News
Touken Ranbu Gets 6th Stage Play in 2019
posted on by Karen Ressler
The official website for Marvelous' stage play adaptations of Nitroplus and DMM Games' Touken Ranbu franchise announced on Thursday that a new stage play will open in 2019. Ken'ichi Suemitsu is directing and writing the script.
The fifth and most recent stage play, Touken Ranbu: Hiden Yuinome no Hototogisu, ran from June 2 to July 29. The play's Blu-ray Disc release, like the two prior plays' Blu-ray Disc releases, topped the Oricon weekly chart when it debuted in October 31. The play had a four-episode television documentary series, which will get a director's cut Blu-ray Disc release with additional footage on December 19.
The first stage play, Touken Ranbu Kyoden - Moeyuru Honnōji, ran in May 2016. The second stage play, Touken Ranbu Kyoden - Moeyuru Honnōji ~ Saien, ran from December 2016 to January 2017. Touken Ranbu Giden - Akatsuki no Dokuganryū, the franchise's third stage play, ran from June to July 2017. The fourth play, Tōken Ranbu: Jo-den Mitsura Boshi Katanagatari, ran in December 2017.
The Touken Ranbu Online "sword personification training game" takes famous swords from Japanese history and interprets them as bishōnen. Nitroplus designed the characters and scenario. The game launched in Japan in 2015. The franchise has inspired the Katsugeki: Touken Ranbu television anime series and an upcoming anime film, the two Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru spinoff anime series, and a compilation anime film. A live-action film will open in Japan on January 18.
The franchise is also inspiring a separate series of stage musicals. The new Musical Touken Ranbu Higekiri Hizamaru Sōki Shutsujin 2019 (Higekiri and Hizamaru Riding Out Together) performance will run in Tokyo in 2019, and the third stage musical will get reruns from January-March.
Sources: Touken Ranbu stage plays' website
