YMMV / Sera Myu

• Anvilicious: Aaron and Manna's subplot from Black Lady is An Aesop about the treatment of mixed-race children. It can be a mild case of Culture Clash for viewers not aware of the level of discrimination and bullying that mixed-race children face in (relatively heterogeneous) Japan.
• Awesome Music: Well, they are musicals. A few songs usually mentioned in passing include "Innocent Demand", "La Soldier" and "Drive Me the Mercury".
  • "Sailor War Supreme" from Stars, a Massive Multiplayer Ensemble Number that combines melodies from the past musicals in counterpoint as the Sailor Senshi and Starlights decide to join forces.
  • Petite Étrangère gives us "Chronos Guardian (Who Goes There?)", a chilling introduction for Sailor Pluto.
  • Every time the Three Lights/Starlights harmonize in Le Mouvement Final.
  • "Fire" (the fight scene song from the Dracul Trilogy) stands out as well.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The use of "Chou Bi! Uranus to Neptune (Super Beauty! Uranus and Neptune)" seems to stick out during Last Dracul Jokyoku. The lyrics include references to searching for the third Talisman and the Holy Grail, despite them knowing Pluto at the start of the story and the Holy Grail being completely uninvolved in the plot. The only change to the lyrics was the removal of a reference to Infinity Academy.
• Broken Base: A relatively small one. Surprising, especially given the amount of guard changing throughout the years. Asking who is the best Sailor Moon is the most likely to lead to this, though.
• Captain Obvious Reveal: Kurotsuki Hikaru in Ai No Sanctuary is a past version of Prince Demand. Let's see here...a white haired young man in a white suit who knows the Senshi's civilian identities and the names of their attacks and whose name means "Light of the Black Moon"? Nope, couldn't be anyone we're familiar with!
• Complete Monster: See here.
• Damsel Scrappy: Chibi-Usa. In just about every. single. appearance. She is less so in the new musicals, though.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: The Black Moon Clan was very popular with audiences in Black Lady, so much so that "Kekki! Hangyaku Ichizoku (Rise Up! Rebel Clan)" was performed as a service number during the senshuuraku. This may or may not have something to do with Ono Hikari playing Demand.
  • Yamato Yuuga (Tuxedo Mask in the 2013-2017 run of musicals) has become intensely popular within the fanbase. Her fellow cast members discuss this and even fangirl about her at length in the Petite Etrangere DVD extras.
• Fandom Heresy: Saying you liked Shin Densetsu Kourin.
• Fan Nickname: Sera Myu comes from ミュージカル美少女戦士セーラームーン (Myu-jikaru Bishoujo Senshi Se-ra- Mu-n), the Japanese name for the stage musicals. Also the Fan Kan events held to promote the musicals (and often preview new songs), comes from the term Fan Kansha, (literally "fan appreciation").
  • Actresses Takagi Nao and Asami Yuuka are referred to collectively as "NaoYuuka".
• Fashion-Victim Villain: Some might qualify, but Sera Myu's most notorious example is Queen Beryl in the first musical. Fans call her "Christmas Tree Beryl" for a reason◊.
  • The Death Mannetjes from the First Stage Sailor Moon S musicals qualify with their shiny silver jumpsuits, codpieces (why?), and strange bumpy protrusions on their heads.
• Fridge Brilliance: In Un Nouveau Voyage, the lyrics of "Hitosuji no Hikari (A Ray of Light)" and its reprise during the final battle use the metaphor of Sailor Moon using the light that her friends give her to shine. That's basically how the moon works in real life ("moonlight" is actually a combination of sunlight, earthlight, and starlight reflected by the moon).
• Funny Moments:
  • The Fan Kansha events often feature funny renditions of various Sera Myu songs, including (but not limited to):
    • Hosaka Yuuko (Pluto) and Yukimura Yoshiya (Mandrake)'s version of "You're My Jewelry" in the Transylvania no Mori duet corner. At the very end, Yukimura Yoshiya pulls out a tiny folding chair so that he can be taller than Hosaka Yuuko.
    • Takagi Nao (Uranus) and Ono Hikari (Vampir)'s performance of the same song on a different day of the same event is hilarious (and more than a little Les Yay).
  • Sailor Moon confronting vampires with the ultimate weapon: milk.
    • Count Dracul proceeding to school the Inner Senshi on their misconceptions about vampires as they sit in a circle around him.
  • The Sailor Moon stage musicals are littered with hilarious puns. If you don't speak Japanese, you probably won't get them, as they aren't always translated well in fansubs.
  • Almost everything that the First Stage Starlights do, especially the word association bit from Eien Densetsu Kaiteiban.
  • Kurotsuki Hikaru demonstrating punny versions of the Senshi's attacks in Ai no Sanctuary, including "Aqua Beauty Shop!" (Love and Beauty Shock), "Shrimp mo takusan da! (Too much shrimp!)" (Supreme Thunder), and "Running Ghandara!" (Burning Mandala). It's made even funnier by Ono Hikari's over-the-top delivery.
  • Yuu Shirota's dance to La Soldier.
