Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon - The Super Live

Back when I was a pre-teen in the '90s borrowing recorded VHS tapes of Sailor Moon from my friends who had cable, I never imagined that one day I would see a cast of professional Japanese actresses portraying the characters in a live musical! Musical adaptations of anime are fairly common in Japan, whereas America just gets the occasional Disney on Broadway adaptation. The North American tour of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live began in Pittsburgh last week on March 12th. I attended the official opening night yesterday in Austin and had my first introduction to the world of Japanese musical theatre. The show was presented to an enthusiastic crowd of cosplayers and life-long fans of the series. Light sticks that could be used to participate in the rave-style concert that took place after the main show were sold at the merchandise booth.

The musical is an abridged summary of the show's first arc, which covers the Dark Kingdom saga and introduces all of the inner sailor senshi and Tuxedo Mask. Because the musical is only 90 minutes long and covers an entire season of the anime, it might be hard to follow for someone who is not already familiar with the story. A lot of major events are skipped or glossed over, and many characters are only introduced with a single verse of a song. The majority of the show covers the climax of the arc, which was only an episode or two of the anime. My memory of that part was a bit fuzzy, so I was blown away by the story's emotional conclusion of love persevering across time and space.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live is promoted as a "2.5D show" due to the large theatrical screen in the middle of the stage. Relying on screens to tell stories is not uncommon in modern stage shows. It was particularly necessary for the North American tour to project English subtitles that are large enough for everyone in the theater to see. I had no trouble reading the translations and watching the actors, but there were some issues with grammar and song lyrics that didn't match the tempo of the songs. Although the translations may have been accurate in a literal sense, musicals are meant to be experienced rather than watched, and that was difficult when the English words projected on the screen either didn't make sense or didn't match the beat of what was being sung.

Other elements of the show, including costumes and animations, exceeded my expectations. Battles were performed through choreography that synced up with animated explosions or cartoony effects on the screen behind the actors. While spoken subtitles were presented as plain text, the song lyrics had special animations that would appear on word bubbles or moving text surrounded by matching animated icons to create more of an immersive effect. I was hoping at least one of the magical girl transformations would use a quick-change effect like Elsa in Frozen: The Musical, but there were no such practical effects in the show. Instead, the story was told through the emotional music and dialogue.

The post-performance concert was just as much fun as the show itself, encouraging audience participation and including some nostalgic performances such as the original anime theme song. The sailor senshi came out to greet the audience at one point, but since the Bass Concert Hall doesn't have aisles between the seats, they were able to get very far. Audience members loved waving their light sticks to the music and cheering for their favorite characters. There was even a bonus costume change in which all the girls came out in traditional Japanese yukata and sang a song about being Tokyo girls.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live is a nostalgic and immersive experience that brings the beloved anime to life in a new and exciting way. While some elements, such as the translations and practical effects, could be improved, the show's energetic performances, stunning visuals, and nostalgic value made for an unforgettable night. As the sailor senshi took their final bows and the audience cheered, it was clear that the magic of Sailor Moon continues to inspire and delight fans of all ages. If you're a Sailor Moon fan, this show is definitely worth checking out – just be sure to brush up on the story beforehand!