New 'Naruto’ Live-Action Project Releases First Trailer

When it comes to Naruto, fans have a lot to keep up with. Masashi Kishimoto may have wrapped the series a few years back, but the franchise lives on through Boruto. Oh, and there is another live-action Naruto project in the works in Japan.

However, after seeing the play's first trailer, fans will surely have questions about it.

As you can see above, the first trailer for Naruto's Kabuki play has gone live, and it shows of its main characters. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are the stars of this reel, and each of the ninjas show off their dramatic flair.

Sadly, fans don't get to see much of the play's actual story in this reel. The clip simply shows off close-up shots of Naruto and Sasuke in costume. Everything from Naruto's hair to Sasuke's embroidered costume are shown in high definition.

And, yes — it does look like Naruto's lips are covered with makeup. However, it doesn't look like the famous ninja minds the cover up.

For those of you unaware of this project, it has been a long time coming. Minosuke Bandou is playing Naruto while Hayato Nakamura takes care of Sasuke. The pair are vetted actors in the Kabuki industry, and they will be joined by other all-star talent. Ichikawa Ennosuke and Ainosuke Kataoka will double-up as Madara Uchiha for the play's run.

As for Kabuki theater, the traditional medium dates back as far as the early 1600s, and it is known casually as avant-garde theater. Actors usually wear bold face paint, over-the-top outfits, and pull exaggerated expressions. This style of theater has become an increasingly popular one for anime adaptations, and fans have One Piece to thank for the trend. Eiichiro Oda's series has done several Kabuki plays, and they have become so popular they are often filmed for theatrical releases since performances sell out so fast.

For those unfamiliar with Naruto, it has quite a storied history. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows Naruto, a young ninja with a sealed demon within him that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.

What do you make of this eccentric project? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!