The Super Live LA — Bringing Sailor Moon To Life

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live is a 2.5D musical that brings the world of Sailor Moon to life. People might wonder how a classic and timeless anime can be brought to life in the form of a musical. As someone who watches 2.5D musicals, I can attest that this is one of the things Japan does exceptionally well, and Sailor Moon: The Super Live is no exception.

Diving Into The World of Sailor Moon With Super Live

While a few 2.5D musicals have made their Western debut, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live was the first to have a tour in both London and the U.S. The musical allowed fans, both young and old, to get a chance to immerse themselves in Sailor Moon’s world, which is well known and beloved worldwide. 

Super Live follows the first story arc of the series that many fans of Sailor Moon know well: the Dark Kingdom arc. The musical goes through the arc, from when Usagi becomes Sailor Moon and gathers the Sailor Scouts to the final battle with Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom through props, musical scores, and dance. 

An Amazing 2.5D Musical That I Expected From Japan 

Before watching the musical, I had already seen my fair share of other 2.5D musicals. This was the first 2.5D musical I have watched in the last three years, and the first in America. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live met most of my expectations and was what I would expect from a 2.5D musical from Japan. 

Although the cast in America was different from the cast in London, each of the actresses embodied their characters quite well. They each brought out their characters’ personalities so vividly that it felt as if the audience was meeting the real Sailor Moon. The inner child in me was excited to see Sailor Moon in the flesh.

While I’m unfamiliar with the musical scores, the songs were enjoyable to listen to. Songs from the previous Sailor Moon musicals were included in the setlists, including the popular song “La Soldier.” There were even a couple of songs from the anime, such as “Maiden’s Policy,” the ending theme song for Sailor Moon R, and the opening theme song, “Moonlight Legend.” The small props they had for certain scenes made up the simple stage and were timed perfectly to enhance important scenes. The musical also had a monitor that displayed the subtitles, which I thought was a great idea to use for Western fans.

The musical wouldn’t be complete without a mini-concert at the end. The mini-concert allowed the fans to interact and cheer for their favorite characters as they sang songs to liven the hall. Even Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask and Queen Beryl got their chance to shine by singing their solo songs. I can’t tell people enough how I enjoyed Queen Beryl’s solo — I never thought it would be more jazz, but I absolutely loved it. I had a fun time during the concert section, swinging my special penlight that they sold specifically for the musical. 

A Short Version of the Musical

Although Super Live is a 2.5D musical, it’s more of a shorter version of the original. I was surprised that the musical was 90 minutes long with no intermission. From my experience with other 2.5D musicals, they are longer than 90 minutes with an intermission, usually between the musical and mini-concert. I am not sure why they made it shorter, but I could see that parts of the musical and even characters were cut from the original. The mini-concert also felt shorter than I expected. 

While most Sailor Moon fans already know the story, the subtitles displayed on the screen during the dialogue and songs helped enhance the audience’s immersion in the musical. The subtitles were quite helpful to me since there were many times when it was hard to hear what the cast was saying or singing. While I enjoyed the musical and understood the fans’ passion, the constant cheering from the audience throughout almost half of the musical ruined my experience of enjoying the show to the fullest.

Sailor Moon Super Live Was Worth Watching

Sailor Moon Super Live was a musical worth watching. It met my expectations of a 2.5D musical, despite being a condensed version. The beautiful costumes, amazing cast, incredible music, and creative use of the stage and props brought out the inner child in me as I saw Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts come to life. Sadly, I just wish I could have heard the actresses’ voices while watching the show. As the first 2.5D musical to have a tour in the U.S., if this musical is used to test Western audiences’ reaction to 2.5D musicals, then I believe there’s definitely an interest in this form of Japanese theater. Hopefully, with the success of Super Live, more 2.5D musicals can come with no cuts and be amplified enough to hear all the actors’ and actresses’ beautiful voices. 

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live is now playing across North America. For more information about the tour dates and cities, visit the official website.