Sailor Guardians Take on a Modern Threat in Stunning New Musical Show

It felt like a full-circle career moment. There I was, in Japan, mostly for the annual AnimeJapan event coverage. This is my third year flying out of the country to intermingle with Japanese companies and secure editorial connections for coverage throughout the year. It's the height of sakura season, and I've only recently come to accept that as long as I work here, I'll be spending my birthday thousands of miles away from family. It's a disorienting experience. At a hair's breadth shy of 40, I am routinely navigating waters of disbelief. How I have commandeered this ship since discovering Sailor Moon 35 years ago? Yet, there I was, walking into Shinagawa Prince Hotel's Annex Tower, on my birthday, about to watch the latest musical revival of an anime series that changed my whole life.

It was better than I could have imagined.

Pretty Guardidan Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo- is the newest theatrical program following the unfortunate closing of Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon -Shining Moon Tokyo- restaurant in August 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak. Now open to the public, the story takes place during the series' SuperS and Stars time period with a modern technology update: Sailor Moon and the Guardians face off against a threat borne from Artificial Intelligence.

The story comes from the mind of stage show production company Nelke Planning and Go Ueki, the creators of Attack on Titan: the Musical. In the musical, Usagi Tsukino (performed by Team Gold Moon's Rina Koyama) becomes frustrated with her friends' nagging and sharing her boyfriend Mamoru Chiba's (Anri) attention with their child from the future, Chibiusa (Marin Nakamura). In a classic Usagi tantrum, she finds herself at the foot of a new AI theme park and makes wishes she soon regrets. Unbeknownst to her, the theme park is a ruse by the evil Queen Valusia (Shiori Sakurai) in an attempt to replace humans with their "perfect superiors," all constructed via artificial intelligence.

Admittedly, I was at first disappointed when AI seemed central to the story. The debate about artificial intelligence is everywhere, and the anime and manga industry is no exception. The subway trains include placards about various AI services, and monitors play repeated commercials about it. The country is gung-ho about adopting AI into the workforce in organizational, creative, and financial capacities. It's enough to want a break from the discourse every now and then. However, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo- takes a different tack amidst all the noise, and the topic allows the show to insert some fantastically produced dubstep songs into the Sailor Moon musical canon.

The Guardians' collaboration, "Brilliant Justice," is a solid pop song that will undoubtedly stick in your head. If you can't make it to the show, I've been told it will eventually be released on Spotify. Villainess Queen Valusia's "Generate a New World," while not as catchy, is still a strong entry thanks to Sakurai's deep vocal performance. All the musical moments wouldn't be as effective if not for the solid choreography. The Guardians move in sync with one another, whether it's synchronized hand motions, high jumps, or punctuated posing. If you go to a Gold Moon show, keep an eye on Moeki Goto's Super Sailor Jupiter, who was easily one of the best dancers in the bunch.

The story's overall message was deeply moving to me as someone who often holds herself to impossible standards in nearly all areas, from motherhood to my career to my appearance. In a world that demands perfection insofar as we're creating algorithms to streamline the humanity out of art, the cast sings that "imperfection is fine" and that it's what is necessary to make us human. I may have aged out of this series' demographic decades ago, but the sentiment got me choked up.

I'm hopeful that Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo- could come on tour, but the production would require specific tech from hosting venues, and I'm not confident it's readily available. While the performance utilizes theatrical standards, ranging from colored stage lights and pinpoint lasers to smoke machines, it also requires a set of screens that allows the actors to disappear in between and interact with video-recorded background sequences. It's not impossible, but it could limit the presentation abroad or the number of venues.

The only criticism I can levy at the show is that, while the costumes are gorgeous, I found Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus' wigs to be lackluster. They weren't very full in appearance, and by the end of the show and all the musical numbers, they appeared haggard. If anything, I'd have thought Sailor Moon's wig would be the most difficult to pull off, but it was gorgeous throughout.

We supplemented our viewing with three drinks from the bar. The production supplied themed beverages based on each of the Sailor Guardians, as well as alcoholic beverages modeled after Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. I tried Super Sailor Uranus' Elderflower Tea, Neo Queen Serenity's beverage, and Super Sailor Chibi Moon's Peach Lemonade. The Uranus drink was a gorgeous blue color and had a wonderful aroma. It wasn't particularly floral-flavored. The Neo-Queen Serenity drink looked like it had edible glitter, and the carbonation made the whole glass swirl.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo- was a magical, full circle moment for me. Once the ending performance of "Moonlight Densetsu" started, I clapped with glee. In a way, it was like reuniting with old friends. The entire show features English subtitles, in case you have any concerns about difficulty understanding the story. If you find yourself in Minato, Tokyo, put the show at the top of your list.