Anime has long been a staple of Japanese storytelling. In the West, the examples that deal with robots, fantasy and so on are widely known. But just like cinema in general, anime can cover every sort of topic imaginable and in East Asia, the anime that deals with mature, emotional storytelling have been adapted into stage shows. One such example is The Garden of Words and the eponymous production at the Park Theatre is an Anglo-Japanese collaboration. For regular theatregoers in London, The Garden of Words offers a chance to see something special that usually only visitors to the Edinburgh Festival get to see.

Co-adapted by Susan Momoko Hingley and Alexandra Rutter, and directed by Alexandra Rutter, The Garden of Words is a coming-of-age story, albeit not one you’ve ever seen before. Takao Akizuki (Hiroki Berrelcloth) is a teenage budding shoemaker who lives with his much older brother Shota (James Bradwell). Their mother Reimi (Susan Momoko Hingley) is a ‘free spirit’ and often away for days at a time when she’s ‘dating’. As someone who gave birth to Shota when she was very young, Reimi still looks youthful and attracts her fair share of admirers. Also, as a consequence of her ‘carefree’ lifestyle, Shota has become the ‘responsible’ son, keeping things together. However, after years of putting everyone else first, he’s planning to move out of the family home and move in with his girlfriend, Rika (Iniki Mariano).

Running parallel to this family dynamic are the events that take place at the local school. Shoko (Shoko Ito) is a pupil who has new-found popularity by changing her looks and dating the star basketball player. As well as being a PE teacher, Soichiro (Mark Takeshi Ota) is also the school’s guidance counsellor and Shoko is one of the people who is of concern to him. Soichiro is also the ex-boyfriend of Yukari (Aki Nakagawa), a teacher who has taken ‘a leave of absence’. She now spends her time outside in a tranquil spot – reading books, away from prying eyes of her colleagues and pupils. During one rainy day, Shoko absconds from school and stumbles across Yukari’s ‘sanctuary’…

With its themes of responsible adulthood versus personal liberty, finding one’s creative passion, and honesty with oneself about what’s desired, there is a timelessness in the topics raised and their execution is easily on par with more conventional fare on the British stage.

From a technical perspective, the show utilises the tools of modern theatre with high-definition projections that are evocative of the show’s creative wellspring. Puppetry and physical theatre also play a big part, so the show honours the stylised theatrical traditions of the past with the innovative techniques of tomorrow. As the ‘cherry on the top’, Mark Choi’s score complements the bittersweet nature of the show and the transitory nature of happiness.

© Michael Davis 2023

The Garden of Words runs at Park Theatre until Saturday 9th September.