Author of the Eisner Award-winning sci-fi and cyberpunk manga Akira Katsuhira Otomo introduces new work on October 25, 2023. Otomo introduced his new manga series at the Akira Cel Exhibition in Osaka through a fictional character named Kiyoko, possibly drawn by Otomo himself. In the photo, Kiyoko says, “Otomo-sensei is drawing a new work,” signifying the discovery she saw in her dream. Otomo confirmed this dream and the new work in a post on X, in which he said, “Kiyoko’s prophetic dream will come true.”
Drawing from Akira Cel Exhibition © Katsuhira Otomo
This is not the first time Otomo has said he is working on a new manga. Author Akira’s comments about a new manga series in 2012 and 2018 caused similar excitement, although these comments never materialized. The post quickly went viral, attracting 3.5 million views in 2 days, a testament to the popularity and influence of his manga. Akira debuted in Kodansha’s Young Magazine from December 1982 to June 1990 and was a pioneer in bringing manga from Japan to the West. The series spawned an animated film that grossed nearly $50 million against a budget of ~$6 million and is ranked by many fans as the best animated film of all time. This manga is a bestseller with over 100 million copies in circulation.
Kodansha USA licenses the Akira manga under the Kodansha Comics label and describes it: Welcome to Neo-Tokyo, built on the ashes of a Tokyo destroyed by an explosion of unknown origin that caused the World War Tuesday. The lives of two teenage street friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when paranormal abilities begin to awaken in Tetsuo, making him the target of a shadowy agency that will stop at nothing. to prevent another disaster like the one that leveled Tokyo. At the core of the agency’s motivation is an intense fear of a monstrous, unimaginable power known only as Akira.
Source: Otomo’s Official X©1988 MASH・ROOM/ AKIRA COMMITTEE All rights reserved.