"Dream Boy" or "Dream Boys" is a Japanese musical production. It features many talents belonging to the Johnny & Associates and was first performed in January 2004 as "Magical Musical "Dream Boy"^[1] starring Hideaki Takizawa, and has been performed again with repeated cast and content changes^{[2][Note 1]} since then. It is a story of "boys' dreams, setbacks, and friendship,"^[4] interwoven with boxing, flying direction,^[4] comedy, and improvisation.^[5] Written, composed, and directed by Johnny Kitagawa; from 2019, Koichi Domoto will direct the show, which will also depict the hearts of the performers.^[6] The abbreviated name is "Doribo".^[7]

The first performance was given at Imperial Theatre (Japan) by 21-year-old Hideaki Takizawa, who was the youngest chairperson at the theater along with Koichi Domoto.^[8] The theme was "Dream Maker".^[9] The music was composed by Koichi Domoto, who also wrote the theme song. Takizawa plays the role of a world boxing champion in the film, which depicts his mishap and escape. His bungee jumping from a height of 15 meters became the talk of the town.^[10]

The original plan was for a total of 36 performances from January 8 to 31, 2004, attracting 66,000 people,^[11] but due to many requests for tickets, the theater held its first morning performance & 3 performances a day (additional performances were held for 5 days),^[12] and attracted about 75,000 people for 41 performances.^[13] Some people asked why it was not performed in Kansai since it featured Kanjani Eight, and it was announced at the final performance of that stage that the show would be performed again in May of the same year.^[14]

As a revival of the play that took place in January 2004, it was performed at the Umeda Koma Theatre from April 30 to May 23, 2004 for a total of 36 performances.^[30] Hideaki Takizawa became the theater's youngest chairperson.^[30] The first half, April 30-May 7 (14 performances), in which Takizawa was not participating due to a concert, was a "Kat-Tun & Kanjani Eight version" starring KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight,^[31] and the second half, May 8-May 23 (22 performances), was a "Tacky version" starring Takizawa.^[30] A total of 75,000 people were expected to attend,^[10] and the final total of 76,200 people attended the first 16 performances and the 24 performances in the second half.^[18]

Performed at Umeda Arts Theatre from April 27 to May 15, 2005.^[37] 37 performances with 70,000 people in attendance.^[18] Starring KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight.^[38] It is a story about the world of boxing,^[37] a renewal of the previous year's musical in which Takizawa had starred. The show featured "flying," in which the performers flew above the audience.^[37]

Jin Akanishi did not participate due to his appearance in the drama,^[39] but made a surprise appearance at the park scene only at the final performance, playing the senior role of Kazuya, played by Kamenashi.^[40]

Starring KAT-TUN and Kanjani Eight,^[43][44] it was performed at Imperial Theatre from January 3 to 29, 2006, for a total of 38 performances, drawing 70,72 audiences.^[45] In addition to the traditional boxing storyline, a new heart transplantation storyline was added,^[46] and the storyline was inspired by "West Side Story" with KAT-TUN, led by Kazuya Kamenashi, and Kanjani Eight, led by Subaru Shibutani,^[47] depicting a conflict between the East and West.^[48]

In the circus scene in the first act, there is a tightrope walker suspended in midair,^[49] Kamenashi's flying 15 meters in the air,^[43] Junnosuke Taguchi's lat technique, and A.B.C.'s aerial performance. In addition, Tanaka and Nakamaru will dress up as clowns and bring the audience up to the stage, and J.J. Express and other trainee's tap dancers will tap dance. The "Small but BIG 4," a four-member group formed by Yuto Nakajima (acting), Joey Tee (dancing), Yasumasa Gotoh (violin), and Mao Tommy (baton), each with specialized skills, appeared as a group of specialists in the play.^[50] In the second act, Kazuya used a 16.2m x 7.2m vision,^[43] the largest in the theater's history, to perform spider flying, running around the wall with his body tilted to the side, suspended in the middle of the screen.

