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Hollywood’s recent success with Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece has again sparked debate over the potential to adapt other legendary anime on the big screen. While some franchises may translate well, there remains one film that is simply untouchable: Akira (1988).

A scene from the One Piece live-action movie. | Credit: Netflix

Under Katsuhiro Otomo’s direction, Akira is not simply an animated movie rather it is an artistic and cinematic marvel that has remained unmatched for its visual storytelling, depth, and cultural relevance. With such an incredible legacy, one may ask: can it ever successfully be translated into a live-action film? For many fans, the answer is an absolute ‘no’. And here’s why.

Akira: A timeless masterpiece that redefined animation

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Akira reveals an insane level of devotion, with each and every animation cell carefully hand-drawn. Several fans continue to be awed over how,...

Sometimes a film’s visuals are so visceral that they overpower your eyes entirely, pulling you in and setting your other senses ablaze. The putrid smell of rancid flesh stings your nostrils as you become acquainted with the Sawyer family homestead; your teeth chatter as MacReady and Childs stare each other down in the unforgiving Antarctic snow; the unwelcomed taste of pea soup miraculously appears in your mouth soon after Regan MacNeil spews forth a torrent of the stuff into poor Father Merrin’s face. Some of the horror genre’s best entries are more than just a story that haunts you: they’re a full body experience.

Legendary renegade filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto’s debut feature, Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), shares this quality of sensual transcendence. Stifling waves of heat and humidity radiate from nearly every frame of the picture, and throughout its brisk 77-minute runtime you can’t help...

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is one of the most beloved series of all time. It features a compelling storyline, alluring animation, and well-choreographed fights that bring out the best in an adventure series. But what sets it apart from the rest is how it arguably features the best character cast, which goes beyond good looks.

The Straw Hat Pirates. Credits: Toei Animation

Every character has their own tragic backstories and internal conflicts that make the viewers root for them. Most viewers watch the series for The Monster Trio for their epic fights; Tony Tony Chopper has amassed an equally massive fanbase for himself.

Though for the most part, he is the mascot of the Straw Hat Pirates, he will be ready to take down his foes using the Rumble Balls. However, one of his transformations has gained immense criticism because of how the series decided to nerf him both aesthetically and physically.

Akira, the 1988 cyberpunk anime film, has become a classic that has inspired a great number of future productions. The combination of cyberpunk dystopia with the alienation of the youth and the visual fest combine to justify the huge profits that the movie earned at the time of its release.

Over the years, Akira has become a classic movie and a must-watch for movie connoisseurs. Only a handful of other movies are as genre-defining as Akira. Thus, the film has set the groundwork for many other creations, including one of Bruce Willis’ most popular films, Looper.

Looper was inspired by Akira Akira | Credits: Tms Entertainment, Toho

Looper is an action thriller and futuristic sci-fi film. It is a powerful and original movie that not only explores time travel but also psychokinetic powers. In the world of Looper, a crime syndicate in 1074 sends its enemies back in time to get them executed by loopers.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Roxy Cinema

Olivier Assayas’ Demonlover plays on 35mm Friday and Sunday; Frederick Wiseman’s High School screens on 16mm Saturday and Sunday; A Woman Under the Influence and Faces continue.

Bam

Chantal Akerman’s Toute une nuit begins playing in a 4K restoration; the black-and-white restoration of Basquiat begins a run.

Museum of the Moving Image

A retrospective of first-person documentaries begins; Vanishing Point screens on Saturday.

Film Forum

The Devil, Probably plays in a new restoration, while Sleeping Beauty screens on Sunday.

Museum of Modern Art

A career-spanning Johnnie To retrospective continues.

Anthology Film Archives

A Christopher Harris retrospective begins; a Yugoslav cinema series begins.

IFC Center

The black-and-white restoration of Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat continues; Tim Burton’s Batman and a 40th-anniversary restoration of Paris, Texas play daily; The Warriors, Tetsuo the Iron Man, Twister, and a print of The Cell play late.

