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Blade Director to Adapt 'Akira' For Western Audiences 278

Posted by timothy from the no-longer-april-fool's-day dept.
dswensen writes: "According to the Sci-Fi Channel web site, Steven Norrington (director of Blade) is going to write and direct an adaptation of the classic anime Akira. Norrington says his story 'preserves the tone, the visual and the epic scope of the original, whilst telling a somewhat more accessible story [to Western audiences]." The article doesn't mention whether the adaptation will be animated or live-action. Given Norrington's track record and the butchery that usually takes place under the guise of making something 'accessible,' it's hard to take this as extraordinarily good news."
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Blade Director to Adapt 'Akira' For Western Audiences More

Blade Director to Adapt 'Akira' For Western Audiences

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  • Why mess with it? At all? I don't think that all of Norrington's work is too bad (there are some real stinkers in there though).

    But why mess with Akira?

  • More accessible (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Pholostan ( 79534 )
    as in simplified story with overobvious plot and a speaker voice that explains things again?

    I'm a bit sceptical, I kind of like Akira as it is.
  • and put English subtitles - dubbing always spoils things & why bother making something worse?
    • I've never been able to really watch a movie and the subtitles at the same time. My focus diverts between the middle of the screen and bottom too frequently, and I just can't seem to enjoy the movie as much. Yes, dubbing does tend to remove something from the original, but I just don't think that subtitles are an improvement. I wonder if there's another way?
      • Yes - learn Japenese - but that's a bit beyond most of us!
        • Japanese is a very well organized and accessible language. Much moreso than French, Spanish or English, for example. The problem lies in learning the ideograms once you get past the hiragana and katakana... kanji will make your brain bleed unless you have the opportunity to be exposed to a lot of it during and after learning some.

          I don't recommend trying to get too far with the language unless you have friends, relatives, a loved one, or many trips in mind =)

      • first off, i will state i generally prefer subtitles to dubbing. even with something as action filled as crouching tiger hidden dragon.

        that being said, Akira has SO much visually going on that you really have to see it a few times (and i am not a big fan of anime). on top of the sensory overload that way, there is stuff you just do not get with subtitles. if you get the recent release on DVD you can get that little white pill to pop up and then you hit magic button. it pauses the movie and translates all the text on the screen. does explain things a bit more when you know what the signs of the protestors say, or can read signs on the sides of the buildings. it added a whole new level to the movie we had missed only being able to read english.

        then again, it will probably end up messing with somehting, somewhere. if Sci-Fi is doing it, then it will be geared for TV, right? if they really do it, it will be worth watching but i don't see traditionalists ever liking it. then again it's like with any remake, so whatever. more power to them. maybe it will introduce the genre to a few people that would never plunge in before.

      • Re:just keep the original (Score:4, Funny)

        by jellybear ( 96058 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @12:52PM (#3335120)
        How about trying to stick a fish in your ear? I think I read about it in a book, and it was supposed to work...
    • I've watched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, with subtitles and with the dubbed version... I never find it hard to watch a movie and read the dialogue on the screen and I would wager I'm only an average reader...
    • I'll probably get nailed for this - but to me Akira was an awful bore. I watched it like 4 times I really never did get it - this coming from someone who took several anime film classes (seriously!). And then it hit me - this film is gross, confusing and really pretty poorly written. I don't care what the manga (comic) had to say about it - this is the film version. I think people idolize it because it had a much higher cell count then any other film, but big deal.

      BTW - one fun thing to do is read reviews of what the film was all about from film critics - every single one of them tells a different tale of what the story is about.

      To make it worse all you have to do is just release the - what was the company called? Silverline Studios? Version - I guess it was edited for content - and the voice acting was pretty bad.

      Why not take a more beautful film like Mimi o Sumaseba or Tanuki Wars - and release that in north america? Those films were fun :)
      • I think the lead up (most of the movie) was pretty cool, but I agree that the ending was kinda lame.

        Still an enjoyable movie, for me. I even own it on DVD.

      • You're thinking of Streamline Pictures, founded by Carl Macek, the man who took Ichijou Hikaru and presented him to the U.S. as red-blooded American "Rick Hunter."

        Old-school fans like to punk him at every chance they get. I'm not too much of a fan nowadays (my main hobby is import console gaming now), but old habits die hard, so here goes:

        I hope Carl Macek finds himself overdosing on "protoculture" while getting shot down by stray fire from "veritech" fighters in "guardian" mode, piloted by "Ben Dixon" and "Maximilian Sterling."

        < tofuhead >

  • uhm.. (Score:2, Funny)

    by waspleg ( 316038 )
    take a hint: live action sucks
    (eg: The Tick)

    if they're goign to make a movie based on a classic anime it should stay anime

    $.02

  • so like (Score:5, Funny)

    by digitalsushi ( 137809 ) <slashdot@digitalsushi.com> on Saturday April 13, 2002 @10:58AM (#3334735) Journal
    more accessible story [to Western audiences]

    Tetsuo: Kaneda!!!!!
    Kaneda: Tetsuo!!!!!
    Tetsuo: Kaneda!!!!!
    Kaneda: Tetsuo!!!!!
    Tetsuo: Kaneda!!!!!
    Kaneda: "I'm getting too old for this [expletive]"

    • Re:so like (Score:3, Funny)

      by minusthink ( 218231 )
      you forgot the intermittent explosions.

      so it actually should be like:

      Tetsuo: Kaneda!!!!!
      ::motor cycle explodes::
      Kaneda: Tetsuo!!!!!
      ::building explodes::
      Tetsuo: Kaneda!!!!!
      ::tokyo explodes::
      Kaneda: Tetsuo!!!!!
      ::tokyo explodes::
      Tetsuo: Kaneda!!!!!
      ::tokyo explodes::
      Kaneda: Tetsuo!!!!!
      ::kaneda explodes::

    • Re:so like (Score:3, Funny)

      by PopeAlien ( 164869 )
      Yeah! thats it!

