Akira
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Funimation will replace 'Akira' 4K Blu-ray discs to add HDR
The 1988 anime classic 'Akira' has been released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, remastered from the original 35mm master in 4K resolution. It's supposed to have HDR too, but distributor Funimation confirmed that discs shipped in the UK and US are missing HDR, so it will send out free replacements.
What's on TV this week: 'Wonder Woman 1984' and 'Akira' in 4K
This week is a light one due to the holiday, but for sports fans there’s plenty of college football, plus the beginning of the NBA season. HBO Max and Warner Bros. kick off a year of movie premieres available at home with the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day.
4K 'Akira' Blu-ray arrives next year before the series continues
On Thursday at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, director Katsuhiro Otomo was the center of several announcements. Sunrise Inc. is producing a new project based on Akira that is supposed to be a continuation of the classic series, although there weren't many details announced about it.
How the internet embraced a 'Simpsons'-'Akira' mashup
In the spring of 2013, Ryan Humphrey was lying on his bedroom floor, searching for inspiration. He had been looking for a way to contribute to the Simpsons Drawing Club, a blog on Tumblr dedicated to unofficial fan art. Run by a tight-knit group of illustrators, it featured colorful, funny and occasionally terrifying depictions of Bart, Homer and the rest of the Springfield populace. Humphrey wanted to be a part of it. He had, at one point, considered an original story about Ralph Wiggum and a dead body that could somehow talk back to him. But he didn't see himself as a comic book artist and slowly cooled on the idea. Suddenly, he spotted a copy of Akira, "Volume 1" in his room. Inspiration struck like a thunderbolt. He would redraw parts of Akira, the iconic Japanese manga series written and inked by Katsuhiro Otomo, but with characters from The Simpsons. By blending the two worlds, he would create something not only truly bizarre and unexpected but also stylish and instantly recognizable. "I just thought, 'This will be funny. This will be such a laugh,'" he recalls.
Unreleased 'Akira' title for Game Boy resurfaces
Akira, still one of the most definitive manga and anime ever made, never really got a game to do the source material justice. While that's probably not going to change, Patrick Scott Patterson, retro game hunter-gatherer, managed to pick up four slightly different copies of the mid-development Akira title on the Game Boy. They are all experiment builds, so all that mid-test gaming nougat is housed in open-air cartridges -- which makes me nervous.
Kawasaki's concept cycle can morph into a three-wheeler, comes from your cyberpunk dreams
Does Kawasaki's new electric cycle have two, three wheels or four? Well, it depends. According to the conceptual sketches and a terse explanatory panel, the "J vehicle" concept EV can switch between a lie-down two-wheel Akira / Tron-baiting cycle and a four three-wheel drive mode, with the latter designated as "comfort" mode. The model, revealed at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, is apparently powered by Kawasaki's biggest onboard battery pack, the Gigacell, although (any other) details aren't forthcoming. That's probably because it's from the future and is tearing the space-time continuum apart. (Update: According to those aforementioned concept images, only the front wheels separate outward in comfort mode, turning it into a three-wheeled vehicle, not a quad-bike. We apologize for the error.)
Must See HDTV (November 11th - 17th)
It's finally here. Sony's PlayStation 4 arrives this week, and brings along a bountiful lineup of launch titles. Killzone: Shadow Fall, Resogun, Warframe and many more (you can already find some of the 22 titles and accessories on shelves) are arriving as we jump into next-gen gaming. On TV, JJ Abrams' new series Almost Human debuts on Fox Sunday night, adding a robot and some Blade Runner / I, Robot -style futuristic flair to the traditional buddy cop show format. Hulu and Amazon also have new series hitting streams this week with The Wrong Mans and Alpha House popping on their respective services. Finally, on Blu-ray we've got Akira (25th Anniversary Edition) -- with the original 192Khz Japanese audio -- CNN's Blackfish documentary, and Man of Steel. Look after the break for our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Captain's Log: STO's loaded for bear
In continued preparation for the coming release of Season Six, this week Star Trek Online players saw the reemergence of the State of Game letters from STO Executive Producer Daniel Stahl as well as the launch of the new tier five ship, the Armitage class. We still await the official release date for Season Six; it hasn't been released to the Tribble test server, but Stahl's letter gives additional insight into what players can expect from the new season and gives a few hints at what can be anticipated in Season Seven, due out later this year. So join me as I go over both the letter and the specs for the new ship!