The play featured an arrangement of "Challenger" by Johnny & Associates's star Masahiko Kondo, and songs by Kat-Tun and Kanjani Eight were sung during the showtime after the performance. Also, during the press conference held after the noon performance on January 8, it was announced that the play would be performed again the following year, which the performers had not been informed of.^[44]

The main cast consisted of Kazuya Kamenashi,^[59] Koki Tanaka, and Tomoyuki Yara, and was performed at Imperial Theatre from September 5 to September 30, 2007. A total of 70,000 people attended the 38 performances.^[60] It was decided at the beginning of the run that the show would be repeated in March of the following year.^[61]

From this time on, the story has been rearranged by Johnny Kitagawa and the main characters have been narrowed down to three.^[62] Kamenashi plays the main character, Tanaka plays his rival, and Yara plays the main character's friend. The story centers on the main character who has killed a boxing champion and the champion's sick brother. Kamenashi showed aerial performances such as trapeze, wall flying, and a high-speed 20-turn.^[63]

Starring Kazuya Kamenashi,^[66] it was performed at the Imperial Theatre from March 4 to March 30, 2008, and at the Umeda Arts Theatre Main Hall from April 4 to April 16, 2008. 200 performances in total were achieved at the evening performance on March 8.^[67] The main cast for the Imperial Theatre performance was Koki Tanaka and Kota Yabu, and Daichi Nakata joined the cast for the Osaka performance.^[68] Kamenashi played the role of a boxer following his role in the TV drama "The Gospel of One Pound" at the same time. He had to remake all 23 of his costumes because his body had grown one size too large.^[69]

The traditional tightrope walking, trapeze, and flying performances were greatly increased to 20 minutes in the air, and a video projector with the brightness of two in the world was introduced.^[70]

Starring Kazuya Kamenashi. The main cast includes Yuya Tegoshi and Subaru Shibutani. 38 performances were held at Imperial Theatre from September 4 to September 29, 2009, and 21 performances were held at the Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall from October 13 to October 25, 2009.^[93]

The general framework of the story remains the same, with Kamenashi as the main character, Shibuya as the champ, and Tekoshi, in his first attempt at a musical, playing the role of a musician.^[94] Kamenashi also participated in the casting meeting,^[94] and Shibuya and Tegoshi were cast in order to emphasize the musical aspect of this production.^[95] 8 songs in the play, including Kamenashi's solo song "I Love You,"^[96] were newly written. Shibuya and Togoshi were involved in the musical side of the production, and while the content and chords for "Come Into My World" were decided, the rest was left up to the audience to sing freely according to their feelings at the time, so the detailed lyrics were sung differently for each performance.^[97] In terms of the production, Kamenashi broke his own record by flying for 24 minutes in the air. Also, the "Frame Flying," in which the dancers walked on the inner frame of a picture frame measuring 6.7 m (length) x 8.4 m (width), made its first appearance.。

This was one of Imperial Theatre 100th anniversary performances, and the first performance of this work in two years.^[105] Starring Kazuya Kamenashi, it was performed at the Imperial Theatre from September 3 to 25, 2011,^[105] and reached a total of 350 performances in its thousand-fall run.^[106] The story follows three people after the breakup of their idol group,^[107] with Kamenashi playing a young man who has lost his goal, Koki Tanaka as a boxing champ, and Yuichi Nakamaru as a musician,^[108] who are each involved in a boxing movie as a lead actor, a model athlete, and the theme song writer.^[109]

All three main cast members are members of KAT-TUN, and they called themselves "Katsun (luck at winning)" for this stage only.^[107] This name was given by Johnny Kitagawa, and it was a wish for the recovery from Aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March of the same year.^[107] Also, in recent years, Kamenashi and other main cast members have attended meetings, and Johnny, who directs the show, has been making fewer suggestions and giving less advice.

In this work, various confrontations will take place under the theme of "10 Battles. For example, a boxing match between Kamenashi and Koki Tanaka,^[108] a rap and voice percussion match between Tanaka and Nakamaru,^[108] a "former Takarazuka showdown" between Ran Ohtori and Tsubasa Makoto,^[107] and a "brother showdown" between Koki Tanaka and Juri Tanaka.^[107] Kamenashi learned and performed a new flying technique, "Kensho Koshin Mai Kuu Daiten," incorporating bungee jumping, in about 20 days with an invited acrobatic troupe from China.^[110] Due to the earthquake and tsunami, flying over the audience was restricted.^[111]

Starring Kazuya Kamenashi, the show was performed at the Imperial Theatre from September 3 to 29, 2012.^[121] 24 minutes of the 150 minutes of the show was spent flying above the audience for the first time in three years since 2009. Kamenashi was called "the most down-to-earth entertainer in Japan.^[122]

