Music and choreography bring ‘Sailor Moon’ anime film to life

It all started with a talking cat named Luna and a magical brooch. With that, Sailor Moon, the character and the international phenomenon, was born.

In 1991, writer and illustrator Naoko Takeuchi released the first installment of the manga series about a young girl who receives a brooch that allows her to transform into Sailor Moon, a guardian of the Earth who is working to find and protect the Silver Crystal and prevent the destruction of the Solar System. Sailor Moon is eventually joined by fellow Sailor Guardians in her quest.

The manga was adapted into an anime series that aired in Japan from 1992 to 1997. The production company, Toei Animation, eventually released three animated Sailor Moon movies, a television special and three short films.

A live-action TV adaptation aired in 2003, and another anime series, “Sailor Moon Crystal,” began airing in 2014.

The story of Sailor Moon and her friends has also been told through novels, video games, tabletop games, an ice skating show, stage shows and even a Japanese pop group. A more recent addition to the Sailor Moon story is “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live,” which stops by the First Interstate Center for the Arts on Thursday.

“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live” follows Sailor Moon, aka teenager Usagi Tsukino (Riko Tanaka), who protects the Earth from dark forces with her fellow Sailor Guardians. The second half of the show will feature a concert of beloved songs from “Sailor Moon” television shows and movies.

The show describes itself as a 2.5D musical, combining the visual elements of manga and anime with live performance. “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live” features a book, lyrics and direction from Kaori Miura, choreography by Satomi Toma and music by Go Sakabe and KYOHEI. It’s produced by Makoto Matsuda.

Joining Tanaka onstage are Kanon Maekawa (Sailor Mercury), Rei Kobayashi (Sailor Mars), Kisara Matsumura (Sailor Jupiter), Marin Makino (Sailor Venus), Sayaka Okamura (Queen Beryl) and Riona Tatemichi (Tuxedo Mask).

The ensemble includes Ayano Nagasawa, Ayumi Sagisaka, Minami Watanabe, Izumi Niihashi, Kana Yanagihara and Suzuka Osawa.

The show will be performed in Japanese with English subtitles.

During a press junket, and speaking via a translator, Tanaka said she was 3 or 4 years old when she first learned of Sailor Moon. When roleplaying as the characters with friends, she would always play as her favorite character, Sailor Jupiter.

Even still, Tanaka calls the opportunity to portray such an iconic character incredible.

“This is a role that has been very important even within this industry, so my fellow actors who understand the significance of the role have been so encouraging, and they have been celebrating with me as my achievement as well,” she said.

After getting involved in the “Super Live” production, Toma re-read the original manga and was reminded of the visual beauty of the series and worked to keep those elements, things like the way the Sailor Guardians’ hair moves and skirts flutter, in the live show.

Because the performers are wearing high heels, not protective gear, the fight scenes had to be carefully choreographed so they would be both beautiful and safe.

“What I do care about is not only doing something difficult, but doing something that would appear beautifully and elegantly as a movement, so not just making it into a strong fight scene, but to make it visually look attractive,” she said. “I care about the links between how it appears with the projection and other elements that are visually happening around as well, and to add a little bit of a sense of a pop, like a joyfulness that comes to it as well. So keeping the feel of the movement in sync to what can realistically be done.”

For his part, Matsuda was vaguely aware of “Sailor Moon” through his older sister, but it wasn’t until he saw a live production that he fully understood the character and her story.

“I was watching and it was like, ‘This is amazing, so interesting,’ but at the same time, I would do this differently if I were doing this,” he said.

Matsuda wanted his version of “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” to celebrate the character but also express the importance of peace and love. Seeing mothers and daughters and other familial relationships in the audience is proof that love doesn’t always have to be romantic; it can simply be calling your mother to say hello.

He also wants audiences to feel energized after seeing the production. Matsuda said many 2.5D productions are targeted toward older audience members, but the addition of comics and animation has brought in younger viewers, some who may be seeing a musical for the first time.

“It’s been something that we’ve been very excited about, having new audiences come enjoy theater, many who say how they enjoy it for the first time seeing it, and now they enjoy it so much that they became a repeater,” he said. “And frankly, I knew this would be a hit globally as well. Not to be cocky, but I knew this would resonate with the global audience as well, so we’re now feeling like the time has come.”

The trio is grateful for the love American audiences have shown during preview performances and want them to know the whole production team is working to portray Sailor Moon and her friends in the best way possible.

“We are ready to do more than what is expected,” Satomi said. “We will go beyond that expectation. We are ready to show that, so I hope people would expect something really exciting coming to ‘Sailor Moon,’ not thinking they’re just going to see what they know, but get beyond what they are expecting.”