A live-action adaptation of Akira has been stuck in development hell for years, but a perfect live-action movie version of Akira already happened in an unofficial capacity over a decade ago. Hollywood has been trying to get a live-action Akira movie off the ground since Sony Pictures acquired the rights to the original manga in the 1990s. Over the years, everyone from Blade director Stephen Norrington to Rogue One writer Gary Whitta has been attached to the live-action Akira project. Jordan Peele and George Miller both turned down the chance to direct an Akira remake.

The live-action Akira movie came closer to becoming a reality than ever when Taika Waititi signed on to direct it as his follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok. He co-wrote the script with Michael Golamco, with a release date set for May 21, 2021. However, when Waititi moved on to Thor: Love and Thunder and then to his current project,...

From winning an Academy Award for Jojo Rabbit to becoming the audience’s worst nightmare, Taika Waititi has had a rocky few years. With his first few films, namely Hunt for The Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, and Thor: Ragnarok, Watiti became a fan-favorite for his uniquely witty and humorous vision. However, after the disastrous performance of Thor: Love and Thunder, fans have become overly critical and skeptical of Waititi’s talents.

Thor attempts to grab the Mjolnir in Thor: Love and Thunder | Credits: Marvel Studios

The skepticism has gotten to a point where fans are scared to see his name associated with their favorite projects. Although, there’s one project that Waititi has spoken about numerous times over the years. If done right, it has the power to turn the tides in the favor of the filmmaker.

This Project can Turn Taika Waititi’s Luck Around A...

When it comes to anime and manga, few properties hold as much weight as the classic Akira. Sure, there are modern stories that really hit the mark, from Naruto to One Piece to One-Punch Man. But Akira had a gravity to it that stands the test of time.

It influenced other anime, manga, music, as well as Western pop culture. After so many decades, even Akira aficionados do wonder how it still permeates throughout the consciousness of the geek realm. Well, that's so for a few key reasons.

Your browser does not support the video tag. What Was the Anime Film Akira About? Akira Dissected Themes of Rebellion, Politics & Destiny

Related New Dragon Ball Artwork Recreates One of the Most Iconic Anime Movie Posters of All Time

A Dragon Ball fan merges the world of Akira Toriyama's iconic shonen with the vibrant, cyberpunk-style dystopia of a classic science-fiction anime.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) on Monday added a David Lynch short and an episode of his iconic series Twin Peaks to its Franz Kafka retrospective and unveiled the program of its Out of the Past section, featuring classic, cult, rare and “unfairly overlooked” films, screened in their original or restored versions.

Among the highlights are restored versions of Wim Wenders’ 1984 neo-Western drama Paris, Texas and Two English Girls, François Truffaut’s 1971 period drama about a love triangle.

The Wenders film is part of a three-film program presented by Alexandre O. Philippe, the creator of documentary essays about the history of cinema, offering perspectives on the American landscape in cinema. He will also present his 2021 documentary The Taking (2021), which explores American mythology through the socio-philosophical dimensions of the American landscape.

Also part of the Out of the Past program is Let’s Get Lost, Bruce Weber’s documentary about...

Comprising international premieres, short programs, and some of the country’s finest-ever films in new restorations, 2024’s Japan Cuts––running July 10-21 at New York’s Japan Society––has been unveiled. It’s in the festival’s nature that numerous works and directors are lesser-known on American shores, though a cursory search has one regularly stopping: new films by Takeshi Kitano (Kubi), Shunji Iwai (Kyrie), Shinya Tsukamoto (Shadow of Fire), and Gakuryu Ishii (The Box Man) populate the selection. Meanwhile, Hideaki Anno’s modern classic Shin Godzilla debuts in a new, black-and-white cut Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic.

Its classics section is three-for-three: Ishii’s August in the Water, Shinji Somai’s Moving, and Toshiharu Ikeda Mermaid Legend, which is more or less one of the greatest films ever made. One can anticipate at least a couple of Japan Cuts’ current unknowns are tomorrow’s figureheads.

See the full lineup below:...

