Last Dracul Saishuu Shou - Chou Wakusei Death Vulcan no Fuuin Review
Chou Wakusei Death Vulcan no Fuuin was the first myu I ever saw. I don’t remember now what persuaded me to watch that one first. [Edit: It was because I had the video file on my computer to use for a video I was making.] But I did, downloading the whole huge myu file and watching it on my computer.
The depth of the storyline in this myu really attracted me. The Dracul Arc story is unique to the myus, so I think the writers felt free to really develop the story without having to worry too much about the existing Sailor Moon canon. While an original story, the Arc also incorporates elements from the old S myus from 1995 that were never released on video, some Jewish tradition (Lilith being the main reference to that), vampire lore, historical torturers (with characters such as Elizabeth Bathory and Magi St. Germain), and alchemy (the homunculus concept). The writers deinitely deserve props for working in all that.
The Death Vulcan myu (as I shall subsequently call it) is the conclusion of the 4-part Dracul Arc that began with Last Dracul Jokyoku, and as such only provides a fourth of the whole story. Still, what it does provide is a great story, with great conflict all around and a good deal of suspense.
The only thing that bothered me about this myu was their view of the Cain and Abel story, represented by Dark Cain and Count Dracul. It deviates slightly from the Biblical original, with the two offering swords to God rather than crops and a lamb respectively, Cain killing Abel and being forced to never die till the world ends, and Abel becoming the undead Dracul. As a Christian, this deviation did bother me at first, in much the same way as the largely Jewish tradition-influenced theology of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy bothered me. In retrospect, I don’t think it interfered with my being able to watch the myu and enjoy the storyline. It just bugged me.
We get good acting all around in this myu. Inoue-san as Death Vulcan particularly puts on a great performance. Ono Hikari also continues to shine as Vampir, whose loyalties are unclear in this myu, as she appears to help the senshi at one point and help the enemies at another. Miyuki-san (may she rest in peace) does rather well also, showing growth from her debut just a year before to this myu, her final one. And as always, the Nao-Yuuka-Yuuko trio weaves their myu magic.
The songs in this myu are quite good as well. The villains get a lot more songs in this myu than usual. The best of them by far is “Itan no Juusei” (“The Heresy of the Binary Planet”), the almost operatic duet between Vulcan and Death Vulcan. The lyrics are deep and pensive, and both Inoue-san (Death Vulcan) and Okamoto-san (Vulcan) are very vocally talented. The Outers group song, “Chikyuu! Crisis wo Yurusumaji” (“Earth! We Won’t Allow a Crisis”) is also a must-see; the four Outers sing it fantastically, and the choreography is quite good (though Inoue-san’s dancing is pretty goofy – much like Aoki Kaname, who played Tomoe in the Mugen Gakuen myus).
In conclusion, this myu has a great storyline, great songs, and great acting. What more could you want? Give it a watch!