For gamers and lovers of sheer theatrical spectacle alike, the summer¡¯s hottest ticket seems sure to be for ¡°Dragon Quest Live Spectacle Tour,¡± whose 40 shows nationwide are set to be attended by some 400,000 people ¡ª with everyone receiving a wristband enabling them to influence the onstage action.
As the role-playing video game ¡°Dragon Quest¡± turns 30 this year, this show inspired by its producer Kenichi Yoda ¡ª and directed by Kahori Kanaya ¡ª is set to transcend any distinction between those flat-screen roots and the three-dimensional world.
Yet despite its cast appearing to have popped out of virtual reality onto its arena-sized stages erupting in lights, sound, color and special effects, the show follows a growing trend in Japan. In 2015, even age-old kabuki got in on the act, with a wonderfully hybrid production of Eiichiro Oda¡¯s ¡°One Piece,¡± the best-selling manga in history.
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