{"product_id":"akira-アキラ-ultra-rare-original-japanese-weekly-young-magazine-theatrical-release-commemorative-special-poster-welcome-to-neo-tokyo-2019-1988-size-c-52-5-24-5-cm-1","title":"“Akira” (アキラ), Ultra-Rare Original Japanese Weekly Young Magazine Theatrical Release Commemorative Special Poster “WELCOME TO NEO-TOKYO 2019”, 1988, Size (c. 52.5 × 24.5 cm) N145A","description":"\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003eThis is an original Japanese long-format special poster issued in 1988 to commemorate the theatrical release of \u003cstrong\u003eAKIRA\u003c\/strong\u003e. The sheet is explicitly printed \u003cstrong\u003eアニメ「AKIRA」公開記念特別ポスター\u003c\/strong\u003e and carries the \u003cstrong\u003eYoung Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e mark prominently at the foot; matching surviving examples on the Japanese market are routinely identified as a \u003cstrong\u003eWeekly Young Magazine \u003c\/strong\u003epromotional supplement from the release period. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUltra-rare:\u003c\/strong\u003e this is \u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c\/strong\u003e the common B2 theatrical poster and it is \u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c\/strong\u003e the conventional Japanese \u003cstrong\u003espeed poster \u003c\/strong\u003eformat either. Standard speed posters are generally B2 half-sheets of about \u003cstrong\u003e255 × 728 mm\u003c\/strong\u003e. The present piece is a different, scarcer long-format release-commemoration poster, tied directly to the \u003cstrong\u003eYoung Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e side of the AKIRA phenomenon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003eAcross the top the sheet is dominated by the colossal blue \u003cstrong\u003eAKIRA\u003c\/strong\u003e wordmark, struck through with the red banner \u003cstrong\u003eWELCOME TO NEO-TOKYO 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e. Beneath it sits a stepped collage of colour film stills previewing Kaneda, Neo-Tokyo architecture, the neon city, the espers, bike action, military menace, and the mounting psychic catastrophe at the heart of the film. To the upper right appears the superbly overconfident teaser: \u003cstrong\u003e“AKIRA will break every attendance record ever established by any animations in the history of Japan!”\u003c\/strong\u003e At the foot, the bold \u003cstrong\u003eYOUNG magazine\u003c\/strong\u003emasthead anchors an equally urgent English invitation to attend the film on \u003cstrong\u003e16 July 1988\u003c\/strong\u003e, complete with the famous boast of \u003cstrong\u003e“Over 150,000 cells”\u003c\/strong\u003e and “new style heart-stopping music.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAkira\u003c\/strong\u003e began serialisation in \u003cstrong\u003eYoung Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e in \u003cstrong\u003eDecember 1982\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the feature film opened in Japan on \u003cstrong\u003e16 July 1988\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong\u003eOtomo\u003c\/strong\u003e directing his own adaptation. English-language critical and institutional references continue to describe it as one of the most influential anime films ever made. This poster therefore belongs to the essential first-release stratum of AKIRA material: not a later revival item, but an original release-period sheet linking the manga’s magazine identity to the film’s theatrical launch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePoster design\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003eA strong cream ground is used as negative space around an emphatic vertical programme of text and imagery. The immense blue \u003cstrong\u003eAKIRA\u003c\/strong\u003e logo functions almost as architecture, while the red \u003cstrong\u003eWELCOME TO NEO-TOKYO 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e strip cuts across it like emergency signage. Below, the montage of cels works almost as a preview reel in still form: neon avenues, industrial interiors, Kaneda in red, the espers, and night riding through Neo-Tokyo. The design is especially effective because it combines typographic force with a magazine-like grid of scene fragments, giving the sheet the feel of both a theatrical teaser and a compact visual dossier on the film.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy collectors prize this example\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003eThis piece is prized because it is \u003cstrong\u003erelease-period Japanese material\u003c\/strong\u003e, tied directly to the original \u003cstrong\u003e16 July 1988\u003c\/strong\u003e opening and to \u003cstrong\u003eYoung Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e, the publishing home that launched AKIRA in the first place. Its slim, non-standard format also sets it apart from the much better-known B2 theatrical poster, and surviving market traces suggest that examples surface only intermittently. For Otomo collectors, that crossover between \u003cstrong\u003emanga provenance\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eoriginal film promotion\u003c\/strong\u003e is exactly what gives the poster its particular collector appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry:\u003c\/strong\u003e Japan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYear:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1988 (\u003cstrong\u003etheatrical release campaign\u003c\/strong\u003e; footer text gives \u003cstrong\u003e16 July 1988\u003c\/strong\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eWeekly Young Magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e promotional supplement \/ theatrical release commemorative \u003cstrong\u003especial poster\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e c. \u003cstrong\u003e52.5 × 24.5 cm\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrinted identifiers on sheet:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eアニメ「AKIRA」公開記念特別ポスター\u003c\/strong\u003e; \u003cstrong\u003eWELCOME TO NEO-TOKYO 2019\u003c\/strong\u003e; \u003cstrong\u003e“AKIRA will break every attendance record ever established by any animations in the history of Japan!”\u003c\/strong\u003e; \u003cstrong\u003eYOUNG magazine\u003c\/strong\u003e; footer message beginning \u003cstrong\u003e“Urgent!! A message from Young Magazine to the audience.”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVerso:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blank.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVery good\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003efolded as issued\u003c\/strong\u003e, with evident fold lines, light general handling and age wear, a few small marks and tone spots consistent with age, and mild edge\/corner wear visible in the supplied photographs. The front still presents very well, with \u003cstrong\u003estrong colour\u003c\/strong\u003e, clear text, and a clean overall display effect. Please review the photographs carefully; they show the exact item.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"text-token-text-primary leading-relaxed\"\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003e38 years old\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eIt is \u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c\/strong\u003e a reproduction or a reprint.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Authenticity included.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Japan Poster Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56912313975162,"sku":null,"price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/8859\/4591\/files\/wall-shelf-with-ornaments-2026-05-22T073007.918.jpg?v=1779402624","url":"https:\/\/japanposter.co.uk\/products\/akira-%e3%82%a2%e3%82%ad%e3%83%a9-ultra-rare-original-japanese-weekly-young-magazine-theatrical-release-commemorative-special-poster-welcome-to-neo-tokyo-2019-1988-size-c-52-5-24-5-cm-1","provider":"Japan Poster Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}