- Explore the rise of ACG live-action stage plays

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The only one in the world

Japan's well-developed ACG (anime, manga, and games) industry has not only produced a variety of toys that are loved by players around the world, countless events, magazines, and monographs attached to this industry, but also a kind of live-action stage play that is full of Japanese characteristics and may seem a little inexplicable from a foreigner's point of view.

As of June 2015, there are more than 110 works in the wiki called "List of Anime, Manga, and Game Drama Works", which is likely to be much higher than that, considering that these are limited to plays that have been performed as commercial dramas.

The latest such stage play should be "Puff Yo Puff Yo!" which will be performed from May 2 to 6, 2015. OnStage", as the name suggests, is based on Sega's game of the same name, and is the first time the series has been adapted into a stage play. Another well-known game series "Resident Evil", which is far more influential than "Puff Puff", was also announced at the end of July and is expected to be officially released in October 2015, and there are many similar examples.

So why do Japanese audiences have a soft spot for the slightly "weird" format of ACG stage plays?

A timeless tradition of theatre viewing

Speaking of his passion for stage plays, I have to mention the status of the four traditional theaters of Kyogen, Noh, Kabuki, and Ningyo Joruri in Japanese society.

The development of these traditional operas in Japan is not only different from the decline of Peking Opera and local opera in China, but also different from the operas that are very popular in the upper class of Europe, or the modern musicals represented by Broadway theaters in the United States. It goes without saying that the older generation of moviegoers have persistent support for it, and they also have a considerable social status in the cultural world because of the special protection of traditional culture by the Japanese government. Traditional theater performers may also be movie and TV stars, well-known hosts, and pop singers, thus having a huge fan base spanning the age group.

Among them, the eleventh generation of Ichikawa Hai Laozo is a typical cross-border star. Born into a famous Kabuki family, he inherited the "famous deeds (titles)" Ichikawa Kaizo that has been passed down from generation to generation, and in addition to his outstanding performance in traditional Kabuki repertoire such as "Persuasion to Enter the Account", which is well received by fans, he has also participated in many movies and TV dramas. For example, in 2006's "The Sea Without Exit", he played the lead role in Koji Namiki, and in 2003, he played the male lead Miyamoto Musashi in the Taiga drama "Musashi".

It can also be seen from the series of reports of major Japanese media on the "Ichikawa Hailaozo Atrocity Incident" at the end of 2010 that the influence of this artist has long jumped out of the field of traditional opera culture and has become a star who has received widespread attention from the public.

This blend of tradition and pop first expanded their personal influence, and secondly, the charisma of these people also brought constant attention and popularity to the traditional theater. Almost every day during my study in Japan, I passed by Hakataza, the largest theater dedicated to theatrical plays in Fukuoka City, and there were many fans crowding at the back door of the theater on the day of the performance, hoping that they would be idols. Among them, there are not only graceful old women, but also young people who are dressed beautifully and fashionably. It can be seen as a microcosm of traditional theater, stage plays, and their performers' status in Japanese society.

From traditional to modern

In the modern commercial society, the habit of "watching live performances" has naturally extended from traditional theater, and in addition to expanding into the field of popular culture and entertainment, as mentioned above, various modern theaters have also benefited from it. Combined with the abundant financial resources and sophisticated packaging skills of Japanese companies, one after another high-end theater company brands were born, such as Takarazuka Theater Company, Imagine-Musical, and so on, which gamers who follow the Japanese theater industry must have heard of.

Then came the question of expanding the performance market. The threshold of traditional opera is too high, and this porcelain work cannot be done without diamonds; Classic stage plays are performed almost every year, such as "The Phantom of the Opera", "Les Miserables", etc., and it is difficult to come up with new ideas; Whether a purely original script can be popular or not depends on luck, which is too risky for the organizer and lacks marketing highlights; Although Japan's well-developed literary industry provides a lot of themes that can be adapted, because the audience of literary works tends to be older and more rational in consumption, it is possible that the situation of "applause but not popularity" may occur.

As a result, the almost endless ACG resources and the young consumers with amazing spending power behind them have entered the field of vision of many stage drama manufacturers.

A shortcut called ACG stage play

First of all, ACG adaptations have many benefits compared to original plays.

The world view, basic story structure, character settings, and even the costumes and main lines are all ready-made, which saves a lot of trouble in the script writing process. Even if it is an illustrated novel, you still need to imagine the appearance, clothing, or body movement of the protagonist when adapting it, and ACG works don't even need to think about the color of the clothing.

Secondly, a large audience is also a big advantage that should not be overlooked. It is important to know that live theater basically relies on the sale of scripts, actors' autographs and other merchandise to make a profit, and the ticket revenue of the performance is only a small part of the total revenue for most theater companies. In addition to the ACG repertoire, the number of goods that can be sold has increased dramatically due to the specificity of the subject matter. In addition to the products related to the performance itself, the merchandise related to the original work can also be sold at the performance site, which will undoubtedly greatly increase the profit of the performance.

