Tokyo Ghoul made a lasting impression when it was adapted from the 2013 manga and novel into the 2014 anime series we westerners are most familiar with. It started off dark and only got darker and darker as both humanity and ghouls fought for survival in a world that grew ever more sadistic. A couple of OVAs were released in 2015, not to mention a few games peppered around the timeline. It’s now 2017, and ghoulish rages on in the form of a live-action movie adaptation and a stage play.
The play is produced by Isamu Kayano and casts Ryo Matsuda as Kem Kaneki, Shogo Suzuki as Nishiki Nishio, and Aya Tabata as Toka Kirishima. Further roles include Mitsuru Murata as Uta, Tomokazu Yoshida as Renji Yomo, Kasumi Yamaya as Kimi Nishino, and Tadayoshi Kato as Yoshimura. Finally, Maho Tomita will play Itori, and Yoshihide Sasaki will fill the role of Shuu Tsukiyama and other characters besides. Between this and the film, Tokyo Ghoul’s stage play’s advent is closer, opening to audiences June 29 through July 4 at Theater 1010 in Tokyo. Another run will occur in Osaka’s Umeda Arts Theater on the 8th and 9th of July.
Casting for the Tokyo Ghoul live movie has just recently been revealed. Kaneki will be portrayed by Masataka Kubota, and Yoka by Fumika Shimizu. Cafe manager Yoshimura is played by Kunio Murai while the young Hinami is played by Sakurada Hiyori. There are plenty of others, too many to list here. Tokyo Ghoul hits theaters across Japan on July 29 and is directed by Kentaro Hagiwara, with the screenplay by Ichiro Kusuruno.
Like cartoons in the U.S., anime in Japan is often viewed as children’s fare and not taken seriously by most adults. That would seem to be changing as other countries adopt the medium into their own pop culture. The growing number of live adaptations, whether they’re terrible or not, is evidence that manga and anime have taken a spotlight and won’t be exiting the stage anytime soon.
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