Akira (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray) Unboxing

Akira (アキラ) is a 1988 theatrical anime film based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga series of the same name. The anime was produced by studio TMS Entertainment (previously known as Tokyo Movie Shinsha) with director & writer Katsuhiro Otomo, and writer Izo Hashimoto. It was released for Japanese theaters in July 1988.

Background:

“In the future, Shotaro Kaneda and his motorcycle gang tear through Neo Tokyo, a city divided by growing tensions. But when caught in an accident, Kaneda’s friend Tetsuo Shima discovers a secret government project and receives psychic abilities beyond his control.”

Plot Synopsis via Funimation UK, December 2020.

Just like what I had previously said in my revisit of the 2016 UK Blu-ray release, Akira is one of the biggest anime films to ever breakthrough to the mainstream scene throughout the past few decades. It was up there alongside Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ninja Scroll, Perfect Blue and Urotsukidoji for getting a lot of people into anime, especially here in the UK. And not to mention it also introduced the iconic motorcycle scene that is often copied or referenced by various anime and shows ever since.

Akira‘s anime adaptation doesn’t cover the entire source material but Katsuhiro Otomo manages to provide a pretty solid experience overall. There’s been attempts to adapt Akira into Hollywood format but there is a new anime adaptation of the manga source material in the works (which was announced around the same time as its Japanese 4K Ultra HD format announcement back in Anime Expo 2019) though no news has been mentioned since.

Manga Entertainment licensed and distributed Akira for the United Kingdom and Ireland, while Pioneer and Streamline Pictures distributed the film for the United States and Canada for theatrical, DVD and VHS. Unlike Perfect Blue, Manga Entertainment was able to keep hold of Akira for the UK & Ireland and re-release it over the years. They actually released the film on Blu-ray back in 2011 using the Bandai Entertainment author, however, that release suffered from English dubtitles so the Japanese audio viewing was pretty pointless unless you knew the language itself.

The distributor then re-released the film in 2016 with a deluxe edition that basically uses the Funimation discs. This version I considered the best version at the time as it didn’t have the faults of the previous UK Blu-ray release. And it came included with the Streamline English dub.

Now we fast-forward to 2020 as Manga Entertainment, now acquired by Funimation and rebranded as Funimation UK, released their first 4K Ultra HD release with Akira. Both the UK, US and Australia had to use the deluxe edition layout of the Japanese release so that’s what they released first.

That said they did forget to add HDR for the first print run so that was rather amusing. The UK side didn’t take action until the US caught wind of it. The deluxe limited edition was re-released to include the replacement discs which now have HDR included, and you’ll be able to tell if your copy has the correct disc with a sticker that mentions HDR this time around.

Limited Edition Contents:

As mentioned, Funimation UK were only allowed to release a special edition version of the film in order to get it released on the 4K Ultra HD format.

This package offers a rigid box that houses the film in an 4K Ultra HD case and a 40-page booklet. The booklet comes with information about the film and the production side. Also included is a bonus features Blu-ray disc that will not be included in the standard edition, which comes with a bunch of content, pretty much the same as the Japanese release but with English subtitles.

The artwork for the rigid box is the same as the Japanese release, which is clean with no ratings and specs whatsoever. The info & specs are on a flimsy card sheet. The limited edition 4K Ultra Blu-ray & DVD doesn’t have an exact unit count, but with the standard edition incoming, don’t expect a new print run from here on. The set retailed for an SRP of £59.99. This is a re-release, so the previous standard edition Blu-ray and DVDs are still available.

I didn’t pre-order this release at first. I wanted to, but when I heard about the HDR situation I passed on it. Eventually I then discovered they re-released the set with the replacement discs so I figured I would go for it before it sells out. Therefore I ordered it during the 35% off sale from Zavvi. Also my set did get some stain marks on the back cover thanks to the glue sticks they used. Not happy about that.

Physical Contents:

• Rigid Box with 4K Ultra HD case packaging and clean artwork
• Vertical Info Sheet with Specs, BBFC and more
• Bonus Blu-ray disc with Added On-Disc Extras
• 40-page Booklet

On-Disc Contents:

Distributor: Funimation UK
Released: 7th December 2020

The limited edition release for Akira is available on a single 4K Ultra HD disc and Blu-ray disc with an additional Blu-ray disc for additional bonus features. The encode and authoring were done by Funimation US.

The audio options available for the film include Japanese with English subtitles, the 1988 Streamline English dub as well as the more-commonly known 2001 Pioneer English dub. The 2.0 audio track from the Japanese 4K release is not included in this version (basically you get the first dub instead). The Blu-ray disc is the same as the previous 2016 UK release.

For the Blu-ray playback, the white subtitles are unlockable during playback and the both disc regions are set to A & B.

As for the 4K Ultra HD playback, the subtitles (which are technically white but looks slightly grey probably due to technical limitations) are unlockable during playback and is playable on all regional UHD players just like any other UHD release.

4K Ultra HD Specs:

Languages	English, Japanese
Audio	English (1988) Dolby TrueHD 2.0 English (2001) Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Video	2160p Ultra High Definition format 1.85:1 aspect ratio HDR10
Region	All Region
Subtitles	English
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1 BD-100

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages	English, Japanese
Audio	Main Feature Disc: English (1988) Dolby TrueHD 2.0 English (2001) Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Bonus Disc: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Video	1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio
Region	A B
Subtitles	English
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	2 BD-50s

4K Ultra HD On-Disc Extra Features:

No extras on this disc

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

Disc 1:

• Akira Sound Clip (1988)
• Director Interview
• Storyboard Collection
• The Writing on the Wall
• Original Trailers
• Original Commercials
• Restoring Akira
• Glossary
• U.S. Funimation Trailer (2013)

Disc 2:

• Akira Sound Making 2019
• Akira Sound Clip by Geinoh Yamashirogumi
• End Credits from the 1988 Theatrical Release
• Storyboard Collection
• Theatrical Preview – Trailer Collection

Unboxing Photos:

Final Notes:

Akira is available to order through multiple retailers across the United Kingdom. The limited edition set is still around if you want to acquire that version. Both the limited and standard edition 4K Ultra HD releases are available to order on Amazon UK.

(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)