The ironic thing about defending the SuperS musicals is that they don't really need defending. The uninitiated often assume that the SuperS musicals are the worst of the bunch -- after all, the SuperS anime has such a poor reputation! But Seramyu fans generally agree that the SuperS musicals are two of the best live-action Sailor Moon features, if not the best. Few of the musicals before or since have had the tightness of plot, quality of dialogue, or excellence of music shown in Yume Senshi, Ai Eien Ni (Dream Senshi, Love Eternal) and Yume Senshi, Ai Eien Ni, Saturn Fukkatsu Hen (Dream Senshi, Love Eternal, Saturn Revives).

The timing of the SuperS Seramyus made their triumph a virtual given. The SuperS musicals came third in the Seramyu sequence, placing them in the ideal position for success. The two previous musicals had been financially successful, but had flopped on a critical level. Despite the obvious enthusiasm of the cast and crew, something just wasn't right. By SuperS, however, the producers had worked out most of the bugs in the musical storytelling system. The awkwardness was all but eliminated. The pacing improved drastically. The songs became more lyrical. The costumes looked more lavish. In short, things gelled.

Despite this hard-won experience, the franchise was still young enough that the writers and performers overflowed with creative juices. Later musicals would prove technically excellent but disastrously unoriginal -- so much so that they even reused songs from older musicals. SuperS was in the catbird seat. It had the right blend of experience and inspiration to kick some serious ass -- and it did not squander the opportunity.

The greatest victory of the SuperS Seramyus is their scripting, which walks a fine line between originality and loyalty to the anime. The broad plot points are the same as ever -- Dead Moon Circus comes to town, Pegasus hides in someone's dream, Amazon Trio steals dream mirrors, Chibiusa flirts with a horse. But the musicals are far from a rehash -- into the mix come the outer senshi, Eternal Sailor Moon, and a completely new character -- Miss Dream.

Miss Dream's awakening as Sailor Saturn is the most impressive plot thread of the show. Portions of the tale are reminiscent of Hotaru's saga in the S television series (particularly the bit about the outer senshi wanting to kill her) but it is for the most part a totally original take on the origin of this popular senshi. Fortunately, it is a take that works. The musicals manage to play with the story while still maintaining the true spirit of Saturn's character.

The SuperS musicals' success at rewriting the standard plot is particularly striking when compared to other Seramyu performances -- for example, the first Stars musical. Though regarded as one of the better productions, this Seramyu suffers from one fatal flaw -- the second act of the show is bogged down by a painfully long sequence in which Saturn and Chibimoon are sent back in time. The plot thread is surprisingly boring and entirely unnecessary. It manages to destroy the pacing of the entire Stars musical, turning what could have been the greatest performance of them all into a near farce. SuperS, on the other hand, never breaks stride or veers toward irrelevance.

The heavy focus on plot is reflected by the set -- or lack thereof. The SuperS musicals use some of the most minimalistic staging ever seen in Seramyu. This clever use of space allows more room for the performers to dance, fly, and fight. It also allows almost every scene to have a clear shot of the rear screen, upon which various flashbacks, transformation videos, and special effects are projected. This is critical to the effectiveness of some scenes, and saves many a sequence that would have otherwise been an emotional failure. Bittersweet memories are displayed onstage when Usagi makes her plea to Ami, heightening the drama. Later, the screen is used to display a Moon Crisis Make-Up animation -- subtly covering the time necessary for the actresses to change costumes! The video screen is a brilliantly adaptable device central to the success of the SuperS Seramyus.

The greatest special effect is of course Pegasus, who is depicted masterfully with lasers and strobe lights. In fact, many fans have noted that the Seramyu Pegasus looks more like a real horse than the animated Helios does. His lighted, ethereal appearance certainly helps lend an air of mystery and magic to the proceedings. Other notable special effects include Moon Gorgeous Meditation, Mars' Burning Mandala, and the inspired use of lasers to emulate a dream mirror. When the Amazon Trio push their heads and hands into the lights, it really looks as though they are peeking through a mystical barrier. This is not to say that the SuperS Seramyus have the special effects budget of a Hollywood blockbuster. Rest assured, the effects are simple -- yet they are cleverly executed, well spaced, and appropriate to the moment. By contrast, other Seramyu musicals have often wasted their effects budget on unnecessary extras. The bad guy does not always have to appear in a dramatic column of colored smoke, especially when doing so means that there is no money left to give Mercury her Aqua Rhapsody harp!

