As the opening day of La Reconquista draws nearer, the cast is making more and more appearances to promote the show. At a recent event, fans finally got to hear two of the new songs and see the cast in performance:
We are the Pretty Guardians
To be honest, this is not my favorite song. The music is pretty cheerful and in that respect it does remain very faithful to the spirit of the Myu, which, while often creating beautiful or painful songs, were overall very positive and energetic in their music. I don’t find it to be particularly catchy, though, which was one of the staples of the Moonie show tunes of the past. This is, of course, a matter of personal taste; just because I don’t personally find this number very memorable doesn’t mean that others won’t.
I do enjoy the lyrics, at least. They have nice imagery and though it’s not much of a “book number” (a song which furthers the plot), it paints an image which is consistent to the spirit of Sailor Moon.
Soroibumi! Shiro Tsuki Go Nin Onna (Line Up! The Five Women of the White Moon)
Now this song I really like! It has that kind of power-up, getting amped, ‘ready to fight the forces of darkness’ kind of energy that I love in the musicals. Again, it’s not a number that’s going to further the plot, but I could see it easily fitting in just before a battle or perhaps as the girls enter the fray and introduce themselves to their enemy. It’s very similar to “Koi no Senshi ja Irarenai” in that way, but I think I like it a bit more, if only for the fact that it’s shorter and therefore won’t take as much time to get back to whatever action it’s building up to.
It’s strange, considering the title of the song and the fact that it seems to be a group image song, that sailor Mercury doesn’t have a line. The title says “The Five Women of the White Moon” but only four women sing. Maybe the actress playing Mercury was under the weather or wasn’t feeling up to performing that day for some reason, because I can’t imagine that they would actually exclude the character from the song.
Performance-wise, I am very impressed with the actresses playing Jupiter and Venus. They really attacked their parts and gave it their all, infusing the roles with vibrant personality and strength. The other three were decent, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope to see some improvement by the time the show actually begins performances. I think Jupiter and Venus are the oldest actresses in this group, so hopefully they can help their younger compatriots gain more confidence as rehearsals continue.
I am also a little disappointed with the costumes. The skirts are so limp and lifeless, something I was worried about when I saw the sleek new versions. They look great in photoshoots, but not so much in action. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s much to be done about that at this point. The sparse decorations also fell a little flat, and didn’t seem to give the costumes the lively spark of the old ones, but hopefully the stage lighting will help them out. Seeing costumes on stage under designed lighting is always different from seeing them offstage in natural light.
I am still thrilled for the Sera Myu revival! Once the show comes out on DVD (which I assume it will, just based on precedent) I’m confident that there will be triumphs as well as missteps, just like any other musical. I have no doubts that La Reconquista will be a wonderful addition to the Sera Myu legacy that I will be glad to enjoy.
Lady Geek Girl and Friends 