The Japanese animated film Akira, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, will debut in theaters starting September 9, with a special premiere at the Grand Rex in Paris on September 4. This restored version of the film features 4K and IMAX enhancements, offering a more vivid and immersive viewing experience. Originally released in Japanese theaters in 1988, Akira was based on a manga series written and illustrated by Otomo, which ran from 1982 to 1990 in Weekly Young Magazine. The manga consisted of 120 episodes, but the film’s storyline is twice as long as the manga’s, with a different ending that was completed in 1990. According to a reported anecdote, the Franco-Chilean artist Alejandro Jodorowsky once offered Otomo a possible ending for Akira while under the influence of alcohol. During a meeting in Japan before the film was made, Jodorowsky, after drinking whiskey, sketched out a surreal ending on a tablecloth and gave it to Otomo. The next day, Jodorowsky had no memory of the event, but he later received a letter from Otomo expressing gratitude for the idea. This story adds an intriguing layer to the film's creative process. The production of Akira was groundbreaking at the time, becoming the most expensive animated film in Japan's history, with a budget of one billion yen (approximately seven million euros). To fund the project, a group known as the Akira Committee was formed, consisting of around a dozen entertainment companies, including Kōdansha and Tokyo Movie Shinsha. This committee helped raise the necessary funds while allowing Otomo to maintain full creative control. The film also featured a remarkable color palette, using 327 different colors, with about fifty of them created specifically for the film. In France, Akira was released in cinemas in 1991, playing a key role in introducing Japanese animation to a wider European audience. At that time, Japanese animated films were not yet widely known or appreciated in France. Akira is celebrated for its immersive storytelling and visual style, and it has had a lasting influence on many popular culture works, including Stranger Things, Ready Player One, The Matrix, and Inception. The film is set in a dystopian future after a Third World War, drawing inspiration from Japan's 1980s student protests, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and cyberpunk themes. The original manga was later compiled into six volumes, published in Japan by Kōdansha and in France by Glénat.