Of course, the SuperS musicals are not without their shortcomings. Most notable is the limited character development, a result of the short duration of the shows. What can you do with Zirconia when she's only on stage for ten minutes? How can you make Mamoru a likable fellow when he has a total of 30 lines? Likewise, the budget for the production, while wisely used, is obviously not of great depth. This is not Miss Saigon. It is more on the level of a state-sponsored Shakespeare festival. But these flaws are not unique to the SuperS musicals -- they are unfortunate features of all Seramyus. The SuperS musicals actually exhibit the problems to a lesser degree than most of the other shows, and strike a fair balance between error and triumph. SuperS fails to properly characterize Zirconia, but it develops Miss Dream with exquisite compassion. SuperS has no special effect for Jupiter's attack, but it makes amends by providing a delightfully surprising and amusing display for Mars' Burning Mandala. And so on.

It must be said that it can be difficult to swallow the live-action nature of Seramyu. Grown women dancing in tight glittery sailor fukus, a huge pink Chibiusa wig on the tiny head of a Japanese child, Sailor Neptune flying on wires, Tuxedo Kamen's mask -- they are all hilarious the first time you see them, make no mistake. Embracing the lyrical side of the production can also be a challenge to those unused to the conventions of stage musicals. When Miss Dream answers a simple question with an extended elegy and Sailor Uranus rants at her enemies in verse, it seems oddly out of place. In real life good guys would never introduce themselves to a battle by singing! But then again, real life warriors would never save the day by performing Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss, either. One must take into account the content before one judges the believability. The lack of realism is unfortunate, but it cannot be held against the SuperS Seramyus any more than it can against the other musicals.

What ultimately makes all of the SuperS musicals' sins forgivable is the music. The score was penned by the same team that brought the legendary "Moon Revenge" to the anime. While not every song has the same intensity as that classic piece, all are of equal quality and design. "Triple Dreams" is complex and suspenseful, while "La Moon" is so infused with energy that it almost needs Ritalin. By contrast, "Double Moonlight Romance" and "Miss Dream" are eerily beautiful songs, slow yet enthralling nonetheless. Every part of the soundtrack is carefully crafted to fit the scene in which it is used. This is vastly different from many other Seramyu musicals, which have soundtracks of varying quality and relevance. Particularly notorious are the aforementioned "second stage" musicals that borrow songs from older productions and wedge them haphazardly into a completely new and inappropriate framework. SuperS Seramyus are better than that. Rather than treating the music as a prop or special effect, they allow the melodies to carry the story. For all their excellent writing and staging, the SuperS Seramyu are at their core true musicals -- and they carry themselves with pride.

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Appendix A
Summary: Yume Senshi, Ai Eien Ni

Things get strange -- and entertaining -- very quickly. Cut to a scene in forest, where Chibiusa has gotten lost and found again. Usagi and Chibiusa argue over the incident, but soon Mamoru, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Ami arrive, picnic baskets in hand. All proceed to sing a catchy tune about having fun in the forest, during which odd creatures -- lemures -- ransack the gang's picnic baskets and scurry off unnoticed.

When the song ends and the empty baskets are noticed, Usagi is blamed. Mamoru comes to her defense by proclaiming: "Girls, it's not her fault she eats everything!" After Usagi throws a dramatic fit, the lemures reappear, and everyone realizes what really happened. The girls play with the animals, but things degenerate quickly into a fight when the lemures misbehave.

Enter the Amazon Trio, masters of the lemures. They rein in the out-of-control monkeys and, with a song praising the Dead Moon Circus, invite the girls to try out for the Circus Star Auditions. All are thrilled with the prospect except for Chibiusa, who alone hears the Trio's private thoughts about searching for dream mirrors.

This is where the musical begins to depart significantly from the anime. Zirconia reveals a dark-haired figure in white robes -- Miss Dream, her prisoner and slave. Zirconia demands that Miss Dream discover where Pegasus is hiding, and repeatedly tortures her with infusions of evil energy. Ultimately, Miss Dream bends under the pressure and begins to magically search for Pegasus.

It doesn't take her long to find him. In the next scene, Miss Dream is inside Chibiusa's dream, attacking Pegasus with bolts of energy. Chibiusa begs the stranger to stop hurting him, but she refuses. Enter Pluto, flying on wires. She commands Chibiusa to wake up, but she cannot. Pluto is overwhelmed by the dark minions assisting Miss Dream. Uranus and Neptune then make their entrance to assist their comrade. While fighting, the three outer senshi sing about protecting the universe from invaders. Ultimately said invaders, including Miss Dream, retreat. Tuxedo Kamen then puts in a late appearance and argues with the outer senshi about the identity of the dark-haired attacker. Pluto announces that she must be Sailor Saturn. Pluto wants to help rescue the misguided soldier, but Uranus objects. All are then distracted by Chibiusa, who has fainted.