      And we're going to have to do something with the end too.

      instead of:
      "Its.. Its.. Like a cosmic rebirth!"

      it should be:
      "Sh*t! [explosion]".

      ..Then the building collapses, and as the dust clears, Bruce Willis crawls out of the debris with a small cut above his right eyebrow.

      Hell this is easy, I should make a more 'accesible' version myself..
    • We could also remix the original soundtrack using modern artists! Imagine the Backstreet Boy's new 5-part harmony on "Battle Against Clown"

      We could go from the jarring "shokto-HE-Ha-HE-ha" to "Baby, he-haaaaaaa, he-haaaaaaaooo!"

      (Pardon my complete lack of knowledge of the original Japanese lyrics, or how to represent them).

      • goa or psy trance remixes with the original AKIRA music would be killer in my opinion. I swear I heard a track at a record shop being played that had part of the first motorcycle scene's music looped in it.

        or maybe i should just lay off the illegal subs*cough*.......
  • ... is hollywood's access to people's wallets ;)

  • Four Words. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Deathlizard ( 115856 )
    Why mess With Perfection?

  • Norrington? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rampant Atrocity ( 559341 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:05AM (#3334755)
    Norrington told the Reporter that his draft "preserves the tone, the visual and the epic scope of the original, whilst telling a somewhat more accessible story [to Western audiences]."

    Akira: dude? where's my motorcycle?

  • Leave it to Americans.. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    ..to fuck up a good thing. About the only thing you can say about some of Norrington's work (like _Death Machine_) was that it was too funny to take seriously. If he tries to modify _Akira_ for the Masses in the US, it's not going to be recognisable. Throw any sense of perspective about the world or evolution out the window, it'll just be a bloodbath.
    • dFuck that, it has nothing to do with being American or not. It's the process of changing any cultural media to fit another culture rather than expecting the audience to learn enough to truly understand it. It happens in every country, and many times isn't intentional. A seemingly benign act of translation can change the flavor of something just by the nature of finding words in a different language to express foreign concepts.
      Is it a good thing, no. Is it strictly American, no. Are you a pompous ass, who's comment has no business being marked as insightful. Hell yes.
      • It happens in every country, and many times isn't intentional. A seemingly benign act of translation can change the flavor of something just by the nature of finding words in a different language to express foreign concepts.

        It dosn't even always need to be translated. There is plenty of US idiom which dosn't make much sense to the rest of the English speaking world. With things such as "Dawn Summers is too young to drink coffee" it's hard to see how translation could help much anyway.
  • Really though, I have no idea how they could possibly improve on it. There is no way that they can make a better animated movie, and I don't see how a film could capture the spirit of Akira.
    • well, as art it wasn't steller - though it could just be that I don't care for that style of animation much. so, they could improve on that.

      they could also make it a bit longer and expand on the story a bit - it could be interesting.

      they probably won't do that of course, but if faboo were a director....

  • Why why why? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by da3dAlus ( 20553 ) <dustin.grauNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:08AM (#3334764) Homepage Journal
    If it's already a classic in one form, why try to remake it? Making it more "accessible" is just anther way of saying "dumbing down". If the remainder of the Western audience doesn't understand the film (in either the subbed or dubbed version) then why the hell would you bother? The movie is a classic for so many reasons on it's own (artistic style, notoriety, story base, etc). I'm probably just pulling a bit out of my ass there, but my point is, if it's already good leave it alone.
    • Then it might make sense. It's not a cultrual thing: I've spoken to Japanese people who found the ending of Akira (the anime) to be a little confusing until they read the manga.

      But hey...it's Hollywood. They'll probably find some way(s) to muck it up.
    • If it's already a classic in one form, why try to remake it?
      As they say in the gangster movies, it's just business. It's all about selling. Somebody sold somebody else on a "project" based on a "classic Japanese comic book". They'll use the same hype to sell the result to distributers, and to con journalists and reviewers into giving the movie air time and column inches. It's absurd from any creative POV, but it moves the product.

      Last night I saw a TV rerun that thoroughly illustrates this logic. Diagnosis Murder [paramount.com] is probably the most unabashedly clichéd, corny, gimmicky and just plain stupid show in recent history. But I'd wanted to see this particular episode for a long time, every since reading Jenni Ringley's mini-memoir [jennicam.org] of her stint as a TV murder victim.

      If you're a JenniCam fan, don't watch this episode to see a lot of JR. She gets maybe 5 seconds of screen time, plus a B&W head-and-neck "autopsy photo." So why bother seeking out the original Cam Girl for a part that could be played by almost any 20-something female? Business. JR probably got more exposure posing with the rest of the cast for PR photos than she did on the show itself. She was there to help geneate buzz, not to act.

    • Are you serious? There's hardly anything that can't stand to be improved, and that's what sequels and remakes are for. Take just about any black and white film - they are good candidates for remaking in color. Usually those old films had poor sound too, and that can be fixed with a new film made with modern technology. The attitude that something is "good enough" is about the worst thing to have. We should never settle for that. A great example is Star Wars. Everyone here can relate to that. The original was certainly good in 1977, but today, it stinks. Lucas was on the right track when he added some new CGI for the updated release, but he was a big chicken. He should have bought all the copies that are already out there and just made a new one with nothing but CGI actors. Progress is important, and the process of remaking movies and books, (and even old songs) with the latest technology is part of that.

