After a successful first production run between end-December 2017 to early-February 2018 in the three cities of Yokohama, Osaka and Tokyo, the second stage theatrical adaptation of “Bungou Stray Dogs” announced its return for an all new production run.
“Bungou Stray Dogs on Stage – The Dark Era Arc” is scheduled to commence performance on 22 September 2018 in Tokyo, until 8 October 2018; the entire production will then move on to Osaka for a two-days run from 13 to 14 October 2018.
The three main characters’ costumed visuals were revealed together with the production’s key visual:
Hideya Tawada reprises his role as Osamu Dazai – the young and prodigious executive section head within the hierarchical echelons of the mysterious criminal organisation Port Mafia.
Masashi Taniguchi will appear in the role of Sakunosuke Oda – Dazai’s close friend and a low-ranked member of the Port Mafia. Oda is known affectionately by the nickname of ‘Odasaku’ by his friends.
Veteran stage actor Hirofumi Araki will play the role of the Port Mafia’s intelligence expert Ango Sakaguchi. Ango also shares close ties with Dazai and Odasaku within the Organisation.
“Bungou Stray Dogs” is a light-novel series written by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by Sango Harukawa (春河35). The story is set in Yokohama and revolves around a group of people gifted with special powers working in an organisation known as “Armed Detectives”. They battle their nemeses – members of the “Port Mafia” – a criminal organisation made up of members who are similarly gifted.
The series got its manga adaptation in 2013, followed by an anime adaptation in 2016; the second season of the anime also aired in late-2016. Characters in the series were all based after real-live literary authors or writers who have really existed in the histories of contemporary literature, but given a fictional twist.
In the “Dark Era Arc” that the new theatrical production is based on, the story takes a flashbacked look to the time before Osamu Dazai joined the ‘Armed Detectives’ – i.e. when he was in his younger, and we could probably say wilder days, back in the years when he was a member and executive of the ‘Port Mafia’.
The tickets for “Bungou Stray Dogs on Stage – the Dark Era Arc” are scheduled to go on sale from 27 Kine 2018. Fans are encouraged to check the production’s official website and Twitter account for timely news updates and details.
