The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on the ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

'' manga by

Naoko Takeuchi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time. She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''. Takeuchi is married to ...

. The series consists of 31

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

s which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in the summer of 1993. The first set of musicals, which ran from 1993 to 2005, were produced by

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

with over 500 performances. The current musicals have been produced by Nelke Planning (a subsidiary of

Dwango The Dial-up Wide-Area Network Game Operation, better known by the acronym DWANGO, was an early online gaming service based in the United States. Launched in 1994, it was originally known for its compatibility with ''Doom'', for which it function ...

) since 2013.

History

Each musical typically runs for three engagements per year, timed to align with school holidays in the winter, spring, and summer. Musicals were historically staged at the Sunshine Theatre in

Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits. It is considered the second largest ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

in the winter and spring, and tour

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in the summer. After was staged in January 2005, the actresses for Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter "graduated" (left the show), and the series went on hiatus. In June 2013, Takeuchi's editor Fumio Osano announced that a new ''Sailor Moon'' musical, ''La Reconquista'', would open in September 2013, with Takeuchi personally auditioning actresses for the cast. The cast featured Satomi Ōkubo as Sailor Moon, Miyabi Matsuura as Sailor Mercury, Kanon Nanaki as Sailor Mars, Yū Takahashi as Sailor Jupiter, Shiori Sakata as Sailor Venus, and

Yūga Yamato (born August 4, 1977) is a former '' otokoyaku'' (a female playing a male part) for Cosmos Troupe of Takarazuka Revue. She joined the company in 1995 and became the top star in February 2007 upon the resignation of Kei Takashiro, which made her ...

as Tuxedo Mask, making ''La Reconquista'' the first Sailor Moon musical where all roles were played by women. The musical recounts the battles between the Sailor Soldiers and the

Dark Kingdom The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usagi ...

over the search for the Silver Crystal. The musical was produced, directed and written by Takuya Hiramitsu, who directed SeraMyu from 1995 to 1998, with music by

Toshihiko Sahashi is a Japanese composer. He graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1986. Sahashi has composed music for various anime series (including OVAs, movies, and drama CDs), video games, movies, dramas, and musicals. His wo ...

. The musical ran from September 13 to 23 at the AiiA Theater Tokyo in

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

, Tokyo. ''Petite Étrangère'', a musical based on ''

Sailor Moon R The second season of the '' Sailor Moon'' anime series ''Sailor Moon R'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R''), was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Junichi Sato and Kunihiko Ikuhara. Accordi ...

'', ran at AiiA Theater Tokyo from August 21 to August 31, 2014, and at

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

from September 5 to September 7. A version of ''Petite Étrangère'' was staged in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China, in January 2015 at the

Shanghai Theatre Academy Shanghai Theatre Academy () is a public university in Shanghai, People's Republic of China dedicated to dramatic art education. Its predecessor was Shanghai Municipal Experimental Theatre School cofounded by the famous educator Gu Yuxiu (:zh:顾 ...

Theatre for a run of five performances, making ''Petite Étrangère'' the first official Japanese production of a Sailor Moon musical to open outside Japan. The series made its North America debut in 2019 with ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon - The Super Live'', which was staged as a limited engagement on March 29 and 30 at the

PlayStation Theater Palladium Times Square (formerly PlayStation Theater, Best Buy Theater and Nokia Theatre Times Square) is an indoor live events venue in New York City, located in One Astor Plaza, at the corner of Broadway and 44th Street. It was designed by archi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The musical also played at the Warner Theatre in

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on March 24.

Recurring elements

The musicals typically feature a theme song, usually performed after the Sailor Soldiers defeat the antagonist; sight gags (such as

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

and puns); and songs tailored for characters or groupings of characters, such as romantic songs between

Usagi Tsukino , better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...

and

Mamoru Chiba Mamoru (まもる, マモル) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Marcus Mamoru Toji (born 1984), American actor *, Japanese composer *, Japanese composer best known for his work with animator Hayao Miyazak ...

, attack songs for the Sailor Soldiers, songs the Sailor Soldiers perform as civilians, and villain songs. "Revised Versions" (known as ''Kaiteiban'') are another major aspect of ''Sailor Moon'' musicals. Generally, new musicals are staged in the summer are revised for the winter. The overarching plot remains the same, but certain plot elements are rearranged: villains who were only partially defeated in the original version of the show are fully defeated or healed, and actresses who are "graduating" are given more solo parts or speaking lines. Often, the musicals expand upon plot concepts presented in the anime and manga. Most notably, a romance between the four Sailor Soldiers and the Four Kings of Heaven in their former lives was adapted from a manga image picturing the two groups paired off as romantic couples. In addition to adapting material from anime and manga versions of ''Sailor Moon'', the musical series also has two original plot lines: and the ''Last Dracul'' series. Most shows end with an extended curtain call and

encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...

