There are those who say live-action anime cannot be done, but there are plenty more willing to fight for it. Now, Naruto is getting a new taste of live-action drama, and fans can get a look at the project now.
So, it is up for you to decide whether you’d get tickets to this Naruto play.
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Over in Japan, a brand-new play for Naruto opened in Tokyo, and a clip of the production has gone live. As you can see above, a highlight reel from the Naruto Kabuki play shows off its array of characters in all their over-the-top glory.
Naruto Uzumaki (Bando Minosuke II) is the star of the show here as he’s seen fighting Sasuke and other ninja like Kisami. As you might have guessed, Sasuke Uchiha (Hayato Nakamura) is also shown as the actor embraces his character’s iconic angst.
The trailer also reveals fan-favorite characters who are part of the play. You can spot ninja such as Lady Tsunada, Itachi, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, and even Orochimaru.
If you want to check out this project, you will have to travel for it. The play is only showing in Tokyo at the Shinbashi Enjubo until August 27. However, there are other live-action plans in the works for Naruto. In fact, creator Masashi Kishimoto is working with Lionsgate to create a live-action Hollywood movie with his characters. Now, you just have to decide if that film needs to steal any bits of this play as its script comes together.
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 wishing 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 features the children of many of its key characters, such as Naruto and Hinata.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations recently made TV Tokyo’s list of Top 5 Anime in sales and profits, coming third in sales and fifth and profits. The anime has been such a success that the Naruto franchise as a whole stills holds a top spot in many anime profits rankings as well. The series even managed to cross 235 million copies of the manga sold worldwide. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was even given a major bump of approval as it just took over a more familiar timeslot, airing in the same time and day that its predecessor Naruto: Shippuden once did.
So, what do you make of this new Naruto play? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
