Together with Otomo’s highly acclaimed 1981 manga Domu, the storyboards (part 1) for the director’s magnum opus Akira animated film were the first two titles to be released under the Otomo The Complete works collection.

And what a thing of beauty. This release has been highly anticipated because just like Domu, the older edition of the storyboards ( called The Continuity Of Akira ) have been out of print for the longest time, and this new and improved release is what Otomo fans have been hoping for.

While I do not have my copies of the Continuity of Akira with me to do a side-by-side comparison, I can confirm that this new edition is indeed slightly smaller in print size; see the photo below by Otomo scholar Junya Suzuki –

pic.twitter.com/7JMBVoTtPO

— ???? Jun'ya Suzuki (@JunyaTheSphere) March 20, 2022

That said, this Complete Works new edition is printed on smoother, better quality paper, which helps to better reproduce Otomo’s drawings in their original state, with more values in the midtones.

(image below) Just like the Ghibli storyboard books, the first few pages is a visual guide that walks the reader through some commonly used industry semantics; ie camera movement, frame sizes etc used during story-boarding.

(above & below) And there are even some rare colored panels ! I’m pretty sure this was not present in the older edition. What a delight.

(image above) As you can see, Otomo’s drawings are ridiculously detailed, certainly some of the most detailed storyboard drawings I’ve ever seen ( maybe with the exception of this one ). Also, I’m a sucker for drawings that stretches over several panels, which usually denote a big camera pan or movement.

Not entirely convinced the storyboards that Otomo drew for Akira are detailed enough, I mean look at this shoddy work… ??

Just teasing of course ! My review for the storyboard book ( Vol 1 ) is almost done. You can also just grab a copy here – https://t.co/JZIKUt83AV pic.twitter.com/NVEFGJFBAI

— blauereiter (@blauereiter) March 20, 2022

(above) Just like Domu, This volume comes with a nice little bookmark as well as forms for a special gift upon purchase of the entire collection, but this is only applicable for those residing in Japan unfortunately.

Otomo’s amazing drawings will always be delightful to look at, and this new Complete Works edition is a stellar release with excellent reproductions that make them even better. This comes highly, highly recommended. ( also look out for my review of Vol 2 in the coming week/s ! )

Availability : At the time of writing this review this title is only for sale from Amazon Japan; hopefully Marketplace stores from other Amazon countries will eventually carry it too. In the meantime, Amazon Japan ships internationally; use my How To Order From Amazon Japan post for a step-by-step guide.

“Akira Storyboards Vol 1 ( Otomo The Complete Works Edition ) 大友克洋全集” art book details :

Dimensions – 6.89 x 0.91 x 9.84 inches
Softcover with dust jacket, 488 pages
B&W with color on select pages, In Japanese language

Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

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