Katsuhiro Otomo Unveils New Projects At Anime Expo

Some of the most exciting things to be revealed at Anime Expo 2019 were Katsuhiro Otomo's new projects. Just in case you've somehow avoided hearing the name, Otomo is the director behind the 1988 classic anime movie Akira - and he's also the artist and writer behind the manga it was based on. Besides his most renowned work, he's also the creative mind behind DOMU, Steam Boy, MEMORIES, and Combustible, and Gun Report. Otomo has received multiple honors and awards, including the Medal of Arts and Culture Chevalier and Ofishie, the Winsor McCay Award, and the "Medal with Purple Ribbon."

Considering his accomplishments, Otomo's mere presence at Anime Expo is cause for celebration. This year, he was a guest of honor. At a Thursday panel entitled Legend, Katsuhiro Otomo New Projects Announcement, Otomo debuted his new projects.

The first will be a full-length anime series that depicts the full events of the Akira manga, allowing anime-only fans to experience that story for the first time. Little was revealed about this upcoming series, other than that it will be handled by Sunrise. The second project, which will also be handled by Sunrise, is an anime film entitled Orbital Era, which will be set in a space colony that's under construction. The third will be a 4k remastering of the original Akira film, which is set to be released in 2020. Finally, Otomo will be collaborating with manga publisher Kodansha to create a Complete Works collection.

If you're a fan of Otomo and his work, you have plenty to look forward to as these projects drop over the coming years.