For this production, Kamenashi was involved in the design of the posters and flyers, and also participated in discussions about the cast along with Johnny Kitagawa.^[123] As a result, Kamenashi, the chairperson who plays the main character in this production, is the oldest male performer.^[123] In the past, the role of the champ was played by a senior who was older than Kamenashi, but this time Kamenashi himself is an older senior, so he says that he took in the opinions of the younger members of the cast and worked together with them to create the piece.^[123] Yuta Tamamori, who plays the role of Champ in the film, says that his role is "out of character" and that he was conscious of being "an ordinary person,"^[123] which is different from the conventional Champ. Along with the cast, the story was renewed with the theme of "kizuna" (bonds). In the opening scene, in particular, the central characters wear the school run to more clearly depict their "past".^[123]

Starring a new actor, Yuta Tamamori,^[124] it was performed at the Imperial Theatre from September 5 to 29, 2013[99]. The title "JET" stands for "fast and furious" or "dynamic", and the story has been changed from a traditional boxing story to a story about an Formula One racer.^[125] This is because Johnny Kitagawa, who wrote and directed the film, created it about the TV personality and racer, Masahiko Kondo.^[126] According to Kondo, Janney was probably trying to depict "a drama of people risking life and death," and called him several times to persuade him to appear in the film.^[127] Kondo told him that if the show was going to be based on motorsports, he wanted it to be "something that conveys friendship, conflict, and tenderness between men" rather than the "glamorous show" often seen in Japanese stage shows, and Johnny quickly finished the script,^[127] Kondo supervised the race scene and also appeared in a musical for the first time in 24 years.^[126] Many of Kondo's songs are sung in the play,^[127] and "Challenger" was also sung in this production, with the lyrics rewritten as a racer's story.^[128]

In this film, the traditional happening scenes were changed to accidents during the race^[129] In the race scenes with images on LED screens, Kondo wanted to "convey the fear of life and death",^[129] and with the cooperation of Kondo Racing and Japan Race Promotion, car bodies used in the actual matches were used.^[130] Kondo Racing and Japan Race Promotion cooperated to use a car that was used in an actual race.^[126][129] On the other hand, the roles in the film have not changed much, with Tamamori playing the main character involved in the case, Kento Senga playing the top racer, Toshiya Miyata playing his friend, and Kondo playing the owner of the racing team.^[126][129] Kondo plays the role of "Champ", who is the model in the film, and Senga's role as the protagonist's rival is based on his complex toward the protagonist.^[127]

The 10th anniversary of the first performance. Starring Yuta Tamamori, it was staged at the Imperial Theatre from September 4–30, 2014. The stage returned to the world of boxing and entertainment as before,^[136] and its production announcement was held in the ring of Korakuen Hall, "the sacred place of martial arts," with about 1,000 fans.^[137]

As for the storyline, the base remained, but there were some renewed parts, such as when Toshiya (played by Miyata) accidentally stabbed Hikaru Iwamoto (played by Hikaru Iwamoto).^[138] The roles of the main character was played by Tamamori, Kento Senga as Champ, and Toshiya Miyata as the idol group's producer,^[136] but new cast members also appeared in various parts, such as Sho Hirano as Champ's brother who hates his brother and Ren Nagase as the informer who is forced to work for Madam and Rika, leaving an impression on the audience.^[138] The opening scene featured a performance by Kis-My-Mystery Orchestra (Kis-My-My-Mystery). In the opening scene, the three members of Kis-My-Ft2 held hands and performed flying, and Tamamori also challenged "Tama Hula," a hula hoop flying performance named after himself in the play.^[139] In addition, a new song "The Dream Boys" was performed by the unit formed by Shiyoh Hirano, Ren Nagase, and Kaito Takahashi in the play.^[140]

It stars a double cast of Yuta Tamamori (September 3–10, 15 - 16, 22 - 30) and Yuma Nakayama (September 12–14, 18 - 20).^[142] The Tamamori version features Kento Senga and Toshiya Miyata, and the Nakayama version features Fuma Kikuchi and Marius Yo as the main actors, with Tamamori and Nakayama playing a young man who has quit boxing, Senga and Kikuchi as boxing champions, and Miyata and Marius as their friends. This is the first time that the three members of Nakayama's version will appear in "Dream Boys". Except for the Osaka premiere, this is the first double-cast performance at the Imperial Theatre.

