Tag Archives: stage play

Bakuken Livestreams Announced

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Leading up to the 4th iteration of Yoko Taro’s Bakuken stage play, each of the previous shows will be livestreamed on Nico Nico Douga. Please keep in mind that you do NOT need to watch each of these stage plays in order to understand and enjoy the newest 4th entry in the series.

Below is a list of times and dates for each of the shows that will be livestreamed. Additionally, the final performance of Bakuken 4 will be livestreamed on December 23 (I will be present at this show).

▶︎ Livestream Details

①～④ “Bakuken – Imperial Phantom Legion – (Full Set)”: 6,000 yen (tax included)

Includes access to all 4 shows, including the 3 reruns.

① Bakuken 1 – Shogunate Imperial Match (Rebroadcast)
Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Stream Opens: 7:30pm
Performance Begins: 8:00pm
Price: 1,000 yen (tax included)

② Bakuken 2.5 – Tokyo Reincarnation Death Match – Rematch (Rebroadcast)
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
Stream Opens: 7:30pm
Performance Begins: 8:00pm
Price: 1,000 yen (tax included)

③ Bakuken 3 – Genpei Final Battle – Evening Performance (Rebroadcast)
Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024
Stream Opens: 7:30pm
Performance Begins: 8:00pm
Price: 1,000 yen (tax included)

④ Bakuken 4 – Imperial Phantom Legion
Date: Monday, December 23, 2024
Stream Opens: 1:30pm
Performance Begins: 2:00pm
Price: 5,500 yen (tax included)

Livestream tickets can be purchased until January 5, 11:59pm (JST).

▶︎ About Time Shift

  1. Available until 11:59pm on Sunday, January 26, 2025.
  2. You can watch this program once during the period after the livestream has ended.
  3. Please note that your time shift viewing access will expire 24 hours after you begin watching.

▶︎ NOTICES

READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE PURCHASING TICKETS

Viewing Devices
Paid live broadcasts are only available on computers or through the Niconico Live Broadcast app (Android/iOS). Please note they cannot be viewed using the Niconico Douga app or other devices.

Download the Niconico Live Broadcast app here.
For compatibility, please check the Help Page to confirm if your device meets the viewing requirements.
1. Precautions when using the paid livestreams
2. Nico Nico operating environment

Changes in Content
In the event of unavoidable circumstances, such as a performer being confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus, performers and content may change. Please note that refunds will not be issued for such changes.

Mistaken Purchases
If multiple tickets for the same program are purchased, viewing rights will only apply once, regardless of how many tickets you have. Refunds or cancellations due to mistaken purchases cannot be accommodated, so please double-check the ticket details before completing your purchase.

Purchase Timing
It is recommended to purchase tickets early on the day of distribution. High access volume or network congestion may occur, delaying your transaction.

Notes When Viewing
Programs can only be viewed with the account used to purchase the ticket. Logging in with a different account will not grant access. If you have multiple Niconico accounts, ensure you are logged into the correct one. If you experience issues viewing the program after purchasing a ticket, consult the Help Page for assistance:

1. I can’t watch paid programs on the Nico Nico Livestream app
2. I can’t watch paid livestreams properly

Prohibited Acts
1. Recording or filming this performance or program, as well as uploading such content to video-sharing sites or social media, is strictly prohibited. Any violations may result in reporting to the appropriate authorities and legal action.

2. Selling or transferring tickets to third parties for commercial purposes, or attempting to resell them via internet auction sites, is also prohibited. Please note that we are not responsible for any issues arising from resale activities.

In addition to this new information, we also have a new story overview for Bakuken 4:

▶︎ Bakuken 4 – Story Overview

The Taisho Era, a time when the samurai had vanished, and the call for enlightenment and a strong, prosperous nation echoed across Japan.

Imperial Army Major Akiyama Yoshifuru, concerned about the future of his country amidst encroaching Western powers, devised an audacious plan: to summon swordsmen from the Sengoku period and form them into a covert assassination squad.

The summoned swordsmen witness the dawn of a new era, while Nobunaga’s ambitions take shape once more. The battle for the nation’s foundation and its future hurtles toward an unimaginable conclusion.

NOTE: All translations listed here are unofficial and by Fire Sanctuary.

▶︎ Related Links

General Admission Begins for Bakuken 4

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General admission tickets went on sale earlier this morning for Yoko Taro’s next stage play in the Bakuken series. Use the link below to make your reservations:

https://www.cnplayguide.com/bakuken4

▶︎ The Details

  • General Admission Sales: Begins from 10:00am on Monday, November 18th
    Calls accepted at 0570-08-9999 (10:00am – 6:00pm). Phone reservations will end closer to the performance date.
  • Internet reservations: From 10:00 on Monday, November 18th
    Available until 8:00pm the day before the performance. To make reservations, you must be a CN Card member, CN Mobile phone member, or CN Premium member.
Please note that there is a mistake with the URL to the CN Play Guide website.
Please be sure that you add the “www” in the URL for it to work properly.

▶︎ Related Links

Second round of ticket reservations for Bakuken 4 ends tomorrow!

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With the first wave of ticket reservations completed, the second wave began about a week ago and will be concluding tomorrow! If you will be in Japan later this December and are interested in going to the next iteration of Yoko Taro’s Bakuken series of stage plays, now is your chance!

Actually, tomorrow is the last day to reserve tickets. S seats are all sold out, but there are still some A seats available!

You can reserve a ticket here.

