A Sera Myu Primer
The Sailor Moon live action musicals (most often called Sera Myu) have been performing in Japan since 1993, and are still continuing even right now. The musicals are divided into First Stage, Second Stage, Third Stage, and Fourth Stage, determined by the actress cast as Sailor Moon. The First Stage, with Ohyama Anza as Sailor Moon, includes all of the musicals leading up to the final performance of the Eien Densetsu musical. The Second Stage features Hara Fumina as Sailor Moon, the Third Stage features Kanbe Miyuki as Sailor Moon, and the Fourth Stage, which began in the summer of 2001, features Kuroki Marina as the newest Sailor Moon.
The Sailor Starlights were included in two of the First Stage musicals, Sailor Stars and Eien Densetsu, and the subsequent revisions of those two musicals. Sailor Starfighter was played by Katayama Sayuri, Sailor Starmaker was played by Ono Hikari, Sailor Starhealer was played by Okuyama Momoko, and Princess Kakyuu was played by Yoshioka Sakoto.
The Sailor Starlights have most recently also been included in the Fourth Stage musical, Starlights! Ryuusei Densetsu. Sailor Starfighter was played by Akiyama Chinatsu, Sailor Starmaker was played by Nakayama Akiko, and Sailor Starhealer was played by Tabe Mikako. The winter 2004 revision of that musical, Starlights! Ryuusei Densetsu Kaiteban - Kakyuu Ouhi Kourin, also included Princess Kakyuu, played by Ai Toyama.
None of these musicals follow the anime or the manga plotline. There are new characters, new enemies, new plot twists, and even completely different characterizations of the main Sailor Senshi. Perhaps the strongest example of this is Taiki and Yaten in the musicals. No longer cold or aloof, the two are actually quite friendly and silly. Yaten, especially, is a hopeless airhead, almost on an equal level with Minako in the original anime. At least Taiki retains some of his normal intelligence in the musical.
In the musicals, familiar characters even get new attacks and powers. But there are lots of other differences as well. Amado Glick describes some of the new and unusual twists for the Starlights in Sera Myu:
I just watched Eien Densetsu, and I noticed that you don't mention the fact that the Starlights get a combined attack in it. I believe it's called 'Starlight Prism Tempest,' but I would have to go back and check. As for what it does, well, it's like every other Sera Myu attack; it creates flashing lights that cause the enemy to fall back in pain. ^_^ In Eien Densetsu, we also get to see the opera-singing Kakyuu-hime, Chaos the comic relief, and the Starlights attempting a traditional Dungeons and Dragons 'doppleganger check' and failing miserably. (Generally you work out a password *beforehand*.)
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