If you thought Naruto was going to fade from the spotlight after its second anime ended, you were wrong. Not only does Naruto have a popular sequel these days through Boruto, but it is about to debut a live-action project. However, the venture’s first poster has got fans feeling all kinds of confused.
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If you haven’t heard, Naruto is poised to get its first-ever Kabuki play this year. The project is being done in Japan and work is underway on the massive undertaking. So far, Hayato Nakamura has been tapped to play Sasuke while Minosuke Bandou takes care of Naruto. The vetted stars are no strangers to the world of Kabuki, but lots of fans are. So, you can see why the first key visual for the Naruto play has got some spooked.
No, really — just take a look at the poster below. It is a little off-putting.
As you can see, the poster shows Naruto and Sasuke in some rather ornate costumes. The ostentatious looks are rather different from the costumes the ninjas sport in the anime, and fans aren’t sure whether they like the historically accurate looks.
Not only are the costumes intense, but the poster’s background has prompted a lot of laughter from fans. The ghostly figures seen in the background are mean to be Madara Uchiha, one of the main antagonists of the Fourth Great Ninja War. The character’s regal attire and over-exaggerated expressions are enough to make anyone laugh. And, when you compare this look to the one Madara sports in Naruto: Shippuden, you can see why some fans are wary.
Still, this poster is a fairly typical one for any Kabuki project; After all, this sort of aesthetic goes hand-in-hand with the genre. The traditional medium dates back as far as the early 1600s, and it is known casually as avant-garde theater. Actors are known for wearing bold face paint, over-the-top outfits, and pulling exaggerated expressions. This style of theater has become an increasingly popular one for anime series, and fans have One Piece to thank for that trend. Eiichiro Oda’s classic series has had several Kabuki plays, and they have become so popular they are often filmed for theatrical releases as tickets sell out extremely fast. So, it isn’t surprising to see that Naruto is looking to get in on the action.
What do you make of this eccentric poster? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
