Rock Musical Bleach Explained

Rock Musical Bleach
Size:220px
Music:Shoichi Tama
Lyrics:Shoichi Tama
Basis:Bleach by Tite Kubo
Setting:Karakura Town, Soul Society
Productions:2005 Tokyo, Japan
2006 Osaka, Japan
2006 Tokyo, Japan
2007 Tokyo, Japan
2007 Hyōgo, Japan
2008 Tokyo, Japan
2010 Japanese tour
2011 Japanese tour
2012 Tokyo, Japan
2016 Tokyo, Japan
2016 Kyoto, Japan
2024 Tokyo, Japan

, often referred as BuriMyu, are a series of rock musicals produced by Studio Pierrot and Nelke Planning. The musicals are based on Tite Kubo's manga Bleach. The Rock Musical Bleach consists of live performances that follow the manga plotline from the Soul Society arc and The Live Bankai shows with the original script. The first musical was directed by Takuya Hiramitsu, with a script adaptation by Naoshi Okumura. The music is completely original and was written by Shoichi Tama. The premiere was held in Space Zero Hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo from August 17–28, 2005.

Synopsis

The story follows the life of high school student Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains a Soul Reaper powers from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. For transferring her Soul Reaper powers to a human, Rukia Kuchiki was sent back to the Soul Society and sentenced to death. In order to save Rukia from execution, Ichigo along with his friends goes to the enemy territory where he engages the members of Gotei 13, the main military force in the Soul Society.

Productions

Rock Musical Bleach

The musical was first produced under the direction of Takuya Hiramitsu at Space Zero Hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo and opened officially on August 17, 2005. The script was adapted by Naoshi Okumura and music was originally produced by Shoichi Tama. The main role of Ichigo Kurosaki went to Tatsuya Isaka. The role of Rukia Kuchiki was played by Miki Satō. Rei Yoshii portrayed Orihime Inoue and Naofumi Yoshida played the role of Yasutora Sado. The show was performed until August 28, 2005.[1]

Saien

The second musical was performed under name "Saien" and it was officially premiered at Meil Park Hall in Osaka on January 5, 2006. The Tokyo premiere of "Saien" was held at Nippon Seinenkan Great Hall on January 14, 2006. The production added the new cast member for the show, Eiki Kitamura to play a role of Izuru Kira.[2]

The Dark of the Bleeding Moon

The third Rock Musical Bleach was opened at Miel Park Hall in Osaka under name "The Dark of the Bleeding Moon" on August 10, 2006. In Tokyo, the musical was held at Nippon Seinenkan Great Hall on August 16, 2006. The show added Kumiko Saito to portray Yoruichi Shihōin. The production also added Kohei Murakami to portray Hanatarō Yamada, Harumi Inoue to play Rangiku Matsumoto, Shogo Suzuki to play Kenpachi Zaraki, and Takuya Usui to play Ikkaku Madarame. Yousuke Ito, Rei Yoshii and Naofumi Yoshida were removed from the original cast member list.[3]

No Clouds in the Blue Heavens

"No Clouds in the Blue Heavens" is a sequel of previous musical and it focuses on Rukia's execution. The performance was held at Nippon Seinenkan Great Hall in Tokyo on March 21, 2007, following the next premiere at Hyōgo Theater on April 3, 2007. The show features new cast members and new songs. Asuka Sekine, Hiroko Kasahara and Masahiro Kuranuki were added to the cast.[4]

The All

The closing musical "The All" was held at Shinjuku Koma Theater on March 24, 2008. The show is the part of "Rock Musical Bleach DX" performance and it features the complete Soul Society arc storyline from Bleach manga along with the main actors.[5]

The Live Bankai Show

"The Live Bankai Shows" are musicals with original script and they don't follow the manga plotline. The first "Live Bankai Show Code 001" was held at Aoyama Theater in Tokyo on January 10, 2007. The next one, "Code 002" was opened at Shinjuku Koma Theater on March 24, 2008 as a part of "Rock Musical Bleach DX" show. In 2010, the third show "Code 003", was performed across the country starting at Momochi Palace in Fukuoka, following the performance at Theater Brava in Osaka and closing show at Nippon Seinenkan Great Hall in Tokyo. The shows features new songs and new cast members. Naoya Gomoto was added to portray Shūhei Hisagi while Kengo Ohkuchi didn't perform his role of Sōsuke Aizen in the third show.[6] [5] [7]

Shinsei 2011 and 2012

Celebrating the Bleach manga 10th anniversary a new production under name "Shinsei" was opened in July 2011. The tour ran nationwide in six different cities. The show featured a new set of cast members along with the new script and music. The leading role of Ichigo Kurosaki was portrayed by Norizuki Kouhei. Miki Satō reprised her role of Rukia Kuchiki.[8] [9]

The musical was reprised at Shinagawa Stellar Ball in Tokyo on August 9, 2012. The "Shinsei 2012" performance featured the original set of cast members with addition of Oyama Masashi who portrayed Urahara Kisuke.[10] [11]

Another Above Ground

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of Bleach, a new production of Rock Musical Bleach was revealed in May 2016. The play was based on "The All" which was held in 2008 and the story covered the "Soul Society" Arc from the series. The musical debuted in AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo and ran from July 28 until August 7, 2016 before continuing their run from August 24–28, 2016 at the Kyoto Gekijō. The play was directed and written by Tsutsumi Yasuyuki who previously worked on several One Piece projects.[12] [13]

Arrancar the Beginning

After about 8 years since the latest Bleach Rock Musical in 2016, a new adaptation was revealed in February of 2024. The play follows the beginning of the "Arrancar" Arc from the series, starting at the "Arrancar: The Arrival" Arc, and ending right before the "Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura" Arc. It also includes a segment of "The Past" Arc (Turn Back the Pendulum). The musical debuted in Tennozu The Galaxy Theater in Tokyo and ran from May 12th until May 26th, with a continued run in Cool Japan Park Osaka WW Hall between May 31st and June 2nd. The play was written and directed by Akiko Kodama, featuring music by Shu Kanematsu.[14]

Musical numbers

Act I
Act II

Characters and cast members

The principal cast members from the original musical Rock Musical Bleach.

