Katsuhiro Otomo’s Anime Classic Returns to UK Cinemas

For many UK Anime fans of a certain generation, Katsuhiro Otomo‘s Akira was that landmark film. This April, influential cyberpunk classic is heading back to UK cinemas including IMAX watch trailer below.

Akira was my stepping stone into Japanese animation. Here in the UK it was around 1993 when BBC aired the masterpiece, next to the rarely seen Roujin Z. A chance to see it on the big screen is a mouthwatering prospect. See Neo-Tokyo rebuilt from the ashes of World War III, lawlessness and corruption run rampant. Not forgetting the biker gang led by Kaneda exposing a secret government plot.

This animation deserves to be called a ‘masterpiece’ and off course seen on the biggest screen!

Synopsis | Iconic and game-changing, AKIRA is the definitive anime masterpiece! Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. AKIRA’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for future generations of ground-breaking movies.

July, 1988— World War III breaks loose. Then, in 2019, in megalopolis Tokyo…

As the leader of a group of young robust delinquents, Kaneda spent his nights tearing through the urban wastes, racing his motorbike against rival groups. One night while riding with his gang, his friend Tetsuo suddenly encounters a strange boy― the product of human experimentation— and is injured in the ensuing crash. Shortly thereafter, a military squadron appears on the scene to take the boy and Tetsuo away to an army research facility. Determined to free Tetsuo from capture, Kaneda sneaks into the army research lab. However, a regimen of extreme experimental procedures has awakened a new power in his friend, and now he is consumed by madness…

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Akira releases in IMAX and cinemas in both Japanese with English subtitles, and English dubbed versions, from Friday 17th April.