Sera Myu

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The Sailor Moon musicals, commonly referred to as Sera Myu, are a series of live theater productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals, which have had more than 800 performances since the show first opened in Summer 1993. The producers generally follow and expand upon plot concepts presented in the anime and manga; however, there are also several plot lines original to the plays. New musicals were generally first preformed in the summer; a revised version of the summer play (the Kaiteiban) was performed in the winter.

The plays officially went on indefinite hiatus in 2005, and while all the recorded plays are available on DVD and VHS (not all the plays were recorded - some of the earlier plays never were), they are nevertheless pricey and are only officially available in Japan. Some fans who do have their own copies have thankfully subbed the shows for the unfortunate ones who can't buy their own.

The Musicals, in order of performance are as follows:

• Sailor Moon - Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen (1993 Summer Special)
• Sailor Moon - Gaiden Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen (Kaiteiban) (1994 Winter Special)
• Sailor Moon - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Super Spring Festival (1994 Spring Special)
• Sailor Moon S - Usagi Ai no Senshi e no Michi (1994 Summer Special)
• Sailor Moon S - Henshin - Super Senshi e no Michi (1995 Winter Special)
• Sailor Moon S - Henshin - Super Senshi e no Michi (Kaiteiban) (1995 Spring Special)
• Sailor Moon SuperS - Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien ni... (1995 Summer Special)
• Sailor Moon SuperS - (Kaiteiban) Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien ni... Saturn Fukkatsu Hen! (1996 Spring Special)
• Sailor Moon SuperS - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS Special Musical Show (1996 Early Summer Special)
• Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (1996 Summer Special)
• Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (Kaiteiban) (1997 Winter Special)
• Eien Densetsu (1997 Summer Special)
• Eien Densetsu (Kaiteiban) - The Final First Stage (1998 Winter Special)
• Shin Densetsu Kourin (1998 Summer Special)
• Kaguya Shima Densetsu (1999 Spring Special)
• Kaguya Shima Densetsu (Kaiteiban) Natsuyasumi! Houseki Tankentai (1999 Summer Special)
• Shin / Henshin - Super Senshi e no Michi - Last Dracul Jokyoku (2000 Winter Special)
• Kessen / Transylvania no Mori - Shin Toujou! Chibi Moon wo Mamoru Senshi-tachi (2000 Summer Special)
• Kessen / Transylvania no Mori (Kaiteiban) - Saikyou no Kataki Dark Cain no Nazo (2001 Winter Special)
• Chou Wakusei Death Vulcan no Fuuin (2001 Spring Special)
• Tanjou! Ankoku no Princess Black Lady (2001 Summer Special)
• Tanjou! Ankoku no Princess Black Lady (Kaiteiban) - Wakusei Nemesis no Nazo (2002 Winter Special)
• 10th Anniversary Festival - Ai no Sanctuary (2002 Spring Special)
• Mugen Gakuen - Mistress Labyrinth (2002 Summer Special)
• Mugen Gakuen - Mistress Labyrinth (Kaiteiban) (2003 Winter Special)
• Starlights - Ryuusei Densetsu (2003 Summer Special)
• Kakyuu-Ouhi Kourin - The Second Stage Final (2004 Winter Special)
• Shin Kaguya Shima Densetsu (2004 Summer Special)
• Shin Kaguya Shima Densetsu (Kaiteiban) - Marinamoon Final (2005 Winter Special)

The musicals are divided into "Stages" though the division varies between official and fan listings. Officially there are 3 stages. Once the entire senshi cast left, the next started. Fans however, divide it based on which of the four actresses is playing Sailor Moon at the time, Anza Ōyama, Fumina Hara, Miyuki Kanbe or Marina Kuroki.

Only tropes unique (or overly relevant) to this adaption are listed here. All others are at Sailor Moon.

