If you couldn’t make it to these shows in Japan, worry not: now’s your chance to watch them online!
musicals
Creator of soundtracks for Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell franchises working on play set on the Silk Road.
A makeup studio augmented all her feline facial features until she could pass for Bombalurina!
The glittery, galactic battles of Usagi and her friends will be performed live in the United States as a 2.5-D stage production!
Weren’t able to make it to a performance of the anime stage show? Not to worry, you can now watch it anytime you want!
If you’ve got a favorite series from the hit fantasy series, odds are he’s in the huge cast of this new stage version.
Responsible for the Rurouni Kenshin musical and a musical memorial for Shakespeare, Takarazuka will bring an American president to the stage.
Next month, Hetalia, the anime and manga franchise featuring anthropomorphized nations and a hefty amount of homoerotic subtext, is getting its very own live-action musical adaptation, and the play’s producers have just released the first photos of the cast in costume as their respective nations.
Adapting anime to live-action is an extremely difficult venture. It’s not impossible, though, and one of the few icons of Japanese animation to make the transition smoothly is Himura Kenshin, hero of samurai saga Rurouni Kenshin.
The swordsman with the scarred face and soul has three successful live-action films under his belt, and this winter Japan’s all-female Takarazuka stage troupe will be raising the curtain on its own Rurouni Kenshin musical. Opening night is still a ways off, but the first photos of the cast in costume have been revealed, and gender-flipped or not, it’s hard to imagine a closer likeness for Kenshin himself than Takarazuka’s.
Anime featuring anthropomorphized battleships or samurai swords seem like no-brainers, given that they have a certain cool factor among young otaku and by their very nature make it easy to develop action scenes. Filling your cast with personifications of sovereign nations, though, sounds like a harder hill to climb.
Nevertheless, Hetalia, which started as a webcomic starring anthropomorphized versions of World War II’s Axis powers, succeeded, thanks to its non-stop winks to historical events, willingness to skewer every country on the planet (Japan included), and undercurrent of homoeroticism. The franchise has since spread to print manga and animated TV and movie forms, and now it’s invading new territory with the Hetalia stage musical.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a girls’ manga with a broader or more international fanbase than Hana Yori Dango. Also known as Boys Over Flowers, Hana Yori Dango ran as a serialized comic for more than a decade in addition to having a popular anime version that aired in the late 1990s. That was just the beginning of its multimedia franchise, though, as the series was later remade as a live-action TV and film series in Japan, with separate, locally produced versions for Taiwan and Korea as well.
One place Hana Yori Dango hasn’t gone yet, though, is the stage. That’s changing next year, though, with a Hana Yori Dango musical that’s holding open auditions to cast its female lead.
MOST POPULAR
Now
Magical train ride through Japan’s autumn leaves is like travelling to a different world【Video】
Let’s learn how to order in a Japanese yakiniku restaurant with the help of a “cookable” puzzle
14-year-old Japanese girl tosses cart from roof of Don Quijote, arrested for attempted murder
Support for coworker drinking parties dropping rapidly in Japan, even among older people【Survey】
Japanese police officer comes up with cute reminder to help people not get scammed over the phone
Two Sailor Moon musicals will stream online for overseas fans this winter
Japanese men list the top four reasons why they dumped their past girlfriends
What’s wrong with Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop? The characters, our old-school fan says
Let’s get into the holiday spirit with some low rated Christmas decorations from Amazon Japan
Legendary anime voice actress Megumi Hayashibara wins Japan’s Best Jeanist Award【Video】
Weekly
Ikea Japan offering fully furnished apartment to rent for less than a dollar a month- What’s wrong with Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop? The characters, our old-school fan says
Subway Japan releases its “heaviest sub in history”
Burger King Japan unleashes the Super One Pound Beef Cheeseburger to celebrate Good Meat Day
Starbucks Japan’s new festive Frappuccino puts a local twist on an American favourite
One Piece anime recreates original opening, brings back “We Are” theme for Episode 1,000【Video】
Which Studio Ghibli house would you most like to live in?
Japanese vending machine serves up Wagyu beef steaks in the countryside- 14-year-old Japanese girl tosses cart from roof of Don Quijote, arrested for attempted murder
Our one-star Halloween mask from Amazon has arrived! …in mid-November
Monthly
Cosplay-friendly interior design — Japanese cosplayer shows off crazy apartment entryway
The best cosplayers from Day Two of the Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Festival
End of the line for Gundam Cafe as entire chain announces permanent closure
44 bubble machines on the roof of a Japanese country house is our idea of renovating【Video】
Studio Ghibli’s first anime heroine (no, not Nausicaa) gets an awesome new figure【Photos】
Japanese Twitter user shares a genius-level tip for drawing manga characters in skirts【Pics】
One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
Kyoto Animation releases step-by-step instructions to give yourself Violet Evergarden’s hairdo
9 middle-aged Japanese men come to work in the clothes they’d like their partners to wear- Ikea Japan offering fully furnished apartment to rent for less than a dollar a month
Yearly
Top 10 anime women with biggest, most impactful breasts, voted by thousands of Japanese netizens
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan- One Piece characters’ nationalities revealed, but fans have mixed opinions
Mario isn’t number one? Nintendo plumber doesn’t win Super Mario series character popularity poll
Engrish mistake turns innocent sign into X-rated notice at Japanese store
Country kimono! Project completes set of over 200 designs for every nation at Tokyo Olympics【Pics】
Man worried girlfriend spending too long in bath goes to check on her, finds something surprising
Japanese gamers vote for most frustrating, spirit-crushing video game
Retro game personality test: What the way you wrapped your N64 controller cord says about you
New Japanese KitKat has been aged in whisky barrels from Islay, Scotland
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Two Sailor Moon musicals will stream online for overseas fans this winter
Japanese men list the top four reasons why they dumped their past girlfriends
What’s wrong with Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop? The characters, our old-school fan says
Let’s get into the holiday spirit with some low rated Christmas decorations from Amazon Japan
Legendary anime voice actress Megumi Hayashibara wins Japan’s Best Jeanist Award【Video】
Treat your package like an anime hero with new Saint Seiya underwear【Photos】
How to make amazing sweet apple pancakes using a rice cooker 【RocketKitchen】
Come camp with us on Mt. Jinbagata, the best view you can get without breaking a sweat【SoraCamp】
Nailed it! The shape of your nails may reveal the type of person you are!
The top 30 foods that go best with white rice, according to Japanese netizens
Free Shinkansen tickets for kids travelling with parents during special JR promotion
KFC puts its own spin on Japanese flavours with the new Katsu and Fillet Burger
Coca-Cola Japan releases new Christmas bottles with ribbon labels and music
-