In order for the audience to see the "theatrical" part of this production, the storyline was "stripped down to the bare essentials" and the roles were reduced to the necessary ones.^[143] The basic script is the same for both productions, but the music and direction are different. Tamamori performed a new technique called "Tama-nobori(Tamamori climbing)" following the previous year's flying "Tama-hula(Tamamori flying)".^[77] Nakayama performed "Yuumaru", a trapeze-like flying named after himself.^[144]

Starring Yuta Tamamori. The show ran from September 3 to September 30^[151][152] with a total of 38 performances.^[153] At the 539th performance, the total number of audiences since the first performance exceeded 1 million.^[154]

In this production, after a new "Dream Boys Suite" consisting of five songs of about seven minutes^[155] with themes such as "Family," "Friendship," "Bonds," and "Pledge to the Future" was performed just before the last scene,^[156] the ending was different from the traditional happy ending^[156] and was different from the tragic scene in Inperial Theatre productions directed by Johnny Kitagawa. The show ends with a tragic scene, which is extremely unusual for Imperial Theatre production directed by Johnny Kitagawa. And "Challenger" was sung as the ending song.^[155]

Tamamori, the chairperson who had refined the story the previous year, wanted to further refine the play in this production, respecting the traditional "handing over the champ's heart" scene, but also wanting to take the play "in a more realistic, humanistic, and realistic direction".^[157] Therefore, when Johnny Kitagawa proposed a change to the last scene in which "Champ dies in the arms of the main character,"^[158] the main cast and others reconsidered the entire structure of the story from scratch.^[157] The "conflict between best friends" was made clearer by the childhood of the three main characters depicted at the beginning of the story and the scene in which the three regain their bond at the end of the story.^[159]

Along with the story revision, the characterization of the roles was also changed. The character of Champ, played by Senga, is hotter and more "human" than before.^[157] In this film, his hidden true feelings are revealed,^[157] and he also plays the role of defaming the protagonist.^[159] Miyata's role has also undergone the most significant character change: previously, his role was to believe in the protagonist and the champ, to keep them close,^[157] and to play the role of the funny part, but in this film he is plunged into doubt.^[159] Therefore, when Tamamori, Senga, and Miyata played the role for the first time, the three of them seemed to join forces, but in this production, the presence of each character has increased.^[158]

As mentioned above, Tamamori wanted to impress the audience with the "theatrical" aspect of this work, which has traditionally been mostly evaluated in terms of performance.^[158] For this reason, he was initially opposed to the suite proposed by Johnny Kitagawa.^[157] However, Tamamori recalls that by actually working on the suite, he was able to feel the "musical-like" quality of expressing emotions through song and dance rather than dialogue.^[157]

As other performers, Kaito Takahashi of Mr. KING, Ryo Hashimoto, Mizuki Inoue, Soya Igari , and Yuto Takahashi of HiHi Jet, who were noted for their dancing, singing, and roller skating, were gathered to form "Johnnys'5," a limited time unit named after the "Jackson 5" by Johnny Kitagawa.^[160] They played the role of Miyata in the play. They appeared in the play as "Jet Boys," a group created by a music producer played by Miyata, and performed a newly written song, "Welcome To My Home Town".^[161][162]

The DVD "Dream Boys" was released on September 13, 2017, selling 62,000 copies in its first week.^[163]

Story

Act 1

The three of them who talked about their dreams on a park bench when they were young now have a strained relationship. Yuta quits boxing just before his rookie championship match, but he wants big money and gets a job starring in a movie through Toshiya, who has become a music producer. The fact that it was a boxing movie antagonizes Kent, the champ, and the two fight in boxing over the shoot. However, after a short rise to the champ's position, his skull is cracked, and Kent's condition deteriorates during the fight, and he is hit by a straight right hand from Yuta and falls in the ring. The match seemed to be decided, but Sanada found a lead plate in Yuta's glove. Kent is rushed to the hospital, and Yuta is framed for a crime he did not commit. Yuta then went into hiding with his madam, the president of a film production company. However, Yasuyi comes to take revenge with a knife, and after a struggle with Kite, who stops him, Yasuyi stabs himself and falls to the ground. As the champ team and police arrive on the scene, Yuta escapes, protecting Kite, who is holding the knife. Kite collapses in agony, and Toshiya suspects Yuta and despises him. However, Yuta's desire for a large sum of money is to pay for the heart surgery of Kite, whom he loves like his own brother.