Olympus still loving E-series DSLRs, but teases new Micro Four Thirds lenses to confuse you
The Micro Four Thirds form factor may be a compelling choice for those seeking portability with affordable prices and notable quality, but there's no doubt that many folks are still loyal to the conventional DSLRs. If you're one such Olympus fan who's concerned about the fate of the larger E-series lineup, fret not: Akira Watanabe, head of product development, reassured PCPOP that the E-series models are here to stay because of their unique features, though his team's still pondering over the idea of replacing the budget triple-digit line (like the E-620) with the PEN series, as suggested by his colleague previously. But shifting the focus back to PEN, Watanabe teased that his crew's developing some MFT lenses to boost the portfolio, though little is revealed other than that these will cater users who have specific photographic needs. Very intriguing indeed -- maybe some fisheye and tilt-shift love?
Blu-ray releases for the week of February 22
What's the sound of Kaneda screaming "TETSUOOOO!" in full 1080p 192khz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound? Find out -- in another exciting edition of weekly Blu-ray video releases: Akira The Bird with the Crystal Plumage The French Connection The French Connection II Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder Hurricane on the Bayou Kill Switch The Matador (2008) Neil Young: Archives Volume One - (1963-1972) Ronin Vanishing Point What Just Happened The Who: Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970
Akira Blu-ray remastering process detailed
Akira has hit in high definition before, but never like this. Blu-ray.com went in depth with the on the process of remastering the movie for its upcoming Blu-ray release and anime fans will want to check out. It seems like every classic movie release talks about taking Blu-ray to its limits, but it certainly appears this release is getting every opportunity to look and sound its best. For all the audio / video bitrate and color corrected by hand details punch the read link before the disc comes to shelves February 24.
Street Fighter IV to dragon punch Japanese consoles in February
While fighting game fans know they must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance, players in Japan will soon be able to try from the comfort of their couch. Dengeki Online reports that Capcom plans to release the console versions of Street Fighter IV in February 2009, with a feature-length SFIV anime directed by Akira animator Koji Morimoto given away as a preorder bonus. Interestingly, while this announcement currently only pertains to Japan, it echoes an earlier report which indicated that the game and its console-specific roster would "definitely" hurricane kick its way to Western audiences sometime this winter, most likely alongside the upcoming Chun-Li-focused Street Fighter film. Could a global launch announcement be far behind?[Via GameSpot]
Don't shoot these Ketsui DS screens down
There's no hiding your secret. After seeing the latest on Ketsui DS, we know you're absolutely in love with the game now. It's okay, we fell in love immediately way back in September, so we know full well your pain right now, as your body must be violently, and randomly, throwing itself into convulsions of desire for the title. That's how it's been for us, at least.Well, courtesy of Famitsu, we all get a brief fix. Their site has a variety of screens up for your perusing pleasure. Also reiterated is the inclusion of a DVD showing Japanese gamers how to get those high scores. Of course, we already knew about that.%Gallery-23580%
Ketsui DS lives, almost complete
Upon first laying eyes on Akira's Ketsui DS, we don't have to tell you how awesome the game looks. But, as quick as we were to get excited, it died down after months of not hearing a darn thing about the project. That is, until another trailer popped up on the internet. Now, our excitement, it returns!It turns out, they've been working hard on the game all this time. So while we've had nothing but month after month of silence, it might have turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The title is due for release on October 23rd in Japan.After you check out the trailer above, be sure to hit up our gallery below for a bunch of screens from the game.%Gallery-23580%[Via Siliconera; trailer courtesy of Go Nintendo]
Anime classic Akira hits Xbox Live next week...in HD
Microsoft scored another debut of animated content moving to HD for the Xbox Live Marketplace, as it recently announced the anime classic Akira will headline the rollout of anime from distributors FUNimation and Geneon. Despite initial growing pains with slow downloads and that too-small hard drive that's so expensive to upgrade, Lions Gate recently revealed that its movies have been rented 150,000 times on the service and called it a "promising sign" for their library and digital delivery. Along with the anime, expect content from Logo and CMT to also hit the service starting Monday, although no word on what, if any, of that will be in HD. Read - More Content Coming on Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace US [Via Joystiq] Read - Xbox Live boosts Lions Gate revenues
Deal of the Day: Anime UMDs for $5 each at Gamestop
Your UMD collection can grow like a cancerous universe-creating monster at the prices that Gamestop is selling them at. Akira, Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell, and Ninja Scroll UMDs are all available at the low price of $5. (For the non-anime fans out there, Dawn of the Dead should fit the bill quite nicely.) Don't forget to use coupon code SAVER for free shipping.[Via CAG][Update 1: All products are sold out! You see what happens when you price UMDs the right way?]
Silent Hill producer looks to DS for next project
Turns out, Silent Hill producer Akira Yamaoka is looking to the DS for his next project. This project, which is a DS adaptation of Soichiro Ishihara's Otonaryoku, it translates into Adult Power and is best described as a self-help guide for the dating adult, fitting them with the rules and manners one would need. If any platform is fit for such an oddball game, it's definitely the DS, as it has proven it is one dynamic machine. [Via Joystiq]