    • Re:Why why why? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ameoba ( 173803 )
      Shakespeare is as synonymous with "classic English Literature" as Einstein is with "Scientific Genius" for most Americans, and he never wrote an original story in his life; they were all adaptations of older stories. If Akira really is a great story, it can stand to be retold and reinterpreted. If its merits are solely based on the quality of the animation, then a remake is pointless.

      As for the 'accessability' bit that keeps getting mocked, Akira is very much intertwined w/ Japanese culture and imagery. Most people would rather not go into an in-depth study of a foreign culture to watch a movie. Saying that altering the 'cultural scenery' to be understandable to people who have been born in raised in North America is akin to labotomizing the film is narrowminded elitism. (I'm very much aware that a majority of /. posters are USian. Feelings of hatred for and superiority over one's own culture are just sad. High-school sucked; get over it. For foreigners making those comments: Fuck you; we've got the bombs).

      If the story has any value at all there is a culturally-independant kernel that will remain after the story stops being a "Japanese Story". This kernel would be what a responsible adaptation would work from.

  • Why? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by gurensan ( 259321 )
    What's the deal? Why does Hollywood have to take every worthwhile piece of art and ruin it?

    Akira wasn't my first introduction to anime, but it was my first experience with anime of its calibre. The music, the story, the animation... it's art.

    • Re:Why? (Score:2)

      by tb3 ( 313150 )
      Huh? Are there other anime of Akira'a calibre?

      I thought Akira was unique. If there's anything else anywhere near as good, please enlighten me.
      • Akira has always had the same effect on me as 2001; they've put me to sleep every time I've tried watching them (at least 5 each). I'm sure there's something great about it, but I don't get it.

    • Re:Why? (Score:2)

      by mpe ( 36238 )
      What's the deal? Why does Hollywood have to take every worthwhile piece of art and ruin it?

      Partly because there are only a finite number of really good story ideas. Also there are Hollywood stereotypes when it comes to movie making.
  • seriously, I've been a fan of that movie for years. Part of the anime experience is that good films of the genre usually require a good 2, 3 or more viewings to truly capture. Discussions and arguments rise up due to people's different interpretations of these films.

    imho the 'western' world doesn't need an adapted or abridged version of a fantastic film. Akira works on more than just the 'film' level, consider the music, which was put together in such a modular way (check out the special edition DVD's second disc for that, it's really slick!)

    i just don't think it'll be able to compare, sure it may appeal to a general audience and gross a bunch of $ due to media hyping it up...but it will be just that another money making scheme from the movie industry.

  • Again? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by gohansama37 ( 556220 )
    This seems sort of silly, doesn't it? I'm sitting here looking at my 2001 re-release of Akira in which they re-translated and re-dubbed the entire movie to try and make a more comprehensible copy for us westerners. Unless his plan is to make it live-action (dear God no!), I don't see how this will even be worth a look.

  • Inaccessable ? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by bc3-au ( 538157 )
    There are plenty of people who don't understand "western" movies.

    Maybe some people don't relate to Anime because they just don't relate to it, the same way others don't relate to a lot of the hollywood crap.

  • Typical holywood! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by SWTP ( 550956 )
    Since thay cant create they "Copy" aka "Remake" it. Holywood is basicaly bankrupt in the idea department.

    Even when they have an orginal ideas the muck it up. Look at Starship Trooper. Good story horrible movie. Just had too mant bugs in it. ;)

    This is a bad thing. The odds are it will be Akria in name only unless they change that also!
    • Even when they have an orginal ideas the muck it up. Look at Starship Trooper. Good story horrible movie. Just had too mant bugs in it. ;)

      That's the problem, the book was never really about the bugs. It's really the story of the central character's life.
  • THeres a huge culture gap between Japan and America. People here (America) just seem to think that Anime is just a cartoon.. for kids. What i like about Anime is that the author/director person can do whatever they want and achieve impossbile camera angels if they wanted. I guess people here prefer seeing live action, I think Akira is a great anime. Anime is a great medium for storytelling, and cheaper too? ( i dont know how much it costs to produce an anime, but you dont have to pay for location permits and the such, and travel expenses)
    So really, is it necessary to have to 'adapt' Akira to the western screen? If you want bring the ture akia experience to western audiences, then you shouldnt have to 'adapt' it. WHen i watched dubbed movies, and then the undubbed version i find that alot is lost in just the way the character says a line, infliction is just as important as the actual dialoge. and alot of times,the dub speech and the expression on the characters face just dont match. just my ¥2
    • What i like about Anime is that the author/director person can do whatever they want and achieve impossbile camera angels if they wanted.

      Or shots where you'd have to stop half way through and physically move the camera crew.

      Anime is a great medium for storytelling, and cheaper too? ( i dont know how much it costs to produce an anime, but you dont have to pay for location permits and the such, and travel expenses)

      Also such things as special effects and non human characters don't cost cost extra. Nor are they limited by available technology or even the ability of actors to wear makeup.

  • Femme Nikita? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Matt2000 ( 29624 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:20AM (#3334803) Homepage

    Remember when they did the American version of La Femme Nikita with Bridget Fonda or something? They managed to achieve heir vision by removing all elements of style and character, and replacing them with larger explosions.

    Great work America.
    • That adaptation was pretty damn terrible. the silliest thing is that someone actually believed that La Femme Nikita was not accessible to american audiences.

      The cultural rift between the US and France is not that great you know.

  • Fortunately, we recently got the 'pure' version. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by 2Flower ( 216318 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:20AM (#3334804) Homepage

    The latest Akira DVD release has a completely redone script / sub track / dub track that's a more accurate translation of the original. That means we've got as perfect a version as we can get (and with decent dubbing, too!). Stephen can go and make his version; maybe it'll be entertaining.