Act 2

While Yuta is on the run after "taking over everything," Kaito, who has been performing as one of the "Jet Boys," suffers a seizure on a singing show and is reunited with Kent, who is in the hospital. Kent, who believes in Yuta's innocence, is moved by Kite's confession of the knife incident. Kent entrusts the Champion's Glove to Kate and decides to get to the bottom of the matter. Meanwhile, Yuta discovers that the mother who abandoned him as a child was Madame, and that the mother who abandoned the young Kite was Rika. The lives of both sons were ruined by the feud between the two mothers. When Yuta angrily tells Rika the truth, Rika realizes that she has been trying to destroy her own son Kite's "Jet Boys" and her son's benefactor, Yuta, out of hatred for the madam, and she regrets it terribly. Then, Yasuyi and Kent appear at their doorstep. It is revealed that the knife incident was an accident, and that the lead in the glove was Sanada's madness under Rika's direction, and Yuta is finally cleared of suspicion. Yuta then returns and tells Kaito that his heart surgery was a success, and the two sets of parents and children are reconciled.

The misunderstanding is cleared up, and the three sing together on a park bench, just as they did when they were children. While Yuta talks about his boxing dream again and Toshiya talks about his show business dream, Kent remains motionless and they take care of him. Yuta and Kite continued to box with Kent in their hearts after he left for heaven.

Starring Yuta Tamamori.^[165] It will run from September 6–30, 2018^[166] and will be the first production in two years.^[165] The five members of HiHi Jets appear in this production for the first time as a group.^[167] They play new characters, boys (Lost Boys^[165]) who are abandoned by their parents but live in "Dreamland."^[168] The story depicts "adult male friendship" by Tamamori, Senga, and Miyata, and "friendship among boys in the future" by HiHi Jets.^[169]

Tamamori performed the acrobatics "Rolling Tama (Rolling Balls)" using a trapeze box with a diameter of 6 meters.^[165] In addition to the familiar songs "The Dream Boys," "Challenger," and "Next Dream," the theme song "Dreamer" was performed at the opening and ending of the show,^[170] and the roller skating and skateboarding duel between HiHi Jets and 7 Men Samurai, "Fight All Night vs. Night vs All Of Me For You".^[171]

The show will run from September 3, 2019 - September 27, 2019,^[173] reaching a total of 600 performances^[174] on September 21, and 609 at the final performance.^[175] The lead actor is Yuta Kishi, who becomes the fourth chairperson following Takizawa, Kamenashi, and Tamamori. Although Johnny Kitagawa passed away on July 9,^[176] before the show began,^[177] casting had already been done, with Jinguji and Kishi being asked to appear in March and April, respectively,^[178] and meetings were held on June 16, two days before Johnny collapsed from a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. The meeting was held on June 16, two days before Johnny collapsed from a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by a dissecting cerebral aneurysm.^[179] The writer, composer, and director remained "Johnny Kitagawa".^[180] Hideaki Takizawa, who took the lead and served as assistant director,^[179] asked Koichi Domoto for acting guidance^[181] and Koichi was also involved in reworking the script and composition,^[182] thus realizing a team effort^[183] that he had been eagerly waiting for a couple of years in terms of direction. The production also incorporated the opinions of Johnny before his death, and the song "Dream Boy" composed by Koichi, which Takizawa performed in the play in 2004, was revived for the first time in 15 years, this time with Koichi's singing voice.^[177][183] Kishi, who plays the leading role, also worked hard at training at the gym with Jinguji to improve his body, and perfected the "Kishi Kaku," an acrobatic technique of flying while manipulating a giant 1.5 meter square cube, which was a favorite of Janney before his death, and performed it in the climactic scene in the first act.^[184]

The show will run from December 10, 2020 to January 27, 2021.^[189] The show was originally scheduled to run in September as usual, but was temporarily cancelled due to the COVID-19.^[190] The Imperial Theatre had been staging the Johnny's Island series during the year-end and New Year holidays in recent years, but since there were approximately 80 performers, Toho, the production company, found it difficult to take all possible measures against infectious diseases, and this production, with a total cast of around 30 people, was chosen as the best choice.^[191] Yuta Kishi will continue to chair the production as he did last year.^[192] Also, starting this year, Johnny Kitagawa is credited as Eternal Producer,^[193] and Koichi Domoto, who was involved in the production as assistant director last year, is officially credited as director.^[194][195]

