One of the most popular (albeit controversial) anime series of the year was The Rising of the Shield Hero. But, no matter what you think of the series, it’s not going away at any point in the near future.
Hot on the heels of the announcement that two more anime seasons are being produced and will be released at an undisclosed later date, word has hit the Internet that a stage play adaptation is being produced which will be performed in the spring of 2020. Produced by Scissors Blitz, the play will open in late March in Osaka which will be followed by a mid-April run in Tokyo.
Based on the light novel series of the same name, the anime series premiered in January 2019 with a 25-episode first season directed by Takao Abo and series composition by Keigo Koyanagi. The light novel series and subsequent manga adaptation are both being released in English by One Peace Books who describe the story as:
Naofumi Iwatani, an uncharismatic otaku who spends his days on games and manga, suddenly finds himself summoned to a parallel universe! He discovers he is one of four heroes equipped with legendary weapons and tasked with saving the world from its prophesied destruction. As the Shield Hero, the weakest of the heroes, all is not as it seems. Naofumi is soon alone, penniless, and betrayed. With no one to turn to, and nowhere to run, he is left with only his shield. Now, Naofumi must rise to become the legendary Shield Hero and save the world!
The Rising of the Shield Hero series started as a web novel on the website Shōsetsuka ni Narō, where fans became addicted to the rapid development and advancement of the story. Media Factory began publishing the series in 2013 with an expanded story and illustrations from Seira Minami.
This is not the first (nor the last) time that an anime has been adapted into a stage theatrical production. Many series, from a wide range of genres such as sports, shonen, and shojo has been adapted for the stage, including the cycling series Yowamushi Pedal, the shonen action series Blue Exorcist, and many others.
Source: Moca News