    Now, if they pull the DVD off shelves or never released one in the first place, assuming that the watered down hackjob version Mr. Blade is gonna produce is the best one, then I'd be raging upset. As is I'm only mildly amused, but slightly perturbed at what this means for the future...

    If more movie hauses decide this is the way to go -- remake rather than port over. Anime's just starting to get a slim toehold on American theatres (Princess Mononoke, Vampire Hunter D) and having remakes shove them aside is not good.

  • considering he made Blade. Which I think sucked. I still don't get why people liked it. Stupid story and bad acting.

  • Oh god, here we go again.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sc00ter ( 99550 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:29AM (#3334829) Homepage
    everybody screaming leave it alone, the original was better, blah blah blah..

    1. If you don't want to see the new version, don't watch it. Nobody is saying you have to give up your old version of Akira and trade it in for the new one. You don't like it, don't watch it!
    2. There's nothing wrong with trying to make something better. Some people might find this new version better, some will like the old version. Not everybody likes the same things.
    3. If anything, this will bring the story of Akira to a larger audience, it will get people to wonder where it came from, and they'll seek out the Japanese version of the moive, and the comic books. Then there will be people that will see it for what it was, and they may like it better, or they'll like the newer version better.

    To each his own, and if something brings a story to a wider audience, one that would have NEVER seen it otherwise, I say more power too them.

    And to the person that brought up La Femme Nikita and the remake (Point of no Return). I saw Point of no Return, thought it was interesting, found out it was a remake of La Femme Nikita, thought it was MUCH better.. and you know what, if they didn't make Point of no Return, I would have NEVER known about La Femme Nikita.

    • Re:Oh god, here we go again.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by majcher ( 26219 ) <slashdot&majcher,com> on Saturday April 13, 2002 @02:25PM (#3335482) Homepage
      I've got four words for you: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".

      The original, by Eastman and Laird, was an excellent satire of the sorry state of the comics industry, drawn in their own unique style, and was pretty darkly funny. Then came the movies, and the cartoons, and the videogames, and blah blah blah - they had turned an intelligent, insightful series of 30 or so books into a massive tide of crap that completely obliterated the original.

      Ask anyone who wasn't a comics geek in the mid-80s what their first impression is of TMNT, and the reaction you'll most likely get is, "oh, wasn't that that crappy kid's cartoon?". So sure, they got a lot more exposure that way, but it wasn't good - and I doubt anyone is going to track down the brilliant originals after seeing the shitty remake.
      • ...tide of crap that completely obliterated the original.

        Hmm, so what you're saying is that all of that crappy merchandise took up arms, cornered all the old issues of TMNT, and set them afire?

        You're full of shit, and the people who up-moderated you are clearly unclued. The crappy TMNT releases don't at all invalidate or cheapen the original E&L works. They don't make them better, either, because they stand on their own merit.

        The non-comics-geeks wouldn't get the original TMNT, for that matter. So what do you care if they see them or not? E&L deserve royalty money for their creation, and if selling out and turning out an inferior product (alongside the original, not as a replacement) is how they do it - let them make money.

        • Hmm, so what you're saying is that all of that crappy merchandise took up arms, cornered all the old issues of TMNT, and set them afire?
          Don't be a twit. What he's saying is that a dark and astute commentary is unlikely to reach as many people because their first (and second, and third...) exposure to the brand will be a tedious, unenlightended experience that they won't wish to pursue.

          The TMNT work after the comic books and RPG is homogenised mainstream crap - dumbed down by Hollywood execs that think comics are only for kids. "Ooo, a popular comic book, lets make a kid's movie out of it".

          Look up "Brand Dilution".

      • "and I doubt anyone is going to track down the brilliant originals after seeing the shitty remake."

        I did, and fell in love with the comic series, as did a few of my friends at the time. Another great example of something I probably never would have looked into if it wasn't for the more mainstream version.

  • Here's a scary thought- (Score:4, Funny)

    by Mulletproof ( 513805 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:30AM (#3334838) Homepage Journal
    "Fist of the North Star Live action"

    Yeah, I'm real hopeful about Akira... ~sigh~
    • Hey, come on. Fist of the north star sure isn't a great movie, but it's pretty true to the anime. Let's face it, the anime sucked balls, and personally I found the live action version more entertaining.

      Plus they all had such great mullets!
  • Is the director of "Blade" making it 'more accessible.'

    Pardon me, but Blade was an entertaining but pointless and trite movie. It was not something to be considered an artistic acheivement, in terms of films.

    And this guy is going to remake Akira?
    Right. It'll be shiny, and ready for the lowest common denominator audience, I'll give him that. But He'll probably toss out everything that seperates "Akira" from a well drawn saturday morning cartoon.

  • Yes but... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Xapp ( 523391 )
    I agree strongly with the majority of responses so far. Akira is fine the way it is. But, Narrington will make money on this flick. It is inevitatble, the Hollywood machine will continue to roll. Marketers will be there to hype the movie. Special effects artists will be there to "improve" the visual aspect of the movie. Etc. etc.. I for one will not watch this movie. But I strongly suspect that I will be able to read a review, here on /..

    I beleive I can fly!

  • What _is_ Akira about. (Score:3, Funny)

    by BusterB ( 10791 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:47AM (#3334882)
    I challenge anyone to describe the plot of Akira in a way that is accessible to anyone. Come on folks, have you actually looked at the movie? It may be a great work of animation, but the story seems to be:

    Kid rides around future city on motorcycle, gets mixed up with big, secret blob monster, girl gets absorbed by blob monster, scary stuffed animals, blob monster dies eventually, lots of gore and squish.