Usagi makes the best of her predicament by making her mopping duties into a game with a song. But her job is soon interrupted by Miss Dream, fleeing from the persecution of other members of the Dead Moon Circus, who are playing a vicious game of keep-away with her most prized possession, her medallion. This medallion has the multi-pointed star emblem of Saturn's fuku. Usagi defends her with the mop and chases away her attackers.

Usagi introduces herself to Miss Dream, who is gun shy and refuses to provide her real name. Instead, she opens her medallion -- which turns out to be a music box -- and sings a sad, ethereal song about herself. The only name she will give to Usagi is Miss Dream. Though it is clear she is Hotaru -- and in fact is called that in the revision -- in this musical the strange newcomer is known and credited only as Miss Dream. After singing her song, Miss Dream runs away.

Meanwhile, Tiger's Eye flirts with Ami, who bashfully ignores him by reading a book. The other three inner senshi are spying on the scene and gossiping. Suddenly, Tiger's Eye springs his trap and invades Ami's dream mirror. When the others try to intervene, they are captured and their dream mirrors are exposed as well. Zirconia arrives, and sensing the power hidden in the four girls, summons Miss Dream and uses her magic to turn the inner senshi to evil.

This marks the halfway point of the musical. A rousing chorus before the intermission compares the three dreams of the participants -- Usagi and Mamoru's dream of love and hope, the Dead Moon Circus' dream of finding Pegasus, and the outer senshi's dream of saving the universe.

The opening scene of the second act is a little disorienting, to say the least. That's because, like the first scene of the musical, it is a dream sequence -- about, of all things, Usagi's Rabbit Show. Usagi is dreaming about having a circus of her very own. The dream, portrayed in song, goes well until the end, when Usagi leaps to catch a trapeze, misses, and falls....

At this point, Tiger's Eye interrupts and walks among the audience, giving a speech about the mission of the Amazon Trio and exhorting the audience not to let the others know their secret. After the speech, Usagi wakes up, mop in hand, to discover that she has fallen asleep at her post.

The four inner senshi, now possessed by the spirit of the Dead Moon Circus, enter the scene and tease Usagi, the lowly janitor. Then they pass on. Fish Eye and Mamoru enter. Usagi hides to spy on their conversation. Fish Eye flirts with Mamoru but he is adamant that he already has a girlfriend, one with a beautiful dream. Fish Eye throws a fit and asks if beautiful dreams are all that matter. Suddenly a cat's call interrupts the scene and Fish Eye runs in terror. It turns out the "cat" in in fact Chibiusa, hiding under a trash can. A conversation ensues in which it is revealed that Pegasus is in hiding.

The fun starts when the outer senshi appear on stage and insist that Sailor Saturn, AKA Miss Dream, must be eliminated before she destroys the universe with the power of a black hole. Miss Dream, frightened by what she hears, blasts everyone with energy. Uranus commands everyone to transform and destroy her. Chibiusa feels sorry for Miss Dream and performs her Twinkle Yell to call Pegasus. When Pegasus arrives, Tuxedo Kamen and Chibiusa ride the magical creature into Miss Dream's mind to see what is truly inside her heart. After they depart, Zirconia is heard laughing -- they have fallen into her trap!

A fight ensues between the remaining senshi and the Dead Moon Circus. The senshi are of course victorious. Pluto demands that they follow Chibiusa and Mamoru in order to get to the bottom of Miss Dream's nature as soon as possible. A Sailor Teleport is performed. Now everyone is inside of Miss Dream.

Inside Miss Dream's mind, Chibiusa and Mamoru have been separated. As they search for each other, Chibiusa stumbles across Zirconia and the Amazon Trio, who have also gotten into Miss Dream's mind somehow. Chibiusa is quickly spotted by the bad guys but Tuxedo Kamen rescues her with a brief and mercifully short song. Soon afterward the rest of the senshi appear -- sans Sailor Moon! As it turns out, Sailor Moon is just late, as usual. She stumbles into the fight halfway through. Sailor Moon attempts to perform her standard speech about punishment, but Mars interrupts with a sassy comment about it being a little too late for anyone to care. The fight continues on.

