Even the espers didn't see this coming. The highly celebrated cyberpunk anime Akira is finally getting an ultra-HD remastering more than three decades after its release. However, that's not the only good news from creator Katsuhiro Otomo.
Otomo recently held a panel at the 2019 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California where he dropped some truly amazing news (via io9). The Akira creator confirmed that his 1988 anime will be remastered and that the Blu-ray will be released in Japan in 2020. This will soon be followed by the Blu-ray being released internationally at a later date. There's even an awesome trailer to confirm the great news.
Interestingly, Akira is set in the year 2019 where a destroyed Tokyo has risen to become Neo-Tokyo but now suffers from corruption and gang violence. It follows Shotaro Kaneda, a member of the motorcycle gang The Capsules who tries to track down his best friend Tetsuo Shima. Tetsuo has been abducted by the government when they realized he has powerful psychic powers and is capable of completely destroying Neo-Tokyo.
This will be the first time that Akira will be made available in 4K and it should be worth the wait.
The remastering of the original film isn't the only big news Otomo had for fans at Anime Expo. He also confirmed that Akira is also getting its own TV series set in Neo-Tokyo. Although the show will not be a direct sequel to the movie, it will be based on the original manga.
The Akira 4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray & Blu-ray Disc 2 will be released in Japan in 2020. Stay tuned to find out when it will be available internationally.
Related: New Akira Anime Announced, Will Be More Faithful to the Manga
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Anime