In order to prevent infection, the interval was eliminated,^[196] and the structure was changed to one act, two hours non-stop.^[197] The musical elements became stronger, and more emphasis was placed on the characters and their emotional expressions.^[197] New songs "Start Shooting," "Fate's Door," and "Fighter" were added,^[197] and in the scene where the main character Yuta escapes alone to find out the truth behind the incident, a new technique called "Rikishi," in which he climbs a rope up to 6 meters high using only his own arm strength, was performed by Koichi The performance was accompanied by the new song "DEATH SPIRAL" produced by Koichi.^[197][198]

The show was being performed at 100% capacity, but on January 7, 2021, during the performance, the government declared a state of emergency.^[199] The theater was restricted to 50% capacity and the performance was called to be held until 8 p.m. At the same time, the government notified each prefecture that "tickets for events that have been sold by January 11 will not be restricted and will be treated as non-cancellable," and that the performance time for the evening session was originally set at 6 p.m.^[199] Since the performance was originally scheduled for two hours, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the performance continued as planned.^[200] The performers wore masks until offstage, and fans refrained from talking in the lobby to take thorough precautions against infection by COVID-19.^[201] No one from the approximately 30 performers and 100 staff members became infected, and the show completed 44 performances, the most in the series.^[200][201]

The show will run from September 6–29, 2021,^[204] for a total of 31 performances.^[205] The main cast was renewed, with Fuma Kikuchi as the lead and Taki Tanaka as the champ,^[206] and Koichi Domoto directing,^[207] as he did last year.

One act, two hours.^[208] Juri sings "SUPER HERO" with members of 7 Men Samurai and Shonen Ninja singing about the spirit of a champ, "Knock Out (K.O.)" by Shonen Ninja training at the gym, "hourglass" (Kikuchi) in which Fuma escapes under suspicion and reveals his feelings while reflecting on his past. Kikuchi himself wrote the lyrics^[209] were added as new songs that delve into the emotions and stories of the characters.^[210]

It will be performed from September 8 to September 30, 2022.^[217] The production will continue from last year, starring Fuma Kikuchi, co-starring Juri Tanaka, and directed by Koichi Domoto.^[218] The production will have two acts for the first time in three years,^[219] and the ballad "Sad Song" by Kikuchi, Shibuki, and Hou at the beginning of Act 2 will be revived to further pursue the emotions of the characters.^[220] A new scene was added in which Fuma and Juri of the old days appear riding a bicycle together, with Ryusei Fukada and Yutaka Motoki playing them in a flying performance.^[221]

The show will run from September 9–28, 2023,^[228] for a total of 26 performances.^[229] Shota Watanabe will play the lead role, Shintaro Morimoto will co-star, and Koichi Domoto will direct.^[230] Note that after his death in 2019, the name of Johnny Kitagawa, who was credited as Eternal Producer from 2020 to 2022, was removed from this production^[231] based on an overall decision. The casting was decided by Koichi,^[232] but Watanabe declined at one point^[233] due to anxiety about the large role, and Morimoto declined due to lack of stage experience. However, each met with Koichi and accepted his enthusiastic offer, saying, "I can't think of anyone else but Watanabe and Morimoto".^[232]

In this production, flying above the audience is back after a four-year absence, with Morimoto flying in the opening song "Opening Next Dream" and Watanabe in the closing song "Next Dream (finale ver.)". Koichi, who was directing the show, had considered eliminating the flying,^[234] but the two were so eager to fly ^[235] that it was incorporated with the meaning of flying to avoid meaningless performances.^[234] During rehearsals, Koichi, who had been performing flying in "Shock (musical)" for many years, showed them the model and taught them posture, eye contact, etc.^[234] In addition, wall flying, in which the main character runs and flies in time with the images while standing perpendicular to a wall, was also incorporated, and Kazuya Kamenashi, who had performed this in the past and visited the rehearsal performance, gave him advice.^[236] This time, new songs were prepared for each character,^[235] and Watanabe requested "a calm ballad-like song"^[237] "Hikari" was performed in the scene where he is hidden in Madame Emma's old theater, and Morimoto performed "Champion" in the boxing gym with a trainee played by 7 Men Samurai.^[238] 7 Men Samurai and Shonen Ninja also sang songs such as "Walking to the end", "Make You Wonder", and "Knock Out (K.O.)", bringing out the colors of each team to enliven the hero and the champ.^[239]

It was announced that the show is scheduled to be performed in October 2024 in the closing lineup of the Imperial Theatre, which has decided to temporarily close in February 2025^[242]