

He also directed, scripted and created the characters and artwork for Cannon Fodder, one of the films in the omnibus, which was based on his original manga. Otomo was the Supervising Producer and Supervising Director for the cinematic release of the omnibus version of Memories. Akira was also highly regarded outside of Japan, becoming the first film to help consolidate the status of the genre in the overseas market. In 1988, he released the anime Akira, which he scripted and directed from his own original manga creation. In 1987, he scripted, designed the characters and directed The Order to Stop Construction in an omnibus edition of Labyrinth Tales. In addition to manga, Otomo began his career in anime when he worked on the character design for the cinematic version of Harmagedon. Otomo’s unique style has heavily influenced the world of comic books, and he has established a position as one of the leading figures in the world of Japanese manga. Akira, which was serialised in Young Magazine in 1982, became extremely popular and was awarded the eighth Kodansha Manga Prize in 1984. In 1983, Domu, a Child’s Dream was awarded the fourth Japan Science Fiction Prize. His popularity grew rapidly with his next projects: Fireball, Domu, a Child’s Dream, Kibun wa mo senso and other titles in Manga Action Deluxe. Born in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, in 1954, Otomo made his debut as a comic illustrator and writer in 1973 when A Gun Report (Mateo Falcone), was published in a special edition of Manga Action. With more than 180,000 drawing and 400 CG cuts, Steamboy is sure to be one of the most elaborate animated features of 2004.ĭirector Katsuhiro Otomo can name among his fans such acclaimed filmmakers as James Cameron and the Wachowski brothers. The lush Victorian interiors and the elegance of the era’s mechanical design allows Otomo to create dazzling visual backgrounds and machines for this film. This young boy must use it to fight evil, redeem his family, and save London from destruction. A retro science-fiction epic set in Victorian England, Steamboy features an inventor prodigy named Ray Steam who receives a mysterious metal ball containing a new form of energy capable of powering an entire nation.
