Sailor Moon Forum

Lemme try ending this endless but actually needless argument: when casting a role, both the actor's skills & look are important considerations, & by "look" it means whether the actor's appearance matches the particular character's as designated/expected by the scriptwriter or original author.

Well actually I couldn't have said she seemed amateurish or that her movement's weren't fluid because when I made that comment, all I had seen were the cast photos. I wasn't even aware there was a performance video up on that site. I was merely making an initial observation about whether or not she looked the part, much like how I made an initial observation about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman when the first few set photos leaked, before I saw any actual footage of her in the film. (And, ironically, my impression then was that she, too, did not look the part, but because I felt she was too thin.)

Furthermore, I am NOT attacking this actress's size. I have never, and would never, make disparaging remarks about her appearance. I am certain there are a billion other roles out there she could play marvelously (provided she has acting skills). But for me, actors playing comic book characters need to look like them; they need to be recognizable in the role. So someone playing a Sailor Soldier should be thin (and preferably female and Japanese). Similarly, someone playing Catwoman should be Hispanic and curvy.

Thank you Rika, that was all I was trying to say. Didn't mean to offend anyone or step on anyone's toes or anything, just trying to articulate this point. At the time of my original comment, I had no concept of her skills, only her "look" and that's all my comment referred to. Can we all move on now and wish this production much success?

Let's go find a natural blue haired girl to play Ami. After all, she has to look the part

That's not necessary, tho, as there're wigs & the hair can be dyed.

A friend of mine pointed out, how do we know thats what they look like realistically speaking? Usagi should be chubby because she eats a lot and never exercises, and Minako's actually chubbier than Usagi because they poke fun at that in Sailor Stars. The girls are all supposed to be Japanese but don't look it for artistic reasons. Who's to say they're not just drawn thin for artistic reasons as well? It's offensive to say a chubby girl can't play the role of a Sailor Soldier.

Well a man could go audition for the role of Elphaba in Wicked, but he won't be cast because he's a man. Is that also offensive? Acting is a tough, sometimes cruel business. You can't always play the role you want to. Even if you can otherwise embody a character, having the right look is a big part of the game. (Which is one of the joys of voice acting; there looks don't matter and you can play whatever role you wish.) That's just the way the cookie crumbles. Which, sure, doesn't necessarily make it right, but then I'd say go and put on your own diverse production of Sailor Moon. I'm not saying that a Sailor Moon musical can't be diverse, or that that couldn't rock, but since the other sailors were all slender, and creative casting didn't seem to be an intention of this group's production, having a Sailor Venus who didn't match her character's "look" seemed a bit off. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by our look-obsessed culture, I don't know; but that's just how I felt.

Sure the way the soldiers are drawn in the manga and anime may only be a stylized representation of how they look, but since they cast slender girls in the original musicals and the live action series, I think it's reasonable to assume that Naoko imagines them to actually be slender.

I think there's no point to continue on this matter, as it's pretty clear by now how it stemmed from - just a simple misunderstanding. So if you'd like to see a Senshi looking chubby or whatever, by all means, just as anyone could also wanna see her in whatever shapes & sizes.

BTW, this reminds me of the chubby Rei in that Hong Kong Sailor Moon-re-airing CM, tho she becomes a slim Senshi after transformation.

Not true, a man could be cast as Elphaba if he could manage to pull it off. Men play women's roles at times without any problems.

@Anonymouse, please don't forget that this group is a completely recent fan-group!
There are no criteria like looking or talent for acting, singing or dancing. They are glad, if they have enough members now for the premiere. I hope they will make it!

She makes a good point, they aren't Broadway.
Btw, nice sig and avi.

I realize this and totally understand that, but at the time of my original comment I wasn't sure if this was a fan production or a professional, Broadway-type deal.

And @Silver Wolf - Sure a man might be able to pull off Elphaba, but I doubt Broadway would be willing to make such a casting choice.

