Final Fantasy XVI, like all Final Fantasy, has had a mixed reception where it is unclear whether or not we should declare it a success. While it is true that in general terms we can say that it is a good game, it is undeniable that many people have been disappointed by what the game has to bring. Even when experimentation and change have been the differentiating gesture of Final Fantasy since its first installment, it’s something that many people still don’t accept from the franchise, something that has taken its toll on this Final Fantasy XVI. Which doesn’t mean we’re going to stop hearing news of it any time soon, as evidenced by the fact that its first adaptation is already on its way.
Takarazuka Revue has confirmed on its website that its Cosmos Company will be making a musical adaptation of Final Fantasy XVI. Running from May 17 to June 23, 2024 at the Takarazuka Grand Theater in Takarazuka, and running from July 13 to August 25, 2024 at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre in Tokyo, Naoko Koyanagi is in charge of writing and directing this musical.
This is great news because, in fact, Takarazuka Revue is Japan’s most prestigious all-female musical company. With a prominently female fandom, very much invested in their productions, they are famous for two particular aspects: they adapt both classic plays and musicals as well as modern pop culture works into musicals, and all roles, whether male or female, are played by women. Something that has led them to special recognition, but also to a very particular system within the company itself, where actresses are governed based on a hierarchical system based on years within the company. In this way, the actresses are usually divided between those who play male roles and those who play female roles, establishing very particular roles, with a very rigid system, within the company itself.
With its origins in the Takarazuka Music School, the theater company was created in 1913 and has never accepted any men among its ranks. Similarly, Tarazuka has its own school for actresses and actresses are expected to live in dormitories, with the exception of the Top Stars, the actresses who carry the burden of all the leading roles in the troupe. As is easy to assume, Takarazuka actresses are not allowed to maintain any kind of romantic relationship with any man, and even socializing with men, in general, has become absolutely forbidden in the past. Something that has been parodied, in a non-sarcastic way, in some video games, such as the TRPG classic Sakura Wars or the recently appeared in the West mix of visual novel and rhythm game Jack Jeanne.
In addition, within Tarazuka there are several companies. The Flower Company, which specializes in dance; the Moon Company, which specializes in recitals; the Snow Company, which specializes in singing; the Star Company, which specializes in traditional performances; and the Cosmos Company, which will perform the adaptation of Final Fantasy XVI, which specializes in experimental and contemporary works.
Thanks to a very loyal audience, divided between a young female audience that follows particular stars as if they were pop divas and a not-so-young female and male audience that appreciates the company for its production values and exquisite stage work, Takarazuka is one of the most famous musical theater companies in all of Japan. Probably in the whole world. So it’s great news for Square Enix that they’ve decided to look at Final Fantasy XVI to make a musical, at a perfect time for people from overseas to attend, as they can target two potential audiences they’re particularly interested in. Even if, for this, we will still have to wait almost a year.
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