Quick Links Tetsuo Is an Experimental Project That Hit a Nerve Tetsuo Is an Accidental Classic That Couldn't Be Made Today Tsukamoto Just Wanted to Make a Monster Movie Tetsuo: The Iron Man was the primary catalyst that rejuvenated Japanese cinema, showcasing the power of low-budget experimental storytelling. The film's enduring nature, thanks to its blend of pounding industrial rock, grotesque imagery, and cheesy horror elements, continues to captivate diverse audiences worldwide. After years of study, film critics are still debating the true meaning of the movie, its underlying symbolism, and how it pertains to modern society.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man isn't easily categorized, but it will surely elicit something from viewers, whether that's dread, laughter, contemplation, or an epileptic seizure. The stop-motion editing on this one can get frenetic, so a heads-up for anyone sensitive to those kinds of stimuli. We won't let slip any other spoilers.

The world of modern fictional literature will forever remain indebted to the legendary mangaka team of Fujiko Fujio, as with timeless creations like Doraemon, Perman, Obake no Q-Taro, and many other classics in their creative oeuvre, the duo can be truly termed as giants who shouldered the responsibility of revolutionizing the manga scene for four decades. The most intriguing part of their popular works was that, despite the fact that they were primarily aimed at children, they had a subtle yet intense dark depth in them formed through philosophical questioning—something that is no easy feat given the restrictions of said genre. The same can be said about the recently released animated adaptation of Time Patrol Bon, which perfectly captures the apparent lighthearted nature of the source manga while highlighting the nuances that give the series a grim undertone.

To take on the competition posed by anime streaming services like Crunchyroll and others,...

While the manga world of the superhit series My Hero Academia from Mangaka Kohei Horikoshi sensei is a masterpiece in itself, fans can’t help but fall in love with its anime universe even more. Besides the characters being brought to life with utmost perfection, what makes the anime series all the better are the voice actors who perfectly deliver up to everyone’s expectations.

Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia.

In fact, as most anime fans would agree, none could do a better job voicing the fan-favorite characters than the voice actors currently employed. This stands especially true when it comes to Okamoto Nobuhiko, the actor who lent his “middle schooler type” voice to the very character that Horikoshi sensei likes “more than” even Deku, i.e. Bakugo, as the mangaka himself expressed.

Kohei Horikoshi Feels Bakugo Has the Perfect Voice Actor

Though all of the other voice actors...

Shinya Tsukamoto’s Shadow of Fire begins as a troubling but measured film, but about a half-hour in something happens that shatters its quietude. Suddenly, a man who to this point has been impotent and deferential throws a small boy out a window and begins beating a woman. From the director best-known for Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and whose other films are often similarly stylish and sexually violent, that might not sound like much, but it is precisely the restraint of Shadow of Fire that makes the violence one of the more harrowing moments in Tsukamoto’s growing oeuvre.

Tsukamoto used to make movies at a swift pace: from his 1989 debut Tetsuo to 2011’s Kotoko, a dozen films. Since then, Shadow of Fire is just his third, all three of which are focused in some way on war, and each has taken longer to arrive than the one before. Whether...

It often feels like anime is a limitless medium where anything is possible, but despite its widespread appeal, there are certain ideas and themes that have become particularly popular over the years. Anime and manga have exhibited a heavy fascination with psychic powers and the prolific people who wield these abilities. Psychically-gifted characters can exist in broad, fantastical worlds or belong to dark, nihilistic series.

There’s such freedom when it comes to the types of stories that are told about psychics that can result in top tier anime series. Psychic skills are flashy abilities in combat, but there are typically psychological consequences and limitations that keep these powers in check. Those who are eager to experience the most moving psychic anime series have some exciting options at their disposal.

Related 10 Best Anime Psychics A truly powerful psychic anime character can read minds, move objects, or reshape reality with their mind alone.

In celebration of the anime film Akira's 30th anniversary, a manga replica of Kaneda’s iconic red leather jacket is now available for fans to purchase.

The jacket, currently for sale on Crunchyroll, is described as: "A faithful recreation of the one worn by Kaneda, this page-accurate Crunchyroll Exclusive was designed in Germany, where its '80s-inspired details were meticulously crafted to replicate the iconic look." The jacket notably lacks the film's "Good For Health, Bad For Education" slogan accompanied by the blue and red capsule embroidered on the back, but is an almost identical replica of the manga source material version.