    Perhaps this is some ancient Japanese folk legend that I don't know about?
    • The year is 2019, 31 years after Tokyo was destroyed by a top secret weapons project during World War III. Now, Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes to become a dark and dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and terrorists. The government seethes with corruption and only maintains token control over the powerful military that prevents total chaos and hides the secrets of the past.
      Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo's darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo, captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make him a powerful psychic, but, unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo, Tetsuo's powers rage out of control and he lashes out at the world that has oppressed him! Nothing can stop the destructive forces that Tetsuo wields except possibly the last boy to destroy Tokyo - Akira!

    • Re:What _is_ Akira about. (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Actually I'd say that the movie plays out more like:
      Punk biker gang encounters deformed child escaped from lab...which sparks the latent abilities in one of them. He starts to develop his powers slowly, exhibiting less self restraint (all the while distubring his best friend)...eventually to be captured by the organization who has the children. Friends try to rescue him, but he's now enstranged. Said company accelerates his powers, he becomes uncontrollable, listens to the voice in his head to find Akira, the most powerful child who is locked in a vault (all the while destroying anything in his path to get there). He gets the body parts of Akira, who was too powerful ("creation force" or something like that), which gets reassembled...while his powers are taking over him turning him into a blob thingy. The psychic kids and all that fighting and such is too big for this dimension, so the newly reassembled Akira whisks them all away to another dimension for the safety of all.

      Haven't watched it in a while though. I do know the main story is basically the seperation of two friends and the confusion and effort to save between them...it just happens to be latent superpowers that seperate them.

      An American adaption makes me very wary...I mean, sure, it could work out and be a solid movie and get people to watch the anime...but this is a best case scenario. More likely, studios will spend tons of money on it (when they could have made something else, this is the thing to remember for people saying to just ignore it!) and it'll ruin Akira's reputation. Come on, this was originally something like a set of 8 250+ page comics...it was cut down a bit for the anime *already*....

    • It's really quite simple (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Mishra2002 ( 564596 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @12:45PM (#3335094)
      Akira is about a theme that has been touched on by many Sci-Fi authors. That the ultimate form of evolution for human beings will be when we achive Pure energy. Humans will become a conciousness of unlimited power. In akira the government is performing expirements on children in attempts to tap into some of this power. Akira went to far fully transforming into an energy being an the power of his transformation destroyed the city. Tetsuo eventually becomes so powerful the same thing happens. meanwhile though as he's transforming he loses control of his body. Akira returns to help Tetsuo Transfrom, and together they use the energy realeased from Tetsuos Rebirth to create a new universe of which they are the gods, hence the whole Galaxies and Stuff at the end.

      Of course this is by no means definative, this is just my take on the movie, that's what makes it so good, that it's open to interpretation.

      -Mishra

    • Re:What _is_ Akira about. (Score:5, Funny)

      by AnalogBoy ( 51094 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @12:57PM (#3335133) Journal
      Don't bash the dolls, man.

      You haven't been frightened until you've had a nightmare while staring your childhood "teddy bear" in his newly befanged face, while "Dolls Polyphony" was mysteriously playing.

      Of course, my teddy was actually a rabbit. Which didn't make it any better.

  • An adaption of an adaption? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by barberio ( 42711 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @11:49AM (#3334886) Homepage
    I wonder if this will be an adaption of the manga, or an adaption of the anime.

    The anime was created while the manga was in its early issues with a lot of plotline unresolved. It didnt make an atempt to follow the manga except for use of some set pieces and characters.

    A live action adaptation sounds interesting. Unfortunatly, thats 'Street Fighter', 'Gyver' and 'Final Fantasy' interesting. And for me, having run an anime soc, having seen Akira many many times had sucked all the enjoyment out of it already. So I worry that Hollywood will try to suck more.

  • Oh shit (Score:2, Funny)

    by Da3m0n ( 573279 )
    Akira is my favorite movie, without question. I watch it, without fail, every single night, and will continue too until the day I die. Now I don't want some hack to come in and destroy the good name and image for those who haven't experienced it's amazing presence. And what the hell anyway could he change to appeal to more "western audiences". I mean the fucking movie is set in Japan, part of it's appeal is that it is "Japanese" and fuck all who would care otherwise. Go watch Starship Troopers if you want a good american sci-fi but don't fuck up a legacy.
  • Akira has always held as special place with me. It was the first piece of anime that I saw in Japanese and didn't care that I didn't understand what they were saying. I got it from the visuals.

    I've seen Akira on the big screen [mayfair-movie.com] a few times, and it rocks. I've often wondered if there ever would be a follow up to it, but someone from Hollywood wasn't who I had in mind [cdjapan.co.jp].

    It has always bothered me that alot of anime hasn't been taken seriously for the sheer talent that goes into the story and art. I've always thought that alot (not all) of anime chose to go places that regular film would not or could not (like Akira).

    If this project does make it to film, I certainly hope that Norrington doesn't *completely* ruin it. At very least it will bring new viewers to the original version Akira (even if its dubbed in English), and that can't be a bad thing, can it?

  • Akira was a great comic series. I was turned on to it during the late 80's when Eclipse Comics was translating Japanese manga into English. The story was compelling and just, well great. I saw the 2nd generation of Akira. At the time I didn't read Japanese and didn't have the original version in the original language. We all know how much is lost in translation. (For some really wild LotR's tranlation check out Here. [theonering.net])
    I then found out that there was Movie(!) of Akira. Too cool. I went to see it and I was really flaberghasted. What the hell is with the Tetsuo blowing up into a huge gross ameba?
    Now we have someone that is going to Reinterpret it AGAIN? How will it be changed to be made more accessable? Will Tetsuo Just put a gun to his own head and shoot Akira? That'd make accessable sence. Oh well. I will NOT be in line to see this.
  • "Given Norrington's track record and the butchery that usually takes place under the guise of making something 'accessible,' it's hard to take this as extraordinarily good news."

