Studio Ghibli fans, this one is properly interesting: the upcoming Super Kabuki stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke has released a short video ad showing the main cast in costume.
The production is based on Ghibli’s legendary 1997 film, and it will run in Tokyo from July 3 to August 23. So yes, if you’re a Malaysian or SEA anime fan already planning a Japan trip this summer, this might be one of those “bro, should we just go?” moments.
For anyone unfamiliar, Princess Mononoke is not your chill cosy Ghibli movie. It is one of Miyazaki’s heavier works — a story about nature, industry, war, survival, and humans being messy as usual. The film follows Ashitaka, a young warrior cursed by a demon-like force, as he travels west and gets pulled into the conflict between Lady Eboshi’s Iron Town and San, the wolf-raised girl known as Princess Mononoke, who fights to protect the forest spirits and animal gods.
That kind of material actually sounds pretty wild for kabuki. The original movie is full of massive boars, wolves, forest gods, cursed flesh, arrows flying through limbs — very visual, very intense. Translating that into a traditional-meets-modern stage format could either be extremely powerful or very difficult to pull off. But Super Kabuki is basically built for this kind of challenge.
The stage play is being directed by Kensuke Yokouchi. The script is co-written by Keiko Niwa, who has worked on or assisted with scripts for several Studio Ghibli films including The Wind Rises, Arrietty, and When Marnie Was There. She is joined by Kazuhisa Tobe, who also wrote and directed the Evangelion kabuki project. That Evangelion connection is worth noting because it shows the team is not treating anime-to-kabuki as a random novelty — there is already experience here adapting iconic, visually dense anime material for the stage.
The production will also use music by Joe Hisaishi, which is a huge deal. Hisaishi’s score is one of the reasons Princess Mononoke still hits so hard decades later. Even if the staging goes in a more traditional direction, having that music as part of the production should help keep the emotional identity of the film intact.
Super Kabuki itself has been around since 1986, and its whole thing is blending classic kabuki performance with newer stage ideas. So expect traditional kabuki energy, but not necessarily a museum-style production. This format is known for being more flexible and theatrical, which makes sense for a story involving gods, curses, forests, and war.
For Malaysian and SEA fans, the biggest question is accessibility. This is a Tokyo-only run for now, with no SEA screenings or touring dates mentioned. But Ghibli has a massive following in this region, and stage adaptations like this usually become part of anime pilgrimage culture — the kind of thing hardcore fans will plan a Japan itinerary around. If you’re already going to Tokyo between July and August, this could be a proper once-in-a-lifetime Ghibli experience.
The timing also fits the wider Ghibli nostalgia wave. GKIDS previously screened a 4K restoration of Princess Mononoke in IMAX theaters in North America from March 26, 2025, as part of Studio Ghibli’s 40th anniversary celebration. Even though that release was not a Malaysia-specific event, it shows how strongly the film is still being pushed and celebrated globally.
Honestly, Princess Mononoke getting the Super Kabuki treatment makes sense. It has big emotions, mythic conflict, larger-than-life characters, and enough visual drama to fill a stage. If the production nails San, Ashitaka, Lady Eboshi, and the forest gods, this could be one of the more memorable anime stage adaptations in recent years.
Source: Anime News Network