Bishoujo Senshi SailorMoon ~ Shin / Henshin . SuperSenshi he no Michi . Last Dorakuru Jyokoku
Review by: Diana Kou (Michiru Kaioh)

Whats this? Sailor Moon again?...

Don't fret, Anime-goers. This Chapter of SailorMoon History is one to be reckoned with. The 8th installment of the SailorMoon Musicals has passed and gone. Just how great this Musical was is another story...

The musical started on January 2nd, 2000, and ran till the 17th of the same month, at a rate of nearly two shows per day. New cast members joined the stage for the commemorative 500th Performance Staging of SeraMyu [Seera Muun Myuujikaru / Sailor Moon Musical], as the "Senior" performers cheered them on for this special event.

"Last Dracule's Overture" was the title this season, and to much delight, it was an overwhelming success. Fans recovered over the loss of Fumina Hara, the previous actress of Usagi Tsukino / SailorMoon; Hara left due to her longing to be successful on her college entrance exams. All was well in the end. Hara passed her exams, and the Musical went fine, led by the third SailorMoon actress, Miyuki Kanbe. Kanbe, being only of 15 years of age, did much of what was expected of her, and much more. Two new performers followed suit of Kanbe, being Hidemasa Edo as Mamoru Chiba/Takishiido Kamen and Teruyo Watanabe as Setsuna Meioh/SailorPluto. The normal set of baddies were almost completely new, besides the returning of Seniors Yuta Mochizuki, Ryuji Kasahara, Ado Endo and Miki Kawasaki. All and all, the cast performed great as a whole.

The album consists of 19 tracks. For a long-time SeraMyu fan, these tracks wouldn't be a new surprise - - In actuality, this Musical is a "New Version" of the 1993/94 Musicals, "Sailor Moon S - Usagi, Ai no Senshi e no Michi / Henshin Super Senshi no e Michi", so most of the tracks are 'recycled', if you will. [Mainly half, if not more than that, are revised versions]. This isn't a 'new thing' to SeraMyu, but these particular versions really shine. Many say that Kanbe's cute and high voice really suits the role of Usagi this time, mainly because the previous actresses did not quite grasp the "Anime" feel of the character. I can honestly say that I am pleased with Kanbe's album performance, however, her performance from the Last Dorakuru Koushiki Guide Video wasn't as pleasant.. All that is left to critique is the actual musical itself, which is to be released on the 25th of April.

SONG REVIEWS:

Overture
An instrumental track, usually accompanied by some sort of on-screen prologue. Nice - - A mixture of different SeraMyu bg themes.
>revised<

An Evil Dream [M. Kanbe]
Usagi's "Nightmare Song". Kanbe's first solo song ever. Nice tempo, beat, rhythm. Kanbe is quite good on emphasizing the Usagi's frightened feeling in this song.
>original<

Wake Up! Usagi! [M. Kanbe, H. Akamine, E. Kanda, E. Kuriyama, N. Inada...etc.]
Definitely a cute and catchy song. The Girls join Usagi in this song, and the end product is a song you just can't help but sing along with! Kanbe's "Oh - ho!!" is the cutest thing I've ever heard.
>original<

Mata Mata ChibiUsa-desu [A. Gunzi]
Probably the best version, performed by the best ChibiUsa actress ever. Ayano Gunzi yet AGAIN pulls off a majorly cute song, yet not as annoying as the previous actresses did. How so I loathe her leaving SeraMyu! [Note - Ayano-chan quotes, "When I'm 15, I want to return to SeraMyu as SailorMoon!". I doubt she'll have trouble pulling that off!]
>revision<

Muma no Odori [K. Ono, chorus]
This song is probably one of the most revised songs in SeraMyu History. Kazuko Ono's voice makes this particular version more dark and deep - - I like it! This version, as well as Queen Beryl's [Yuri Nishina], shine most from the many.
>revision<

Gondara no Koibito-tachi [M. Kanbe, H. Edo]
A nice duet with Usagi and Mamoru. This is the presentation comparison - - Any fan that heavily evaluates the singer's style would agree that Kanbe and Edo are practically mimicking the style of Anza Oyama [Moon 93-98] and Yuta Mochizuki [Kamen 93-98]. Not in a bad way, but I would have liked to hear a bit more variation this time. A good song, nonetheless.
>revision<

Kubisude wo Sashidase [K. Ono]
"...Bloody... Spirit...Bloody... Spirit.."- - This song is definitely cool! Yet again, Ono deserves another "evil" award! Her singing style is very much of English/American-Musical nature, yet in a sultry Japanese Villain way. This is where DeathRamia's plans are coming to order...
>original<

Choubi! Uranus to Neptune [N. Takagi, Y. Asami]
What can I say? Anyone who knows me, knows that I simply ADORE Nao Takagi! Even much so, due to her irreplaceable role as my beautiful Haruka Tenoh/SailorUranus! This particular version is probably tied in comparison to the original, performed by Sanae Kimura [Uranus] and Kaoru Sakamoto [Neptune]. Takagi's singing is great, but I expected a little more of Yuhka Asami.
>revision<