    Well, then don't watch the remake. The original is still out there.

    Sure, I wouldn't have high hopes for a remake either, but then again you never know. A lot of film buffs have been highly skeptical about certain films (sequels, overbudget blockbusters, strangely-casted movies, remakes, etc.), only to eat crow later on when the film does well / is highly praised / wins some Oscars. Lately that has been happening a lot less, but perhaps they might make a good movie - not spectacular, but good - that would turn a new crowd of people to the original.

    Or, the film could suck, and the critics would say "Rent the original, forget the remake". Either way, some of us are destined for some good cinema.
    • Well, then don't watch the remake. The original is still out there.

      I'm not planning on it. Despite the fact that I submitted this story, I am actually not the world's biggest fan of Akira. I thought it was very watchable, but hardly great. What distresses me is this constant strip-mining of decent movies, to be repackaged in dull, FX-laden, harmless, utterly forgettable packages, all for the sake of making a quick buck.

      I don't believe Norrington can truly bring anything more to bring to this story artistically. There is no reason to "adapt" this story, except pure greed. Granted, this comes as a surprise to no one, but it's very wearying to me to see everything I liked in my younger days being put through the CGI mill and cranked out in a more insipid form.

      Just because it seems inevitable doesn't mean I have to like it. And even though I don't worship Akira, at the rate we're going, a movie I do love is going to be next into the crap-mill, and that distresses me. I'm just tired of it.

      As a side note, I'm interested by your statement about film buffs eating crow when a blockbuster remake / sequel is anticipated to suck but actually turns out good... I'm wondering if you have any specific examples in mind. The last few (Planet of the Apes, The Time Machine) have been real stinkers.

      • Unfortunately, my example list is going to suck. :)

        As far as I know, there's are a definite three "sequel" films that were better than the original: Lethal Weapon 2, Terminator 2, and The Empire Strikes Back. Of course there are some more, but the list is short and obscure.

        That said, it wasn't the case that critics dismissed these films heavily before they came out, so these are poor examples. And the general rule is, either most sequels are worse than the original, or the original wasn't that great to begin with. The Mummy and The Mummy Returns are examples of the latter... The Mummy Returns was a superior movie in comparison to the original, but is not a superior movie in the grand scheme of film.

        As for remakes...

        The remake of "The Fast and the Furious" is a good movie, no matter what anyone says. "Rat Race" is a ripoff of "It's a Mad, Mad... World", but an extremely good one. The "Addams Family" movies were more watchable than the original show. "The Professional" was based on a good foreign film but stands as a good movie on its own.

        Then again, most remakes are utter crap. However, most big budget or high profile movies are crap anyway. Critics usually are proven wrong when a few high-profile movies look as if they would bomb and bomb horrendously because of costs/history/reported fighting on the set, but then turn out to be watchable and maybe even good. Examples: "Titanic", "X-Men", "Charlie's Angels". (Ooooh... "Charlie's Angels" is a remake... not an Oscar winner, but a fun movie nevertheless)

        I say this because "Spider Man" and "Gangs of New York" are the two movies I'd like to be optimistic about, but no one has any idea if they are any good and some critics are already taking potshots. We're assured that there will be some good movies coming out soon like "Matrix Reloaded", "The Minority Report", and "Austin Powers: Goldmember", but it would be nice if those two movies turned out good as well... if only to prove that comic book movies and big budget epics can be good at times.

        And yea, I hope an "Akira" remake would be worth watching, instead of being something like the next "Final Fantasy" movie...
  • Allow me to play devil's advocate and say this might not be such an awful idea, so long as it is clear that it is a redone film and that the original is mentioned somewhere during the credits.

    Any American who claims to understand this film entirely is mistaken...the plot and meaning of all of the elements is understandable, but none of us fully understand the culture and context the story exists in. Think about most any American film...it doesn't translate verbatim to Japanses culture. Do they really understand Pulp Fiction? No...the conversations lose their touch when it's not in your native language. Does American Pie translate well at all? Doubt it...their culture is very different than ours.

    I'm expecting nothing spectacular, but it might be good. I wish him luck!

    Matt

  • Akira? Pfttt! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Daimaou ( 97573 )
    I know this is blastphemy, but I have seen Akira in dubbed form, subtitled form and in the original Japanese form (yes, I do speak Japanese) and I really don't find it to be the amazing film that everyone else seems to. I think Japan has much better animated films to offer than this one.

    I will say that the Japanese version is much better than the other two since translators never can seem to get things quite right; or at least the nuances don't seem to make it through to English to me anyway.

    I do agree with other sentiments here though that remaking Akira in a more accessible==dumbed down version is not a good thing.
  • Even with modern computer effects, and a hugh production budget (which this guy wouldn't get) I think that a live action version would be impossible.

    Apart, from the opening motorcycle chase, everything in the movie is big, your talking about massive riots (one of the themes of the movies is about society tearing itself apart), a military crackdown, and a climax where one of the leads turns into a hugh bloated mess.

    Ofcourse, I thought that bringing lord of the rings to the big screen was impossible as well.

    If you, really, want to do a live action manga then your best bet would be that Perfect Blue, being a movies which would work well as a thrillar. Not that I saying they should do that either.

