Hayao Miyazaki's 'Nausicaa' Getting Stage Play

Hayao Miyazaki has helped realize some of anime’s most magical stories, and one of them will [...]

By Megan Peters

Hayao Miyazaki has helped realize some of anime's most magical stories, and one of them will soon be heading to the stage. A new report from Japan has confirmed Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is set to get a stage play late next year.

According to a piece by Anime News Network, Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki confirmed the play adaptation got underway recently. The project will adapt Hayao Miyazaki's manga based on Nausicaa, and the performance will be a kabuki stage play.

Right now, Suzuki says the goal is to adapt all of Miyazaki's manga in the kabuki play. G2 has been tapped to direct the play, and it is slated to debut in December 2019 barring any setbacks.

Casting for the stage play has been decided, and it seems the actor overseeing Nausicaa is responsible in part for the kabuki play event happening. Kikunosuke V will play the lead, and they are said to have been the person who proposed a play adaptation of the manga to begin with. The star will be joined by Nakamura Shichinosuke II who plays Princess Kushana while other kabuki stars like Minosuke Bando, Ukon Onoe II, and Matsuya Onoe tag along.

For those of you unfamiliar with Nausicaa, the story began under Miyazaki way back in 1982. The story was published under Tokuma Shoten and ran until 1984 when Miyazaki directed a film covering the series. Nausicaa tells the story of of its titular heroine who is the princess of a small kingdom. Living in a rather desolate world, Nausicaa tries to save the Valley of the Wind from disaster as ecological warfare wages around her, and the young princess discovers how the sins of her ancestors damned the world she must live in. After its movie was released, Nausicaa became a quick favorite with Studio Ghilbli fans thanks to its unforgiving commentary on sustainability and pollution. Now, Miyazaki's cult classic is getting re-imagined for an entirely new medium, and fans are eager to see how Studio Ghibli will fare on the live stage.

So, would you like to see this adaptation of Miyazaki's gorgeous manga? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

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