Katsuhiro Otomo's acclaimed anime film Akira is set to return to theaters for a special one-day event on September 4, featuring showings in both IMAX and 4K formats across the United States and Canada. This rerelease, distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment, offers fans another opportunity to experience the 1988 classic on the big screen.
The screenings will present Akira in its original Japanese with English subtitles, as well as an English dubbed version. The film is based on Otomo's manga of the same name and is set in a dystopian Tokyo in 2019, 31 years after the metropolis was destroyed. The narrative follows Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang, whose childhood friend Tetsuo Shima gains dangerous telekinetic powers after a traumatic accident.
Crunchyroll describes the plot as centering on Kaneda, who leads a group of young delinquents through the city at night. During one of their rides, his friend Tetsuo encounters a mysterious child, a result of human experimentation, and is injured. Subsequently, Tetsuo is taken by a military squadron to an army research facility. Kaneda infiltrates the lab to rescue him, only to discover that experimental procedures have awakened immense power in Tetsuo, leading to his descent into madness.
Tickets for the event are available for purchase through the IMAX website and Fandango.