    • Apart, from the opening motorcycle chase, everything in the movie is big, your talking about massive riots (one of the themes of the movies is about society tearing itself apart), a military crackdown, and a climax where one of the leads turns into a hugh bloated mess.

      The expensive bits to do live action are things like riots, actors need paying, they also need costumes and makeup. All too easily you end up with trick shots to make it look like 20 people are several hundred.
  • The akira anime is already an adaption of the Akira mangas (comics) by Katsuhiro Otomo.

    Will he do another adaption of these mangas or do a adaption of the anime, resulting in a akira movie that hasn't anything to do with the original manga work of Otomo ?

  • Here's why adaptations get made. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Fantastic Lad ( 198284 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @12:45PM (#3335095)
    There are three reasons film adaptations get made.

    1. Because somebody with more than enough creative power to write and produce their own high grade work, gets electrified by another artist's idea to the point that they are willing to pour their own skills into realizing that work in film.

    Examples of this are films like Stand by Me and The Bridges of Madison County and The Terminator.


    2. When through a purely accountant driven system, a great foriegn film is decided upon as the next studio project. No soul, no creative verve, and nobody except executives salivating to get it made. Point of No Return is a perfect example of such a film.

    It should be noted that projects like this, can sometimes turn out well if a powerful creative mind becomes very excited and is given a pivotal role in the film's production, but this rarely happens.


    3. When dreamers with only moderate skill or creative talent of their own find themselves in positions of power, and get electrified by a brilliant artist's vision, and set out to realize that vision in film. --The problem is that such creators usually miss the nuances of a work and provide only the surface glitter and an over-amplified approximation of what they were moved by in the original form but did not understand the mechanics of.

    These creators are not professional artists so much as they are Fans-boys with budgets. And there are rather a large number of them out there.

    Their works include films like, Fellowship of The Rings, and Stargate, which admittedly was not an adaptation, but a wasted idea nonetheless. (The same can be said of any film made by Emmerich and Devlin!), and of course, Blade.


    Akira struck me as a very cold film with a lot of neat looking effects and interesting takes on psi-power, but which ultimately had no heart and virtually nothing significant to say at all.

    Unfortunately, while there is a handful of rather amazing exceptions, this could describe nearly all of the media which comes out of Japan. A very 'obedient' nation which spends a great deal of energy actively punishing anybody who dares express their individuality, and anybody who comes up with anything even remotely resembling a new idea. Careful shadings of old ideas are all that are acceptable. --According to a few friends who moved away as soon as they were old enough, I am assured that Japan was NOT a fun place to grow up.


    -Fantastic Lad

    • I expect you're going to get flamed for calling Peter Jackson "fan boy". Actually, I agree with this observation, but I still think his film version of LotR is great. PJ's fanboy enthusiasm and dedication goes a long way to make up for the fact that he's not exactly the world's greatest director.
    • It's quite clear that you've never seen a single Peter Jackson film other than FOTR.

      I've never read a single Tolkein book, and have never been a big reader of the Fantasy genre, but I like FOTR enough to see it 3 times. You friggin geeks can piss and moan about how every single little detail wasn't in the movie, but a flick doesn't gross a few hundred million dollars on geek appeal: it appeals to a broad audience.

      If you want the book in its entirety, read the goddamn book.
  • Disney could bring the artwork up to date, giving the characters a more modern, American look and feel. Like they did with Winnie the Pooh and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Robin Williams could add some comic relief. It'd be great.

  • More accessable version (Score:3, Funny)

    by autopr0n ( 534291 ) on Saturday April 13, 2002 @01:52PM (#3335356) Homepage Journal
    right here [toastyfrog.com]
  • Akira was really about the Trial of Best Friends being split apart by something thrust into their lives that they couldnt control. It was an exmplary expression of the inherent im-balence between most best friends, showing Tetsuo's Jealousies of Kanada, and Kanada's own problems being an orphan and a kid without direction. The thing thrust between them is of course the military research from WW III... The Akira project. Akira was actualy just another boy like Tetsuo who was injected/exprimented on with brain and mind over matter enhancments... eventually becomming too powerfull for the goverment and himself. The resultant plotline revolves around a de-stabilizing culture still suffering the ravages of WW III, The movie explores the depth of a broken society by using the two main chracters deeply intertwined love/hate relationship that takes them through ALL clases of neo-tokyo, from the impoverished kids and gangs, to the wealthy and corrupt goverment leaders to the rebelious masses who are straining for revolt to the college kids with grand ideas of reshaping the future to the terrorists urging and pushing for a rebelion. Meanwhile Kanada and Tetsua are fighting a very simple battle that most best friends fight constantly, who is the top dog.

    The magic of Akira is its ability to Delve into all these areas with phenominal depth while capturing the viewer with a very real and very plain struggle. Think of how many times youve been jealous of your best friend and there you have the center of Akira. It goes back to when we all used to fight with our GI Joe's, who got to be king cobra or Hawk, who got to be optimus prime or StarScream, who got to be skeletor or He-man.

    I fear that Norrington will miss and destroy the original films scope by trivializing the story in face of big explosions and not so great Computer Generated scenes. I sincerly DONT believe the movie needs to be made accesible at all... I only speak and understand english and have (in my own opinion) captured and understood the entire movie without any need for westernization (english dub of course).

    I also Believe that this move CAN be done as live action succesfully, it would be sheer excelence if directly ported to 35mm, scene for scene reproduction would be excelent to watch... however i fear the movie will be made shorter eliminating the truely great storyline extrapalations and additionaly i doubt the american characters will have the chemistry necesary to discribe how close kanada and tetsua and the others are. It'll probably end up with Kanada a brad pitt looking white guy, tetsua a Chris rock or some other short and loud person, Kay just a beutifull dumb chick with reduced lines and reduced character (like storm from the XMEN movie), and other non-sensical characters.

