There was once a great battle.
Renowned warriors continued to fight for their own beliefs and ambitions.
However, no one won the battle
and the 21 swords that held the fate of the world
were scattered in the Far East.
This story begins
when a man obtains a particular sword.
BLADE
TSURUGI
KIZAMI
MONME
TOUKI
PRINCESS SAYA
TOKYO BLADE
STAGE PLAY
Princess Saya.
Touki.
This story is fiction.
PLAYING TOUKI AQUA HOSHINO (16)
PLAYING PRINCESS SAYA AKANE KUROKAWA (17)
2.5D STAGE PLAY TOKYO BLADE, FIRST DAY OF REHEARSAL
Okay, let's take a ten-minute break.
PLAYING TSURUGI KANA ARIMA (17)
PLAYING KIZAMI MELT NARUSHIMA (16)
PLAYING MONME SAKUYA KAMOSHIDA (22)
Kurokawa, you got a sec?
Yes.
Another season has passed since the new B Komachi's first concert.
It's been four months.
Since then, we've had a few small concerts
and have been posting videos constantly
gaining more fans along the way.
As for Aqua,
he says he doesn't want to be an actor, but he's been getting more acting jobs.
To be honest, I don't know what he's thinking.
Oh, yeah.
He has a cute girlfriend now.
They started dating through a TV show
and they'll be performing with Senpai in a stage play.
But according to him, their relationship is strictly business.
He's a scum. An enemy to all women. That's what I think.
HOSHINO FAMILY
I'm doing well.
Until the day I get to stand on the Dome stage of your dreams,
I'll keep working hard as an idol.
IDOL GROUP, B KOMACHI RUBY HOSHINO (16)
Watch me, Mama.
Tokyo Blade is a popular manga, which has sold over 50 million copies.
It's a classic battle story, where different teams in Japan
deepen their friendship and love along the way.
Arima belongs to the Shinjuku Cluster with other main characters.
The Shibuya Cluster, where Akane and I belong, stands in their way.
The scenario for this stage play
is centered on the Shibuya Conflict Arc, where these two teams fight each other.
I only have scenes with Arima at the end.
Are you disappointed you only have a few scenes with Kana?
You guys seem close.
You came to the cast meeting together.
It's the opposite.
When it comes to acting, she gets so passionate that it scares me.
I'm glad we only have a few scenes together. She can't complain that much.
Right...
But isn't it fun to talk about acting?
I can go on all day long.
You've got to be kidding.
That only applies to those who have a passion for acting.
And you don't?
Nope.
Those who do theater are those who basically love acting
and are sincere about it.
I'm different.
Acting is a way to get close to the truth about Ai.
Representative of Theater Lalalai, Toshiro Kindaichi.
The man who may have influenced Ai in some way.
A way to get close to him.
- The break is almost over. - Yeah.
Hang on.
Let's go.
I heard that Shinjuku, a lawless region, has been unified by a certain man.
His name is Blade.
I see. That sounds interesting.
I'll go take a look at the guy.
Please don't pick a fight without giving it any thought.
May I accompany you?
We don't have any bad actors this time, huh?
My Allied Sword is called Iwadachi.
It's natural that Arima, who's been acting for a long time,
and everyone in Lalalai can act.
I wasn't sure about Melt when I saw him in Sweet Today,
but he's not bad.
Aqua said this is his first stage play, but he's observant and flawless.
Kaburagi always picks the best ones when he's referring them to others.
The rivalry between Arima and Akane,
the old and new prodigies of the same generation, is exciting too.
The immersive type, who absorbs herself into her role,
and the adaptive type, who responds to others' performance.
They're completely opposite.
In my opinion, Akane is one step ahead of her.
I hope Arima won't lose.
Don't be so sure.
This sword is too good for a country samurai like you.
We have Himekawa after all.
Arima, is it?
Don't hold back.
PLAYING BLADE, TOKYO BLADE' S PROTAGONIST TAIKI HIMEKAWA (19)
You want to fight me?
It doesn't seem like we can talk it out.
The winner becomes the sword's partner. How's that?
Indeed, that's simple enough!
Don't complain when you die!
Right back at you!
Is that all you've got?
You're no match for me.
Stop yapping!
