Akira 4K Blu-ray Review & Comments

Casimir Harlow

Movies Editor
Joined
Feb 28, 2005
Messages
9,258
Reaction score
18,871
Points
8,060
Age
45
Location
Reading
I have the Japanese release of this and to be blunt, I thought it looked pretty weak. Very soft, very noisy, lots of print damage (!!) and outside of a few headlights non existent HDR. it was still better than the old BD, but that's really not saying much.

I love the movie, I'd put it in my top 10 of all time l but I thought this disc, at least the Japanese version of it, was simply not worth the money.
 
Just like Ghost, I'm a relative newcomer to Akira so I'm probably not going to be too bothered with the DNR unless it removes a lot of detail. I'm fine with a 5.1 mix because that is what I would have chosen anyway.

I've had this for a few months but never got around to watching it. Now I have your review it will be interesting too compare.

*Edit*
Just had a quick look. Apologies in advance to hard core fans lol. My initial impression about the animation style is that it reminds me of Dragon Ball Z. To me the animation style of Ghost was less...... "simple". On a bright 55" LCD TV the few minutes I saw were not excessively soft and appropriate for the animation style.

As for the audio, when the music kicks in, all 5 speakers are engaged and it sounds pretty good. I know this isn't the most complete review but that's because it isn't one, it's just my initial impressions.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Was looking forward to watching this on Monday, but made the mistake of ordering it from Amazon.

Got an email from them yesterday - "Your order will arrive on 23rd January 2021".
Marvellous...
 
cant wait to get this, i watched on the bigscreen when i was eight back, my jaw dropped during that bike sequence, begged my parents to find me the manga
 
DNR'd pish.
I have the Japanese release of this and to be blunt, I thought it looked pretty weak. Very soft, very noisy, lots of print damage (!!) and outside of a few headlights non existent HDR. it was still better than the old BD, but that's really not saying much.

I love the movie, I'd put it in my top 10 of all time l but I thought this disc, at least the Japanese version of it, was simply not worth the money.
You haven't been blunt enough, it's a pish release.
 
Cas, you didn't mention whether the Japanese Dolby True-HD track is the same 'ultrasonic' 24-but 192Hz one which graced the blu-ray, and sounds utterly superior in every way to the lesser English track?
 
I think £40 is a lot to ask for this movie considering the issues. I also think that DNR if anything might help animation if this age to remove damage etc. Hopefully a cheaper version comes soon or maybe it’s just best to stick with a blu ray if there’s not much difference bar some subtle HDR
 
I’m not sure if this is used from the same master we have now to buy but there’s really not a lot going on here for me to warrant the 4K
 
This movie will always have an amazing place in my heart. I'll always remember going into HMV around 1989/90 and looking for a VHS to buy and just seeing the case and immediately thinking what the hell is this and thinking I've got to buy it. I remember getting home and after watching it thinking to myself that it was probably the best " cartoon " I'd ever watched, that stated me off on my weekly shop to HMV on a Saturday to get my next manga release. Akira for me will always be an amazing film and I met my best mate years later with just a random conversation about a film I love. Even now on a lot of other forums I'm on my name is Akira.
 
Kaneda!
Computer science, media and philosophy students got in early on anime at uni and used to shout Kaneda! at one another, like they'd just discovered Jesus in their lives at Holy Communion. The atypically fast cable and unfettered internet connections bled out anime as soon as people in Japan and the US uploaded it. Akira was a staple and even got shown mid-term in the main lecture theatre block over projector to formerly unknown numbers - well, until Reservoir Dogs featured and had covid-like lines of disappointment.
I thought Akira was so-so and won't bother with this.
Kidding. Well, not until it drops in price as I've seen it soo many times it'd need to be in holographic presentation for me to get too excited.
Thanks for the stirring review though, Cas.
 
Nice review. I haven't taken the plunge on a 4K player yet but still have my old Pioneer 2950 CLD tucked away somewhere and the special edition Criterion released Laserdisc of Akira that I bought Circa 1995 which has also been safely stored. I wonder if it still plays? 🤔 As for 4k release pricing, back in the day [mid 90s] most Laserdisc releases sold for £30-£40 and I'm sure, if memory serves that the Akira Criterion edition was about £120!!!
 
Last edited:
Was looking forward to watching this on Monday, but made the mistake of ordering it from Amazon.

Got an email from them yesterday - "Your order will arrive on 23rd January 2021".
Marvellous...
Don't be to quick to accept that email as gospel. I got email saying my cookbook (released today) was being delivered 12th Jan. It promptly arrived today.

