Sing along to the OP, because the Attack on Titan manga and anime is getting a new adaptation, this time in the form of a musical!
It was announced today that Attack on Titan, the acclaimed series by Hajime Isayama, is about to hit the stage!
The manga series, which inspired a hit anime show – which is currently on its final season – and a sub-par live-action movie, is now attempting a new medium: musical theatre. That’s right, a musical adaptation of the manga is coming to certain stages in Japan.
While a dark shonen series surrounding humanity being pushed to the brink of extinction by giant humanoid monsters doesn’t seem on the same page as, say, Phantom of the Opera, this is following a recent trend of anime musical transformations. And there’s plenty of people working on this new project.
Who is making the Attack on Titan musical?
The play, scripted by Masafumi Hata, is being directed by Gō Ueki. Hip hop artist KEN THE 390 is the music director, with lyrics by Kaori Miura.
The main cast includes Kurumu Okamiya as Eren Jaeger, Sara Takatsuki as Mikasa Ackerman, Eito Konishi as Armin Arlert, and Ryo Matsuda as Levi. These actors can be seen on the musical’s official poster.
Other cast members include:
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- Yū Fukuzawa as Jean Kirstein
- Yasue Kazuaki as Marco Bott
- Tomoya Nakanishi as Connie Springer
- Sena as Sasha Braus
- Mitsu Murata as Hannes
- Riona Tatemichi as Hange Zoe
- Takurō Ōno as Erwin Smith
- Mimi Maihane as Carla Jaeger
- Mitsuru Karahashi as Grisha Jaeger
- Masanori Tomita as Dimo Reeves
- Takeshi Hayashino as Keith Shadis
Turns out, this is not the first time a stage production of the anime has taken place. There was another production in 2017, but that had to be canceled after 38-year-old acrobat Kazutaka Yoshino passed away due to an on-stage accident.
The main draw of the anime, that being watching the characters swing around on their 3D Manoeuvre gear, brings the technical aspects of the show into question. According to Kodansha, the show aims to combine traditional staging and music with the latest technology to recreate the Attack on Titan world, but this could both be dangerous and costly.
Granted, you could say that the 2010 show Spider-Man: Turn of the Dark, was able to transform swinging acrobatics into musical theatre, but that show also wasn’t without its fair share of infamous hospitalizations.
When and where will the Attack on Titan musical be performing?
The musical will be running in 2023, at the Orix Theater in Osaka from January 7-9, and at the Seinenkan Hall in Tokyo from January 14-24.
More details and visuals about the musical can be found in the trailer below.