You'd be surprised... Besides, Broadway and other productions have gender bent for years. Just look at Peter Pan.

That's true, but so far Elphaba has always been played by a woman, and given what a cash cow Wicked is, I don't know if its producers would consider ~rocking the boat~ any time soon.

Women also play male roles all the time.

See the Peter Pan example above. I wouldn't mind playing a female role in Sailor Moon, personally. I could play as Uranus!

Didn't a man play Petz in the Sailor Moon musicals?

Shuusuke Yoda did play Petz in one musical, 2002 Winter.

My best wishes to their successful performance!


I was just about to say that.

Can we get back on topic?

I think we've already been sorta doing that in at least some of the latest posts above. l o l

The group released her 1. official promotion poster.
In a few weeks the musical will premier in Hamburg.

We from SailorMoonGerman have done an exclusiv interview
last month with this group. This interview will translate from our
team into english.

http://www.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/ ... 2edswr.png

That's a pretty cool poster! I also like their using the official fonts (which's also my favorite, BTW), giving it an official look.

My best wishes to their success in their performance!

I like that poster, too *.*

Btw.. only 24 days left until the premiere!

Hello Guys ^^

In ferbuary we have done a Interview with this group.
In 10 Days the premier will be in Hamburg.

So here is the Interview in English:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview with the Musical group La Soldier

Hello here is Anza and Sayuri from La Soldier.
And together, we wish you much fun on the site of SailorMoonGerman.

SMG: Hey Moonies. Welcome to the next Interview from SailorMoonGerman.
Today with Anza and Sayuri from the Musical group La Soldier.
I am glad that you've taken time to make that interview.
With pleasure.
Yes, definitely.

SMG: So then let's start. Please introduce yourself briefly. Who is behind La Soldier?
Yeah, we are the Musical group La Soldier and have set ourselves the goal to bring the Japanese Sailor Moon musicals to Germany. We are a GBR, which means civil law, is a kind of mini-company.
Exactly.

SMG: How many people are behind La Soldier?
Now members of the cast are 14, so we are about 20 members in our group.

SMG: How did this group? Who had the idea for it?
The idea came to a Sailor Moon fan meeting. At first we wanted to make a few songs or even short storys with parts installed. This was after some time then the plan is effectively implemented the original musicals here in Germany.

SMG: And the idea had you? So I guess at times you're a big fan of Sera Myu ?
Yes definitely. Sera Myu is very dear to my heart and I stand 100% behind it too.

SMG: How were the first beginnings? How did you come for the name La Soldier?
The first beginnings came with the old cast at the Chisaii and the Contaku. (Anime Conventions) Actually, this performance was just as advertising that not what many knew. The name originated from an idea with a friend from Japan who had the idea of the name La Soldier therefore, we then also agreed. La Soldier is also a very common term by the eponymous song by the musical group.

SMG: The next question is, I think this was the most popular frame question, how do you get as a normal person serve up some official rights and decisions leading to this is to get the rights?
So yes, I have the rights from a friend from Japan, directly received by the right owner.
The proposal to obtain the rights and to produce the musicals was also an idea of my friend. So tell me, my friend said this "Hey, listen, I know her and now I give you the data and you write to them easily at times and we just have to see what happens. And after a long talk, write, whatever, and then we get lucky.

SMG: The group consists indeed of non-actors. How come not from professional musical performers? Since it is an official production yes, they weren’t presented an audition. How are you come to the performer?
We're a private company and is actually a project by fans for fans. We want to give the Sailor Moon fans the opportunity to participate in the project, no matter how, if only as a performer, assistant or whatever. There was no direct casting at the beginning but the members have created videos where they danced and sang and the later ones who came for the cast , they came to the rehearsal weekends and in the end of the weekends it will always be decided whether the people remain at all want to stay and if they can. The next project we have decided that there will be an audition.