Dream Yume ha Ougiki [H. Akamine, E. Kanda, E. Kuriyama, N. Inada]
This is a great song. Much ado about variety! This song has different climax points - - a different tempo for each of the Inner Senshi, and their talks of aspirations in life. I totally prefer this version over the original, seeing as the singers are so much more lively and believable... not to mention kawaii! ^^;
>revision<

Tabidachi [M. Kanbe, H. Akamine]
One word. Emotional! This song is so touching; it could make one cry! This is the song of Ami-chan leaving the Girls to pursue her dream represented in a soft ballad. I prefer this version to the original, because Kanbe's voice seems to flow more than that of Anza Oyama, who had a particularly raspy [but awesome!] voice at times. Akamine's presentation is quite hard to compare to that of Ayako Morino [Mercury 93-98], because, well.. they're both just too great!
>revision<

Homunkurusu Tanjiyou Zenya [K. Ono, R. Kasahara]
Hm.. Another 'baddie' song. Surprisingly better than most short-baddie-songs, Ryuji Kasahara continues to straddle the "high" to "low" pitched toned voice he so often uses. I can honestly say that I do not favor Kasahara very much, but his voice has gotten even better this year. Nevertheless, this song is quite catchy and Ono makes up for the lack of energy in this song.
>original<

Tuxedo Mission [H. Edo, chorus]
Ah..for sooth. A Takishiido Kamen song! This song, as many of the originals, has been revised to its death. This version sounds VERY close to the original, much because of the reason I mentioned before [i.e Hidemasa & Yuta's singing comparison]. Nothing new here, folks.. Just another Kamen song. Short and sweet, much like his speeches. I personally favor the '98 Version by Yuta Enomoto & Yuta Mochizuki.
>revision<

Dorakuru Hakushiiku no Kodoku [Y. Mochizuki]
Ah-ah. As usual, the Senior Actor Yuta Mochizuki receives swoons from his more matured of fans because of this song, in the name of his vampire character. Mochizuki's voice seems much smoother these days, and blends well with the elements of the bg. I love it, but it's too short! ;.;
>original<

To a Brand New World [M. Mita]
Saturn's Character Image song of the Musicals. No words could totally fulfill my feelings on this song, because it's just so awesome! The bg music, the effects, and Saturn's mellow voice produce one heck of a song. Mita performs very well, and I could consider her version the best of the three much because she resembles the voice tone of Hotaru/Saturn from the Anime the best.
Unfortunately as Ayano Gunzji, Mao Mita has also left the stage.
>revision<

Tuxedo Royal [H. Edo]
Another Kamen revision. Short, simple, the same. Not much I can say about this song. ^,^;

FIRE [SailorSenshi-tachi]
One word. AWESOME! This has got to be one of the best SeraMyu Theme songs, ranking high with "La Moon", "La Soldier", and so on, so forth. An up-beat battle song, almost techno like, adds spice to what seemed to be a dark and mysterious storyline. Kanbe's voice suits this particular track very well, and I'm sure any SailorMoon, or Anime fan, would enjoy this song just the same.
>revision<

La Muuru Da Muuru Moonlight [SailorSenshi-tachi]
One thing that I could say I liked best about this Musical Album is the fact that they put four of the most outstanding tracks in a row! "La Muuru..." is a great song, and I enjoy this version very much, although it doesn't differ much from the original.
>revision<

Solar Miracle Make Up [SailorSenshi-tachi]
Probably one of my most favorable songs ever, "Solar Miracle Make Up!" is revised for what seems to be the forth time. No matter how many revisions, this song will never truly get 'old'. The only change this time is that EternalMoon does not get a solo in the first line of the song, like the third version. I wish it did however, because the song just seems so much more complete that way.
>revision<

La Soldier [SailorSenshi-tachi]
Of course, the album could not be complete without the fan's favorite track! Always an encore performance, "La Soldier" continues to shine in the hearts of SeraMyu fans. One funny thing about this song occurred on this particular album, which has never happened before - - It was printed as it would be spelled in katakana, which is "La Sourujiyaa" or rather, "La Souldier". Oops!
>revision<

Can we say, "Long Review"? Hehe.. but of course. My advice in purchasing this album sways on the "yes" side, because it's great to hear how the newer casts sing in comparison to the old. If contemplating on buying the 2000 or 1993 version, I would vouche for the 2000. As a whole, I would give this album a rating grade of an "A", due to its wonderful content, beautiful exterior and booklet, not to mention that ... well.. Nao Takagi is on it! Just kidding.. somewhat... ^,^()

Scans of this album booklet are available on my SeraMyu Second Stage Shrine, located at http://seramyu.tripod.com/ in the "CD Shrine Gallery" section located on the frame panel. More information on this 2000 Musical are also available on my page as well. Dai-chan, signing off!