But this is a pass for me, on audio alone. It was the first thing I scrolled to and not too happy to read what I did. Considering the small leap in PQ, I wont be bothering with this.

Akira is hardly drying out for a pristine transfer.
 
I have the BD special edition with "Hyper-sonic sound" on the Japanese track, how does this compare?
I believe that was also remastered via 4k ...
 
I have never seen this film, however I was lucky enough to catch it at the beginning of October at my local Cinema.
To be honest I didn’t quite understand the film and it’s story, but glad I watched it..!
 
I am in two minds on this 4K release. I have the Special Edition Steelbook from Pioneer which is a 2 DVD set that still holds up well. I will wait it out and see if it ever price drops but in the meantime can anyone tell me what is the de facto Akira BD going right now that is a must have.
 
I’ve still got my Blu-ray Steelbook (pretty sure it was a play.com exclusive ?) with booklet.
It’s a beauty with spot gloss on title and artwork
105CFE0F-7ED6-4702-B58C-5084F75ABB80.jpeg
E601EB43-0AD7-4260-80F3-AE18C2950F92.jpeg
C9A77B72-0D37-42F4-A95A-6F13FE135AC5.jpeg
32627B7F-0B5D-4C6B-914C-C1B37C08D051.jpeg
 
Last edited:
That's the one I have, with sound in to the 100,000hz range, although only on the Japanese track and I rather enjoy some of the background English voice acting ("your eating chips, you'll get fat! ") that isn't included on the sub of the Japanese track 😢.
 
That 192Hz soundtrack is amazing - it's interesting flicking between that track and the lesser English one, particularly in the opening, non-dialogue sequence. The difference between the two is massive, with the 192Hz sounding incredibly wide and open.
 
Cas, you didn't mention whether the Japanese Dolby True-HD track is the same 'ultrasonic' 24-but 192Hz one which graced the blu-ray, and sounds utterly superior in every way to the lesser English track?

According to this news article (HCC dated October), the UK should recieve the 24/192 audio.


Thanks for the honest and well balanced review Cas. I have only ever know the Japanese track; the first time I watched this was when BBC 2 screened it as part of an anime season - in its original language (maybe mid 90s).

Since then, I purchased the pioneer region 1 dvd, which at the time, had some cool extras.

I then had the pleasure of watching it at the cinema and it was the audio that blew me away.

I am in two minds on whether to cancel my preorder. On the one hand, I don't like tat or fancy packaging. I just want the film and decent extras. On that basis, this seems overpriced. But on the other, I love Akira and it is my favourite anime. So I am willing to make an exception for this and could finally upgrade my pioneer dvd.

20201205_091844.jpg20201205_091850.jpg20201205_091902.jpg20201205_091912.jpg20201205_091949~2.jpg
 
For all the people saying this is overpriced, we've got things pretty good in the West.
UHD disc prices in stores in Japan are astronomical !

Akira UHD for example is 9100y, which is around £70. That's a pretty standard retail price for a UHD over there - stuff like the BTTF trilogy is about £115. Star Wars box set? £360....

£35 for one of my favourite childhood movies in remastered 4K and nice packaging - no problem with that at all.
 
For all the people saying this is overpriced, we've got things pretty good in the West.
UHD disc prices in stores in Japan are astronomical !

Akira UHD for example is 9100y, which is around £70. That's a pretty standard retail price for a UHD over there - stuff like the BTTF trilogy is about £115. Star Wars box set? £360....

£35 for one of my favourite childhood movies in remastered 4K and nice packaging - no problem with that at all.

Agreed, Japan does seem to have it worse than most with regards to BR, UHD BR and even DVD RRP.

If you managed to score Akira 4K for £35 then you are doing well. My opinion on this seemingly being overpriced (but agreed, not nearly as bad as the Japanese price) was based on the rrp of £45 (and even £50 from likes of HMV, Zavvi, Zoom et al).
 
Agreed, Japan does seem to have it worse than most with regards to BR, UHD BR and even DVD RRP.

If you managed to score Akira 4K for £35 then you are doing well. My opinion on this seemingly being overpriced (but agreed, not nearly as bad as the Japanese price) was based on the rrp of £45 (and even £50 from likes of HMV, Zavvi, Zoom et al).
£35 did seem a good uk price! After amazon messed my order up I found a seller on ebay who’s an official distributor. All copies sold now though by looks of it.
 
I'm hearing rumblings that the UK disc doesn't even have HDR.

Hilarious, if true.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom