Summary
Akirais one of the most influential anime films of all time, and defined the entire genre not only in Japan, but internationally. Like many anime, it came first from a manga, in this case written by Katsuhiro Otomo. WhileAkirais a classic these days, Otomo is not done writing new stories, and just this past week he and his staff hinted that a newstory from the mastermindmay be coming soon.
The announcement came via Otomo’s official X (formerly known asTwitter) account. The post was very simple, showing a small piece of what looks to be a much larger whiteboard covered with drawings and text. The photo centers on a drawing of Kiyoko, a character fromAkirawho haspsychic powersand dreams that can predict the future. Kiyoko is saying, “I had a dream Otomo-sensei drew a new manga.”
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What makes this even more exciting is the caption on the Tweet. The caption simply reads, “Kiyoko’sprophetic dream will become a reality.” That is a very strong hint towards Otomo actually releasing something new in the future, and not just a funny drawing of a character expressing the wishes and desires of many fans. While the announcement is not truly official, many fans are interpreting it that way.
Katsuhiro Otomo has been hinting at a new manga for years, starting back in 2012. At the time, he announced he was working on his first major series sinceAkira, but the mangadid not come to fruition. There was no more news until 2018 when Otomo said in an interview that he was still working on a new full-length manga, but that he was suffering from a kind of writer’s block when it came to completing it.
Since then, there has been radio silence from the talented mangaka regarding new work. The originalAkiramanga was published from 1982 to 1990, meaning that it has been more than thirty years since Otomo published any new full-length stories. In the meantime, he has only been releasing short stories or other works of art. At the age of 69, though, we have to hope that his next series is coming sooner rather than later.
Is this the project that Otomo hinted at back in 2018, when he revealed he was working on a manga whose contents were a secret? Is it the project from 2012 that was never released despite being originally scheduled for publication? It looks like we still have nothing but guesses about what may be in Katsuhiro Otomo’s plans at the moment. But with this latest Tweet, it seems like something is coming - but more than thirty years after the impact ofAkira, will it be able touphold that legacy?
