Akira may be the greatest anime movie of all time, and thanks to the hard work of some very devoted fans, it’s been brought to life in this seriously impressive live-action trailer. The trailer has all the whiz-bang effects, drama and fast editing you’d expect from a big-budget hollywood movie.
It’s so gripping, in fact, that it’s hard to believe the trailer was hand-made by fans over the last two years:
We launched an Indiegogo campaign in July 2012 as part of a crowd sourcing effort to make this project come to life. Many people contributed not just financially but offered their time and talent to help the production that was shot in Montreal, Quebec from November 2-5th 2012. What started out as a simple idea between two guys having a beer (Hey! It’d be cool to see Kaneda ride his bike around Neo-Tokyo!), became a global endeavour, filled with adventures and hurdles, involving more than 40 artists in 12 different countries.
That’s dedication, and the results have certainly paid off. (Make sure you check out the full cast and crew over at the YouTube page.) I don’t know if I would watch a whole scene-for-scene live-action remake of Akira — wouldn’t you just want to see the original? — but as a labour of love, this trailer isn’t just neat, it’s absolutely dope.