Leading theater producers are trying to cash in on the global popularity of manga and anime by presenting stage adaptations of popular titles.

A drama based on “Spirited Away,” the anime megahit directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was shown at the Imperial Theater in Tokyo in March. All advance tickets for the monthlong run of performances were sold on the first day of sales.

“Spirited Away” plays also were performed through July in four cities, including Osaka and Sapporo. Tickets for all of those shows were also sold out.

“A challenge was how to reproduce the strong impressions of the characters on stage and use flexible imaging techniques,” said Atsuo Ikeda, an executive of Toho Co., which produced the play.

A team headed by director John Caird decided to take full advantage of the actors’ physical movements.

In one important scene, protagonist Chihiro and a mysterious boy called Haku fly in the sky. With no wires or other gimmicks, actors lifted Chihiro and Haku in the air to make it appear like they were floating.

Puppets controlled by actors were used for non-humans and deities.

“I believe fans of the original anime found the play freshly realistic,” Ikeda said.

Women have traditionally been the main viewers of musicals and other works at the Imperial Theater. But many men and families showed up for the “Spirited Away” performances, Ikeda said.

Toho released a musical adaptation of the “Your Lie in April” comic series this year, too, starring primarily young actors.

The stage versions of manga titles “Kingdom” and “Spy x Family” will be performed next year.

The two works have been made into anime, and Toho was involved in developing the animated edition of “Spy x Family.”

The Toho group plans to make the anime department one of its business pillars. Toho is working to secure rights for original titles to create dramas and other adaptations.

Ikeda said that performing those plays in and outside Japan will expand the potential of stage art.

“If our dramas are appreciated as highly as manga and anime, the total market scale of Japan’s entertainment business would increase,” he said.

Some translated or localized play adaptations of popular manga titles have arrived in markets abroad, including “Death Note: The Musical,” produced by HoriPro Inc.

The practice of creating stage plays based on manga started before World War II.

One epoch-making drama was inspired by “The Rose of Versailles,” which was introduced by the all-female Takarazuka Revue musical theater troupe in 1974.

“Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern” and other publications have since been converted into plays by Takarazuka and others.

After the turn of the millennium, “2.5-dimensional” musicals became popular mainly among lovers of manga, anime and video games. These performances displayed more faithful reproductions of the stories and characters.

Top drama producers and high-profile actors have been involved in stage versions of manga and anime.

Kabuki, which has aggressively taken advantage of popular stories in other fields since the Edo Period (1603-1867), is also jumping on the bandwagon.

Starting with “Super Kabuki II: One Piece,” released in 2015, a spate of performances stemming from animated manga works have been exhibited.

Shigeyuki Yamane, a senior official of Kabuki organizer Shochiku Co., explained why the traditional artform can go well with anime.

“We do nothing special when it comes to anime,” Yamane said. “Kabuki is, in essence, a form of entertainment art relying on deformation techniques that transcend reality. Even anime fans can enjoy our performances without feeling discomfort.”

Stage adaptations of manga and anime are expected to increase.

Shiki Theater Co. in April performed the musical version of “The Boy and the Beast,” a super hit animated film by director Mamoru Hosoda.

This is the first anime-inspired script created by the troupe because the company has been showing translated musical performances based on Disney cartoons in Japan over the past quarter-century. 

“The Boy and the Beast” will continue in Tokyo through March 2023. It will then open in Osaka Prefecture in December.

Shiki Theater expects the script will prove a long-running hit.

“The outline of the story is well designed,” said Chiyoki Yoshida, head of Shiki Theater. “It shares the theme of celebration of humanity, which Shiki Theater has been adopting, too.”

He went on: “Developing new plays represents a kind of investment. If adaptations of certain titles are expected to be big draws, we would be determined to make huge investments to raise the possibility of success as much as possible.”

Drama producers overseas are also turning to Japanese manga and anime.

Royal Shakespeare Co., a prestigious British theater group, will put Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” on the stage in London beginning in October.

Yoshida predicted global competition will heat up.

“Popular works could be flooded with requests for stage drama adaptations,” he said.