okay hi 👋 if you've been enjoying my BNHA Ultra Stage gifsets and you want to know where you can watch the show, this post is for you.
There's going to be an online event called JAPAN 2.5D STAGE PLAY WORLD 2021 happening althroughout August, with the intent of "Bringing Japan's 2.5D stage performances to the world." It's the first time they're doing it and they're rolling out the gate with their big guns.
The event will showcase three of the most popular 2.5D stage plays from the last handful of years - LIVE SPECTACLE: NARUTO from 2016, Boku No Hero Academia: The Ultra Stage from 2019, and Sailormoon: The Musical Nogizaki46 version from. 2019. each show will be available for streaming WITH OFFICIAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES for about a week each, starting with Naruto in the first week of August.
Each viewing is only 15USD and WILL NOT REQUIRE A VPN. you just need to choose which country/timezone and date you want to watch, and if you miss the live broadcast on your schedule, the VOD will be available within 24 hours of your chosen timeslot.
This is a pretty big opportunity coz 2.5D shows have been slowly gaining popularity outside of Japan, but also because in Japan, the 2.5D industry isnt entirely lucrative despite its popularity with local anime fans. It's been said that the cast and staff dont get paid during rehearsals, and really only start getting anything from ticket and merch sales, so sometimes some actors and crew members would do more than one show at once or back-to-back, which is tough considering these shows tour major cities across the country for an average of 30 performances. And then of course the pandemic caused ALL active shows in March 2020 to shut down, as expected, and because times were hard, some shows began performing again by August or September last year, despite the pandemic continuing to rage on in most of big cities in Japan where 2.5D shows tour, meaning cast and crew were all basically risking their lives to make money and entertain fans - in fact, some shows had to either recast, reschedule or cancel when anyone in their cast or staff caught the virus (i know Haikyuu had to recast for their October 2020 show coz two people caught COVID, and the 2nd BNHA stage play, which only got to play 4 performances before the lockdowns, got pushed back even further into 2021 because at least two people in the staff caught COVID). 2.5D shows dont usually stream outside the country, and DVDs/blu rays and merch are only sold in Japan, so international fans have had to pay more than an extra pretty penny or two to support the shows and to help spread the word internationally. The fact that 2.5D shows like BNHA, Naruto, HAIKYUU, etc. started being available to stream online in Japan is a big enough deal on its own, and the reason some of them became available to stream internationally during the pandemic is kind of a sign of how the industry needed a boost, financially and otherwise. So this paid event is a FANTASTIC opportunity to support the industry and the people who work in it while also spreading the word to more fans, in the hopes that 2.5D shows will become as much of a tenet in international anime fandom as it is in Japan's anime fandom. If this does well, it might mean that future shows will become more accessible to international fans as well.
So if you're a fan of BNHA or any of these other anime, PLEASE spread the word and support this event! I've obviously seen the BNHA musical (my sister bought a DVD in 2019) and it is a LOT of fun, i can promise that much. i know the Naruto musical was also BIG BIG HYPE when it came out in 2016, and i think the Sailormoon musical already had a beloved legacy and history on stage before the 2019 version came out. It's gonna be really good if this got a LOT of international support, so please tell your friends and fellow anime fans 😁
