Interest

Akira Manga Creator Katsuhiro Otomo's Selfie Gets Photobombed by Voice Actor Subaru Kimura

To promote the January 21 release of Katsuhiro Ōtomo's "Complete Works Project," billboard ads are on display in Shibuya and Shinjuku from January 17 to 23. Otomo himself has been visiting the locations of these billboards and taking selfies in front of them. The selfies got a little more buzz than he bargained for, however, when Hypnosis Mic voice actor Subaru Kimura revealed on Twitter that he's in one of the photos.

In the photo showing the Hachiko exit of the JR Shibuya Station, Kimura is visible in the left side wearing an orange sports jacket.

Otomo later tweeted: "This was a total coincidence. I didn't have the time to look at the people around me." He also noted that a lot of people pass through this location and apologized about all the other people inadvertently caught in the shot.

For interest, here are the other photos and video of Otomo with the ads:

Otomo's "Complete Works Project" releases his entire body of published work since his professional debut in 1971. The project was previously scheduled to debut in 2021, but was delayed to January 21.

Otomo began his career as a manga creator on such works as Domu, Kibun wa mō Sensō, and his most famous title internationally, Akira. He then branched into animation by directing part of the Robot Carnival omnibus and a feature film adaptation of his own Akira story. He directed other anime projects such as the Memories omnibus, the Gundam: Mission to the Rise event short, and the Steamboy feature. He also collaborated on Harmagedon, Roujin Z, Spriggan, Metropolis, Freedom Project and Hipira: The Little Vampire.

Otomo confirmed in 2018 that he is working on a new manga. He revealed in 2012 that he was preparing his first long series since Akira.

[Via Hachima Kikо̄]