JQ Magazine: Nippon in New York – ‘Ninja Scroll’ Revival, ‘Cowboy Bebop,’ ‘Demon Slayer’ In Concert
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By JQ magazine editor Justin Tedaldi (CIR Kobe-shi, 2001-02). Justin has written about Japanese arts and entertainment for JETAA since 2005. For more of his articles, click here.
As the summer winds fade into fall colors, the weeks ahead are shaping up with these exciting events, ready to be enjoyed after Labor Day.
This month’s highlights include:
Sept. 11-12, 15-17
Various theaters
Various prices
Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents the classic anime Ninja Scroll’s 30th anniversary with an all-new exclusive interview with director Yoshiaki Kawajiri! A mysterious vagabond sets out on a journey to confront his past. Little does he know he is up against a demonic force of killers, with a ghost from his past as the leader. When Jubei saves a young ninja woman from the unthinkable, he assumes that’s the end of it. To his surprise, it’s only just the beginning. Together, the two investigate the mysterious deaths of an entire village which uncovers a conspiracy of demonic proportions! Getting closer to the truth, the demonic forces will stop at nothing to silence Jubei and his companion for good!
Sept. 11-15, 17-19
Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
$44, $58
Dogugaeshi, the award-winning phenomenon by genius puppeteer Basil Twist, is back! Born as a Japan Society commission, this ever-innovative piece now celebrates its 20th anniversary. Enter a mystical world, where a mysterious white fox shepherds you through past and present Japan. Inspired by a disappearing traditional stage mechanism from Japan’s Awa region called dogugaeshi, Twist has created fusuma screens with stunning painted imagery that dance, slide, flip, conceal and reveal to pull audiences deeper into a brain-bending optical illusion. Dogugaeshi is a cross-cultural collaboration with master shamisen player and experimental musician Yumiko Tanaka, whose multi-layered music collage embraces everything from traditional tunes to popular songs.
Sept. 12-13, 7:00 p.m.
Cowboy Bebop LIVE Presented by Bebop Bounty Big Band
Gramercy Theatre, 127 East 23rd Street
From $71.55
Cowboy Bebop LIVE is a complete multimedia experience highlighting the story of critically acclaimed anime, Cowboy Bebop, on the big screen accompanied by live music from the soundtrack performed by the Bebop Bounty Big Band. This 14-piece jazz ensemble features world-class musicians with members from the world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center, and the Walt Disney Company. This show is a completely one-of-a-kind production specifically designed to deliver an experience anime fans have never had before. Travel the solar system with anime’s most iconic soundtrack at Cowboy Bebop LIVE!
Sept. 13
Various theaters
Various prices
Based on the popular manga by Yukinobu Tatsu, DAN DA DAN is an electrifying, action-packed love letter to sci-fi and horror with the heart of a ruthlessly funny teen rom-com. The story follows Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak. The two of them start talking after Momo rescues Okarun from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them – Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts.. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to challenge the paranormal forces–and their fateful love begins as well!? The directorial debut from Fuga Yamashiro is the latest series from cutting-edge animation studio Science SARU (The Colors Within, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) with pulse-pounding original music from kensuke ushio (Chainsaw Man). This theatrical screening of the first three episodes includes exclusive bonus content featuring interviews and more!
Sept. 13-Nov. 24
Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street
$58-$335
Tony Award winner and three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) will make his Roundabout debut with the Broadway premiere of YELLOW FACE, his hilarious is-he-or-isn’t-he comedy of identity, show business, and (perhaps) autobiography. Starring Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet). Inspired by real events, the playwright’s fictionalized doppelgänger protests yellowface casting in Miss Saigon, only to mistakenly cast a white actor asthe Asian lead in his own play. This Obie Award-winning and Pulitzer finalist play is a laugh-out-loud farce about the complexities of race.
Sunday, Sept. 15, 7:00 p.m.
LPR, 158 Bleecker Street
$20-$30
Critically acclaimed pianist Taka Kigawa grew up in Nagano, Japan, where he began piano studies at the age of three, winning his first competition at the age of seven. He has earned outstanding international recognition as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber music artist since winning First Prize in the prestigious 1990 Japan Music Foundation Piano Competition in Tokyo, and the Diploma Prize at the 1998 Concurs Internacional Maria Canals De Barcelona in Spain, with such accolades from The New York Times as “Phenomenon, there’s no denying that he is something special,” “The extraordinary pianist.” and from The New Yorker “Unbelievably challenging program. Kigawa is an artist of stature.” and from La Nación (Buenos Aires) “Taka Kigawa is a stupendous virtuoso.” This Stockhausen-themed performance will feature special guest Chris Graham.
Program:
Klavierstück I
Klavierstück V
Klavierstück X
Kontakte
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba in Concert
Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue (Brooklyn)
$49-$136
Dive into the mesmerizing world of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba like never before with Demon Slayer in Concert. Experience a first-class ensemble of eighteen musicians and vocalists bring the iconic soundtrack of Demon Slayer to life, in perfect sync with its first season’s most memorable scenes displayed on a full-size cinema screen. Demon Slayer has been the most watched anime on Netflix during the first quarter of 2023, with 186.8 million hours viewed across its three seasons, way ahead of other anime blockbusters like One Piece, Pokémon, or My Hero Academia. The sequel film, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, shattered records to become the highest-grossing movie in Japan, overtaking Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, and securing the title of the world’s highest-grossing anime film and consolidating itself as the most popular anime of our time. This awe-inspiring blend of music and visual storytelling showcases the celebrated anime title in all its glory.
Sept. 26-Oct. 3
Various theaters
Various prices
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, comes the Academy Award-nominated fantasy adventure for the whole family. Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl. The vain and vengeful Witch of the Waste, jealous of their friendship, puts a curse on Sophie and turns her into a 90-year-old woman. On a quest to break the spell, Sophie climbs aboard Howl’s magnificent moving castle and into a new life of wonder and adventure. But as the true power of Howl’s wizardry is revealed, Sophie finds herself fighting to protect them both from a dangerous war of sorcery that threatens their world. The English dub version features the voice talents of Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Emily Mortimer, and Jean Simmons.
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