Commander, the familiar sight is there -in reality-. “NIKKE THE STAGE” Gene Pro Report, where you can experience the enthusiasm of the “understanding” cast and staff from the back of NikeThe stage “NIKKE THE STAGE” of the smartphone RPG “Goddess of Victory: NIKKE”, which has achieved 25 million downloads, will be held from June 6th (Thursday) to June 9th (Sunday), 2024. It is currently being performed at Kokumin Kyosai Coop Hall/Space Zero.

The cast includes members of Zeroichi Familia, who are taking the gravure world by storm, as well as idols, actresses, and cosplayers who are active in film and stage, and the gorgeous cast will fully fascinate you with the world of “NIKKE.” ing.

This article reports on the performance. Let’s take a look at the stage settings, which are full of the charms of this work, such as realistic battle scenes that have the “back-angle feel” that is the charm of the original game.

Humanity is cornered by a mysterious mechanical life form called Rapture in the Ark, a gigantic underground city and the last survival area. The main character, the commander, aims to recapture the ground with Nike, a girl-like humanoid.

The story begins with the main character, a novice commander who gets caught up in the vortex of war, and is revived by Marian, the Nike, and they sneak through the battlefield together. He joins up with Nike’s rabbi, Anis, and other Counters troops, and engages in a fierce battle with Rapture, who stands in his way. Normally, the other commanders treat Nike not as a human, but as a girl-like humanoid = machine, so the relationship between the commander and Nike is very dry.

However, the main character, the commander, treats Nike like a human being and shows his concern for her during the battle. Even though it has a structure that can be repaired mechanically, it is treated with bandages, which is quite different from Nike’s point of view. On the other hand, there were many aspects of him that attracted her to his kindness, and they were often depicted gradually deepening their bond with him.

Such exchanges often lead to successful results…but then suddenly, Marian is invaded by Rapture. The commander is forced to make a choice because Nike can only be disposed of as a commander. Unable to pull the trigger and feeling conflicted, Marian expresses her gratitude to his commander for his kindness, and ends her life in a semi-suicidal manner. Determined to get closer to the mysterious erosion of Marian, he heads to a new battlefield with Ravi, Anis, and the newly joined Counters, including Neon.

The ensuing mission has many comedy-like developments, with Anis often poking fun at the unruly Neo who has absolute trust in his firepower, and Lapi, on the other hand, being intimidated by the two. I was able to relax and enjoy myself.

…But when Lapi is attacked by surprise and the commander has a flashback of Marian’s death, we are suddenly reminded that this is a battlefield after all, and the viewer feels a renewed sense of urgency. .

Despite various circumstances, the commander and the members of the Counters squad end up being sent to the outpost. From here, he moves from place to place, working with Nike he meets in various places. The Wardress unit, led by Shuen and consisting of Uni and Mihara, engages in a dangerous mission to capture Rapture on the ground.

In many ways, the combination of Yuni, who likes sadism, and Mihara, who likes sadism, is like that. This is true of the combinations in battle, but also in the aforementioned taste section, the scene where Uni pinches Mihara as much as she can as a reward for each other and each gets pleasure is also reproduced, and being able to see the interaction is one of the points that can only be seen on stage.

However, as they work on the capture operation, there are developments that threaten the relationship between the two. I won’t go into details, but I would highly recommend commanders who have played the main game to watch this scene play out.

The next commander and his Counters unit went to the northern part of the country, where Rapture was rampant, in a harsh environment with wide expanses of snow. There is a possibility that there is an insider lurking within the Ark, and it is said that the Rapture “Tocative” who speaks languages may be a clue. Another objective is to search for Nike, also known as “Pilgrim”, who is active on the ground and saved the commander from a pinch during the Rapture capture operation.

Not only are the Counters faced with an unfamiliar blizzard, but they are also forced to fight Rapture and have a tough time. In the end, they are scattered by an avalanche. The commander was rescued by Ludmilla and Alice from the Unlimited Force, who are working to reclaim the northern part of the country whose environment has been completely changed by Rapture. With their help, they meet up with the Counters and advance to Pilgrim’s research facility, which is occupied by Rapture.

