Thursday, November 29 saw the final dress rehearsal and opening day of the Thou Shalt Not Die Zero_KAI stage play. This new rendition of the play showcases two separate endings: BLACK END and RED END.
For those of you unfamiliar with theThou Shalt Not Die story, here’s a quick recap!
Thou Shalt Not Die (君死ニタマフ事ナカレ / Kimi Shini Tamou Koto Nakare) is a collaborative effort between Yoko Taro and illustrator Moriyama Daisuke to create a new manga series. They published the initial prequel chapter in the October 25, 2014 issue of Big GanGan, followed by the first full-length chapter on Christmas Day, 2014. [ Read more here ]
The manga was later followed up by a prequel stage play entitled Thou Shalt Not Die Zero, which takes place three years before the start of the manga. The play ran through (yet again) Christmas Day of 2016.
Now, before we get into the details on the dress rehearsal for the BLACK END version of the play, let’s take another quick look at the masterminds behind the show!
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Yoko Taro, Creator Bukkoro Games: DOD, NieR, SINoALICE Manga: Utahime Five, Shi ni Itaru Aka, Thou Shalt Not Die Stage: YoRHa Ver.1.0, Ver.1.1, Ver.1.2, Thou Shalt Not Die – Zero URL | Twitter |
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Matsuda Ichidai, Director Dear Stage YoRHa Ver.1.0, YoRHa Ver.1.1, YoRHa Ver.1.2, Thou Shalt Not Die – Zero URL | Twitter |
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Okabe Keiichi, Composer MONACA URL | Twitter |
The first thing to notice about this version of the play is that the majority of the cast are returning members from the YoRHa Boys and YoRHa Musical from earlier this year. The only returning cast member from the original run of the play is Matsukawa Takanori, who originally played the role of Araigaki. There are also a couple of returning ensemble extras from the previous YoRHa plays who have taken up full roles this time around.
＞ What Exactly is the “Black End”?
Yoko Taro never likes doing the same thing twice. That being said, the so-called BLACK END version of the play deviates from the original with several main points, but I’ll leave that spoilerish discussion for my later editorial. Generally speaking, the ending allows for two additional students to survive who originally died in the original.
＞ The Lead Four Students
- Left: Hakuji – Ueda Shinichiro (YoRHa Boys, No2)
- Right: Sakura – Hanana Mio (YoRHa Musical, No21)
- Left: Usuki – Saito Naoki (YoRHa Boys, No9)
- Right: Botan – Shimizu Rin (YoRHa Musical, Marguerite)
＞ New Stage Backdrops
Unlike the first run of the stage play, but very similar to the YoRHa Musical, this version of the play uses a large, see-through screen upon which various images and videos are projected on to. Here you can see a couple examples of this screen in all of its glorious action!
These couple stills take place during the so-called “opening sequence” song and dance portion of the play. You can see the actors just on the other side of the screen, all of which are holding small candle lights in their hands, which is very reminiscent of the symbolic imagery that was conjured up in the opening of the original stage play.
Other times, the backdrop is used to express the inner struggle and confusion of the characters.
＞ Character Monologues
Throughout the course of the play, popping up every so often, and even sometimes to put a tense pause between the flow of action in the plot, we’re shown a nice character monologue to give us better understanding of exactly who these characters are and what sort of baggage they all carry from their pasts.
Hakuji’s past deals a lot with social prejudice related to his foreign parents and all the sort of bullying he had to contend with. Usuki talks about wanting to help those who are weaker than him but he gets swept up by peer pressure and essentially becomes something worse than the rest of the bullies. Sumi is a very bright individual but is extremely weak toward how others view him. Mizukaki has always dreamed of being a tough guy and always liked anime and manga that depict such strong characters– this is his ideal image of himself; however, no matter how hard he tries, he always fails and gives into his weaker self. There’s a line here that has always struck a strong chord with me. He says, “Why am I even alive?”
