“Akira / So What” Video Campaign (アキラ／SO WHAT), Original Japanese Speed Poster 1988, Speed Size (26 × 73 cm) O541
This is an original Japanese speed poster printed in 1988 for a Bandai home‑video campaign promoting both the Akira (アキラ) international‑festival cut and the related feature So What, based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga. Produced for video‑shop display, it advertises the simultaneous 1 December VHS and Betamax releases of Akira and So What and a special telephone‑card giveaway for fans who answered a quiz included on the tapes.
Film background
The top half of the piece showcases Akira, Otomo’s epoch‑making animated feature set in Neo‑Tokyo, while the lower half highlights So What, a 1988 coming‑of‑age film directed by Naoto Yamakawa about a group of high‑school boys forming a band — also based on Otomo’s work and invited to the Hawaii International Film Festival. Together they encapsulate the breadth of Otomo’s late‑’80s output, from dystopian sci‑fi to grounded youth drama, and the growing multimedia push behind his creations.
Poster design
The upper section reprises the classic Akira key art: Kaneda stands front and centre with his huge energy rifle slung across his shoulder, backed by the intricate cityscape of Neo‑Tokyo and the bold red 「アキラ」 logo over a distressed green AKIRA wordmark. Copy to the side notes this as the “international film festival version” of the movie. The bottom half switches to live action, with the five teenage band members of So What posed on railway tracks with guitar, bass and a Casio keyboard, framed by bold red “SO WHAT” typography and festival laurels. A bright yellow band in the middle announces the “Katsuhiro Otomo Fair” and details the special telephone‑card prize campaign, while a red circle at right shouts “ビデオ 12/1 同時発売!!” (“Video out 12/1 – simultaneous release!!”). The tall, split‑personality layout makes this a unique and highly collectible piece for Akira completists.
This poster is in excellent condition (please refer to the imagery of the exact poster for sale).
It is over 37 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
