Akumi Beautiful and Violent
A few years back, Atom Films released ‘Soybean,’ 
a Flash-animated sci-fi short by Alan Smithee. It’s wall-to-wall action, beautifully animated and full of hot, voluptuous, scantily-clad women. Or maybe they’re not women, but they sure do bounce like women.
Two years later, Smithee has released a new short called ‘Akumi,’ which bears many similarities to ‘Soybean.’ It’s packed with gorgeous, fully-animated action, and a voluptuous, scantily clad woman. The only difference here is that ‘Akumi’ features graphic nudity and a violent rape scene that you probably don’t want to watch at work.
Here’s a quote lifted from the production company message boards:
I wanted to create an extremely sexual, violent and action-packed film. I didn’t want it to hold back in any way with the extreme content and visuals. And yes, I wanted to shock people.
Well, it worked. 
I went from mouth agape at the beauty of the animation, layout and designs (and that cool blood effect) to mouth agape at the level of sexual content included in the second half.
The goal is to find funding for ‘Akumi,’ and turn it into a full-time project, complete with a DVD release. Thinking ahead, there’s already been mention of a ‘censored version’ of the project.
Dustin Remmel wrote the outline script and David Johnson added sound effects.
September 29th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Good work Milton !!
100% Adult animation !!
September 29th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
Miltonious!
It’s been worth the wait. The production value is simply amazing. The project is worthy of seeing it through to feature length. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.
September 29th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Wow…
This is the extent of Flash entertainment?.. beautiful visuals, decent animation… All for some guys to get off seeing a monster fucking a woman. I applaud your hard work gentlemen…
I think I’ll spend my time and money on something more… ‘story driven.’
September 29th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
With the words of 100% adult animation I not refered to see a monster fucking a girl… I refer that finally I see an interesting production destined to a post-teens public. Whenever I see something done in flash is for teenagers…. Perhaps it is so that I do not look well …..
The short looks very well, visual is very attractive (backgrounds, effects, good animation…) and it has a correct timing.
September 30th, 2006 at 1:22 am
I didn’t find this animation at all ‘shocking’ more as having to question a persons psyche on whoever finds a rape scene entertaining, whether it be animation for adult or teen audiences.
September 30th, 2006 at 2:49 am
In the end, the Flash production value is strong and the story is weak. Other than sheer visual shock value, the audience isn’t really invested in these characters.
September 30th, 2006 at 7:03 am
I’ve always liked this guys work, even going back years when he put out soybean. however, the script for this was pretty weak.
I’d say first the dialogue is clunky..”I’ve got a bad feeling about this” is probably one line I never want to hear said in any form of entertainment ever again…and the bad guy is pretty generic. We’re given absolutely nothing interesting about him besides the fact that he’s apparently SUPER EVIL and has a stupid face…and the rape scene was utterly pointless. If you wanted to be shocking, go all for it. He should have some fucked up power like being able to read minds by sticking his big alien dick in people.
come on milton, get a decent script and your stuff could rule. You’ve already got the art, animation, and direction down pretty damn good.
September 30th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Dudes….if you wanted to shock people…tell them how much time you spent on this animation. Brilliant animation can’t turn a bad story into a good one… Rape scenes and animation don’t go together and it never will…
October 1st, 2006 at 5:00 am
Im dissapointed to say the least. This to me isnt an animation aimed at an adult audience, I think any mature viewer would be more interested in a decent storyline instead of dissapointing shock value. Look at newgrounds, this sort of thing is what gets “kids” off…. not a mature audience.
October 1st, 2006 at 6:15 am
“Adult” should be, but rarely is, interesting ideas. Isao Takahata’s “Grave of the Fireflies” is animation for adults.
Great story telling requires talent. Pornography does not.
October 1st, 2006 at 8:16 am
Regardless of what the story is like, the animation was amazing, and thoroughly effective. He said his motive was to shock people and I’d say it’s obvious that he has. Hopefully the future installments will carve out some sort of story arc.
