"Morning Shot" Using a luxurious lineup of voice actors on a daily rotation? A voice actor gacha festival disguised as a reading play of "A Study in Scarlet" that makes you question their sanity
To hear a single word from their favorite, adults are once again opening their wallets at the Hakuhinkan today.
Has the Reiwa-era Hakuhinkan lost its mind? Examining the reckless act of cramming a star-studded cast into a single reading play.
When checking news about stage plays and voice actors, I sometimes stumble upon projects that make me rub my eyes and wonder, "Are they sane?" The reading performance I'm introducing this time, the Hakuhinkan Theatre Masterpiece Reading Theater "Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet - The Meeting -" to be performed at the Hakuhinkan Theatre in October 2026, is exactly that.
The moment I saw the title of the news article, I did a double-take. Megumi Ogata, Hiroki Takahashi, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Yoshimasa Hosoya... A list of legendary and popular voice actors whose names alone are enough to make you hungry for more. However, please read the content carefully. What is being performed is Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet," in short, the episode of the "meeting" between Holmes and Watson.
...Wait a minute. No matter how much of a masterpiece it is, to have just one episode read over six days from October 20th to the 25th, with a daily rotation of nearly 40 voice actors in total?
This is madness. It is completely a "voice actor gacha."
The luxury of the performers and the madness of the casting
Take a look at the cast for each performance. Five people per show. It is a setup where the cast is completely swapped out for every session.
Megumi Ogata has sessions where she speaks with gravitas, while there are also sessions where Tatsuhisa Suzuki attacks sharply.
Hiroki Takahashi and Yoshimasa Hosoya are among the veterans waiting in the wings, and just when you think that, there are also glamorous female cast members like Anju Inami and Sora Amamiya, and even promising young talents have been brilliantly thrown into the mix.
The script is by Mizuki Kimura, and the direction is by Ryo Arai. The production team is likely trying to build the world of Arthur Conan Doyle in all seriousness, but the audience's emotions are far from that. They are forced to make the agonizing choice of "Which session's Holmes and Watson should I listen to?"
Megumi Ogata as Holmes would surely have such an overwhelming presence that the case would be solved in three minutes just by hearing her voice. On the other hand, the sessions featuring younger actors might offer a fresh, raw chemical reaction between the detective and the doctor. However, an otaku's wallet is not infinite. If one were to attend every single performance, have they considered how much money would fly away just on ticket prices? I wonder how much the organizer, Hakuhinkan Theater, understood the financial situation of the audience when they approved this project. It is such a brilliant business move that it is practically a dangerous drug.
General sales start on September 5th. Prepare yourself for a bloody battle for tickets.
General ticket sales start on September 5th at 10:00 AM.
Let me be clear: this is not just any reading play. It is an experience where you bathe in "classic literature" spun by the voices of your favorites, all within the intimate space of the Hakuhinkan Theater, which has an exquisite capacity of about 380 seats. It is as clear as day what the competition will be like. Popular sessions will likely evaporate in minutes.
The luxury of enjoying the origin and pinnacle story of "the meeting of Holmes and Watson" with daily changing performances and vocal tones. It is certainly a fantastic project. However, considering the agony of having to choose and the stress of the ticket battle, many fans will surely get a stomachache.
On September 5th, are you prepared to sit upright in front of your screen and wait? I hope you jump into this "Hakuhinkan trap" with a tough mentality that won't let you cry even if the session you want evaporates in an instant.
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