From: (No Email available)

Date: 2003-04-14 04:17:13

Comment:

Having spent countless years of my life in the action of watching the film, spent the fortune on the English reading the 2000 page manga collection and reading up and bought both the first and second dub, I beleive I can speak.  Akira is a grand story, and deserves far more attention than it`s recieved. I was thrilled to hear of Akira`s live action American translation, seeing the size of an audience it would open the story to. But, in more than one way, I felt not right. The disrespect to animation is utter injustice. Animation is an art form, as is live action. Each is utilized as a medium to tell a story. Exponentially increasing the greatness of an already epic film is arwork o the finest degree, unexpirienced by us in the west. I feel that a good half of the movie was sheerly it`s art. Why live action, why? Otherwise, there is the other part to the movie, the plot. Akira`s plot incorperates political corruption, romance, nifty guns, teenaged frustration, and the fundimental physics of the universe.
Katsuhiro Otomo, the man who pulled the manga and movie off in a lifetime, I respect more than almost any other human alive. He is of those few with the ability to take on such a task. To properly translate anything long these lines is somewhat like grooming a banzai tree, the tiniest clipping can tak off a hundred years of growth. The increadibe care it would take requires respect as motivation, those who handle this film, I beg, handle with care. I drastically fear the more than probable risk of over-Hallmarking and over-clicheing so token with today`s American moviemaking, tending to today`s American movie audiences. We don`t need another Star Wars Episode One or Daredevil. A Lord of the Rings or Matrix type adaption is minimally required. Be cautious what is cut, what is captured, what is dumbed down, it could be great. Such a risk is being taken, I wish Akira what it desrves, the best. Weather an American adaptation of a Japanese animated film adaptation of a manga is taken to or not, I`ll still go see it, and add it to my merchandise shrine of geekdom if it`s good.

The Conspiracy Girl!