‘SPIRITED AWAY: Live On Stage’ Coming Spring 2023

Oh, my friends, amazing news! I have been musing on anime adaptations and my newer interest/reading obsession in stage play/live stage adaptions for a while now. I would LOVE to see more live stage productions of all the anime we love. Growing up and loving anime, I was a little saddened that outside the shores of Japan I didn’t have access to the stage plays and the drama CDs that Japanese fans had. I understand why–drama CDs would have to be translated for new audiences, some cultural jokes and nuance would be lost, that would be more work for English voice casts for example, and so on and so on. And stage plays have been broadcasted in limited capabilities before, and I’m happy that I’m not the only one hyped for the news of more and more exposure to stage plays outside of Japan. And the first one we’re getting is Spirited Away. There have been decades of Sailor Moon stage plays that have reached almost cult status after all these years with rotating actress and actors with more lore and fans that I can even start to comprehend. I’ve always lovingly desired to one day see in person. The Demon Slayer productions have been wildly popular in Japan, thriving with audiences during the pandemic. Possible hot take here: I think we deserve to see anime adapted for the stage! I don’t believe that the plays are a lost art or are underappreciated. Yet, there’s a sort of magic that comes to watching a story unfold on a stage, with performers making it an experience. Also consider th…