Realizing that the battle is not going her way, Zirconia summons a mirror, through which can be seen the shadowy reflection of... Princess Serenity? No, Neherenia, the dark opposite of the White Moon Princess! Neherenia watches ominously, lending her dark power to her warriors. Miss Dream finally appears to participate in this battle in her own mind, but she is still possessed by darkness, and begins to overpower the senshi with her bolts of energy. Neherenia and Zirconia laugh. But they have underestimated Tuxedo Kamen, who sacrifices his life to block the blasts headed for the senshi. He collapses while smothering Miss Dream in a hug. As he falls, he tells Miss Dream that her power is spent. Now she is a normal girl, like she always wanted.

At this point many anime and manga fans will be shocked, because Tuxedo Kamen dies in an extended, painful scene. And no, he is not resurrected before the end of the musical. He's just dead. As a doornail.

Affected by Tuxedo Kamen's sacrifice, the Amazon Trio question their purpose. A verbal lashing from Zirconia quickly brings them to their senses and they realign themselves with the forces of evil. Or do they? As they approach the senshi, supposedly to attack, they suddenly turn on Zirconia. Unfortunately, Zirconia is quick on the draw, and orders some lemures to capture and kill the Trio. As the Trio members fade away in an energy-draining net, they tell the senshi to keep dreaming, and to protect their friends. Then they are gone, transforming into three balls of light.

The senshi move to protect these balls of light from Zirconia's onslaught, but suddenly Miss Dream revives from her stupor, screaming "I am, I am, I am...." Images of Sailor Saturn are superimposed on her body, flashing on and off as she battles her own nature. The senshi of death and rebirth is finally waking up, but whose side will she take?

Pegasus decides it is time to intervene. He swoops in and announces that he's just given Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon new powers. The two transform into Super Sailor Soldiers and proceed to serve buckets of whoop-ass to Zirconia and her remaining minions. Moon Gorgeous Meditation ultimately annihilates Zirconia in a flurry of brightly-lighted confetti. Neherenia's mirror disappears.

The battle is over, but the musical is not. An epilogue of sorts takes place, with the ethereal figures of Queen Serenity and King Endymion joining the senshi in a song about love and beauty's destined victory over evil. As the play ends, Sailor Moon places her hands on the shoulders of the newly freed Miss Dream and smiles.

Yet there are questions left unresolved by this ending. What happened to Tuxedo Kamen? Is he really dead forever? And what about Miss Dream? Did she truly awaken as Sailor Saturn, or is she now a mere girl?

The encore does nothing to resolve the questions, though it is entertaining to watch. As "La Soldier" booms forth victoriously, all of the senshi perform a perky dance. Paula Abdul, eat your heart out. You've got nothing on the soldiers of love and justice.

Appendix B
Summary: Yume Senshi, Ai Eien Ni, Saturn Fukkatsu Hen

In this version of the musical, the battle does not end with the death of Zirconia. Neherenia steps in, appearing in person rather than just in a mirror's reflection. She succeeds where Zirconia failed, and manages to kill all of the senshi except Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon is left to stand alone against the dark reflection of her future self.

Neherenia is enraged that her victory has been overturned. With her last bit of remaining power, she kills Sailor Moon. The others stand around Sailor Moon's prone body and lament the tragedy. Sailor Mars refuses to accept her death and insists on trying to revive her. Each senshi donates her power to Sailor Moon, but it is not enough. Suddenly Tuxedo Kamen's heart begins glow. The Golden Crystal that everyone has been searching for is not Pegasus' horn, but Mamoru's heart! He uses the power of the Golden Crystal to revive Sailor Moon.

And what a revival it is. Super Sailor Moon evolves into Eternal Sailor Moon, feathers and all! With her Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss, she cleans away the last of the bad guys, and all is well in the world again -- this time with no loose ends.

Other minor revisions were made to the second version of the musical. Miss Dream is finally given her proper name of Hotaru. Some songs, such as the opening tune and the song about having fun in the forest, are truncated by a few verses -- probably to make room for the new song by Sailor Saturn. There are also a few minor plot and lyric changes. For instance, Chibiusa does not frighten off Fish Eye with a cat's meow, and Uranus and Neptune know that the new threat to the universe is Sailor Saturn even before she appears in front of them. The staging of the musical is also different, with characters performing different moves, entering at different times, and having different lines. Watching them back-to-back would be a bit much, but in general they stand along as two separate musicals due to the intense revision.

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