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No. 6 Novels Get Stage Musical Adaptation in November

Nelke Planning announced on July 26 that writer Atsuko Asano and illustrator Hinoki Kino's No. 6 novels are inspiring a stage musical adaptation that will run in Tokyo from November 8-17 and in Osaka from November 22-24.

The musical will star Hikaru Imamaki as Sion and Kazuki Furuta as Nezumi (Rat).

The staff revealed more cast members on Monday, including:

• Iroha Kumagai as Safu
• Seishiro Higurashi as Inukashi
• Kazuaki Yasue as Yoming
• Yūki Fujiwara as White-Clothed Man
• Kanako Irie as Karan
• Keigo Yoshino as Rikiga

Sayaka Asai is directing, writing, and composing the music for the musical. Satomi Taima is in charge of staging and choreography.

The novels inspired an 11-episode television anime series in 2011 by BONES. Crunchyroll and The Anime Network both streamed the series as it aired, and Sentai Filmworks released the series on home video in North America.

Sentai Filmworks' license of the series has since expired. The company describes the story:

In a near future world after the last great war, most of mankind now lives in a handful of city states. There, for the privileged elite, life should be perfect. But for young Shion, the only thing perfect has been the nightmare his life has become since letting a strange boy called Rat spend the night in his apartment. Banished to the outskirts of the city and stripped of all privileges for helping the mysterious stranger who has since disappeared, Shion now finds himself in even worse danger as his inquiry into a new series of mysterious deaths results in his being arrested on suspicion of murder! But even as Shion is being sent to the city's Correctional Institute, the long missing Rat reappears to rescue him! Now, on the run, the two young men have only one chance at survival: uncover the mysterious secrets that lie at the sinister heart of No. 6!

Kino drew a nine-volume manga adaptation of the novels in Kodansha's ARIA magazine. Kodansha USA Publishing has released the manga in English and has also released an omnibus edition.

Sources: Stage Natalie (link 2), Musical No. 6's X/Twitter account (link 2)