Ryuga Sato’s first starring role in the stage reading musical “BEASTARS” is scheduled to be performed in September 2024!

Set in a world where carnivores and herbivores live and coexist, this is a group drama about animals attending a boarding school called Cherryton Academy! The original work “BEASTARS” by Itagaki Paru (published by Akita Shoten’s “Shonen Champion Comics”) won first place in the “Manga Taisho 2018” and four major manga awards. The anime version was then distributed in over 190 countries and became popular. The highly talked-about work “BEASTARS” will be performed as a Reading Musical in September 2024. The Tokyo performance will be held at Theater 1010 from September 3rd (Tue) to 8th (Sun) 2024, and the Osaka performance will be held at COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA TT HALL from September 14th (Sat) to 16th (Mon, holiday) 2024.

The lead role of the grey wolf boy Legoshi (singer/reader) will be played by Ryuga Sato, a member of Bishounen, who will be making his stage debut. Looking ahead to his first leading role, he expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I’ve always been interested in stage plays, so I’m excited. I’ll do my best to create the best stage possible so that I can play the delicate and gentle Legoshi.” (Comments from the entire cast, original author, scriptwriter, and director included.)

Carnivores and herbivores both belong to the same category of “animals,” but can they form a relationship that transcends the barriers between their hearts? This is a reading musical that delivers a microcosm of the society that can occur in the human world, with its conflicts, suffering, and sadness, as well as a worldview put to song.

The script and lyrics for the stage version will be written by Nishimori Hideyuki, who won the Excellence Award in the Theater Division of the 2022 Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival, and the play will be carefully crafted by Motoyoshi Tsuneyasu, who has worked on a variety of productions, from popular works to Broadway musicals.

Other cast members include Ririka Kato as Haru the dwarf rabbit, Yujiro Kazama as Jack the Labrador retriever, Kaname Ouki as Juno the gray wolf, and Tsubasa Sakiyama as Louis the red deer. Other performers include Mitsuru Murata, Daiya Hayakawa, and Yuyu The Excalibur.

One day, a “murder and cannibalism incident” occurs at Cherryton Academy, an elite junior and senior high school, where Tem, a herbivorous alpaca student, is killed by a carnivore. Legoshi, a gray wolf boy who was also a member of the drama club like Tem, is a large carnivore and, due to his silent personality and cryptic behavior, he is suspected of being the culprit behind Tem’s murder. Will the conflict and suspicion between the carnivores and herbivores that arose within the school be resolved?

New talent spins discrimination, love, weakness, hope… A gem of an animal-based human drama in a reading musical. Details of the performance will be announced on the official website (rm-beastars.com) from time to time.

【comment】
Sato Ryuga (Legosi/singer and reader)
When I heard about the play, I was honestly very happy! I’ve always been interested in stage plays, and a reading play will be my first ever challenge, so I’m very excited. This production also has musical elements, so I’m a little nervous, but I’m honored to be involved in this play. I read the original work, and I became a fan of “BEASTARS” myself, so it became a work I really love. I will do my best to play the delicate and kind Legoshi, and work with my co-stars and staff to create the best stage performance!

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Kato Ririka (Haru role/singer and reader)
A musical reading of “BEASTARS”, loved by many people. I would like to create the work with a sense of responsibility and respect for the original work. This is my first time participating in a reading work with both a reader and a performer, so I am very excited to see what kind of creative opportunity it will be. I felt that Haru has a mysterious charm. I would like to face Haru’s heart and think about how I can express her true feelings, why she is able to act so bravely, and how I can express them through my voice and singing voice so that I can become her number one ally. I hope you will look forward to “BEASTARS” delivered with all the wonderful co-stars. Thank you very much.

Kazama Yujiro (Jack and other roles/singer and reader)
When I heard about Labrador Retrievers, the first words that came to my mind were friendly, intelligent, and gentle. Jack’s appearance and personality embody those words, and I found him very attractive. His slightly timid side is also one of his charms, and I think that’s why he can be kind to his childhood friends and everyone, but also strict at times. This is my first time performing in a musical reading style production, so I’m really looking forward to it! I’ll do my best to use my animal instincts, or rather, my acting instincts, to deliver a story that will stay in the hearts of everyone who comes to see the show!

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Mitsuru Murata (Legoshi/performer)
This is Nagatsuki’s 25th year as an actor. Until now, there have certainly been roles without lines.
It’s not that they have no lines, but rather that they are mute or non-human.
When I received this request and looked over the proposal, I was surprised. I was super surprised.
Mitsuru Murata (performer)… performer? …Hmm?
This is my first stage performance at age 47. Hello, I’m Mitsu, a performer. Nice to meet you.
I’m so lucky to still have some first experiences at my age! I’ll do my best.