Tropes used in Sera Myu include:

• Aliens Speaking Japanese
• All Musicals Are Adaptations
• Almost-Dead Guy: The song Sorezore no Elegy is built around this trope.
• Alternate Continuity
• A Pirate 400 Years Too Late: Some translations even refer to them as space pirates.
• Badass Cape: From the original Kaguya, Space Knight/King Endymion is THE Sera Myu badass to the point where his goofy clothing is ignored in favor of his curb-stomping ways.
  • And while we're at it, Dracul. He flies.
  • Dracul's Daughter Bloody Dracul Vampir, was pretty badass at times (One of her songs is even called "All of you shall die") and one of her 3 outfits had a cape.
• Berserk Button: Heaven help any character who calls Usagi an idiot. The children in the audience will disagree.
• Beware the Silly Ones: In Eien Densetsu, the character Kyaosu acts as ridiculously funny comic relief and occasionally helps the Senshi against Galaxia. It turns out he is actually Chaos, who has been manipulating Galaxia all along.
• Bland-Name Product: Banzai appears as a sponsor for a show preformed in Eian Densetsu K. It's logo is shown to be nearly the same as the Bandai logo. Bandai also happens to sponsor the musical.
  • In a subversion however, it's stated to be a separate company that makes Omochi (Rice Cakes) and is confused for one that makes Omocha (Toys)
• Brainwashed and Crazy: It just wouldn't be Sailor Moon without a Brainwashed Mamoru/Endymion. One musical takes this to the extreme and has both Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask and his future self King Endymion brainwashed.
  • Some of them have Mamoru dead and replaced with a puppet created by Galaxia.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: The 21st Now Millenium version of Koi no Senshi ja Irarenai, preformed in Mugen K, which is basically and introduction for each senshi, has the senshi get attacked during their solo lines and be unable to say their name. Sailor Moon asks the audience to fill in, and the Inners thank them after their intros.
• Cain and Abel: Literally. The original Trope Namers are the driving forces of the Third Stage's Dracul Arc.
• Canon Foreigner: Basically anyone not a sailor senshi and many of the villains- if you're not an alien, you're from the North Pole, Transylvania or it's just not applicable.
• Car Fu: Now with mopeds!
• Chekhov's Gunman: Loof Merrow and Bloody Dracul Vampir.
• Continuity Snarl: Each musical except for the 3rd Stage (AKA Dracul Arc) are unrelated and not connected.
• Cool Big Sis: Mandrako.
• Counter Earth: A planet called Vulcan is said to be on the other side of the sun.
• Crosscast Role: Most notably Prince Demand (played by a woman), the shitennou (played by women in several musicals, includeing the longest running Neptune as Jeadite) and Petz (once played by a man).
  • On the contrary, Hikari Ono (Sailor Star Maker #1, Prince Demand) seems to play male and gender ambiguous roles better than female roles.
• Dark Reprise: Orleans no Sei Senshi ~Uranus - Neptune no Uragiri~ (Holy Soldiers of Orleans ~Uranus and Neptune's Betrayal~), as an example.
• Death Is Cheap: Especially if your name is Mamoru. Chalk that one up to neglect and Fridge Logic.
• Demonic Possession: In the very first play, Haruna-sensei. Later, Sailor Astarte
• Deus Ex Machina: But surprisingly it's not always Sailor Moon in the musicals, especially in later musicals.
• Devil but No God: It's all a trick by The Third Stage Big Bad to kill everyone.
• Dhampyr Bloody Dracul Vampir. Her mother was human, her father was Count Dracul.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: What better way to unintentionally trip up all powerful manifestations of evil from their plan than to...give them a raspberry?
• Cute Kitten Dark Kingdom Gaiden: Think Cats, the musical.
• Frame-Up: Rei in Sailor Stars and Sensational Jaguar Mask in Ai no Sanctuary.
• Free-Range Children: Basically the reason Chibi-Usa gets kidnapped all the damn time in the musicals.
• Hostage for Macguffin: Almost always Chibi-Usa.
