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Info Wanted: Akira Criterion - has anyone done a preservation of this?

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anyone up to doing a transfer of this?

has anyone done it before?

Are there any other criterion anime releases that deserve consideration.

I have both the criterion ld and the metal limited edition dvd and the dvd has some of the same extras but not all of them.

I am trying to buy all of the original ld release of yamato anime films (better known here in the states as the starblazers feature films)

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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I thought about a Criterion transfer of this and still might revisit in the future. Extras aside, in the UK a nice set was released that had both the newer re-mastered Akira with the new dub and/or sub translations AS WELL AS a second disc with the original dub/subs. Problem with the second disc is that its a fullscreen release (damn them) but still nice to have as myself and several friends still prefer the 'flawed' old dub.
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Not having seen the newly remastered edition, I have to ask... couldn't you just create a new edition which uses the remastered video and has the old and new audio tracks available? This would give you the widescreen with the dubs you like, right?
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"Luminous beings are we -- not this crude matter." ~~Master Yoda
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Exactly what I had planned on doing assuming I ever get around to it.

(why is it the easier projects with me always seem to be the ones left for last?)
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Leavng the easy stuff for last? Yeah, I can understand that completely.
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"Luminous beings are we -- not this crude matter." ~~Master Yoda
"I find your lack of faith disturbing." ~~Lord Vader
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So I began to attempt Project Akira: The Easy Version and it proves to be much more challenging than I had assumed. I took the two different UK DVDs, the original English dub full screen disc and the newly remastered widescreen re-dub. The thought was to sync the old audio with the new video.

Though I had read a difference in running times (by about 4 minutes) my internet research yielded little info on if anything had actually been changed.

Well, it has. Actually the 'original' English release had shortened and lengthened scenes scattered throughout the film. The new master apparently restored all the cut stuff but of course it would be very time consuming to go through each scene, find out what had been changed and make up audio for the gaps. Not something I look forward to.

So it looks as if I'm somewhat back to the drawing board or at the very least back to running a capture from my Criterion laserdisc... some day.
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Greencapt, don't give up hope! I think the old dub idea for Akira is fantastic. I much preferred it as well. I have a feeling that if you kept up this project you would make a lot of anime fans very happy Would it be possible, though, to make an NTSC version?

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Originally posted by: greencapt
So I began to attempt Project Akira: The Easy Version and it proves to be much more challenging than I had assumed. I took the two different UK DVDs, the original English dub full screen disc and the newly remastered widescreen re-dub. The thought was to sync the old audio with the new video.

Though I had read a difference in running times (by about 4 minutes) my internet research yielded little info on if anything had actually been changed.

Well, it has. Actually the 'original' English release had shortened and lengthened scenes scattered throughout the film. The new master apparently restored all the cut stuff but of course it would be very time consuming to go through each scene, find out what had been changed and make up audio for the gaps. Not something I look forward to.


Curious: Why don't you just buy the Madman Australian release which comes with the original dub and the new dub on the same disc in widescreen?

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Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
I am trying to buy all of the original ld release of yamato anime films (better known here in the states as the starblazers feature films)


Any reason why considering Voyager Entertainment released all 5 Space Battleship Yamato films on DVD?
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Originally posted by: BrikHaus81
Greencapt, don't give up hope! I think the old dub idea for Akira is fantastic. I much preferred it as well. I have a feeling that if you kept up this project you would make a lot of anime fans very happy Would it be possible, though, to make an NTSC version?

Oh I won't give up hope and the final release would *of course* be NTSC.

Originally posted by: guiltyspark
Curious: Why don't you just buy the Madman Australian release which comes with the original dub and the new dub on the same disc in widescreen?


Probably because I've never heard of Madman Australia or that release. Links? Details?
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Madman is the big anime distributor in Australia. I don't think a debate on the pros/cons of anime in PAL/NTSC should be started here. So just let me link to the Akira: Special Edition DVD.

To contact me outside the forum, for trades and such my email address is my OT.com username @gmail.com

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Originally posted by: klokwerk
http://www.madman.com.au/ is the big anime distributor in Australia. I don't think a debate on the pros/cons of anime in PAL/NTSC should be started here. So just let me link to the Akira: Special Edition DVD.


OK cool, thanks for the links. So does anyone here OWN this? How did they handle the different cuts seemlessly with the shorter original English dub? Was there a different Australian dub originally? Enquiring minds want to know!

<-- and we weren't starting a debate. I think it was assumed what I was attempting would be PAL because my source was, but as I'm in the states and am doing it essentially for myself and my mostly NTSC-only friends (why oh why can't I get more people to buy players that convert?!?!) I was only planning on doing a NTSC release.
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Originally posted by: greencapt
Originally posted by: klokwerk
http://www.madman.com.au/ is the big anime distributor in Australia. I don't think a debate on the pros/cons of anime in PAL/NTSC should be started here. So just let me link to the Akira: Special Edition DVD.