Daiya Hayakawa (role of Louis/performer)
The theme of the original work and the play is “a miniature version of society that could occur in the human world.” Isn’t it true that judging things based on differences in race or gender is something that happens all the time somewhere in the world, even in the reality we live in every day?
I would be happy if those who see this performance are able to convey at least a little of what we want to say.
This time, I will be performing in the Reading Musical, so I would like to express the sense of justice, pride, and complexes inside of Louis through physical expression! I look forward to seeing you there!

Yuyu The Excalibur (Haru role/performer)
I am very honored to be able to work with such a wonderful cast in a work based on an original work that is loved by many people. I think this work will be a new challenge for me. It is a musical reading, so I am nervous about expressing it through dance for the first time, but I want to enjoy the scene to the fullest so that I can become one with everyone from start to finish, and I hope that everyone who watches it will enjoy it too.

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Kaname Ouki (role of Juno/singer and reader)
When I heard about the role, I was surprised to hear that it would not be a reading musical, but a genre I had never heard before. However, since it is a reading but also a song, I thought that even people who are not good at reading aloud would be able to enjoy it. The story is about a school where herbivores and carnivores attend. I play the role of a wolf named Juno, and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of wolf he will become. I think that there is something about the pure world of animals that resonates with us today. I am meeting the cast, scriptwriter, and director for the first time, so I hope you will look forward to seeing what kind of chemical reaction will occur.

Tsubasa Sakiyama (role of Louis/singer and reader)
I am very happy to be involved in the production of “BEASTARS”. The reading musical combines the elements of recitation and music, and also adds theatrical elements, so I feel that it will create a new sensation like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I have experience in recitation plays and musical plays, but this is the first time I’ve combined the two, so I hope to find many new discoveries and inspirations. I will do my best to deliver to everyone the chemical reaction of a youth ensemble drama and a recitation musical.

Original work: “BEASTARS” by Itagaki Paru (published by Akita Shoten in “Shonen Champion Comics”)
It’s been a number of years since it ended, but I’m grateful that people still care about it.
This is a work that focuses on the dialogue, so I’m looking forward to a musical recitation by professionals.
doing!

Screenplay: Hideyuki Nishimori
“BEASTARS” is a masterpiece that depicts the conflicts and sufferings we face in our modern lives, and the hope that emerges from them. I was touched many times by the words of Legoshi, Louis, Haru, Juno, Jack, and others, and exhaled with emotion. I would like to do my best to make the energetic encouragement to “survive” that is contained in this work felt by as many people as possible through the stage adaptation. Itagaki-sensei’s delicate and powerful story. A reading musical is a new form of theatrical expression. I will create it with care together with the wonderful cast and talented staff.

Directed by: Motoyoshi Tsuneyasu
I will be taking on the exciting and unimaginable multiplication of “BEASTARS” in a musical reading. I read the original work in real time on Champion, and I couldn’t imagine how much this work taught me about the “conflict of living life to the fullest”. I will work hard to make the inevitability of this story appearing on stage through the production. We have gathered a group of reliable creators. Please look forward to it!


[Synopsis]
“I’m going to get stronger. So that I won’t give in to society or my instincts.”
Legoshi accepts himself as a carnivore and takes a step toward falling in love with Haru.
However, just as Legoshi seems to have returned to a peaceful school life, a new crisis creeps up on him.
It was the shadow of the culprit of an unsolved “cannibalism case”…!
Furthermore, in the black market, the remnants of the Shishi-gumi, who were supposed to have been defeated, are once again gaining strength as the “New Shishi-gumi”…
Faced with this new and powerful challenge, will Legoshi be able to protect what is truly important to him?
Appetite, sexual desire, desire for approval. The youth of these young animals, tossed about by various desires, is not over yet…!

＜Reading Musical “BEASTARS” Overview＞
■ Performance title: Reading Musical “BEASTARS”
■ Original work: “BEASTARS” by Itagaki Paru (published by Akita Shoten in “Shonen Champion Comics”)
■ Screenplay and lyrics: Hideyuki Nishimori
■Direction: Motoyoshi Tsuneyasu
■ Composer and Musical Director: Shunsuke Wada
■ Singing instructor: Yasuhiro Yamano
■ Choreography and staging: Takuya Shiono (Umebou)
■ Cast: Ryuga Sato / Ririka Kato / Yujiro Kazama / Mitsuru Murata / Daiya Hayakawa YuYu・THE・Excalibur
Kaname Ouki (special appearance) / Tsubasa Sakiyama
　
■Price: All seats reserved 9,800 yen (tax included) *All seats reserved / Advance and same-day tickets
■General release: Saturday, August 10, 2024, 10:00am

■Tokyo Performance: September 3rd (Tue) – 8th (Sun), 2024 Theater 1010 (Tokyo)
■ Osaka Performance: September 14th (Sat) – 16th (Mon, Holiday), 2024 COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA TT HALL (Osaka)

■Official website: rm-beastars.com　
■Official X (formerly Twitter): @bstmusical #Bmyu