After gaining a hordes of fans, praise, and success, many manga and anime will begin adapting into other forms of media. From feature films to OVAs to soundtracks, the creative teams behind some of the bestanimeand manga will produce extra content to satisfy the intense cravings of their hardcore fans.
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A form of entertainment that some might not realize are a big hit in Japan is on-stage musicals. In fact, there are many such stage productions based on everyone’sfavorite shows and stories. For fans of theatrical performance headed to the Land of the Rising Sun in the future, it might be worth checking out some of these anime musicals!
10Naruto
It’s no surprise that one of tne of the best selling manga of all time would get its own theater musical. This incredibly popular franchise has received not only one stage play, but three. TheLive Spectacle Narutolive-action musical had three successful runs, adding to the story and swapping out some actors each time.
The play follows theNarutomanga storyline, introducing Naruto as a blossoming ninja with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox trapped within him. He must train to become the best ninja he can be to defeat a deadly oncoming threat, while navigating personal relationships with the people around him.
9My Hero Academia
Get ready for a massive cast bouncing around on stage with iconic costumes, firey personalities, and plenty of special effects to signify their wide array of quirks. TheMy Hero Academia: The “Ultra” Stage Real Hero PLUS ULTRAstage play was originally set to hit theaters earlier this year, but was pushed to 2022.
Though only a few details are out yet, fans can expect to see the fan favorite heroes and villains surrounding UA High. Plus, the musical is sure to feature awesome battle scenes andfunny class 1A moments.
8Sailor Moon
Thisfantastic shojo mangais no stranger to the stage, having been producing live action musicals since 1993. The very first set of musicals booked over 500 shows.
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The theater production followed the story of the manga, showing off the outfits and skills of the beloved main characters and villains. For those interested in seeing a fantastic live action anime performance, this might just be the show to book tickets to.
7Death Note
Most fans likely don’t think of this dark, murder mystery drama when they think of stage musicals, but yet, such a shows exists!Death Note: The Musicalfirst premiered in 2015, and after being a huge success, was revived in 2020 for another run.
Though the plot features some minor changes, the storyline is similar to the manga, following Light as Kira, and L as the detective eager to take him down. Fans of the series will be singing along to the catchy songs in no time.
6Saint Seiya
Fans of this classic 1980s anime were thrilled to see theSuper Musical Saint Seiyawhen it was brought to life in 2011. The story of the musical follows the same plot as the movieSaint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris.
A dangerous Greek goddess is brought back to life along with the Ghost Saints, and must be defeated before they take over the entire world. It’s a fun, action-packed play, and even those who haven’t seen the anime will enjoy it.
5Pokemon
Rather thantouring in Japanor solely Asian countries, as many of these anime musicals did, thePokemon Live!musical toured in the United States from 2000 to 2001. It featured some of the already popular songs from the show, along with a collection of originals.
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The story follows Ash, Brock, and Misty as they battle to achieve the Diamond Badge, only to be faced with the evil Team Rocket. SeeingPokemonin real life is a dream come true for anyone who grew up watching the anime or playing the games!
4Beastars
Beastarsis among the more recent adaptations from anime to stage, as it is still currently in development. The play will follow the story of high schoolers Legoshi and Haru as they navigate the trecherous tension between carnivores and herbivores, predators and prey.
The world of humanoid animals is brought to life with a soundtrack of original songs and amazing costumes. Any fan of the manga or anime will enjoy seeing their favorite characters live and breathing in front of them.
3Hunter x Hunter
Though there are many new fans getting intoHunter x Hunter, even in the 2020s, this play only toured once in 2000. The plot takes place between the manga’s Yorknew City arc and Greed Island arc.
It’s a bit of anInceptionof a storyline, as thefour main protagonistsare on the hunt to find four missing stage performers before their theater play. Fans ofHxHcan cross their fingers and hope that this funky musical gets brought back to the stage one day.
2Bleach
Rock Musical Bleach, commonly referred asBuriMyu,was a highly loved musical based onthe popular manga and anime. There were productions in Tokyo, Osaka, and Hyōgo from 2005 to 2008. It was revived for a Japanese tour in 2010 and 2011, and few more shows were put on in 2016.
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The musical was based on the manga’s Soul Society arc, and features a list of original songs for fans to dance along to. The costumes are awesome, along with fantastic makeup and special effects.
1Black Butler
The brand new theater production,Musical Black Butler - The Secret of The Boarding School,from 2021is the lastest addition to theBlack Butlerlive action performances. The manga premeired its firstmusical adaptation in 2009, and had updated shows run on and off until 2018.
The story of this fantastic show will be sourced from the manga’s The Public School Arc, which in the 14th-18th volumes. The cast was changed from the previous live show, but the acting, passion, music, and effects are better than ever.