  • In Petite Etrangere, Sailor Moon's reaction to finding out that Chibi-Usa is her daughter is priceless.
    • Funny Background Event from the same moment: Chibiusa's face going from a proud grin to stunned "wait, what?" takes the cake.
  • At the end of the final performance of Petite Etrangere in Japan, Erika Mahiro (Prince Demand) says she's sad it's the final performance because "[she] won't get to straddle Usagi anymore" and Satomi Ookubo (Usagi) runs over to hug her. Crosses the Line Twice, but still funny.
  • Crosses over with heartwarming, but Satomi Ookubo (Sailor Moon/Sailor Cosmos) and Chiise Nitsu (Sailor Chibi Chibi #2) providing moral support to a visibly breaking down Hinari Yamaguchi (Sailor Chibi Chibi #1) at curtain call. Audience and cast members alike are torn between giggling, sniffling, and outright sobbing. Especially at tiny Chiise's patpatpatpatpatpatpat gesture, as she has to reach past Satomi (whose hand was on Hinari's shoulder) to do so.
• Gratuitous Special Effects: The new musicals use more and more projection and lighting effects with each production. They're probably the most noticeable in Amour Eternal.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • "Double Moonlight Romance" from the end of the Final First Stage Senshuuraku. Watching the actors struggle to sing through their tears also puts this into Tear Jerker territory.
  • "Minna Dareka ni Aisarete" from the Kaguya Shima Densetsu kaiteiban when Loof Merrow is brought back in her princess outfit and the the children are seen in forms similar to their mothers'.
  • "Over The Moon" from Ai no Sanctuary, led by Sailor Venus. It was a feature for her actress, Murata Ayumi, who graduated after the show's run.
  • Watching then-thirteen-year-old Kuroki Marina (4th Sailor Moon) barely contain her excitement about getting to perform with her predecessors (who she literally grew up watching) in a 10th Anniversary event.
  • Seeing Satomi Ookubo on stage with Hotaru Nomoto as different versions of Sailor Moon in Le Mouvement Final.
    • Seeing Satomi Ookubo and Airi Kanda together again, especially when Chibi-Moon hugs Sailor Cosmos.
  • Usagi and Mamoru's wedding at the end of Le Movement Final.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • In Shin Densetsu Kourin, the Inner Senshi go on a quiz show that promises a trip to Hawaii as a prize, and the show turns out to be a trap. In Kaguya Shima Densetsu, the island trip itself is the trap.
  • Usagi gets jealous of Michiru and Mamoru in "Un Nouveau Voyage". Michiru is played by Fujioka Sayaka, whose stage name back when she worked in the Takarazuka Revue was Tsukino Himeka, which, aside from the obvious similarity to Usagi's name, means "flower princess of the moon".
    • Even funnier: Sayaka being a former musumeyaku (Takarazuka female role actress) would make her a better match for Mamoru, who is played by the former otokoyaku (male role actress) Yamato Yuuga. Luckily (for Usagi), she is already pre-matched with another otokoyaku, Shiotsuki Shuu.
• 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. They even shared a quick kiss in character during the curtain call for the Kaguya Shima Densetsu Kaiteiban Senshuuraku.
  • Kanda Eri (Mars) and Asami Yuuka (Neptune)'s performance of "You're My Jewelry" at a Transylvania no Mori Fan Kansha event.
  • To be expected in La Reconquista, since all of the characters (including the male love interests) are played by women.
  • In "Kessen - Transylvania no Mori - Shin Toujou! Chibi-Usa wo Mamoru Senshi-Tachi", Vampir seems to enjoy playing with Uranus...before turning her into a vampire.
  • Shiotsuki Shuu and Fujioka Sayaka, the current Uranus and Neptune, respectively, have taken up the mantle and run with it. As of the time of this writing, they have matching Uranus and Neptune rings.
• Memetic Badass: Space Knight.
• Memetic Mutation: See here.
• Moment of Awesome:
  • The Super S Kaiteiban features Queen Nehellenia flying with her long gown trailing behind her during "La Moon".
  • The beginning of "LINK" from Kaguya Shima Densetsu (see it here).
  • "FIRE" from Death Vulcan features Princess Serenity flying down during the final chorus. Her facial expression as she walks around the stage during the outro instrumental is fantastic.
  • Chibi-Moon and Saturn bursting onto the scene with "My Guiding Light" in Le Mouvement Final, helped by strong performances from both.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Chibi-Usa in the new musicals. She plays a substantial role in every show she has been in so far and has a traceable character arc within each of those shows. Also, she is no longer pigeonholed into plotlines involving other child characters and/or performing cutesy numbers (e.g. "Pinky Typhoon").
• Retroactive Recognition: Mikako Tabe only appeared in two musicals as Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer (Starlights*Ryuusei Densetsu and Kakyuu-Ouhi Kourin) but has gone on to be one of the most recognizable Sera Myu alumna. She has had a steady and successful career in Japanese film and TV, particularly as a leading lady in TV dramas, and is still acting as of 2023.
