Neon Genesis Evangelion is finally going to get a live-action stage play in Tokyo, which will be opening this spring. Rather than a true adaptation of the famous anime on the stage, though, this will be an original story. The iconic characters of Shinji, Asuka, and Rei will be left out in favor of new, original characters that will be the heart of this new story. This news just came out this week, to the surprise of many Neon Genesis Evangelion fans.
Evangelion is one of the best-known anime of all time, and has not lost any of its popularity since it first aired in the 1990s. Not many other anime can claim such a legacy other than Sailor Moon, which is getting its own new movie this summer. Ever since Evangelion first captured everyone's hearts and minds, there have been whispers of when it will become a live action movie. After all, most popular anime series eventually become live-action movies in Japan (for better or for worse).
The Evangelion stage show is titled Evangelion Beyond and will be part of a new building in Tokyo called the Tokyu Kabukicho Tower. The show will be part of a larger celebration, the Evangelion Kabukicho Impact, and will be the main event of the celebration. It will run for less than a month in Tokyo before moving on to Nagano, and finally Osaka.
Evangelion Beyond will be the story of a boy named Soshi Tomori, who will be played by Masataka Kumada. He will co-star alongside Shizuku Ishibashi, who will portray Yu Mizuho. The two will be working together to uncover the truth behind what is going on with Evangelion operations, and what a new mysterious organization named Mensch is doing. There is no mention of even NERV, let alone any of the usual characters from the anime.
It is a big risk to make an original Evangelion story, but not one without promise. Even the remakes of the anime have told the same story - though with some new twists and turns - but nothing has ever introduced all-new characters. The story of Evangelion is so famous at this point it is known by everyone who cares, so its refreshing to see that we are going to see a new story, with new characters, set in a world that we already know and love. Stage shows are never going to be exactly like the anime, and EvangelionBeyond is out to try to show that different doesn't have to be bad.
While no live-action movie for Evangelion has been announced quite yet, at least the series will be getting something live-action. After all, this also often happens to popular anime in Japan - they become live-stage shows, which are often musicals. Huge titles like Attack on Titan, Death Note, and SpyxFamily have all been turned into stage performances in Japan, so its no surprise that Evangelion is finally getting the same treatment. What is surprising is that it took almost 30 years for it to happen.
Evangelion Beyond will be on the stage in Tokyo from May 6 - May 8, Nagano from June 3 - 4, and Osaka from June 10 - 19, 2023.
Source: SoraNews24
