Make us free na Splash! Kasaneta—
Sports anime has always made amazing stage productions. Musical Prince of Tennis, Stage Kuroko no Basket, Stage Yowamushi Pedal, Ace of Diamonds THE LIVE, Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu!! and ALL OUT!! THE STAGE are remarkable examples of sports anime gone to the stage. With all these in mind, it makes one wonder which sports anime will be turned into a stage play or a musical next?
One of the anime that comes to mind is an anime that would require astounding choreography when transitioned to the stage, an anime that has most of us hooked and one that has had us swimming across pools.
Free! Would be a good choice to transition to the stage but how will it be done? What effects or props could they possible use to channel swimming? Well, we’ll save those questions for when someone decides to cross this bridge but for now, I bring you some butai actors that COULD swim on stage in Free!’s stage adaptation!
[Disclaimer: This is not the official cast for the stage play. As of writing, there has been no announcement that Free! will be having a stage adaptation. ]
Nanase Haruka
One of the actors that come to mind when the soft-spoken and passionate character of Haru comes to mind is Miura Hiroki. Hiroki is known for his appearances in “One Piece: Live Attraction” as Luffy, “Dance with Devils” (and it’s re-run) as Tachibana Ritsuka and “Musical Prince of Tennis” as Keigo Atobe; he was also casted as Eren Yaeger in the supposed 2.5D “Live Impact Attack On Titan” that sadly couldn’t continue its run due to a freak circumstance. Earlier, I mentioned that a Free! Stage adaptation would require an amazing amount of choreography and who else to do that but Miura Hiroki who is a trained dancer? One of the reasons why he would make a great Haru is his sense of passion, one that he has shown in his performances as Atobe. This coming winter, Hiroki will once again be taking the stage as Higekiri in Musical Touken Ranbu!
Tachibana Makoto
Yamamoto Ikkei is definitely one of the actors that I would love to see as Makoto. Ikkei possesses the same caring look and smile that Makoto has and would make a great Mako-chan. He’s played several roles on the 2.5D stage since his debut. He’s played Cobra in “Live Fantasy Fairy Tail”, Hotohori in Nelke Planning’s “Fushigi Yugi”, Sugimoto Terufumi in “Stage Yowamushi Pedal: Sohoku’s New Generation”, Hokuto Hidaka in “Ensemble Stars~ ON stage”, Suguro Ryuji in “Ao no Exorcist ~Kyoto Guren~” and the role that made me see him as an actor fit to play Makoto: Oishi Shuichiro in “Musical Princes of Tennis”. I feel that there are similarities between Oishi and Makoto. Both are caring, and they both absolutely look after their team. Ikkei has the vibes that would absolutely help him to play our beloved Mako-chan! Currently, Ikkei is reprising his role as Suguro Ryuji in “Ao no Exorcist ~Shimane Illuminati~”.
Hazuki Nagisa
Next is the very cheerful and the very lovable Nagisa! The actor that I have chosen to cast as Nagisa is Yokota Ryugi! Although quite new to the stage, Ryugi as proven himself as an amazing actor after being casted in one of the biggest productions of this time: “Musical Touken Ranbu” as Monoyoshi Sadamune. His enthusiasm and child-like features would make him a great Nagisa! As of writing, Ryugi is set to reprise his role as Monoyoshi Sadamue in “Musical Touken Ranbu: Shinken Ranbu Sai 2017” that is set to run this December.
Rei Ryugazaki
Rei is known as the resident “data man” of Iwatobi and who better to play a data man than a data man as well? That’s why I’ve chosen Tanaka Ryosei as Rei! Ryosei is known for his role as Inui Sadaharu from “Musical Prince of Tennis” and would make a really good Rei! Aside from getting the glasses look down, Ryosei has the same handsome and intelligent look that Rei has. From his experience as Inui, he would prove to be able to handle roles such as Rei. Aside from “Musical Prince of Tennis”, Ryosei has also appeared in “Dance with Devils ~D.C.~” replacing Ise Daiki as Jek, “K Project Stage” as Adolf K. Weismann, Andy Domyoji and Solt; As of writing, Ryosei is currently reprising his role in “Live Musical Show By Rock” as Arcareafact’s Violinist Orion.
Matsuoka Gou
Admittedly, Gou (call her Kou!) is one of the hardest to cast as the 2.5D stage scene is mostly dominated by males. But nevertheless, 2.5D actresses are taking the stage. Takamune Ayumi who is most known for her role as Komori Yui in “Stage Diabolik Lovers” is my choice for Gou. Aside from the refreshing look, both of them have this very distinct tone of voice and this is what led to choose Ayumi for Gou. She is also quite easy-going and very confident, just like our favorite muscle loving manager. As of writing, Ayumi is set to reprise her role as Komori Yui in “Stage Diabolik Lovers: More Blood” that is set to begin its run January of 2018.
Amakata Miho
As a Literature lover myself, I would not dare to leave out the club’s adviser: Ama-chan! Tano Asami is the actress chosen in this fancast! Known for her roles as Aida Riko in “Stage Kuroko no Basket –The Encounter”, Kirijo Mitsuru in “Persona 3: The Weird Masquarade”, Mamushi Hoji in “Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Guren-hen” and most recently, Beast in “Musical Kuroshitsuji ~Noah’s Ark Circus~”; Asami is indeed one force to be reckon with. Not only does she have the same beautiful look as Ama-chan but she also has the same looks that would make a person “Not refuse her”. Also, I think Asami would have that same tone of voice as Ama-chan when she speaks of quotes from the past.
Fun Fact: Tano Asami is the voice actress of Kazuno Sarah, the leader of Saint Snow; the rival group of Aquors in Love Live Sunshine.
Matsuoka Rin
Rin is positively one of the hardest to cast but unfortunately decisions have to be made. As a Rin fangirl myself, I originally had two actors in mind for Rin but I have chosen Takikawa Koudai for this fancast. Aside from being devilishly handsome like Rin, Koudai also possesses the same passion and competitiveness that Rin has in a number of his roles like Kawamura Takashi in “Musical Prince of Tennis” and one of his latest roles: Wada Toushirou in “ALL OUT!! THE STAGE”. I think Koudai has the prowess and the ability to play Rin. Aside from his roles in “Musical Prince of Tennis” and “ALL OUT!! THE STAGE”, Koudai has also played Camo Ryuho in “K ~The Stage~”. As of writing, Koudai is reprising his role in “Live Musical Show By Rock” as Arcareafact’s Drummer Argon.
Yamazaki Sousuke
The always calm, understanding and protective Sousuke. Kohatsu Allen comes to mind when I remember the serious expression on Sousuke’s face. Allen is mostly known for his amazing performance in “Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu!!” as Iwaizumi Hajime. He has also made an appearance in “K The Stage ~Arousal of the King~”. Although Sousuke is irritated by nothing and Allen has played a character that is always irritated by something or someone rather – I believe that it’s Allen’s demeanor that would make him a good Sousuke. With a background in swimming, Allen is one of the perfect choices to play someone from Free! Presently, Allen is set to play Sakamaki Shu in “Stage Diabolik Lovers: More Blood” that is set to take the stage January of 2018.
Who do you think should be in the cast of the Free! stage if it were to happen? Give us your thoughts on who should play our beloved swimmers.
Also, if you have any anime that you would want us to make a fancast of, let us know and we’ll see what we can do!
LizzieDust
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