    The beuty of Akira is its reality, all the chracters are distinctly Japenese from Japan, no cross-culture characterizing conflicts, they simply are japanese street kids. I myself am a mulatto american street kid with little resemblance and very minute cultural similarities to this films premise, and what i enjoy most about this film, is it doesnt try to pander to my "background". It simply is a story that tells it like it is (or would be) without trying to be translated into my environment. I can only imagine how horrible an American Akira out of the Ghetto would/could be.... on the other hand... it could be astoundingly good....

    But with this guys track record.... looks like Akira's gonna get mangled
  • First, any art of sufficient quality will only grow stronger in the face of imitation and adaptation. Slashdot, being a free speech, and sometimes free bear community, should be excited about the adaptation of this fine work. It will expose many people to the existence of this work with the possibility that some may find time to appreciate the predecessor. Additionally, bad derivatives do not adversely affect the quality of the predecessor. Not even Leonardo DiCaprio can tarnish the work of Shakespeare or Tchaicovsky. Remember that it is only fitting to act like a pompous artist if one is in fact a pompous artist.

    Second, someone complained about plot. Akira may or may not have a simple plot. It doesn't really mater. Complaining about plot is like complaining that poetry doesn't rhyme; it indicates a lack of sophistication. Any sufficiently advance piece of art is going to have several perspectives, and the plot one takes away will depend on one's perspective. For instance, In The Bedroom might be a film about the failing of children, the unfairness of the legal system, or the tragedy of love. If one cannot find a relevant issue, the movie will not have an accessible plot. BTW, man coming out retirement to save world, man killing many people, man saves world, is not a plot of any consequence.

    As we all know, IP must (eventually) be free, and we must have the freedom to advance that IP, even if such advancement seems silly. Peace Out.

  • So just because you don't understand japanese culture and the subtleties of shinto bhudism, the movie is pointless. Great for you.

    It's great to see people dismiss something without truly understanding it first. But then again people are lazy, it's not a sin by any measure. Just a fact of life. There are alot of hidden commentary on post war mentality and Japan's struggle to come to terms with its new role in an increasingly technological society.

    Bullshit.

    If you liked the film, then that's fine. But don't go making up some baloney to justify a 2-dimensional director scrabbling to look deep and thoughtful beyond his measure. --Who, while no doubt influenced by the current psychological state of his culture and the 'Subtleties of Shinto Bhudism', was almost certainly not trying to make any points about it any more than most American film makers try to jam kitsch Christ imagery into any given Western pop culture film. --At least I hope not, because that WOULD have been a desperate bid for substance.

    He ripped off the ending from 2001, for crying out loud! This film was pretty graphics and a violent, depressing, boring, say-nothing story.

    The only thing which Akira DID achieve, (beyond it's technical excellence at the time), was to replay certain interesting ideas about human transformation which just happened to be a helluva lot closer to the mark than most people are willing to or capable of admitting. Too bad it was all presented with flat, unlikable characters and an over-arching sense of, "This Is A Very Important Movie, So It Must Be Treated With The Utmost Seriousness."

    Yawn.

    Not much different from "Ghost in the Shell", or "Wings of Whateveritwascalled".

    It's like, the moment a film goes over a certain budget in Japan, the script doctors feel compelled to bore us to death with fake intellectualism.

    Newsflash: Being 'Smart' in no way means it can't also be 'Entertaining'.

    Kurosawa knew how to make a film. Juzo Itami knows how to make a film. Hayo Miyazaki knows how to make a film. Hell, the first ten episodes of Dragonball did more honest & insightful work than Akira! (Before it turned into a brainless and endless WWF style kung-fu showdown.)

    Akira was pretty fluff made by a production house terrified of not looking smart.


    -Fantastic Lad

  • Well, this is certainly interesting. I'm not too terribly concerned about it right now, because I know how great Otomo's Akira is. (It was great for me, anyway. If you don't like it, that's fine with me.)

    I propose that we wait and see. When the remake is released, one of two major scenarios will occur:

    ~Scenario I~

    John Doe, American TV-Watcher: "That movie was good/great/awesome/cool/etc."

    Bob Smith, Otaku: "Since you liked that, why not see the original? If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to answer them."

    ~Scenario II~

    John Doe: "That movie sucked/was horrible/etc."

    Bob Smith: "Yeah, the adaptation was badly done. You might like the original better. If you have any questions, just let me know."

    You see, whether the adaptation turns out to be good or bad is less important than what we, the anime-experienced, do to introduce the viewers to the original Akira. The adaptation can be a portal, an introduction to anime for those who don't know about it, or whose knowledge consists of what anime they see on American television (which, if you think about it, is all adapted in some form before it reaches the networks/cable).
  • Why do American film producers always see the need to take great anime and turn it into live-action? It doesn't make it better. I mean, if you could turn an apple into an orange, is it a better fruit?
    • Ummm... what other great anime has been turned into live-action films?

      I said great anime.

      Though I do like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Michelangelo is my favorite. "Pizza Dude!!" Simply awesome.
  • Why don't we try getting some Japanese anime creators to "adapt" some American films and TV for a Japanese audience?

    Ally McBeal:
    "Oh no!! This dancing mutant cyborg baby will destroy us all!!"

    LotR: The Fellowship
    "Hobbit..... Transformer..... POWER!!"

    Friends:
    "Mua hahaha... Chandler will think we're his roommates up until the minute we drink his soul energy!"

    Scream:
    "What's your FAVORITE tentacle movie?"

    I could go on forever....

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