＞ Funny and Pivotal Moments
Some of my favorite moments during the story are the more simple scenes that help flesh out the characters. Here’s a classic shot of Mizukaki trying to draw out his special ability but to no avail. He just ends up looking like a moron, poor guy!
Above is a really nice shot of Shinbashi and the gang. Portrayed by Kikuta Daisuke, Shinbashi was much more animated and goofy this time around.
The curry scene is always one of the funniest. What’s to note here is that Tsutsuji is the one who makes the curry this time instead of Hajizome. This makes a little bit more sense with Hajizome’s “it tastes like shit” joke. But still, Tsutsuji looks extremely happy to make her “Special Tsutsuji Curry!”
These humorous moments are pretty frequent in the first half of the play, but quickly recede toward the halfway mark. Here’s a glimpse a couple great moments throughout the show!
Suou having a heart-to-heart with Hakuji… and offering him something very special…
Urumi and Chigusa having a very intense staring competition.
Hakuji and Sakura in some extremely hot, dire straits.
Suou going a little nuts over his precious data with the commanding crew following along.
＞ What’s New!
With the addition of the large screen that can have many different things projected onto it, there have been several other new additions to this version of the play.
Not only have they added to the overall look with additional props on stage, but they’ve also added several new graphical enhancements that help to enrich an otherwise dull scene. Here you can see the Command Center with Akasumi, Susutake, and the Operator Kariyasu looking intently upon the vital signs of each of the students. This really had me impressed and I was excited to see this be used later on in the play, but unfortunately, it’s never used or shown again.
＞ SINoALICE? Big GanGan??
The character Tsutsuji is your classical gamer geek who has very few friends and seems to only get joy out of life by immersing herself into the fictional realm of games. In the original run of the stage play, she only spoke about a very generic type of smartphone game that utilizes a sort of gacha system. Here, on the other hand, she specifically calls out Yoko Taro and his game SINoALICE. Here you can actually see part of the in-play commercial for SINoALICE.
Additionally, on the topic of SINoALICE, the majority of the music throughout the play was taken directly from the SINoALICE, NieR, and NieR:Automata soundtracks.
Mizukaki finds out that an issue of Big GanGan saved him from certain death by sharpshooter. Big GanGan is the monthly manga anthology in which chapters of “Thou Shalt Not Die” are published.
＞ The Overall Aesthetic
The overall aesthetic of the show felt much more fleshed out and refined this time with the additions of the backdrop screens, additional stage props, and new character costumes. Here a mix of really great photos that I think help to capture the feeling of the story and the intensity that these talented actors bring to their performances.
＞ Where and When to See the Show!
The play will be running through the next couple days until December 9. Please check this chart for the times and specific version of the show or the official site listed below for more information.
＞ The show will also be available on NicoNico!
The final two shows on Sunday, December 9 will be broadcast live on NicoNico (pay to watch). Here are a couple links to follow for that:
The last two shows on December 9 will be broadcast on NicoNico! Here’s some info on where and how to watch it! (Please note that all times are in JST and you will need to purchase a ticket to view the broadcast.)
＞ Exclusive Interview with Matsukawa Takanori and More Yet to Come!!
I spoke shortly with Matsukawa-san, who is the only returning member from the original play, and will be uploading the interview with him in the coming days! I also plan on giving my own personal editorial and opinion on the new version of the play, so please stay tuned for that!!
＞ Complete Photo Gallery
There are many more photos that are not included in this report that you can view in the photo album below! Definitely check them out!!
Official Site:
君死ニタマフ事ナカレ 零_改 / Kimi Shi ni Tamou Koto Nakare Zero Kai
(c)Yoko Taro/SQUARE ENIX
(c)Daisuke Moriyama/SQUARE ENIX
Writer: Rekka Alexiel
Photographer: Studio Symgraph
Special Thanks: Sekiya Makoto (ILCA), Matsuda Ichidai (Dear Stage), Yoko Taro (Bukkoro)