SMG: The musical will be completely in German. Did you get runs of the licensing scheme employers in Japan? Did you have, how to use the manga, the original name, sayings, etc.? How can we imagine?
We must use the original name. Sometimes we have decided to also make sure that we take the original pronunciation of content to simply represent things better and after they are in the script easier to understand. But for Tuxedo Mask we decided that we leave it in German, meaning we said Mask and not Kamen, because it is the same case in the new edition of the manga. But otherwise, all names are the same as the original. We have Queen Beryl and the original claims transformable and attacks.

SMG: Did you have or from the other group collected experience in the past with the musical theme, singing or dancing?
Anza (Natascha) is a trained musical performer but also the others have already gathered for the most part very good experience in dance, singing and other play areas or they can accumulate through school or small musical groups or private parties or whatever.

SMG: Why the songs do are sung in German and not Japanese?
Because it is our assumption of the licensor unfortunately given. So say: We have several editions, and the licensor has said "Ok, you want the project in German then please the songs in German too.”

SMG: The next question was also asked quite often. Why it occurs only in theaters instead of making a name at a convention?
Because of this, unfortunately we can’t. The thing is, I didn’t knew it before or I have not made me smart. We were only allowed to perform in theaters. We may use a maximum of two at most three songs as a promotional appearance but not more.

SMG: How do you finance your project? Do you pay everything yourself or do you have sponsors?
At the moment we pay everything out of our own pockets – but we are working hard on finding sponsors, and we hope it’s all going to work out for us in the near future.

SMG: Do you have helpers, or do you do everything by yourself starting with organization, the website, plans, through to the meetings?
We all help each other, but we also have technicians, stagehands, trained make-up artists… Our technicians are also responsible for our homepage. All members that help us with our work, especially with what represents us in public, are members of La Soldier. So basically it is only “us”, one could say. All La Soldier members help and support La soldier in whatever way they can.

SMG: How does a typical training-weekend look like for you guys?
We meet every two weekends from Friday to Sunday, with trainings that take all day long. There is a time schedule with all the dances, acts etc., so it is all well planned.

SMG: Are the costumes and the choreography made by La Soldier members as well?
The costumes, like the ones of Luna and Artemis, are tailored by me. The rest of the costumes are made by a trained tailor located in Hamburg. We have two choreographers.

SMG: The next question is interesting, too. How was the price for one ticket put together? Many people had quite strong feelings about the costs. Where does all the money go in the end?
Well, there’s a clear answer for that: the money is used for the costumes, the stage design, the whole theater, meaning the staff, the stage machinery, fire service, janitorial exercises, and much more. Then there is also all the headsets, the hotel, catering and many more things. There are reams of costs that must be defrayed.

SMG: So none of the money goes into your own pockets?
No, God forbid! Quite the contrary… We are running a huge deficit, at least I am. I bear a lot of costs. I can already say that we are far beyond a four-digit sum of money.

SMG: For making money one could produce CD’s, DVD’s, and other merchandising. Are you allowed to do so, and if yes, will you?
We haven’t gained the rights for DVD’s, CD’s, and stuff like that yet. I already caught up on that subject and we do have the possibility, but it is just too expensive. It just won’t work at the moment. I don’t know what the future will bring. It’s different with posters and playbills, though. We do have those for our current project. We are also allowed to sell posters in the theater.

SMG: In the past, there was some critique concerning the many changes of the cast that one could also follow on your website. Why have there been so many exchanges?
Unfortunately, some members had to leave due to impairments to health. Thus, the whole cast shifted – also, because it turned out that some members fitted other parts much better. All of a sudden about five to six actors had new parts in the play. Small trigger…

SMG: How would you rate your current situation? How far have you progressed?
Well, all is great, I would say. Everybody is making huge progress and we have come pretty far. All I can say is that it is all working out fine. I’m very happy with the cast and all the members of La Soldier. It’s great.

