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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