Related Waluigi Creator Shares Akira-Inspired Artwork Fumihide Aoki, best known as the father of Waluigi, recently shared his anime-inspired artwork of Luigi's arch-rival doing the iconic Akira pose. Close

Only 600 units of the unisex jacket, sized S to 2Xl, were made, with both the S and 2Xl...

Taika Waititi will not be involved in the potential fifth installment of Thor, as he has other films to focus on. Thor: Ragnarok brought a new, humorous tone to the character and became one of the most successful solo movies in the MCU. Waititi has upcoming projects including directing the live-action adaptation of Akira and a film within the Star Wars universe.

If Marvel Studios is developing a fifth installment of Thor as recent rumors indicate, it seems that they won't be able to count on Taika Waititi to bring the God of Thunder to the big screen again, because the director has other priorities.

Chris Hemsworth's Thor made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut way back in the first phase of the comic book franchise, with the Kenneth Branagh-directed movie arriving in 2011. The sequel, Thor: The Dark World, arrived in 2013, with Alan Taylor at the helm. However, the...

Albert Hughes reveals the struggles faced during the production of the live-action Akira movie, including the studio's fear and hesitation to make the film. When Warner Brothers offered him any project after the success of The Book of Eli, Hughes chose Akira, but felt that the studio wasn't truly ready to make it. Hughes emphasized the importance of staying true to the original source material and believed that the IP of Akira was more significant than any individual actor.

Albert Hughes has spoken about the live-action Akira movie's production struggles. The original 1988 Akira, based on the manga of the same name, follows the biker Kaneda trying to rescue his friend Tetsuo from being experimented on by the government in Tokyo several decades after a nuclear bomb was dropped on the city by the Japanese government. A live-action version of Akira has been in development since as early as the 1990s,...

My Home Hero is a Japanese drama based on a famous manga of the same name. Presented by Disney+ Hotstar, My Home Hero revolves around an ordinary man, Tetsuo Tosu, who’s willing to go to any lengths to protect his wife and daughter. The first two episodes, which have been released recently, present a mysterious and violent beginning to the storyline. In these two episodes, we are introduced to Tetsuo and his wife and daughter, who were everything to him. But their blissful lives face huge trouble when Tetsuo’s daughter makes a boyfriend, who is the son of a monster.

Spoilers Ahead

Why Did Tetsuo Kill Nobuto?

Episode 1 opened with Tetsuo being excited about his daughter, Reika, who was coming to meet him over lunch. Reika left her parents’ home to study at a university. Now she lives alone. She used to text her mother and even met her three times a week,...

HeBGB TV was among my favorite films I saw at Salem Horror Fest earlier this year, so I’m delighted that the frenetic horror-comedy anthology has made its way to Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting’s streaming service Screambox in time for Halloween.

In my review, I called it “a high-camp blend of the wistful glow of Wnuf Halloween Special, the uninhibited hyperactivity of Rick and Morty‘s “Interdimensional Cable” episodes, and the absurd unpredictability of Adult Swim’s Too Many Cooks.”

What I didn’t mention was all nods to genre favorites peppered throughout the film.

Here are 17 horror references in HeBGB TV.

1. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

HeBGB TV’s opening credits are inspired by the Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers title sequence, which perfectly captures the autumnal atmosphere.

2. Creature from the Black Lagoon

The boy in the opening scene is playing with a Creature from the Black Lagoon figure.

A number of people in Amp, including this author, have a soft spot for Kiyohiko Shibukawa, an actor who has proven a true chameleon in the way he jumps from one part to another, with equal success. Shibukawa, born July 2, 1974, actually started his career as a fashion model under the name Kee. He started acting in TV with “Twinkle”, in 1998, and he got his first role in cinema in Toshiaki Toyoda's “Pornostar”, with him actually accompanying the director in most of his later works, something that actually happened with the rest of the filmmakers he was casted by over the years. These include, among others, Takashi Miike, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Eiji Uchida. Currently, his credits number 160, with the majority of them being non-protagonist roles, which, still, though do not prevent him from shining quite brightly, particularly to the more “trained” eye.

