IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Even better than Akira? That's a low bar...
Rate the last anime you watched out of 10
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IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
It's not that I dislike Akira, but much like Ghost in the Shell, I find it to be a film that once might have been great, but just hasn't really aged too well. The animation is amazing, I won't deny that, but I think only last ~30 minutes of Akira are enjoyable, the rest I'm not too fussed about. Then again, it's not as bad as Ghost in the Shell, where only about 5 minutes provide any sort of tangible entertainment.
qaiz
Pokémon Master
I understand your feelings on the films, I do disagree which is fine. I could go on for hours about why I love those two films but I'm not here to push my agenda, (or at least not in this thread) but I guess I just felt that the blanket statement of it not being a high bar to be a little strange is all. Of course it's implied that it isn't a high bar for yourself on a personal level, but Akira is a landmark film that is hailed as a classic, anime or otherwise. Akira isn't a high bar for you, which is fine, but for a vast majority of anime fans it's damn near the pinnacle.
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Oh, I won't deny, it was totally a personal thing. I have a habit of needing to vocalise my distaste of popular anime, which probably makes me a bit of a dick.
ThatguyfromNorway
Brigade Leader
The Tatami Galaxy
Tatami Galaxy was a lot of fun. First time in a long while I watched 11 episodes on one day. Took an episode to adjust to the sub's speeds. These characters speak very fast yes.
Except the leader of the movie club, the characters was enjoyable. Thought I think the cowboy got lame fast.
The story was good. I like convoluted stories.
The artstyle was interesting. It works great for this show.
Tatami Galaxy was a lot of fun. First time in a long while I watched 11 episodes on one day. Took an episode to adjust to the sub's speeds. These characters speak very fast yes.
Except the leader of the movie club, the characters was enjoyable. Thought I think the cowboy got lame fast.
The story was good. I like convoluted stories.
The artstyle was interesting. It works great for this show.
Vashdaman
Za Warudo
Yeah as I was watching it, I was thinking "this is like something the guy who made Summer Wars would like to make, but he'll never be able to match this." The gulf between this and Summer Wars is immeasurable. Your Name tells a real corker of a young love story.
@Lemon
It's interesting that you feel Akira has aged badly. I think it's one of those films that actually has seemed to get more and more relevant over the years, and that goes for much of cyberpunk genre to be honest. Akira even successfully predicted the 2020 Tokyo olympics! But Akira's plot and world elements are timeless really, and I'm sure could still kick off an interesting discussion. Actually I've been pondering recently, was there ever any consensus about what the 'Akira' power itself is a metaphor for? Someone the other day told me he reads nuclear power into it, but I don't really find it convincing that a film set in a world already ravaged by nuclear war would need a metaphor for that. Anyone have any ideas? I have a film studies article about Akira somewhere, so I'm trying to dig that up.
Yes please!
Lambadelta
Mad Scientist
I actually have to agree that I personally don't think Akira has aged well. I did enjoy the film, but I have a hard time bringing myself to ever consider rewatching it.
I feel that the film's themes, and plot are very good but its how it comes together just puts me off from going back to revisit it especially with the new CE of it out now.
I feel that the film's themes, and plot are very good but its how it comes together just puts me off from going back to revisit it especially with the new CE of it out now.
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Perhaps aged isn't really what I was looking for. Hmm. I just mean that, whilst it might have seemed like the greatest thing ever to those who were into anime back in the 80s and 90s, me being a relatively young person, perhaps the appeal is lost on me or I just don't appreciate it as much as I would have otherwise. Like, if I were to hold Akira up to my favourites; Madoka, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Steins;Gate, Gurren Lagann, School Live, etc, it just doesn't even come a modicum of an inch near to any of them. Akira is a fine film, but for all the hype as literally the greatest anime ever, I couldn't help but be so underwhelmed. If the film didn't have such a hype around it, maybe I would have liked it more, but when it failed to be anything but the best anime I've ever seen, I soured to it.