October 1st, 2006 at 6:41 pm
this is by far one of the best one-man animations i have ever seen. that is undisputable. i like the setting, animation, timing. if it wasnt for brackenwood, i would not believe that a single person canpull that off- script however is not even fan boy level. get an author with an idea.
gore level is let’s say “mainstream” mortal combat level. nothing that kids havent seen before. i even like the bad guy with his predator features. even though nobody should glorify rape – i just dont get why most people can take brutal murder, you know, decapitation, cracking people’s heads, hacking limbs off and really celebrating the whole violence as the main message of the whole thing.
but the only thing that is criticised is the rape. i guess, people should discuss more, how much of our entertainment should really be blatant violence.
for me, miltons work displays a big deal of superiority phantasy put into a monster (this time). if you want to be consequent about a bad ass tech monster who does what he wants in the most brutal way, you can’t say: “okay, killing is okay (because widely accepted) but rape is just not moral.” that would be odd to me.
if you accept how milton uses violence to tell his story and to establish his bad guy, you cant separate the gore from the rape because it is rooted in the same attitude towards life and other people’s rights.
October 1st, 2006 at 9:21 pm
I disagree, Dustin, reviewing the posts no one seems shocked. Most of the negative reviews seem to be disbeief that an obviously talented animator has wasted his time on a story that is beneath his skill — then, again, I don’t know Milton; his idea of great story may be Herschell Gordon Lewis. Maybe fourty years ago the subject matter would have been shocking. Now? Blockbuster is filled floor to ceiling with “shocking” entertainment, each film more lurid and Grand Guignol than the next. I agree with Alex that we should question what passes for entertainment. It’s sad that with all the technology we have to realize the most fantastic vision the best story most filmmakers can come up with is to dump a bucket of blood on a nude woman.
So Milton is an amazng animator. So what? If you tap Vilmos Zsigmond to photograph a porno movie the beauty of the cinematography may well make you weep, but no amount of artistry will turn depravity into a masterpiece.
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:29 am
Well, I was shocked, so maybe I’ll just speak for myself. I mostly agree with you; I am not a fan of pushing the boundaries of taste just for the hell of it, but in this instance I thought it was effective and well done. It served the story and has left a lasting impression on me.
The obvious differences between this and pornography is that the intention of porn is to get you off, the intention of Akumi was to leave you horrified. Rape isn’t any sexual fantasy that I want to see played out. The sexual subtext, at least how I am reading into it, was to strike a nerve with those who consider that subject to be off limits. We are so desensitized by violence, but certain subjects are still able to affect us deeply and I’m sure the director meant to exploit that. The rape scene in Akumi didn’t in any way dilute the moral depravity behind the actions of the villain, it intensified them, and in that respect it served the storyline.
I wouldn’t consider this the pinnacle of flash “entertainment”, but not everything I watch has to be pleasant or entertaining. It left a lasting impression on me, provoked me to look inside myself and re-evaluate what I considered acceptable, and to redefine what kind of stories skillful flash animation is capable of telling. And for that, it was worth it.
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:45 pm
For what it’s worth, I liked the animation, the designs and the layouts. Especially loved the digital effect of the eyes on those helmets and the electrical effects on the bad guys gauntlet.
Not crazy about the rape scene. I think the cigar being lit at the end summed it up. Didn’t quite understand the need for it nor its place in the story. In contrast where scenes of violence were inventive, this lacked that invention, and had that been applied then perhaps subtlety would have played a greater part. We get that he’s evil. It’s this section of the film that also makes it overlong.
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:17 pm
drama blog is filled with drama
October 5th, 2006 at 3:00 am
Nice cinematic sensibilities…. obviously he’s leaving Flash behind and he’s making his movie the way he wants. The software is just a tool. Shows a great sense of action and great layout…. I had no idea you’re this good at BG design, either… nice suprise, dude.
I did think the rape was a bit much and maybe was more involved than it needed to be, which is why some are wondering about the filmmaker’s true motives, but I’d like to see how this sequence fits into the arc of the full story before I decide tho….
