Toshihiko Sahashi Talks New SAILOR MOON Stage Musical, PETITE ETRANGER

Toshihiko Sahashi, the composer behind the brand new stage musical based on the super-successful long-running Japanese anime series SAILOR MOON set to premiere later this year in Tokyo, talks about his involvement in the property as well as what we can expect from the new musical as part of a new interview.

Commenting on the vociferous fan-base afforded to the popular franchise, Sahashi says, "I didn't know that the musicals were airing in real time in conjunction with the animated series back then, but I was really surprised by how fanatical people were about it. I think it's as sparkly as "Pretty Cure", for sure, but I was surprised by how deeply into women's psyches "Sailor Moon" had gone."

As for the perception of SAILOR MOON being only for girls, Sahashi relates, "Back when me and Mr. Hiramitsu were young, it was not acceptable for a man to like things that were "girly", but now things are flatter and it's acceptable for people like us to enjoy series like "Sailor Moon"."

As for the project's ultimate prospects, Sahashi shares, "When it comes down to it, I don't think there's much we can do this time in terms of originality. The whole world is waiting on this, so it can't turn out too badly."

Additionally, Sahashi says, "But I think it's such a waste that we don't allow our copyrights to be spread abroad to be played by foreigners. Although, it would be tough to keep the songs in Japanese, it would sound unnatural for other audiences. But of course, we want people everywhere to enjoy what we've created here in Japan."

While details are still scarce, the new musical will undoubtedly capitalize on the warm reception and boffo box office afforded to the recent SAILOR MOON musical, LA RECONQUISTA, which premiered last year.

The new SAILOR MOON musical will be titled PETITE ETRANGER for short, with the full title being PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON PETITE ETRANGER.

Of note, the new SAILOR MOON musical will move to Osaka following a debut in Tokyo this September.

According to recent reports, the new musical will be set in Crystal Tokyo and spotlight the popular Black Moon Clan, also featuring the return of popular character Tuxedo Mask as well as the addition of Sailor Pluto and Chibiusa.

SAILOR MOON creator Naoko Takeuchi recently addressed the various multimedia adaptations of her work as part of a longer interview late last year, as well.

Visit the official SAILOR MOON site for the original post confirming the new musical here and here.

Also, the official site for SAILOR MOON: PETITE ETRANGER is now up, available here.

Check out BroadwayWorld's coverage of Takeuchi commenting on SAILOR MOON and more, available here.