• Squick: Starlights - Ryuusei Densetsu pairs the teenage Inner Senshi with the adult Shitennou (compare with Gaiden and La Reconquista, where they are established to be or at least look like they're around the same age).
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: Petite Etrangere to La Reconquista.
• Tear Jerker: Most deaths end up being this. Also, if Prince Demand's monologue-thing near the end of Ankoku no Princess Black Lady doesn't make you cry, you're a pretty tough cookie.
  • "Sorezore no Elegy" from Sailor Stars. Usagi's scream of anguish is nothing short of heartbreaking.
  • "Tabidachi", originally from Sailor Moon S, takes a level in Tear Jerker-dom in Eien Densetsu K because it goes from being about leaving to study abroad to going on what amounts to a suicide mission.
  • Uranus and Neptune's betrayal and deaths in Eien Densetsu are even sadder than the anime, due in no small part to their Dark Reprise of "Orleans no Sei Senshi", complete with sad solo violin.
  • So much of the Final First Stage Senshuuraku, particularly when Anza Ooyama gets visibly emotional during the end of the show and the encore performances.
  • Princess Kakyuu in every appearance so far. Attentive viewers of the Eien Densetsu Senshuuraku recording may catch Anza tearing up during "Toki Michite Kourin (Arrival When the Time Has Come)". Kakyuu-Ouhi Kourin takes it up to eleven with by having Kakyuu sing "Teikou no Hana (Flower of Resistance)" as she dies.
  • Most of the fandom had this in spades when Miyuki Kanbe died.
  • In La Reconquista, Zoisite and Ami actually develop romantic feelings for one another...and then in a flashback to the Silver Millenium, we see that they were in love back then too, and Zoisite warned Mercury that Earth was planning an attack on the Moon Kingdom, and told her to go warn the others. He ended up being stabbed to death by his own teammates moments later, and died whispering Mercury's name. And then the same thing happens in the present day.
  • Petite Étrangère manages to one-up Sailor Pluto's death scene from the manga by having Chibi-Moon cradle her Garnet Rod. In the DVD extras, Mikako Ishii (Pluto) mentions that she could hear audience members sniffling/crying (to say nothing of holding back her own tears).
  • The Inner Senshi singing "Un Nouveau Voyage" through their tears in their last performance together.
  • Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna's bittersweet reactions to Hotaru's rapid age-up and reawakening as Sailor Saturn in Amour Eternal.
  • Every single death in Le Mouvement Final, but two take the cake:
    • Mamoru's because it's so sudden and Usagi's trauma is very apparent. Seeing Hotaru Nomoto snap from the indefatigably happy-go-lucky Usagi into either speaking with a Creepy Monotone and a Thousand-Yard Stare, or wailing in immense distress as she is forced to relive the traumatic event, is both eerie and sad.
    • Uranus and Neptune because, well...Uranus and Neptune.
  • The Guardian Who Lost Hope and the segment after it. Usagi's entire group of loving and loyal friends, including the love of her life, turning against her. Her inability to destroy them costs Saturn her life. Highlights include Usagi's scream of "Stop it, Mamo-chan!" as he kisses Galaxia, and her strangled "Moon.. Gorgeous...".
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!:
  • Amazingly averted in most instances. Some later actors are even considered on par or better than their predecessors. That said, there are a few performers/performances that aren't looked on so fondly by the fanbase:
    • Yuuta Enomoto as Tuxedo Mask in Shin Densetsu Kourin
    • Sara Shimada as Sailor Neptune in Kaguya Shima Densetsu
    • Mariya Izawa as Sailor Mercury in Transylvania no Mori
    • Ayano Sugimoto as Sailor Jupiter in Black Lady
    • Kaori Sakata as Sailor Jupiter in Ai no Sanctuary
    • Pretty much anyone who played a character originated by Ono Hikari.
  • A section of the fanbase doesn't like the all-women casts of New Myu/Nelke Myu. Especially the fact that Tuxedo Mask is played by women. Complaints rose up at the cast announcements for La Reconquista, the Nogizaka48 run, and The Super Live.
• WTH, Costuming Department?: Queen Beryl in Gaiden. Her dress was decked out with tinsel that would look better on a Christmas Tree than her, complete with a matching tinsel crown. When Beryl returned in Eien Densetsu (with the same actress), all the extra trimmings were removed and the dress was much closer to the source material.
  • The first musical as a whole gets this. Usagi's hair looks like it's made of yarn at points and the Senshi's civilian outfits are bland off-the-rack items (Usagi's huge overalls are probably the most unfortunate of the bunch). The senshi outfits are also covered in bits and bobs that were removed in later musicals. Endymion and the Shitennou have some disproportionately huge shoulder pads, even by early '90s standards.
  • More of a WTH, Makeup Department, but the amount of blush on Hotaru Nomoto and Sayaka Fujioka seems a little unreasonable. Especially glaring for Michiru, who was massively insulted by Yaten's criticism of her lipstick.
  • The wigs in Nogi Myu are noticeably worse than the first Nelke Myu and even some of the Bandai musicals.

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