CharacterRock Musical BleachSaienThe Dark of the Bleeding MoonThe Live Bankai Show Code 001No Clouds in the Blue HeavensThe AllThe Live Bankai Show Code 002The Live Bankai Show Code 003Shinsei 2011Shinsei 2012Another Above GroundArrancar the Beginning
Ichigo KurosakiTatsuya IsakaNorizuki KouheiAkira TakanoRui Kihara
The main protagonist of the story. Ichigo's life is changed when he obtains a Soul Reaper powers.
Rukia KuchikiMiki SatōChihiro KaiYuka Tano
Friend of Ichigo Kurosaki. Rukia was sentenced to death because she gave her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo.
Orihime InoueRei YoshiiN/AYuria Sato
Friend of Ichigo and Sado. She is secretly in love with Ichigo and she goes to the Soul Society to help him to rescue Rukia.
Yasutora SadoNaofumi YoshidaN/AChanghae
Friend of Ichigo and Orihime. He goes to the Soul Society to help Ichigo in rescuing Rukia.
Kisuke UraharaYousuke ItoN/AOyama MasashiN/AMasakatsu Nemoto
The candy store owner in Karakura Town. He helps Ichigo and his friends to get to the Soul Society.
Gin IchimaruYuichi TsuchiyaN/AKōsuke AsumaKentaro Akizawa
The captain of the 3rd division in Gotei 13 and the left hand of Sōsuke Aizen.
Sōsuke AizenKengo OhkuchiN/ARyōma BabaYuki Izawa
The main antagonist in the story and the captain of the 5th division. Aizen is the culprit behind Rukia's sentencing.
Momo HinamoriKumiko SaitōN/AKaren MiyamaN/A
The lieutenant of the 5th division under captain Sōsuke Aizen and friend of Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Byakuya KuchikiShūji HayashiMotohiro OotaHiroki InoKazuyoshi Yamamoto
The captain of the 6th division and Rukia's adoptive brother.
Renji AbaraiEiji MoriyamaKujirai KousukeTsubasa SakiyamaYuya Uno
The lieutenant of the 6th division under captain Byakuya Kuchiki and friend of Rukia.
Tōshirō HitsugayaTakashi NagayamaKido YuuyaTakato NagataKenisuke Matsuoka
The captain of the 10th division and friend of Momo Hinamori.
Rangiku MatsumotoN/AMirei
The lieutenant of the 10th division under Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Kenpachi ZarakiN/AYuki Okamoto
The captain of the 11th division of the Gotei 13.
Ikkaku MadarameN/AYusaku Kawasaki
The lieutenant of the 11th division under Kenpachi Zaraki.
Kaname TosenN/AKotaro Fujita
Former captain of the 9th division before he joined Sōsuke Aizen.
Shinji HirakoN/AShogo Yamazaki
Former captain of the 5th division before being experimented on by Sōsuke Aizen and turned into a Visored.
Ulquiorra CiferN/AHyakuna Hiroki
The 4th ranked Espada serving Sōsuke Aizen.
Grimmjow JeagerjaquesN/ATakuya Uehara
The 6th ranked Espada serving Sōsuke Aizen.

Recordings

Aniplex has released three albums featuring songs from the musical Rock Musical Bleach.[15] [16] [17]

Reception

Rock Musical Bleach was seen by more than 130,000 people since its creation in 2005.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ja. pierrot.jp. Rock Musical Bleach. June 18, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20050726013620/http://pierrot.jp/title/bleach/event02.html. July 26, 2005. dead.
  2. Web site: ja. pierrot.jp. Rock Musical Bleach Saien. June 18, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20060703100357/http://pierrot.jp/title/bleach/event02_outline.html. July 3, 2006. dead.
  3. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH The Dark of The Bleeding Moon. June 15, 2014.
  4. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH ~ No Clouds in the Blue Heavens ~. June 15, 2014.
  5. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH DX. June 18, 2014.
  6. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH Live Bankai Show Code 001. June 18, 2014.
  7. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH Live Bankai Show Code 003. June 18, 2014.
  8. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH Shinsei 2011. June 18, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140505002634/http://www.nelke.co.jp/stage/rmbleach/. May 5, 2014.
  9. Web site: jpopasia.com. Rock Musical Bleach Gets New Cast. June 24, 2014.
  10. Web site: ja. nelke.co.jp. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH Shinsei 2012. June 18, 2014.
  11. Web site: Crunchyroll. "Rock Musical Bleach" Returns to the Stage This Summer. June 24, 2014.
  12. Web site: Anime News Network. New Rock Musical Bleach's Cast, Visual, Debut Date Revealed. July 1, 2016.
  13. Web site: Rock Musical Bleach. 「ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH」 ~もうひとつの地上~. July 1, 2016.
  14. Web site: Rock Musical Bleach. 「ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH」 Arrancar the Beginning. May 15, 2024.
  15. Web site: ja. Oricon. ロックミュージカル『BLEACH再炎』-LIVE-. June 18, 2014.
  16. Web site: ja. Oricon. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH The Dark of The Bleeding Moon Live. June 18, 2014.
  17. Web site: ja. Oricon. ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH. June 18, 2014.