, during which a number of songs are performed. Popular songs from the anime series such as "

Moonlight Densetsu is a song that served as an opening theme for the anime series, ''Sailor Moon (anime), Sailor Moon''. The song's original version was released in Japan on March 21, 1992, on a split single (music), single by Manish (band), Dali and Misae Takam ...

" and "La Soldier", which would not make narrative sense in the plot of the musical, are frequently performed as fan service. Special fan appreciation shows referred to as ''FanKan'' (deriving from "fan thank you") are used as season finales, where multiple fan service numbers are performed and new actresses are introduced. The musicals have introduced new characters to the series, often as new members of existing groups of villains, such as Spotted Tilmun, Aaron and Manna from the

Black Moon Clan The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. It comprises the main villains of the second major story arc, which is called the ''Black Moon'' in the manga and ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', and which fil ...

, the Death Mannetjes and the Death Nightmares from the

Death Busters The are a group of fictional characters in the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. This group comprises the villains of the third major story arc, which is called the ''Infinity'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon S'' in the firs ...

, and Sailors Pewter Fox, Titanium Kerokko, Theta, and Buttress from

Shadow Galactica are a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the villains of the series' fifth and final story arc, called ''Stars'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' in the first anime ada ...

. The musicals have also created original characters that have never appeared in any other version of the series, such as Sailor Astarte, Vulcan, Count Dracul, Bloody Dracul Vampir, Undead Berserk, and Death Lamia, among others.

Production

The sets and backdrops range from simple (only some set pieces, no backdrop or backdrop with uncomplicated paintings) to mid elaborate (a greater number of small set pieces, and some bigger ones, for example, a painted wall over the whole width of the stage with a few attached stairs and a big door), more detailed set pieces, with heavy use of different stage levels, trapdoors and hidden doors. The Sailor Soldiers' attacks are represented by colored lights hitting their targets, and sometimes minor explosions and other small pyrotechnics (for example "flame paper", special paper stripes which the actors ignite in their hands and then throw to create the illusion of a "fireball") are used. The Sailor Soldiers mostly transform off-stage (or just appear already transformed), while their transformation phrases can be heard. Only Usagi transforms on stage. This is done with the help of a body double and the "black out" of part of the stage or set pieces moving in front of her while the actors switch places. The only real "transformation sequence" that ever occurs is a pre-filmed video sequence projected onto a

scrim Scrim can refer to: * Scrim (material), either of two types of material (a lightweight, translucent fabric or a coarse, heavy material) * Scrim (lighting), a device used in lighting for films * Scrim (internet slang), friendly match between tea ...

showing the actors "morph" (with some pink ribbons) into their transformed versions.

List of musicals

"Stage" is a term used widely to refer to groupings of the musicals. The producers of the show have broken the musical series down into three stages. The first stage consisted of those in which Sailor Moon was portrayed by

Anza Ohyama , also known as simply Anza (stylized as ANZA), is a Japanese singer and theater actress best known as vocalist of the heavy metal band Head Phones President and for playing Sailor Moon in thirteen separate musical productions. Biography P ...

, the first and longest running Sailor Moon actress. This stage ran parallel to the manga and anime, as reflected by the plot, and had a nearly full graduation with all of the main actresses being replaced. The second stage included three different Sailor Moon actresses, the only fully original musical (''The Legend of Kaguya Island'') and the semi-original ''Last Dracul'' series, ending with a remake of the original "Final First Stage" musical, ''Eien Densetsu'' (titled ''Kakyuu Ouhi Kourin''.) The third stage retained

Marina Kuroki is a Japanese actress, singer and model best known for her appearances in the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals series. Career She starred in the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals as the lead role of Usagi Tsukino at the age of 12 and finished her ''Sailor Mo ...

as lead actress, but ran for only two musicals (both remakes of ''The Legend of Kaguya Island''), and ended in January 2005. The series ended its hiatus with a 20th Anniversary Stage in 2013, with Satomi Ōkubo cast as the new Sailor Moon. Conversely, most Western fans break the stages down by the actresses who played Sailor Moon:

Fumina Hara is a Japanese actress and gravure idol. Biography History She has played the role of Usagi Tsukino in the Sailor Moon musicals, and has gone on to a varied career. She has played the love interest in ''Aishiteruze Baby''. Personal life She wa ...

Miyuki Kanbe (7 May 1984 – 18 June 2008) was a Japanese actress, model and singer. Throughout her career, she starred as Sailor Moon in the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals, as well as portraying Hinaka Tachibana in ''Kamen Rider Hibiki'' and Kyouko Kakehi in ' ...

