Wagakki Band will provide the ending theme song for the upcoming kabuki play adaptation of manga series Naruto which will be performed in Tokyo at the Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre this August. It was announced back in April that the band would perform a song for the play, but new details have been revealed. The song is titled Hikari no Naka de (‘In the Light’).
Naruto was first serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999 and tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who trains in the art of ninjitsu, who must take out his enemies, and who ultimately aspires to be Hokage, the leader of the village. The series has brought in fans across the globe, with well over 220 million copies sold in over 40 countries outside Japan. Kabuki actors Bandou Minosuke and Hayato Nakamura will play the roles of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha respectively.
Comment by Yuko Suzuhana (Wagakki Band Vocalist):
“Collaborating with kabuki theater is something I’ve really wanted to do so we are extremely honoured that they called out to us. They said that Wagakki Band’s sound was necessary for the play, so our mutual love was realised. We wrote this new song for the production as [they said] it was something only we can do. I believe it’s a very bright and piercing song compared to the recent Wagakki Band. The composition and lyrics were written by our guitarist Machiya. He’s a fan of Naruto, so much so that he’s watched it 3 times. The song is packed with words like ‘hope’ and ‘light’ which align with the story’s final arc which rang together really well in our heads with the music when we were writing it. We also tried some new songs, like having multiple choruses. There’s also less sounds in the ensemble than we’ve ever had to bring more of a balance. I hope people enjoy this unique fusion of kabuki and Wagakki Band which has never been seen before.”
We look forward to hearing what kind of song Wagakki Band has in store for the play.
■Information
“Naruto” Kabuki Play
Running: August 4, 2018 – August 27, 2018
Author: Masashi Kishimoto
Script: G2
Location: Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre, Tokyo
Official Play Website: http://naruto-kabuki.com/
Wagakki Band Official Website: http://wagakkiband.jp
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