{"rewrite":{"id":"r_43d8df2600ae23b7faef567b","clusterId":"c_db2ccede06eed7c7fb96d28a","slug":"cells-at-work-gets-kabuki-stage-play-in-april-2027","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Cells at Work! Gets Kabuki Stage Play in April 2027","summary":"Akane Shimizu's Cells at Work! manga is getting a kabuki stage play at the Shinbashi Enbujo in Tokyo in April 2027. Kensuke Yokouchi directs and writes. Ainosuke Kataoka, who played Pneumococcus in the live-action film, stars as White Blood Cell. The cast includes Kazutaro Nakamura, Ryoga Ishikawa, Mandy Sekiguchi, and Ichikawa Chusha.","whyItMatters":"The kabuki adaptation extends the Cells at Work! franchise into a new theatrical format, following the live-action film that opened in Japan in December 2024.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eA new official X/Twitter account opened last Friday to announce the kabuki stage play, described as a \u0026#34;scramble kabuki\u0026#34; style that mixes traditional kabuki actors with other performers. Kensuke Yokouchi is directing and writing the play.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAinosuke Kataoka, who played Pneumococcus in the series\u0026#39; live-action film, stars as White Blood Cell. The cast also includes Kazutaro Nakamura, Ryoga Ishikawa, Mandy Sekiguchi, and Ichikawa Chusha.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe original manga ran in Monthly Shonen Sirius from March 2015 to January 2021. Kodansha USA Publishing releases the manga and several spinoffs in English.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Ainosuke Kataoka, who played Pneumococcus in the live-action Cells at Work! film, now stars as White Blood Cell in the kabuki play. The role swap shows the adaptation's freedom with the source material.","twitterPost":"Ainosuke Kataoka moves from Pneumococcus in the live-action Cells at Work! to White Blood Cell in the kabuki play.","threadsPost":"Ainosuke Kataoka played Pneumococcus in the live-action Cells at Work! film. For the kabuki stage play, he takes on White Blood Cell. That switch from villain to protagonist in a different medium is a casting choice worth watching.","newsletterBlurb":"Cells at Work! is getting a kabuki stage play at the Shinbashi Enbujo in Tokyo in April 2027. Kensuke Yokouchi directs and writes. Ainosuke Kataoka stars as White Blood Cell.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-18/cells-at-work-gets-kabuki-stage-play-in-april-2027/.240683\",\"title\":\"Cells at Work! Gets Kabuki Stage Play in April 2027\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4455,"outputTokens":566,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787074431,"createdAt":"2026-08-18T17:28:47.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T17:31:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-18T17:28:47.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_db2ccede06eed7c7fb96d28a","canonicalTitle":"News\nCells at Work! Gets Kabuki Stage Play in April 2027","representativeArticleId":"a_c4d53b2842cd36be3e8435ce","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Cells at Work!\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Ainosuke Kataoka\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-18T16:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-18T16:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-18T17:31:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-08-18/cells-at-work-gets-kabuki-stage-play-in-april-2027/.240683","title":"News\nCells at Work! Gets Kabuki Stage Play in April 2027"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Cells at Work!"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Ainosuke Kataoka"],"type":"announcement","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}