The fourth batch of OTOMO THE COMPLETE WORKS that was announced as Vol.20: ANIMATION AKIRA and Vol.25: SCRIPTS, due to be released last July 20 was delayed and some changes in the upcoming releases have been announced in OTOMO-COMPLETE official website.
The newly announced fourth batch will consist on:
■Vol.23: ANIMATION AKIRA LAYOUTS AND KEY FRAMES 1. This will be the first of three books that collects layouts, modified original drawings, and original drawings made by Katsuhiro Otomo for the movie AKIRA, selected by him from his personal collection.
■Vol.5: FIRE-BALL. It will collect Otomo's short manga stories originally published during the years 1978 and 1979.
Due to the change in the release date, subsequent publications previously announced will be postponed. Stay updated in the @otomo_zenshu official twitter account where Otomo himself answers questions of fans from time to time.
TWEETS by OTOMO (August 6, 2022)
■(Regarding the inclusion of the timesheet in the upcoming ANIMATION AKIRA book) It doesn't come with a sheet, but you can flip it around.
■(On the upcoming Vol.23 ANIMATION AKIRA LAYOUT & KEY FRAMES book release) The highlight of the first season is this. I haven't seen anyone other than the staff yet.
■Basically, Kaneda and Tetsuo's corrections are made by Takashi Nakamura, the animation director. I did Colonel, Doctor and Kiyoko. The corrections are like that, but I drew anything in the layout.
■Usually, the director doesn't do the correction work. It means that if everyone didn't do something, it wouldn't have ended.
■(Regarding drawing a manga in the future) Actually, I'm drawing it, and it may be posted somewhere in a little while. Cartoons are hard.
■(Favorite Japanese singer/band) Hiroshi Moriya, Junichi Inagaki, Eiichi Otaki, Morio Agata, Miyuki Hatakeyama, Megumi Hanare...there are many, but I've listed the names that come to mind right now.
■(Books or manga recomendations) I bought Kido Okamoto's (岡本綺堂) OZUMI NO REI (お住の霊). I've read this book many times and it's still fun to read. It's all a true story.
■(On SOL being based on a razor) At that time, I used things around my desk as the source material for the design. Even the ink bottle was going to be a robot.
■(The most memorable place) The rice field in the countryside where I lived when I was a child. When the water was drawn in spring, the sky was reflected and it was very beautiful. It looked like it was flying through the air.
■ (Favorite miso soup ingredient) I like eggplant and tofu. It's nice to have fried tofu.
■(Regarding the appearance of Kosuke Kawamura on the TV program Jonetsu Tairiku (情熱大陸))I saw it. He said he would treat me when he became famous, but I wonder what happened………………
■(Favorite yogurth flavor) I don't eat yogurt much, but if I had to say it, it would be blueberries.
TWEETS by OTOMO (August 8~11, 2022)
■(On the influences of DŌMU) I liked De Palma back then. Dōmu is also influenced by Carrie.
■(Regarding his Favorite Summer song) Natsu no Klaxon (夏のクラクション) by Junichi Inagaki (稲垣潤一).
■(Regarding the best meal he eat recently) Ginger soba from Sasaki Mendokoro in Nishiogi. It was the best first half of the year.
■(On his actual audio system) TRIODE released a CD player, so I think I'll buy one. Aren't vacuum tubes good?
■(On his favorite recent movie) I haven't seen a movie recently, so it's a little while ago, but it's Suburra.
■(Regarding a sequel to Uchuu Patrol Shigema) There is no sequel because it is a gag of the time. Shigemasa works at Jusco in Sendai.
■(On his favorite bike) Specialized and Shimano Dura-Ace electric derailleur. Not disc brakes. But I can't ride due to corona and intense heat. (Otomo)
■(regarding the size of AKIRA books) The manuscript is reduced in size to the magazine publication size. I draw with that in mind, but the manga tankōbon books are too small. In order to convey the world I drew to the reader, it had to be that size.
■(On his favorite Rokugo story) There are a lot of Rokugo, so I can't narrow it down. But I like Shinsei the most. It's the best when the person is living the Rokugo, not the story.
■(On his favorite work of Kurosawa, Kubrick and Tezuka) "Seven Samurai", "Barry Lyndon", and "Astro Boy" from 1955.
■(Regarding his favorite flavor from his hometown) Haha. In the Kanto region, it is called Suiton.
■(Favorite Techno DJ or artist) Justice Robertson.
■(Regarding the bike on the Grand Seiko ad) It is a full campa delta brake.
■(Regarding the age at what he was able to make a living with manga alone) I think I was around 24 or 25, since it was around the time when the book HIGHWAY STAR came out.
■(Regarding the most difficult chapters or illustrations he has work on) The spread of the collapse of the Neo-Tokyo Building in Volume 3 of AKIRA was really hard, and I didn't make it in time for the deadline.
■(Favorite motto) "Every day is an excuse". It's a copycat of photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto (杉本博司).
■(On recent hobbies) It's not a hobby, but maybe it's about understanding tube audio.
■(Regarding the status of the new AKIRA animation project) I would like to know too.
