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Tōken Ranbu Stage Play's BD Sells 24,000 to Ranks #1

The Blu-ray Disc release for Butai Tōken Ranbu Kyoden Moeyuru Honnōji, a stage play based on DMM's Tōken Ranbu online browser game, sold 24,175 copies in its first week to rank #1 on Oricon's overall Blu-ray Disc chart. The Blu-ray Disc shipped on September 7.

It is the first video release from the franchise to rank on an Oricon top 10 chart. The DVD of the stage musical adaptation's trial run reached #14 in February.

The stage play's DVD release also sold 18,242 copies to rank #2 on the overall DVD chart.

The play opened at Tokyo's Theater 1010 on May 3, with an additional performance on May 14, before moving on to Osaka's Mielparque on May 17. Every performance of the play's original run was sold out. The play held live viewing events of its concluding festivities in 60 theaters across Japan as well as in theaters in Taiwan and Hong Kong on May 20. Although the performance was a weekday, more than 40,000 people attended the live viewing events.

The franchise also had a musical adaptation that debuted on May 27 in Tokyo and in Kyoto on June 23. Marvelous (Yowamushi Pedal stage play) adapted the game into a "straight play," while Nelke Planning (The Prince of Tennis, Vampire Knight musicals) adapted it into a stage musical.

The Tōken Ranbu "sword personification training game" takes famous swords from Japanese history and interprets them as bishōnen. Nitroplus designed the characters and scenario. The game launched in Japan last year, and it has more than 1 million users. The game has acquired a large female fanbase and inspired a wide range of merchandise, as well as several manga. Two anime adaptations have been green-lit.

Source: Animate Times