OK cool, thanks for the links. So does anyone here OWN this? How did they handle the different cuts seemlessly with the shorter original English dub? Was there a different Australian dub originally? Enquiring minds want to know!


I have the DVD and it does include the new Animaze dub for Pioneer and the original Wally Burr Recording dub for Streamline Pictures. I don't remember there being an difference between viewing it either way but as its been awhile since I watched the disc. You can typically get the best price through FBO. http://www.fbo.com.au/movie.asp?ID=5630


I'm hoping that Madman will go back and give the Dirty Pair movie & two OVAs Streamline had originally released the same benefit when they go to DVD. ADV wanted new dubs so they used the excuse that the original Streamline titles wouldn't sync up. Some fans later proved that this wasn't the case. There is also a full screen version to the Dirty Pair film which, like The Shining, is the open matte originally intended to be seen pre-DVD release in Japan.



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Thanks for the further info! Now I'm really curious about it. There are pretty severe editing differences in the two UK versions I have (though I haven't compared the UK DVD original dub version to my Criterion laser yet). I wish it were as easy as just a couple of scenes but its not only several small cuts but also like I said shots that were held longer (like the opening title).

As long as I'm checking for differences, does the 'Production Report' on the Madman DVD have the old dub or the new subtitles?
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the voyager entertainment releases suck they are all mono soundtrack and none of them have the original scope ratio of the theatrical releases. Plus the dvd's pale in comparison to the japan region 2 ones which go for about a hundred bucks a piece. Audiowise laserdiscs will always make a better transfer, in fact the ultimate yamato collection is the laserdisc perfect collection box set of all the films remastered in dolby and some are widescreen.

why are japan dvd's always mastered better I mean even the japan Kurosawa Collection has better audio and video than the criterion here in the states, and most of there star wars laserdiscs beat the pants off the american ones.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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Originally posted by: greencapt

As long as I'm checking for differences, does the 'Production Report' on the Madman DVD have the old dub or the new subtitles?


The Wally Burr dub may have gone under "cuts" thanks to the BBFC when it was originally submitted years ago and probably not re-submitted when Manga UK handed over the new Animaze dub for rating approval. The BBFC have relaxed their heavy editing of anime in the past 2 years. So it is quite possible this is one thing which was giving you the difference in times.

The Production Report contains the US dub, not the original Japanese track subtitled. So, same as that old US tape.

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I have no knowledge of sound editing whatsoever so forgive me if this is a stupid question. Were you planning on using the old dub dialogue and inserting that into the updated 5.1 surround sound? Is something like that even possible? If you could, that would be sweet. Truly the ultimate version.

Mahoromatic Revival Project – http://mahoromaticrevival.com/index2.html
Follow the Evangelion Instrumental Project! – http://sandcamel.blogspot.com
Cowboy Bebop Returns! – http://bebopreturns.blogspot.com

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Originally posted by: BrikHaus81
I have no knowledge of sound editing whatsoever so forgive me if this is a stupid question. Were you planning on using the old dub dialogue and inserting that into the updated 5.1 surround sound? Is something like that even possible? If you could, that would be sweet. Truly the ultimate version.


Possible... well sorta maybe yeah with the right tech. Have I that tech? No sorry. Was that the plan? Nope... just gonna use the old 2.0 track as it was/is.

The pressure... the pressure!!! LOL
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there have been many releases of akira on laserdisc.

1. original Japan Release
2. Japan special collection
3. French Pal
4. Original Criterion release
5. special edition criterion release.

these are the only ones listed on the laserdisc database, but are there others?

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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Good thing Greencapt is doing this project, i like his batman and robin version.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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Any updates?

I have accquired Both Criterion releases, and the Japan Special Collection. Is the original u.s. dub on any of them, or do I need to track down the first VHS release.

Also, before anime actually came stateside my cousin had a friend who had a UN-official fansub of akira, which was the theatrical version. Wish I knew who owned a copy of that one.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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is this project dead?

This is one of several criterion releases that need preservation.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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Is Greencapt doing anything at all with the ORIGINAL Japanese audio? I'm not a very big fan of dubbing at all so I hope he does a dual release with the actual Japanese language. In my opinion, it'd be more of a truer preservation if he didn't mostly focus on the dubbed version and paid a bit more attention to the aforementioned Japanese audio.
All that aside, I'd much rather own a Japanese audio minus the dubbed version with alot of the extra features. Hell, I've never even listened to the dub, only the original Japanese language version so I've no idea how both the old and the new dub sounds.
Oh, and the manga is loads better mainly because if the movie had kept in alot of things from it, it'd be over 4 hours long probably. I think...