It’s taken 11 years for this childish musical manga adaptation to reach a full production at the Barbican – a tester for a wider commercial life - and it’s baffling that in all that time no one noticed its deficiencies in plot and score. The story of a Tokyo cop chasing a vigilante who is supernaturally killing criminals, it’s a mixture of mumbo-jumbo, crime-story cliche and anodyne teen wish-fulfilment.
Frank Wildhorn’s compositions alternate between pop-rock anthems and mopey ballads. Stephen Whitson’s heavy-handed production is full of brutish air-clawing choreography and wooden exposition.