Basically, this film shows how much a single person can do with a limited piece of animation software if they bring a heap of talent, creativity, innovation and perseverance.
It’s nice when someone tells you they want to do something and then a year later you find out later they’re actually doing it.
Nice work, Milton!
October 5th, 2006 at 9:03 am
what Tim szabo said. Totally agree.
October 10th, 2006 at 5:07 am
Nothing wrong with the rape scene. It was used to show the guy was evil and it did that. Your not supposed to enjoy it, its meant to be distasteful. If it accomplshied either then it was a success. Just because this is animated it doesn’t have to be disney…lets be adult about this
January 24th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
I think there’s maybe a little more to the rape scene than meets the eye. Sure it shows how despicable the guy is, but it also makes him a little bit pathetic too. I mean, is there anything sadder than having to force someone to have sex with you?
Plus having watched Ep2, the battle with the female bounty hunter is given an extra frisson because of what we’ve seen here.
Still this piece is full of the cheesy, story-written-around-a-bunch-of-cool-poses shite that I hate about most Manga/Anime, however well executed it is.
February 18th, 2007 at 1:50 am
The work is absolutely fantastic. However, the “shock value” seems to be an excuse to show a rape scene. There are other ways to shock, much more complex than this. A rape is a simple, neanderthal way to shock, but I think it’s really an excuse for the animator to get his jollies off. Why not shock the audience with a tale of war, racial injustice, prejudice, etc.? Milton is obviously very talented, but I think he is an artist in need of a writer. Team up with someone who can harness your talents into sonething that can truly eafect though and change. Otherwise you are wasting your talents on this pre-pubecent dribble.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I absolutely can’t fathom what’s the big deal about that rape scene. Come on people, enjoy it as a work of art. I found it rather fetching. It was fun!
June 7th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
[...] violent, sexually-explicit new series from Milton Pool is on to episode 2. After a controversial first episode (scroll to comments) , this series is really kicking into gear. It’s packed with action, [...]
October 12th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Akumi is fabulous. Mr. Pool all i can really say is that haters will hate and by the looks of it they are. You created your art for your own reasons so let them talk. from my look at it the story is interesting enough to spawn sequels and build up a powerful enough fanbase who will remain loyal to this series. and the animation is wow.
i think it is self contradiction to complain about a rape scene being in animation and then saying it isn’t shocking. Milton you’ve done a great job at shocking us all with not only beautiful animation but gruesome imagery and haunting characters. give this guy an award.
-VinnyLT
January 13th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
It is a huge shame that Milton Pool brought his sleazy designs over to AQWorlds, a game aimed at young teenagers. Now, if only he could separate his AE work from his own private Primal Instinct work, we would not mind so much. But every single female armor in AQW he’s designed has turned out to be a leotard-fest. He’s got plenty of talent, we’ll give him that, but he’s wasting it by limiting himself to revealing women’s clothes.
We understand that revealing clothes fit into the genre of hentai, which Akumi is under. However, does an E-rated game need to have its women stuffed into burlesque uniforms and have an art style that is very similar to a hentai show? We think not on the former count. E-rated means that sexual themes are kept to a minimum. It seems that Milt can’t control himself, but must needs make any game he makes designs for into a burlesque show, making Artix Entertainment seem like a typical game company that must rely on sex appeal to attract players to a new game.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
i just found out about akumi, and i must say i really love it , already a fan , i really really hope to see akumi naked. its got kind of a Agent Aika feel about it with all the panties etc
, akumi is hot!
September 14th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
I actually stumbled across Akumi. After watching all of the shorts including the uncensored Ep.1 The Mark. I think a few rated versions could be released and make it big. Its really well drawn and animated plus like most “grown-up” films it hides nothing at is truly, RAW. Cartoons are like any ohter media its evolving, if you don’t like it turn it off, re-read the Advisory or look at the PG version(they do make those).
March 30th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Any other sites or links I could check out that have the “Akumi” vids on it?