Yes, I remember the first time I saw Akira.  I was in my 20s, working for State and living in DC.  The official release date seems to have been 1988, and it probably wasn’t too long after that that I saw it.  I had a VHS copy, then stumbled on the books and started picking them up when I could find them here and there.  I don’t remember the genre being big in DC at the time, but it might have just been my sheltered existence.  When the opportunity arose it was one of the first VHS tapes I replaced with a DVD, which was a damn good thing because that old tape was getting mighty worn. I still try and fill in gaps in the book collection when I find them, because the movie only went so far, and the continuing story just kept getting better.  And yes, I feel old.

3 Responses to “Feeling Old”

1. Joe Crawford says:

   February 05, 2010 at 6:52 am

   I actually think it was later: IMDB says limited US release in 1990.

   I saw it at the Ken. Helluva movie.

   You collect the old fullsize comics, or the smaller re-released comics?

   Also, hope Spinnerdude is feeling better!

   Reply
2. Chuck says:

   February 05, 2010 at 8:18 am

   Could be. I was there until late 1991 that stretch, and the years tend to blur at my age . I’ve got a mix of several versions, single-issue and collections, from Epic and Black Horse, and one book published by Mandarin that I probably got overseas. All English though – never tried to master the original text.

   Reply
3. Joe Crawford says:

   February 15, 2010 at 11:52 am

   Oh good point, I only ever had the “graphic novel” size single issues from Epic. I’ve seen the denser releases, not sure I know of a /third/ English release.

   I don’t have the daring to try and absorb comics in a non-alphabetic language unless there’s very very little dialogue.

   Reply