Surprisingly, according to an industry insider, even the agency is very happy to let its artists, especially newcomers, accept the performance project of ACG stage plays, why is this?

Because the setting of this kind of stage play is very clear and clear, it often does not require the actor to have superb acting skills to be familiar in front of a relatively fixed fan base, even if it is applauded, it will not have much impact, it can be said to be a very valuable "training ground". Many actors have been successfully promoted to signed artists of well-known TV stations by relying on the sense of presence and performance experience they have exercised in ACG stage plays.

On the other hand, being able to expand the influence of stage plays, which is a relatively lofty form in the traditional sense, is also undesirable for the original authors and publishing and distribution institutions of ACG's works, not to mention that there are still a lot of profit prospects behind it. Especially in recent years, when personal consumption in Japan has been sluggish for various reasons, show organizers have been sparing no effort to explore emerging markets, and the ACG theater industry, which has not yet been fully developed, has become one of the top targets.

Fans of the original work can fulfill their long-cherished wish to witness a certain 2D character in real life, the troupe and cast and crew have more film contracts, the organizer has obtained new profit growth points, and the original author has also found a new way to make profits in addition to selling the original work and peripheral products, and this qiē benefit relies on the Japanese people's viewing habits and good theater infrastructure, and the cost and risk have been effectively controlled, which is obviously an out-and-out "shortcut" to profit.

ACG Stage Drama Status

According to Gao Haomei, a veteran journalist who has been following the trend of Japan's "2.5 dimension" for many years, ACG stage plays have ushered in a major "inflection point" in 2014, beginning the transformation from a small range of "tricks and tricks" to a part of popular culture, and in 2015, in her opinion, it will "open a new era of ACG stage plays".

First of all, the 2.5 Dimensional Musical Theatre Association was established in Tokyo in March 2014, and ACG Theatre finally has an official management unit. Secondly, due to the increasing funding of the organizers, the original concept of "2.5 dimensions" began to appear more and more in traditional media such as newspapers and television. The sales of peripheral goods, which are closely related to the profits of stage plays, have also continued to grow driven by the two monster-level IPs of "Frozen" and "Monster Watch", and even the late-night drama peripherals that no one cared about in the past have begun to be favored by many adult audiences. What's more, ACG is beginning to gain more and more acceptance from the "mainstream society". For example, the famous Seibu Department Store and Toyota Motor Coincidentally selected Doraemon as the endorsement image in 2014, and the aforementioned "Monster Watch" even appeared on the stage of the "Japanese Spring Festival Gala" Red and White Singing Conference. Nowadays, when you walk into any convenience store, the first thing you see is often a variety of ACG merchandise.

If Gao Haomei's personal observations are not so credible, then the official statistics of the 2.5 Dimensional Musical Theater Association may be more convincing. As an art form unique to Japan, ACG stage plays have grown significantly faster in recent years, and they have even been loved by overseas audiences. Nowhere is this more evident than in the expansion of the repertoire, which has increased from less than 30 in 2011 to more than 60 in 2013, and the number of spectators has soared from less than 600,000 in 2011 to 1.6 million.

It is worth noting that, just as the ACG brand in Japan generally has an international influence, the proportion of ACG fans who have flocked to Japan due to the sharp depreciation of the yen in recent years is not high, but it is enough to draw the attention of Japanese 2.5D stage theater practitioners to this potentially huge market. For example, in March 2015, aiia 2.5theaterTokyo, which has been transformed into a dedicated 2.5D theater, has installed displays with English subtitles specifically for overseas audiences.

Another example of ACG's internationalization is its active "going out", as exemplified by the musical Sailor Moon: The Bunny in Shanghai in January 2015, which attracted more than 5,000 viewers in three days, and another well-known IP "The Prince of Tennis" musical is also scheduled to land in Chinese mainland in 2015. A stage show like "Naruto", which is as famous as "Naruto", plans to tour many countries and regions in Asia.

Between "2" and "3".

Presumably, readers who pay a little attention to ACG-related news will find that in recent years, such 2.5D music stage drama news has increasingly appeared in the field of vision, which is very much in line with the development trajectory of the industry in recent times, following the continuous growth of the ACG market, as a part of the peripheral product chain has gained sufficient growth momentum.

But on the other hand, there are not a few fans of ACG's original work who dislike this form of expression from the bottom of their hearts. The set, the costumes, the acting, the quality of the music, every element can be a huge slot. The subject matter of ACG's stage play not only facilitates the creation of the script, but also increases the difficulty of recreating various fantasy scenes in real life. But there are still one group after another, inspired by the market potential.

In fact, Disney has been practicing similar activities for a long time, relying on Disneyland to hold large-scale musical performances, and its quality and volume are not comparable to these ACG stage plays in Japan. It can only be said that the Japanese have once again carried forward the fine tradition of "making a dojo in a snail shell" in this regard, and squeezed out a commercial world between the 2D and 3D worlds.