Without further ado, here are 10 of his most iconic performances,...

Ah, body horror. That exquisite subgenre that makes us squirm in our seats, cringe in delicious terror, and occasionally lose our lunch. These films are not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. They probe, twist, and mutilate the human form in ways that are both horrifying and oddly fascinating. So, brace yourself and maybe keep a barf bag handy, as we dive into the 20 Most Disturbing Body Horror Films Ever Made.

20th Century Fox 20. The Fly (1986)

The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg, tells the story of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who invents teleportation, but of course, it’s not all Nobel Prizes. After an experiment with a fly goes horribly wrong, Brundle begins a grotesque transformation into a human-fly hybrid. What makes this film so disturbing is the gradual, inexorable alteration of Brundle’s body, culminating in a physical and psychological nightmare that’s impossible to forget.

D​isney’s latest trend is to remake some of their animated back catalog into “live-action” films. Live-action is in quotes because movies like The Lion King is still animated but with CGI instead of live actors. With The Little Mermaid hitting theaters, it seems to be a winning strategy as the box office numbers keep increasing and a new generation of fans discover these great Disney stories. What other animated films not made by Disney could use a live-action remake?

The Iron Giant (1999)

T​his classic story from director Brad Bird is primed for a live-action version. We saw in Ready Player One that a CGI Iron Giant running around looks pretty good in live-action. You might as well get the real thing. When a giant robot comes from outer space, he befriends a young boy named Hogarth. While the two find fast friends in each other, not everyone else feels the same way.

Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 science fiction masterpiece Akira has heavily influenced animation and the dystopian cyberpunk genre, and now it has inspired an incredibly accurate cosplay.

Made and posted on Reddit by Clayman8, the Shōtarō Kaneda costume perfectly recreates the bike gang leader's signature red attire. It also shows him wielding the massive laser rifle he uses to fight his friend Tetsuo Shima during Akira's epic and brutal climax.

Related: Cult Classic Akira Continues Anime's Impact on Hollywood via the Shrek Universe

Kaneda Shotaro, from Akira. Shot by LucidBelle, cosplay by me by u/Clayman8 in cosplay

Based on Otomo's manga series of the same name, Akira tells the story of two childhood friends, Kaneda and Tetsuo, who become disillusioned delinquents as teenagers. After the latter gains devastating telekinetic powers after a motorcycle accident, the two end up on opposite sides of a potentially world-ending conflict. Like Clayman8's cosplay, the...

Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including the exclusive streaming premiere of Albert Serra’s extraordinary Pacifiction, a trio of films by Todd Haynes, two by Michael Haneke (Caché and Amour), plus works by David Cronenberg, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, and Derek Jarman.

Additional selections include Alice Rohrwacher’s Corpo Celeste, Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers, Sean Baker’s early film Starlet, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s short Mekong Hotel.

Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.

June 1 – Is This Fate?, directed by Helga Reidemeister | What Sets Us Free? German Feminist Cinema

June 2 – Safe, directed by Todd Haynes | I Really Love You: Three by Todd Hayne

June 3 – Caché, directed by Michael Haneke | Close-Up on Michael Haneke

June 4 – Amour, directed by Michael Haneke | Close-Up on Michael Haneke

June 5 – Topology of Sirens, directed by Jonathan Davies

June 6 – Tetsuo, the Iron Man, directed by Shin’ya...

The content available on most streaming services changes regularly, and Hulu is no exception. As such, having a handy guide for what to watch each month can be an invaluable resource. And so, without further ado, we present to you the 60 best movies on Hulu right now.

What can you expect from the Hulu catalog specifically? Well, for one, plenty of 20th Century productions, as well as films made under its specialty label, Searchlight Pictures. Ever since Disney bought Fox (which also gave the Mouse House a controlling share of Hulu), the streaming service has been the exclusive streaming destination for all 20th Century films. Hulu also has a pretty strong, albeit constantly revolving, selection of films from other studios, so there's plenty of good stuff to choose from. Given that HBO Max seems to be going through some turbulent times, Hulu currently seems to be the go-to place for...