What's wrong? You wanna give up?
Don't get cocky!
This is it!
What's so funny?
You're strong, huh?
G-Get away from me!
Kana Arima, you wanna grab something to eat?
Sounds good. I have so many questions to ask you.
Come with us, Melt.
Huh? Me?
Of course. We have a lot of scenes together.
Kana.
Until recently, she always put others first.
She wasn't the type of actor to hog the spotlight.
She wasn't the type
who could act selfishly to steal everyone's attention.
Is it confidence? Resolution? Did she gain something by being an idol?
Lalalai has also been stagnant recently.
I accepted the 2.5D stage play and having actors from outside
because I thought we needed some kind of motivation.
They're all competitive, you see.
There's no way they feel nothing after seeing something like that.
They'll be desperate
to come up with a way to compete with it.
If they're true actors.
2.5D STAGE PLAY TOKYO BLADE, THIRD DAY OF REHEARSAL
For stage plays, we usually have about a month of rehearsals.
We start at midday and rehearse for six to seven hours.
Many of us are busy, so not everyone can come.
Leading actors in particular are unable to join the rehearsal due to other jobs.
So we often hire stand-ins to replace them during the rehearsals.
But theater people love to act after all,
so they'll come even if they can only participate at night.
Arima, you got a sec?
What is it?
How do you read this?
"Sakimori."
I see.
What? I thought it was "boujin."
You're so smart, Arima.
That's normal.
Why are there so many theater actors who can't read kanji?
Maybe you should read more books.
I don't like books. Words are too tiny.
I like pictures better.
I get that. I only read manga.
Being a theater freak is...
By the third day, groups have started to form at the rehearsal hall.
I'll bring some books, so read them.
The leading cast group.
Fine.
Lalalai group and the supporting role group.
And...
My boyfriend seems isolated.
Is he not good at mingling with others?
I mean, he is giving off a very negative vibe.
I can relate though.
Are you looking at Kana?
Yeah.
"Yeah?"
You know, I am your...
Arima has a habit of adjusting her acting level to others on set.
She's lost her jobs in the past by flaunting her acting skills.
So, maybe it's her tactic to survive in this industry.
Until recently, she was surrounded by mediocre actors
and giving mediocre performances.
But this time,
she has Taiki Himekawa, the star actor of Theater Lalalai, by her side.
If she's going to perform at his level...
Akane, you want to beat Arima. Right?
At this rate, you'll lose. Big time.
Hmph!
If you're mad, just say so. What are you? A child?
Should you be worrying about me? At this rate, you're--
I'm not trying to win to begin with.
I know I can't beat someone with talent.
B STUDIO
Kill every single one
in the Shinjuku Cluster.
Kurokawa, give it a stronger tone.
Match your emotions with the others.
Understood.
Stronger. A stronger tone.
Like this?
Kill every single one in the Shinjuku Cluster!
Okay. Let's go with that.
Next, Shinjuku scene. Arima, you first.
Okay.
So that's what he wanted.
Um, how do we get to Shibuya again?
You've never been there?
O-Of course I have! Many times! Don't mock me!
Are you sure? You know she speaks with an accent sometimes.
I did? When?
Since the day we first met. You didn't know?
I had a bit of a bad start with this play.
The reason is this script.
Princess Saya, the character I'm playing, doesn't appear much in the original manga.
In the beginning, she appeared as Touki's love interest.
But the fans started to ship him with his enemy, Tsurugi.
And she ended up losing the scenes as Touki's companion.
She's what you call a losing heroine.
In the latest chapter of the original manga,
sadly, her character as Touki's fiancée is pretty much forgotten.
Guys like girls who are expressive and cheerful like Tsurugi, right?
I guess so. The manga seems to have turned the story in that direction too.
If I stay silent, girls like her will take everything away.
The fact that Princess Saya doesn't appear much
means I have little material for character analysis.
I have to fill in the missing pieces with my imagination
and complete the character myself.
But my interpretation of the character seems to be quite different
to that of the script.
Or more like, she's completely different from the original.
She's turned into a stock character!
Originally, she's shy and gentle.
A girl who feels conflicted about killing people.
But she's turned into a battle lover
in order to shorten the play's running time.
It's like she's a massacre-loving nutcase.
