Cult classic anime film Akira is getting remastered in 4K and brought to IMAX thanks to the UK distributor, Manga Entertainment. A timeframe isn’t currently available as to when the film will begin screening, though Manga Entertainment’s official website for the screenings allows you to sign up for ticket alerts. Given the current circumstances, going to the movies seems like a tall order, even for the chance to see a classic like Akira in IMAX. But as the IMAX screenings are going to be limited to select UK and Ireland theaters, hopefully, the event will be structured to be as safe as possible.
There’s also no word on whether or not both the 4K remaster and the IMAX screenings will be available outside of the UK and Ireland at any point. The chances might be good though, seeing as Manga Entertainment’s parent companies are Funimation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment, respectively.
For those unfamiliar with Akira, the synopsis is as follows: “Welcome to Neo-Tokyo, built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by a blast of unknown origin that triggered World War III. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when paranormal abilities begin to waken in Tetsuo, making him a target for a shadowy agency that will stop at nothing to prevent another catastrophe like the one that leveled Tokyo. At the core of the agency’s motivation is a raw, all-consuming fear of an unthinkable, monstrous power known only as Akira.”
Akira began as a manga created by Katsuhiro Otomo and serialized by Young Magazine, in 1982. The series was picked up for collection and publication by Kodansha in 1984, and distributed in the West by Epic Comics (a subsidiary of Marvel Comics), holding the title of one of the first mangas to be completely translated into English.
Source: Flickering Myth
