Way back in 1988, a small Japanese anime was released to critical and relative commercial acclaim. AKIRA, at the time, redefined what cutting edge technology looked like, with an overly adult take on a story laced with foreshadowing of what could happen to society if they weren't careful. It's basically about two childhood friends who have grown up in a world left devestated by Nuclear Proliferation 30 years earlier. When one of the friends becomes test fodder for a government experiment, powers are unleashed that soon rage out of control and threaten to destroy the entire planet. Sounds pretty damn cool eh?

I remember watching it for the first time when I was much younger, probably around the age of 14 or so, and being left in utter amazement at what I had just seen. For the first time in my life, I had seen what animation was truly capable of. There were no mallets dropping on a character's head. There were no poofs of smoke as the characters left the frame. There were no signs of anything that could even be remotely classified as "kiddie".

And I loved every single minute of it.

Well, fast forward a couple of years, probably to about 1995 or so... and the desire to view the film again emerges. But after what can only be classified as an exhausting and desperate search, I was left to realize that the film was simply too small, too "fringe" to be located at my local video store. I thought to myself whether or not I would ever have the opportunity to view this magnificent piece of filmmaking ever again. Then, a lucky break. A small specialty shop nearby, had what basically amounted to bootleg copies of the film available at a very reasonable price. Of course, I pick one up without hesitation. Once home, I subject myself to the most disappointing viewing of my life. Degraded visual and audio quality, has left the film as but a mere shadow of its former self. I return the film, and decide to accept the fact that I may never again witness it in the manner originally intended.

Fast forward one last time to 2002. There I am, picking up a copy of the new Joyride DVD, along with the utterly hilarious (if you're in the right frame of mind) Zoolander when something catches my eye from behind the counter. A sleek black case, with Japanese symbols beautifully splashed on top of a hypnotic metallic logo in blood red streaks. I stood for a moment, in disbelief. After a brief, but very pleasant conversation with the clerk, I ask to see the mysterious DVD hidden behind the sealed glass doors. Could this be what I think it is? My god, my prayers have indeed been answered. The AKIRA Special Edition DVD. Fully loaded to the brim with extra features, remastered everything, and a case that would make a frequent flyer green with envy.