Pioneer Entertainment is spending over a million dollars to restore and digitally master Katsuhiro Otomo's anime masterpiece Akira.  First released in 1988, Akira jumpstarted the anime market in the United States, thanks to its superb story, art, and animation.  Now the film will be totally re-mastered, remixed with Dolby Digital AC3 surround sound, and given a brand new English dub.  Akira's dramatic lighting, detailed backgrounds and vibrant colors should all benefit from the restoration.  Akira set a standard in narrative complexity, stylistic originality, and kinetic action, which only few animated films have approached.  Pioneer plans to release the restored Akira theatrically this spring -- a signal honor for a twelve-year-old film.

Dark Horse's new English language edition of Otomo's original Akira manga (published in Japan by Kodansha) has been doing extremely well in stores (see 'Dark Horse Retro Manga Boffo').  The release of the re-mastered Akira film should mean that sales should stay strong.   Even if the new Akira only gets a limited arthouse run, the reviews are sure to provide more visibility to the property and steady sales for the trade paperbacks.  But an even bigger opportunity awaits retailers when Pioneer releases a DVD version of the restored film.  If the DVD comes out in the fall and includes the original Japanese soundtrack with subtitles as well as the new English dub and a few bells and whistles, look for it to far outsell the VHS versions, and to become one of the best selling DVDs of the year in specialty stores.