Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo is working on a new project from a brand-new anime studio.
According to a press release, the studio, named OVAL GEAR, “was established with the aim of passing on the visual expression and artistic style that Katsuhiro Otomo has cultivated over many years to the next generation, and to disseminate new animation works to the world. Production of a new title is already underway at the studio. Further details about the project will be announced as soon as they are ready.”
Otomo hasn’t helmed a movie since 2004’s Steamboy. Back in 2019, he announced that he was adapting his manga Orbital Era into a film, but updates have been few and far between in the seven years since. Still, this new announcement has given fans some much-needed hope.
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“I had given up all hope on ever getting that Orbital Era anime, but now you’re saying there’s still hope?” said one fan on Twitter.
“The amount of hopium i’m inhaling right now is off the charts- Orbital Era might still be on the table…” said someone else.
Published in 2001, Orbital Era follows a group of boys in an under-construction space colony, “surviving in this peculiar environment and society who keep living their lives while they’re being tossed about by fate.”
Otomo’s most iconic work is Akira, the anime movie was a trailblazer for the sci-fi genre and its influence has been seen in Hollywood and live-action films, too. It follows the leader of a biker gang in a dystopian version of Tokyo in the year 2019, whose childhood friend gains telekinetic powers after a motorcycle accident involving a secret government project.
While we wait for more updates on Otomo’s next project, Akira is currently back on the big screen in UK cinemas. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the best new anime still to come in 2026.
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