{"rewrite":{"id":"r_75cd6547149a81afdababa94","clusterId":"c_ebbb19c254705b25722efa2f","slug":"theatrical-anime-akira-to-be-rebroadcast-on-nhk-e-tv-july-18","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Theatrical Anime AKIRA to Be Rebroadcast on NHK E-TV July 18","summary":"NHK E-TV announced a rebroadcast of the 1988 theatrical anime \"AKIRA\" on July 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The broadcast will air on NHK E-TV and will also be available for simultaneous and catch-up streaming on NHK ONE. The previous terrestrial broadcast of the film on NHK E-TV occurred on January 3, 2026, at 10:00 PM. The film is based on the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo, who also directed and co-wrote the screenplay. Animation production was handled by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, now TMS Entertainment. The production spanned three years with a budget of 1 billion yen, using approximately 150,000 cels drawn by 1,300 staff members. The film adopted a pre-scoring method for voice recording, with Otomo directing the voice actors. The announcement on X by the official NHK Anime account generated excitement, with fans posting reactions such as \"What!?!?!?!?!\" and \"If you haven't seen it, you should.\" The film is set in Neo Tokyo in 2019 and follows Kaneda and Tetsuo as they confront the mysterious being known as Akira.","whyItMatters":"The rebroadcast on a Saturday afternoon timeslot on NHK E-TV, following a late-night broadcast earlier in the year, suggests the broadcaster sees the film as having broad, family-friendly appeal rather than a niche late-night audience.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe rebroadcast lands on a Saturday afternoon, a timeslot usually reserved for children\u0026#39;s and family programming on NHK E-TV. The previous broadcast aired on a Saturday night at 10:00 PM. The official NHK Anime account posted the announcement on X on July 6 with a message calling the film \u0026#34;a pinnacle of sci-fi anime that amazed the world with its detailed animation and innovative direction.\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFan reactions on X included surprise at the timeslot choice. One user wrote, \u0026#34;E-TV!!!?!?!? That on E-TV!!!!???!!?!?\u0026#34; Another asked, \u0026#34;Eh, AKIRA on Saturday afternoon? NHK, are you okay!?\u0026#34; Other comments expressed excitement: \u0026#34;I\u0026#39;m happy, I want to watch it many times, and I want to read the manga too\u0026#34; and \u0026#34;Can I watch it again!\u0026#34;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe film\u0026#39;s production used approximately 150,000 cels drawn by 1,300 staff members over three years, with a total budget of 1 billion yen. It adopted a pre-scoring method for voice recording, where the voice actors recorded their performances first and the animation was created to match, rather than the standard post-recording method used in most Japanese anime. Katsuhiro Otomo directed the voice actors during recording.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe staff roster includes music composition and conducting by Shoji Yamashiro, character design by Otomo, animation direction by Takashi Nakamura, and art direction by Toshiharu Mizutani. The music was performed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi. The voice cast includes Mitsuo Iwata as Kaneda, Nozomu Sasaki as Tetsuo, Mami Koyama as Kei, Taro Ishida as Colonel, and Tessho Genda as Ryu.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"AKIRA's July 18 rebroadcast on NHK E-TV lands six months after its January 3 airing on the same channel. The quick turnaround suggests NHK sees sustained demand for the 1988 theatrical film.","twitterPost":"AKIRA returns to NHK E-TV July 18, six months after its January broadcast. Quick turnaround signals the channel sees lasting interest in the 1988 film.","threadsPost":"AKIRA gets a second NHK E-TV broadcast in six months, July 18 at 2 PM. The January 3 airing was at 10 PM; the earlier slot may target a different audience. NHK is betting the 1988 film still draws viewers outside late-night.","newsletterBlurb":"NHK E-TV will rebroadcast the 1988 theatrical anime \"AKIRA\" on July 18 at 2:00 PM, with streaming on NHK ONE. The film, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, cost 1 billion yen and used 150,000 cels. This follows a previous broadcast on the same channel in January 2026.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260706y\",\"title\":\"Theatrical anime \\\"AKIRA\\\" to be rebroadcast on NHK E-TV on July 18 at 2:00 PM. The theatrical version of the acclaimed sci-fi manga that has received high praise worldwide and influenced numerous works.\"},{\"source\":\"Anime Anime\",\"url\":\"https://animeanime.jp/article/2026/07/06/100754.html\",\"title\":\"Theatrical Version \\\"AKIRA\\\" to Be Rebroadcast: \\\"What!?!?!?!?!\\\" \\\"If You Haven't Seen It, You Should\\\" Causes Excitement! Broadcast on NHK E-TV on July 18 at 14:00\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":12092,"outputTokens":1579,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783333955,"createdAt":"2026-07-06T10:24:30.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-06T10:28:32.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T10:24:30.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_ebbb19c254705b25722efa2f","canonicalTitle":"劇場版アニメ「AKIRA」の再放送が決定 、Eテレにて7月18日午後2時から。世界で高い評価を受け、数多くの作品に影響を与えた名作SFマンガの劇場版","representativeArticleId":"a_f2b4ffae04cbb968667e00c3","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"AKIRA\"],\"manga_titles\":[\"AKIRA\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-06T07:13:45.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-06T07:15:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T10:28:32.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260706y","title":"劇場版アニメ「AKIRA」の再放送が決定 、Eテレにて7月18日午後2時から。世界で高い評価を受け、数多くの作品に影響を与えた名作SFマンガの劇場版"},{"source":"Anime Anime","url":"https://animeanime.jp/article/2026/07/06/100754.html","title":"劇場版「AKIRA」が再放送決定「なにィ！？！？！？！？！」「未見の方は観たほうが良いよ」と大盛り上がり！Eテレで7月18日14時から放送"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["AKIRA"],"manga_titles":["AKIRA"],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The theatrical anime \"AKIRA\" will be rebroadcast on NHK E-TV on July 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM.","The film was produced in 1988 with a budget of 1 billion yen, using 150,000 cels drawn by 1,300 staff over three years.","Katsuhiro Otomo directed the film and co-wrote the script with Yozo Hashimoto; animation production was by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now TMS Entertainment).","The previous terrestrial broadcast on NHK E-TV was on January 3, 2026, at 10:00 PM.","The film will also be available for simultaneous and catch-up streaming on NHK ONE."]}