I know that some changes have to be made
when you adapt manga to a stage play.
But these changes are made for the playwright's convenience.
I feel bad for Princess Saya.
After all she went through in the manga, she's treated badly here too.
I like you.
But I guess it can't be helped.
The original author approved this script.
I have to work with this.
2.5D STAGE PLAY TOKYO BLADE, FIFTH DAY OF REHEARSAL
Hi, I'm here.
Hey, GOA. How's it going?
The schedule for my other script is falling apart.
They wanted the revised copy by this morning. It's so tough.
I'm so sleepy.
Mr. GOA, the playwright, is here.
Yeah.
The original author is coming in too. I guess that's why he came.
Hey, what do you think of this script?
Huh?
It's a bit different from the original.
Right.
But I think it follows the original story for most parts.
It's 90 times better than the last drama script I acted in.
Yeah, Sweet Today was a total flop.
If something's bothering you, why don't you just ask him?
I can't. We're supposed to get acting advice from the director.
Getting too much advice will confuse the actors, right?
Mr. Kindaichi doesn't even allow actors to give feedback to each other.
I see.
Do you have time to see Smash Heaven? I think I can still get you a ticket.
- Yeah. - Excuse me.
Kurokawa seems to have a question about the script.
It'd be great if we could get Mr. Kindaichi's opinion as well.
Hey, Aqua!
It won't be confusing this way, right?
Yeah, but...
Hm? What is it?
Out with it, Kurokawa.
It's about Princess Saya.
How should I put it...
I can't really grasp her character from the script.
Like, why she is the way she is.
Ah, yes. She's much more aggressive than in the original manga.
That's right! She's more conflicted in the manga.
Well, yeah.
I had a hard time with that part too.
But if we try to show her conflict in a medium like stage play,
though it's doable, it'll take too much time.
In manga, you can depict how someone feels in just one panel.
But in order to show that to an audience far from the stage,
we need a considerable amount of time.
I'm writing a two-hour play
with many characters conveying their various emotions.
In order to do that, I need to make everything simple.
If not, all the scenes won't come together
and it won't make sense to the audience.
We wouldn't need playwrights
if we just used everything from the original.
My job is to find and select the exciting parts for the play.
I'm a fan of the original manga too, so I don't want to change it up too much.
I guess taking on that unpleasant role is part of my job too.
That said, you're the one who's playing the character.
So, if it's bothering you, I'll change it.
Don't spoil her.
I've read the first few volumes of the original manga.
And it's best not to include Princess Saya's feelings.
Making her into an active character simplified the conflict structure.
So it's easier for the audience to see what we're focusing on.
This decision is not wrong as a playwright.
That's why I accepted it.
In this play, your role is not about showing how complex your character is,
but to show the antagonism between the characters in a simple way.
There you go. Are you satisfied?
Yes.
CONFLICT STRUCTURE SHOW THE ANTAGONISM IN A SIMPLE WAY!
In a simple way, huh?
Hi, everyone!
We have a special guest today!
Uh, um. Hello.
She's the author of Tokyo Blade, Ms. Abiko.
I'm Kichijoji. I'm here to accompany her.
Ms. Kichijoji, it's been a while!
Ms. Arima, we haven't met since Sweet Today's after-party!
It's nice to see you again too, Aqua.
Thank you.
Sensei, long time no see.
Oh, yeah.
I knew it, but she's pretty cold towards me.
Well, you were terrible in Sweet Today.
As an original author, of course she'd despise you.
Well, yeah.
Sensei, nice to meet you.
Hey, greet her properly.
Locking eyes with good-looking people makes me panic.
I understand that, but still.
Please make yourselves comfortable.
Thank you very much.
What do you think, Sensei?
They're all very good actors.
I think the play will be great.
Well, of course. Lalalai only has first-class actors.
I bet everyone has been practicing really hard.
Sensei, you should say "rehearse" instead of "practice" for a play.
Oh, really? I'm sorry.
I don't know anything about it.
They're amazing. I could never do what they do.
But that's why I should, right?
I should say this myself, shouldn't I?
The script.
Can it still be changed?
Of course. But, which part?
"Which part?" Well...
All of it.
Subtitle translation by: Aya Kudo