• I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Let's see here. We have Bloody Dracul Vampir, a female Dampyhr. She dislikes her father, Count Dracul, who was the vampire parent. In a subversion, her problem is he let her mother, Le Fay, die rather than turning her. It turns out her Le Fay didn't want to be turned and he respected her wishes but she was killed by her father for falling in love with a vampire. Vampir forgives him on this point but their relationship doesn't improve much in the 3rd musical. She still loves him as a family member and seeks revenge on Sailor Moon for seemingly killing him.
  • And in Chibi-Usa's case, Mama Bear!
• In the Name of The Moon: Of course.
• Joker Immunity: Queen Beryl and Galaxia. Good god Queen Beryl and Galaxia.
  • They Do die or get redeemed. But because each musical is a different retelling, Galaixia is still around and she's still resurrecting Beryal.
• Kayfabe: Subverted in Ai no Sanctuary. It's part of the villain's plan.
• Kill'Em All: How most of the musicals end up. The senshi usually bounce back.
• Large Ham: The rare female variant, found in the actress HIKARI ONO!!
• Last of His Kind: The Hoshinos, Vampir, The Starlights, Loof Merrow...
• Leeroy Jenkins: No, really. Everybody gets one.
• Leitmotif: By the time the musicals ended each major character has one or more. And Sailor Neptune and Uranus always have duets.
• Lesbian Vampire: Vampir seems to enjoy playing with Uranus...
• Les Yay: The longest running Uranus and Neptune actresses, Nao Takagi and Yuuka Asami respectively, have stated that scenes were written just for them, likely for this reason. One set of the characters also did a quick kiss on stage.
• Little Miss Con Artist: Pretty much every non-Chibi-Usa child in Black Lady and Mugen Gakuen, save Hotaru.
• MacGuffin: ANYTHING with the term "Samael" in it.
• Magic Wand: Most of them. But given it's nearly half Sailor Moon's size, this particular wand might also count as a Bigger Stick.
• Manchurian Agent: Mandrako.
• Mauve Shirt: Several supporting characters throughout the plays are this.
• Mix-and-Match Weapon: Loof Merrow's shotgun-sword-family heirloom-thing. Also known as Chekhov's Gun.
• The Musical
• Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie: Though Loof Merrow's group aren't very good ninjas.
• No Export for You: This is a Sailor Moon franchise, after all.
• Obstructive Zealot: Prince Demand.
• Our Vampires Are Different: And Dracul is highly insulted if you don't know this.
• Pirate Girl: Loof Merrow of the Kaguya plays.
• Professional Wrestling
• Plot Induced Stupidity / Idiot Plot: All of them at various levels, but Kaguya Shima Densetsu is the most notorious. Especially since Mamoru is the only one who picks up that something is wrong.
  • In one of the songs in that musical, Mamoru even says that it's too good to be true, but then brushes it off five seconds later with a, "well, that's fine." Oh Mamoru, no wonder you're constantly being Brainwashed.
• Promoted Fanboy: Many of the actors and actresses were fans of the series. Sera Myu ran lasted for over 11 years, allowing some to grow from childhood watching the show and later preform.
• Put On a Bus: After a grand total of two musicals; Luna and Artemis, we hardly knew ya.
• Rearrange the Song: All of the songs in Ai no Sanctuary were Sera Myu songs given new lyrics.
• Show Within a Show: Sailor Stars-based shows had concerts, Dracul had a magic show, Ai no Sanctuary had Professional Wrestling, and the first two SuperS had a circus show.
• Single-Minded Twins: Aron and Mana.
• Singing is a Free Action: Played straight except in the Koi no Senshi ja Irarenai version mentioned above.
• The Bible: The Third Stage Big Bad wrote it to get himself killed.
• Theme Tune Cameo: La Soldier is considered the theme of the musicals by fans. (It appears in nearly every musical, sometimes just as an encore; it is even heard in one episode of the anime.) The Black Lady Musical has the Guardian Senshi and Moon rehearsing it for a contest (and arguing about said rehearsal) and Usagi complains that the enemies will recognize them if they perform La Soldier. The Quirky Miniboss Squad shows up in Paper Thin Disguises and performs their version as well.
• Theme Twin Naming: Aron and Mana (or Aaron and Manna) are named after things in The Bible.
• The Musical: Well, obviously...
• The Quincy Punk: Who'd imagine that Chaos himself is basically one of these. No, really.
• The Song Before the Storm We'll Be The Last Victory is literally before the climax.
• Tourist Trap: Kaguya Island. Literally.
• Villain Song