While the BEASTARS anime adaptation is currently airing in Japan, more good news has been announced, especially for the long-time fans of the franchise. It was confirmed in the first 2020 issue release of Weekly Shonen Champion magazine on Thursday that a stage play adaptation of the BEASTARS manga is confirmed. The play is set to run in April and May next year in Tokyo and Osaka.

The BEASTARS manga was first launched in the mentioned publication in September 2016 and since then has become one of the magazine’s popular series. Its 16th compiled volume is confirmed to be released in Japan on Friday by Akita Shoten. VIZ Media has licensed the manga to be officially released in English. The third English volume was released on November 19.

The story of BEASTARS takes place in a modern world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures divided between the herbivores and carnivores. Our main hero, Legoshi, is a timid gray wolf and is a student of Cherryton Academy, where he stays in a dorm with other carnivores. The tension between herbivores and carnivores began when Tem the alpaca was brutally murdered and been eaten. While this has been going on, Legoshi crossed paths with a dwarf rabbit named Haru, in which he grew feelings with as the story progresses.

The anime series first aired in Japan on October 9 and still ongoing. It is also available for streaming in Japan via Netflix.

The BEASTARS manga was created by Paru Itagaki, and it sold over 1.3 million printed copies as of April last year. Its immense popularity had also got the series to win multiple awards, including the being the Akita Shoten title to win the Manga Taisho award.

2020 is also going to be interesting as video streaming platform giant Netflix announced on Tuesday that the anime adaptation of BEASTARS will now be available for viewers outside of Japan in early 2020. As of this time, it has not announced the regions where the series will be available. Netflix has become a video streaming powerhouse, not only providing a massive library of exclusively produced TV series and movies but also adding a massive library of other TV shows and movies from around the world.

The stage play adaptation would be quite interesting as the main characters are animals, and we’re curious about how they are going to pull off each of them. Stage play adaptations of popular anime series have been common over the years. Popular franchises like Naruto, Sailor Moon, Death Note, Haikyuu!!, and Touken Ranbu are some of the many titles that got stage play adaptions and had big hits.

The boom of anime stage musicals and plays began in 2003 after the massive success of the stage play adaptation of Prince of Tennis. These kinds of productions are popular amongst girls, probably because of the handsome cast and its unique way of storytelling. Stage plays are also a way for companies to add more material into the series and sell exclusive merchandise. Some may prefer the original source and its anime adaptations. Some, however (especially theater fans), still have a heart for these kinds of adaptations.

Now going back to BEASTARS, it would probably be a big hit considering that its massive popularity grew ever since the anime adaptation was released and its fanbase is growing. We still don’t have an exact date yet, but at least we know the months on when the stage play will take place.

The announcement of the English release of BEASTARS happened during VIZ Media’s panel in Anime NYC that happened in November. Aside from this series, the other titles that they’ve announced were Komi Can’t Communicate by Tomohito Oda, Boku no Hero Academia Smash!! spinoff manga by Hirofumi Neda, and the novel Automatic Eve by Rokuro Inui.

Here is a detailed synopsis about BEASTARS as shared by VIZ Media:

At a high school where the students are literally divided into predators and prey, it’s personal relationships that maintain the fragile peace. Who among them is a Beastar—an academic and social role model destined to become a leader in a society naturally rife with mistrust?

Last night at Cherryton Academy, an herbivore student was killed and eaten. Among the members of the drama club, the herbivores’ suspicions naturally turn to their carnivore classmates… The prime suspect? Legosi, a large wolf. But he wouldn’t hurt a fly—or would he? And will dwarf rabbit Haru bring out the beast in him? Or are his feelings for her…something else?

With that said, we are looking forward to this upcoming stage play adaptation of this popular series. If you still haven’t read or watched the series, you are never too late to catch up on it. We highly recommend this series!

Source: Anime News Network