 'Akira' is bland to me. It doesn't make me feel as much about what it tries to represent. Does not make me feel that 'pang'."
('pang" is a local Singapore-slang equivalent to "woah" but with more exclamation).
Different strokes to different folks, as the notion of anime is to most folks. It can literally boil down to LIKE or DISLIKE (wow, I am so Facebook-facepalmed, aren't I?), and frankly, anything else in-between is somewhat "forgettable", save for the myriad of old-skool anime-cartoons a whole lot of us 30-40 year-old generation rats actually relate to personally (yes, that is another planned list altogether muahahaha), beyond the hype. Quite a refreshing state, methinks.
David Tan of Filmoo has another outlook compared to the rest: "An animation for Japan, that is the first that hollywood finally 'look-out' on" - by which he refers to the "upcoming" live-action adaptation of the infamous anime - currently being developed. I wish I could share his sentiment and excitement, but with finding out the name of "Tetsuo" might possibly be altered to "Travis" - the notion chills me to the bone. [Cracked.com posts their views].
Some folks might bulk or wouldn't give a hoot about the live-action (no skin off my back, no worries), I for one hope it lives up to the epic-ness and legend of the predecessor, and not transcend into a "Death Race 3000"-on-bikes, based on the island Manhattan instead - yes, seems the venue is now Manhattan, and not Tokyo - "Neo-Manhattan" anyone? (*shudder*)
[Poster Image by Tyler Stout revealed on HitFix]
Thank you all for reading TOYSREVIL's Top Ten Favouritest Must-See Anime Movies List, and hope to present other LISTS to you folks, and soon! Meanwhile, here are links to the previous countdown from Number Ten to Two = #4-#2 / #7-#5 / #10-#8 ~ *ENJOY!*