Vashdaman
Za Warudo
It is quite unconventional in it's storytelling, but that's only something that has added to it's lasting appeal
whoa. Fair enough though. I mean, I think My Name is better than Akira so who am I to judge.
ayase
State Alchemist
It is interesting to observe how the old classics don't seem to resonate as much with younger audiences any more.
No matter how much I might want to slap Lemon silly for talking sh*t about GitS I'll resist the urge. People have different tastes, ayase. It's okay. It's okay.
Is this what getting old and disconnected from the next generation feels like? Or perhaps the themes might mean more to people as they get older, I dunno.
No matter how much I might want to slap Lemon silly for talking sh*t about GitS I'll resist the urge. People have different tastes, ayase. It's okay. It's okay.
Is this what getting old and disconnected from the next generation feels like? Or perhaps the themes might mean more to people as they get older, I dunno.
Lambadelta
Mad Scientist
I feel its what those themes mean to people change as their own situation through life matures.
But on the talk of Ghost in the shell that is indeed a classic, and I love it so much. I bought a ticket to go see it in a cinema near me in January the moment they announced it, and will actually be the first time I will watch the film in Japanese so it will be a great treat.
Joe
Thousand Master
In regards to both Akira in Ghost in the Shell, I'm probably somewhat of an outlier in that I'm not a huge fan of Akira, yet I absolutely love GitS.
For me, my own issue with Akira is similar to what was mentioned earlier, that Akira itself is clearly an allegory for... something, but it's not immediately obvious what. Critically analysing something isn't my strong point (and I generally don't go into anime with a critical mindset), so Akira for the most part left me feeling like "what did I just watch?" GitS however, while still letting you dive deep analytically if you're into that, has a philosophical message that is much more easily understandable at a surface level (the film asking what it means to be human in a setting where cyberization is rampant is a fairly easy-to-grasp concept).
Akira itself also doesn't completely adapt the entire story, and (while admittedly it's been a few years since I've last watched it) it felt incomplete. Funnily enough however, I also felt when I first watched it that it was quite a bit longer than it needed to be. GitS obviously also doesn't adapt its entire source material either, but the story it does tell, while much smaller in scope, feels more self-contained.
For me, my own issue with Akira is similar to what was mentioned earlier, that Akira itself is clearly an allegory for... something, but it's not immediately obvious what. Critically analysing something isn't my strong point (and I generally don't go into anime with a critical mindset), so Akira for the most part left me feeling like "what did I just watch?" GitS however, while still letting you dive deep analytically if you're into that, has a philosophical message that is much more easily understandable at a surface level (the film asking what it means to be human in a setting where cyberization is rampant is a fairly easy-to-grasp concept).
Akira itself also doesn't completely adapt the entire story, and (while admittedly it's been a few years since I've last watched it) it felt incomplete. Funnily enough however, I also felt when I first watched it that it was quite a bit longer than it needed to be. GitS obviously also doesn't adapt its entire source material either, but the story it does tell, while much smaller in scope, feels more self-contained.
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Some interesting discussion today, itt.
Lemon kind of touched on this and no doubt I've said it before, but I think with nearly 30 years of changes in taste for both producers and consumers, it's inevitable that Akira does not hold the same broad appeal to the anime fandom now that it would have done during the '90s. Look at what the typical big shows are now and look at Akira. Personally, I don't think it's an age thing and I don't mean to suggest that everyone coming into anime within the last few years only cares about cute girls doing cute things, but I think the typical new fans are following what is produced in the biggest quantity, and that is clearly things which are not like Akira.
Plenty of people will still hold it aloft as one of the greatest anime productions ever, but how many of them stopped following anime years ago, or maybe were never big fans in the first place? Some newer fans may also resent it as something blankly hoisted upon them by the old guard - I know that Daryl Surat suggested many people took against Bubblegum Crisis for such reasons.
