Any real otaku is aware that Prince of Tennis has a stage adaptation. Anyone who is a die-hard fan of Oguri Shun knows that a few of his successful projects are on the stage (Caligula, As You Like It). Any one who knows JE (Johnny’s Entertainment), D-BOYS and PureBOYS remembers that almost all members of these group has had experience in performing on stage be it a play, a mini-musical or a theater live.

The Japanese stage has seen so much diversity in the years of its existence. The usual kabuki, the adaptations of Western plays and the act-out of Mishima Yukio’s books are companioned with the rise of animyu and contemporary stage productions and lives.

Animyu is taken from the words “anime” and “musical”. Just as its name says, animyu is a stage production patterned after a certain anime or manga series. Well-known anime are already adapted for stage as early as 1987, like Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service and is continued up to present (2007) with the most recent one being Yagami Hiroki’s Dear Boys.

At present, the Japanese stage has adapted a lot of anime and manga series, albeit a supernatural series. Some of the more popular ones are Musical Sailor Moon (SeraMyu) from 1993 to 2004, Musical Prince of Tennis (TeniMyu) from 2004 to present, Rock Musical Bleach (BuriMyu) from 2005 to present, Musical Hunter x Hunter (HunterMyu) in 2005, and Musical Air Gear (AirMyu) in 2007.

The lack of special effects and jaw-dropping fight scenes are replaced by witty lines, catchy songs, and impressive dance sequences. While most of the time these musicals stay loyal to the manga or anime storyline, the actors are free to think of ad libs or make puns whenever they think the time is right. The spontaneous lines and additional things they add every run or two capture the people’s interests, making them come back for more. In addition to that, DVD recordings of the productions and other merchandise like photosets have become almost a tradition, making those people who cannot come to watch the production itself satisfied with watching in their homes.

Contemporary plays and lives are also becoming the bulk of Japanese stage. These are plays not adapted from anime or manga, but rather from books or original scripts. These plays can be raw stage plays (Switch wo Osutoki, ONLINE), musicals (FROGS, Kendama) or live events that allows talking to the audience or concert-like atmosphere (Bambino+, group events like D-Stage). It cannot be denied that some of the audiences for these productions are attracted by the cast, which is usually composed of popular artists.

Before, popular artists like JE members, Oguri Shun, and AAA members are cast in plays to invite the younger audience to appreciate theater. Right now, though, the trend seems to have been reversed. Most budding actors who appear in dramas and movies start their career in musicals. The popularity of the production they are in gives them a steady push to the entertainment world. One such production is the Musical Prince of Tennis. In the span of 3-4 years, Tenimyu has been the stepping stone of countless male artists to stardom. The hard choreography and continuous songs train each actor to be hardy enough to the rest of the entertainment world and at the same time, build their perseverance and attitude towards work. By the time they graduate from the musicals, they have gained a lot of experience needed for them to prove their skills to the industry. Most of the promising actors from Tenimyu are casted in dramas or movies. Some of them who are members of a certain group increases their group’s popularity and gains them more support. Some of them who are known to have wonderful voices are adopted by recording companies. Most of them are casted in other musicals, paving their way to sure popularity as their exposure to various types of projects increases.

The Japanese theater might have changed a lot. It might have been abused to promote artists. It might have been cluttered with hundreds of merchandise that constantly empty the poor fangirls’ pockets. Still, it is undeniable that the sudden onslaught of productions, be it animyu, lives, or the usual Shakesperean plays, has won the hearts of most people not only in Japan but all over the world. The variety in Japan’s stage today has made people appreciate stage and the drama on it all the more. It has enlivened a quiet part of their culture and has opened it to the world.

Is this theater trend really just for the sake of an actor’s success to stardom?

Japanese musicals (Wiki)

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