SMG: Why aren’t there any pictures or even videos with you guys in your costumes yet?
Because the costumes aren’t even done yet. (laughs) Once they will be done by March, we will publish proper promotional pictures with the whole cast in their costumes on them. Everything will be nifty then.

SMG: Among musical fans, there has been a long-time comparison between you guys and Yume. What do you think of that comparison? Are you even fans of Yume? (Yume = German Sera Myu Showgroup)
The constant comparison of both groups is quite a pity, for one cannot even do so properly. Yume is a show group that combines their own nice ideas with the songs and plays of Sera Myu, and therefore had well deserved success among their fans. But we are a musical group, bound to the theater by license. It’s difficult to compare. I hope the fans of Yume may have a spot in their hearts for us one day, because I think it is quite sad that both groups are considered to be enemies all the time. We are only at the beginning, with no big performances yet, and Yume can look back proudly on ten years of great projects. But I hope we will get the chance to prove ourselves, because the last thing we want is to talk Yume down. For that, we as a team hold them in too high regard. Yes.
 
SMG: How could you invite these star guests? Would you invite other guests to the show?
Yes… I’ve met Yuki Nanami at the Kontaku and I talked a very long time with her, she saw our show and I thought come on, come on would you do it or not? I’ve asked her spontaneous : “Would you like to come to us as a special guest?” And she said yes, her Manager was with her, and he said we are looking forward And she is very happy about that, and she looks forward at this event.
At the day before yesterday we’ve got her newsletter, and she registered us immediately and at her homepage, too. So her fans can see, when she comes to Germany.

SMG: Would other star guests come?
Other guests should come, but they can only at the last-minute if they come or not. Therefore other guests aren’t registered at our homepage. If I know who comes or not, I make it immediately public.

SMG: We can look forward to…
You can look forward to this, yes.

SMG: What would you do after the premier? What would happen, if that musical would have success?
Are there following other musicals? What would you do, if that musical failed?
We have get the franchise for another musical, I’ve it in my documents. If we have success, we want to continue this project, and we want to perform in other cities. If we have no success, we want to continue to, to surrender is not an option.

SMG: What impressions have you got from the Sailor Moon fans, what was positive and what was negative?
We’ve got many fans and we as group are very happy about that and our fans are supporting that project and this is very important for us, as already mentioned we do it for the fans. With our musical we made new and nice acquaintanceships and our fanbase grews too.

What I don’t like is the fact, that we are haughty and conceited, some people said this, who didn’t know us. Some members of our group are insolted, and that goes below the belt (that goes blue) and that’s not ok. This is no criticism, it’s only mobbing. It’s too bad.
However, we made many positive experience and many realized “Hey! We are all Moonies”.

SMG: Yes, that’s right
Yeah!

SMG: I have to say something personal. It’s pity that you compared with anyone. You, other people, Nobody has deserved it, to run down for something, where time, money and love is invested.
You have to prove you’re self, that’s correct. We will see it in April. Until then good luck und make the best. May you do well.
Thank you.

Thank you very much, we will do it.

SMG: Would you tell something to the fans?
Yes, my.. our lovely fans, we are looking forward incredibly to welcome you to the show. I rejoice for everybody who comes to the show, we wanna have a lot of fun especially after the show… Yeah… PARTY!

SMG: Apropos after the show, After-show-Party, can come everybody or only the cast?
No, the after-show-party is for everyone who have a ticket, thus everybody who have a ticket.

SMG: Great. I’ll be there at the 7th April, too and I will report 24 hours live via Twitter. For that who Don’t come they can make an impression what an atmosphere there is. I’m looking forward to.

We are looking forward, too.

SMG: So, that’s it. Thank you very much for your time to make that interview.
Thank you, too.

SMG: Good luck and see you.
Absolutely! Thank you very much for all and Lot’s of love (best regards) to all Sailor Moon-Fans, bye.

Bye.