Not saying I wouldn't go back in a heartbeat to having us all skip hand in hand through the fields with Armitage III on a constant loop, but change is inevitable and people will always come along to crap on your idols, whatever they may be.
tl;dr: If people don't like Akira now, it doesn't surprise me.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but the film seems to touch on a lot of the experiences and fears of the baby-boomer generation - not just the a-bomb, but also the aids crisis, student riots, alienated youth, vivisection, the olympics putting Japan on the world stage, and so on. Akira himself represents destruction, but also a kind of cleansing - perhaps it's all just fear that the boomers are the ones who screwed everything up and a desire to go back to what things were like before?
Lemon kind of touched on this and no doubt I've said it before, but I think with nearly 30 years of changes in taste for both producers and consumers, it's inevitable that Akira does not hold the same broad appeal to the anime fandom now that it would have done during the '90s. Look at what the typical big shows are now and look at Akira. Personally, I don't think it's an age thing and I don't mean to suggest that everyone coming into anime within the last few years only cares about cute girls doing cute things, but I think the typical new fans are following what is produced in the biggest quantity, and that is clearly things which are not like Akira.
Plenty of people will still hold it aloft as one of the greatest anime productions ever, but how many of them stopped following anime years ago, or maybe were never big fans in the first place? Some newer fans may also resent it as something blankly hoisted upon them by the old guard - I know that Daryl Surat suggested many people took against Bubblegum Crisis for such reasons.
Not saying I wouldn't go back in a heartbeat to having us all skip hand in hand through the fields with Armitage III on a constant loop, but change is inevitable and people will always come along to crap on your idols, whatever they may be.
tl;dr: If people don't like Akira now, it doesn't surprise me.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but the film seems to touch on a lot of the experiences and fears of the baby-boomer generation - not just the a-bomb, but also the aids crisis, student riots, alienated youth, vivisection, the olympics putting Japan on the world stage, and so on. Akira himself represents destruction, but also a kind of cleansing - perhaps it's all just fear that the boomers are the ones who screwed everything up and a desire to go back to what things were like before?
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Barakamon
The rather trite-sounding plot did not fill me with confidence (hot-headed city-dwelling artist is exiled to countryside; finds his mojo), but this was simply one of the most pleasing things I've watched all year. It's warm and comforting like a hot bath, yet its gentle humour still has enough of an edge to be consistently entertaining. It doesn't surprise me either that it was one of my design buddies who recommended it to me - if you've ever been involved in any creative endeavour, something here is certain to strike a chord.
The rather trite-sounding plot did not fill me with confidence (hot-headed city-dwelling artist is exiled to countryside; finds his mojo), but this was simply one of the most pleasing things I've watched all year. It's warm and comforting like a hot bath, yet its gentle humour still has enough of an edge to be consistently entertaining. It doesn't surprise me either that it was one of my design buddies who recommended it to me - if you've ever been involved in any creative endeavour, something here is certain to strike a chord.
Orgun
Dragon Knight
Active Raid - 4/10
Active Raid 2nd - 6/10
Active Raid was very messy, it lacked any consistency in its tone and the characters were immature but there were signs of improvement in the last few episodes.
The second series benefitted from the gap between series and was more consistent and focussed from the outset and told a much better story. I enjoyed 2nd as some easy going light entertainment and it even had some laugh out loud moments.
Goro Taniguchi often has ideas that I really like but find his execution is often mediocre and I think Active Raid is another example of that.
Active Raid 2nd - 6/10
Active Raid was very messy, it lacked any consistency in its tone and the characters were immature but there were signs of improvement in the last few episodes.
The second series benefitted from the gap between series and was more consistent and focussed from the outset and told a much better story. I enjoyed 2nd as some easy going light entertainment and it even had some laugh out loud moments.
Goro Taniguchi often has ideas that I really like but find his execution is often mediocre and I think Active Raid is another example of that.
st_owly (witch)
Time-Traveller
My main complaint with Akira was that I just found it incredibly boring. I fell asleep watching it, and my overwhelming memory of it is just people screaming "TETSUOOOOOOOOO" over and over again.
The manga on the other hand is amazing.
The manga on the other hand is amazing.