その天真爛漫さで場を明るくしてくれるアリスと、穏やかながらも凛とした佇まいで頼りがいのあるルドミラ。カウンターズ部隊の面々との相性も良いようで、ワードレスとは異なる掛け合いは会話パート・戦闘パート共に安心して観ていられる。もちろん一筋縄ではいかない本作、ルドミラが抱える北部での別の役割も明らかになっていく。

そして、北部での戦いを終え、アンリミテッドのふたりと分かれたところで、本舞台の最後の山場が描かれる。トーカティブとの再戦やピルグリムのスノーホワイト、さらには通称・ヘレティックと呼ばれるラプチャーに寝返ったニケの登場により、事態は熾烈を極めていく。なお、ここで登場するヘレティックのモダニアだが、指揮官にとって忘れられない面影のようで……。

と、ここまでストーリーをなぞる形で紹介したが、改めてステージや座席の説明をさせてほしい。一般的な舞台であれば、正面の客席入口から奥側に向けて座席が配置されているだろう。メインステージは上手・下手と横に広がり、ものによっては二段、三段と縦にも奥行きがあったり、ライブであればメインステージから客席側に花道が伸びているものもある。

しかし、本舞台では、下手にあたる場所から対角線上に会場中央までステージが伸びており、3ブロックに分かれた客席から、中央の円形ステージをぐるりと観ることのできる構造となっていた。つまり中央のメインステージを三方から囲む形、かつ両端の客席から観られる角度としては、180°どころか体感的には270°くらいあるように思えた。

さらに、その中央の円形ステージ、外周は少し段差で低くなっており、そこで戦闘時にはニケたちがポジションを入れ替わりながらグルグルと三方の客席に背を向けて銃撃戦を繰り広げ、ときには敵襲に遭い倒れ込んでしまうこともある。そう、ゲーム本編をプレイしている指揮官にとってはおなじみの光景がそこに広がっているのだ。

キャスト陣による戦闘時の作中再現も本当に見事だ。それぞれのキャラクターの銃器類の取り回し方や動きの癖のようなものは、体勢などのシルエットは本編をモチーフに、本編にない動きなどはそこから補完する形で立ち回っており、各キャストの研鑽や努力が垣間見える。

なお、再現と言えば衣装の再現度も非常に高い。多くは綴らないが、本当に再現性がすごいのだ。色々な角度でキャスト・スタッフが熱を注いで研究しているのだろう。客席の指揮官も様々な角度での観劇を通して応えたいところ。

なお、客席前方で観劇している指揮官からすると、だいぶステージと距離が近いように思えた。やはり銃撃戦がメインとなると、敵に対し一定の距離感を保つことが必要なのだろう。限界までステージを広くとってラプチャーとの戦闘の臨場感を再現している。さらには客席前方とステージの間の通路を歩いたりと、チャプター毎にニケを間近で観られる演出も盛り込まれていた。

作中では半透明のスクリーンを用いてラプチャーが投影される仕組みも。そのラプチャーは大体が強敵で苦戦を強いられるため、先のステージ外周で客席を背に倒れ込んでしまう場面もしばしば。もちろんニケたちに地上奪還の成否が懸かっているのだから負けてほしくないのは明らかなのだが、やはりカタルシスのためにはそういった展開も必要だろう。うん、仕方ない。

さて、長々と書き連ねてきたが、文章だけでは伝わりにくい部分も多々あると思う。そんな指揮官諸君には、ぜひ千秋楽公演を“マルチアングル映像”で観られる配信チケットで確認……もとい、ニケたちの戦いをご覧いただきたい。“理解っている”スタッフ・キャスト陣が、どれだけの熱を持って『NIKKE』の世界観を板の上で再現しようとしているのか、“マルチアングル映像”なら画面越しでも伝わるはずだ。視聴期限である7月7日（日）まで、その目でニケの背中に魅せられる日々を送ってみてはいかがだろうか。

［期間］2024年6月6日（木）～6月9日（日）

※公演時間などの詳細は、下記の公式HPやSNSをご確認ください。

［会場］こくみん共済 coop ホール／スペース・ゼロ

（〒151-0053　東京都渋谷区代々木2丁目12-10 こくみん共済 coop会館）

［スタッフ］

開発元：SHIFT UP

発売元：Level Infinite

脚本・演出：久保田唱

演出助手：高島紀彦

美術：濱田真輝

造型：湯田商店

舞台監督：住知三郎