Ukai Mondo // 鵜飼 主水 　as Tokugawa Ieyasu // 徳川 家康
Sho Kadono // 門野 翔 　as Togo Shigekata // 東郷 重位
Mizuki Chiba // 千葉 瑞己 　as Minamoto Yoritomo
Tomohiro Sato // 佐藤 智広 　as Hiraga Gennai
Moe Tsurumi // 鶴見 萌 　as Amakusa Shiro // 天草 四郎
Miyako Maikawa // 舞川 みやこ 　as Sasaki Setsu // 佐々木 セツ

Bakuken 4 Key Visual Revealed

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The key visual for the next edition in the Bakuken stage play series has been officially released. It seems like we’re going back to the black/white color scheme from the first play.

And, I can’t help but imagine that the hairstyle for Michael / Akiyama Yoshifuru is reminiscent of Masayoshi Yura’s bandage/eye patch… I’m sure that’s not intended here; just, I can’t help but see things that aren’t necessarily there. haha

The new subtitle reads:

Swordsmen & Servicemen & Gluttony & War & Deception

▶︎ The Cast
　 (Left to Right)

  1. Ukai Mondo // 鵜飼 主水
    　as Tokugawa Ieyasu // 徳川 家康
  2. Fumitaka Kuroki // 黒木 文貴
    　as Ono Zenki // 小野善鬼
  3. Moe Tsurumi // 鶴見 萌
    　as Amakusa Shiro // 天草 四郎
  4. Kyosuke Suga // 須賀 京介
    　as Akiyama Yoshifuru // 秋山 好古
  5. Sakiho Motonishi // 本西 彩希帆
    　as Suzuki Magoichi 雑賀孫市
  6. Ui Hinagata // 雛形 羽衣
    　as Yatsume
  7. Sho Kadono // 門野 翔
    　as Togo Shigekata // 東郷 重位
  8. Miyako Maikawa // 舞川 みやこ
    　as Sasaki Setsu // 佐々木 セツ
  9. Tomohiro Sato // 佐藤 智広
    　as Hiraga Gennai
  10. Mizuki Chiba // 千葉 瑞己
    　as Minamoto Yoritomo

▶︎ Related Links

Bakuken 4 – Imperial Phantom Legion

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Updated: November 18, 2024

Some time ago, we learned that there would be a 4th installment of the Bakuken series of stage plays, but I honestly don’t remember where or how we learned about that. You might find something worthwhile in the Search…

But, suffice it to say, the livestream announcing a bunch of information on the next segment in the Bakuken series of stage plays aired last night. I will be disseminating the information as we’re given it, so please stay tuned!

You can view it below:

[ THE CAST]

About Suzuki Magoichi:
He was the leader of the Saika Ikki, mercenary groups in feudal Japan. This historical reference is super interesting to me because I used to live in Nagakute, Aichi, which is where a huge battle was said to take place (Nagakute Kosenjo). I’ll be interested to see what Yoko comes up with this.

About Akiyama Yoshifuru:
He was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and was considered the father of modern Japanese cavalry.

About Amakusa Shiro:
(Amakusa Shirō, often romanized as Shirou), was a Japanese Christian of the Edo period and leader of the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Shogunate. His imina is Tokisada and he is also known as Masuda Shirō. [Wikipedia]

[ The Ensemble Cast ]

[ NOTES AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS ]

  • Since Michael traded his soul to save Yatsume, he has become a sort of wandering spirit known as Lucifer. We already know that Nobunaga tried to take Lucifer’s power and managed to subdue him in a way… so I imagine this sort of possession similar to Tyrann jumping from body to body in order to survive. Therefore, this announcement of Kyosuke Suga playing the role of Akiyama Yoshifuru seems quite plausible to me. We’ve already seen examples in which characters are introduced as their base personality (such as Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was actually possessed by both Nobunaga & Lucifer), so that may likely be the case with Akiyama as well.
  • The title is likely a play off of the actual title for the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA, 大日本帝国陸軍).
  • Yoko has said that Bakuken 4 takes place during that Taisho Period (1912-1926), but since he hasn’t written a line of the script yet, this might change. He mentioned that it might be actually something in the future that resembles the Taisho Period. Hmm…
  • The introduction of Sakiho Motonishi is curious, as she’s the only new addition to the cast. She previously played the role of Mozu from another production from ILCA x Square Enix: Towatsugai.
  • Throughout the entire Bakuken series, many of the same actors reprise their previous roles, but they often take on a new flavor, so there’s really no need to worry about catching up with the previous installments. Everything is pretty fresh and new with each play.
  • Ono Zenki has the ability to switch between multiple personalities, except they’re not just mere personalities but likely REAL people… He might actually be possessed by multiple souls at once and he’s simply able to keep them all at his beck and call. We see this through his 3rd Personality, a female character that eventually sacrifices her “existence” (?) in order to help him. So, from this, we get more of a feeling that souls are able to float around here and there, and depending on the host, they’re able to either suppress or take command over those souls… or be drowned in their power. It feels a lot similar to Gestalt possession from NieR.
    • This honestly gives me the feeling that Yoko’s been after all along… that there’s a reason why important points in history went the way they did… and that there was some sort of outside influence that triggered them to go a certain way. This sort of thought is ABSOLUTELY within the realm of the overarching Yokoverse, but unless such a thing is revealed directly by him, we can only speculate!

[ BAKUKEN TIMELINE ]

[ TICKETS ]

Tickets are on sale from CN Play Guide, starting from:

  • Monday, September 16 – 10:00am – Tuesday, September 24 – 11:59pm (JST)

There will be a livestream as well, but those details have not been released yet. Please stay tuned!