, and

. The list below is divided up according to the official stages used by Sera Myu producers.

First Stage

Featuring

as Sailor Moon: *1993 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: *1994 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: *''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' Super Spring Festival *: *1994 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S'' *: *1995 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S'' *: *1995 Spring Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S'' *: *1995 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon SuperS'' *: *1996 Spring Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon SuperS (Kaiteiban)'' *: *''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon SuperS'' Special Musical Show *1996 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailor Stars'' *1997 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (Kaiteiban)'' *1997 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: *1998 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: The Final First Stage!!

Second Stage

Featuring

as Sailor Moon: * 1998 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 1999 Spring Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 1999 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *:

Third Stage

Featuring

as Sailor Moon: * 2000 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: *: * 2000 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: *: * 2001 Winter Special Musical Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon *: *: * 2001 Spring Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: *:

Fourth Stage

Featuring

as Sailor Moon: * 2001 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 2002 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 2002 Spring Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' "10th Anniversary Festival" *: *: * 2002 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 2003 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 2003 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: * 2004 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: THE SECOND STAGE FINAL * 2004 Summer Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: NEW LEGEND OF KAGUYA ISLAND * 2005 Winter Special Musical ''Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon'' *: MARINAMOON FINAL

Fifth Stage

Featuring Satomi Okubo as Sailor Moon: * 2013 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''La Reconquista'' * 2014 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''Petite Étrangère'' * 2015 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''Un Nouveau Voyage''

Sixth Stage

Featuring Hotaru Nomoto as Sailor Moon: * 2016 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''Amour Eternal'' * 2017 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''Le Mouvement Final''

Seventh Stage

Featuring

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, and ...

: Mizuki Yamashita, Sayuri Inoue, Shiori Kubo, Kanae Yumemiya, Natsuki Koga and

Tomomi Kasai is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the idol group AKB48, belonging to Team A. She had a recurring role on ''Kamen Rider W'' as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano. Together, they make up the sub-unit Queen & Elizab ...

as Sailor Moon: * 2018 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''

Ver. Musical Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *: ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - The Super Live'' *2019 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''

Ver. Musical Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2019''

Eighth Stage

Featuring Riko Tanaka as Sailor Moon: * 2021 ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' *:''Kaguya-hime no Koibito'' (かぐや姫の恋人)

List of albums

Songs from the series have been compiled in some 20

music album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

s, and many of the musicals have been released on DVD. * “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S” Musical Theme Songs: La Soldier / Sailor War! * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: An Alternate Legend: The Dark Kingdom Revival Story * Memorial Album of the Musical 2 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S”: Usagi — The Path to Become the Soldier of Love * Memorial Album of the Musical 3 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon SuperS”: Dream Warriors — Love — Into Eternity... * Memorial Album of the Musical 4 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailor Stars” * Memorial Album of the Musical 5 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” Eternal Legend * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: ~ Best Sound Track ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical 6 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” Beginning of the New Legend* Memorial Album of the Musical 7 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” Legend of Kaguya Island* Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Theme Songs 1993~1999* Memorial Album of the Musical 8 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” New / Transformation — The Path to Become the Super Soldier — Overture of Last Dracul * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Best Songs Collection — Best Songs Chosen by Fans — * Memorial Album of the Musical 9 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” Decisive Battle / Transylvania's Forest ~ New Appearance! The Warriors Who Protect Chibi-Moon ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: ~ Best Sound Track Vol. 2 ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Eternal Edition — Senshi Theme Songs + Karaoke Collection * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Love Ballad Edition * Memorial Album of the Musical 10 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” ~ Birth! The Princess of Darkness Black Lady ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Dark Side Edition: Best Songs * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Eternal Edition 2 — Birth! Princess of Darkness Black Lady evision~ The Secret of the Planet Nemesis ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical 11 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” Infinity Academy ~ Mistress Labyrinth ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Eternal Edition 3 — “10th Anniversary” Sailor Moon to Issho ni Pretty Child — Infinity Academy ~ Mistress Labyrinth ~ Revision * Memorial Album of the Musical 12 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” ~ Starlights — Legend of the Shooting Stars ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: ~ Best Sound Track Vol. 3 ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical 13 “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon” ~ New Legend of Kaguya Island ~ * Memorial Album of the Musical “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon”: Eternal Edition 4 — MARINAMOON Special Edition — New Legend of Kaguya Island (Revision) MARINAMOON FINAL

Reception

In total, 32,055 people attended , which had 29 separate performances. 25,208 people attended its revised edition, which had 35 separate performances.セーラームーン・ミュージカル・ニュース
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References

External links

Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary Stage Official Site

Labyrinthine plot complicates fun musical.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sailor Moon Musicals

Musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

Musicals based on anime and manga Japanese musicals 2.5D musicals