Last Dracul Jokyoku Koshiki Guide Video
After the short reign of second Moon Hara Fumina, a new Sailor Moon actress was revealed in November 1999 – 15-year-old Kanbe Miyuki. Last Dracul Jokyoku ("Last Dracul Overture"; its full name is Shin / Henshin - Super Senshi e no Michi - Last Dracul Jokyoku, which translates to "New/Transformation - The Road to Super Soldiers - Last Dracul Overture") was her first musical, and the Koshiki Guide Video (Official Guide Video) was sold at performances of it to promote the musical. The video contains footage from the 1999 Autumn Fankan as well as interviews. It is hosted by the long-running actor Mochizuki Yuuta, who plays Count Dracul in this myu.
The video begins with footage from the press reveal of Miyuki as the new Moon actress, which occurred on November 3, 1999 (a few days before the fankan). Then Mochizuki introduces the video and himself, as photo shoot footage is shown to the tune of "Solar Miracle Make Up."
After this, the first batch of fankan footage begins. There is a TON of fankan footage in this guide video; so much in fact that one wonders why they didn't just release the whole fankan on video by itself. The first bit in this batch is Miyuki's introduction; it begins with Edo Hidemasa, the new Tuxedo Kamen, commenting how his "girlfriend" isn't there; the other girls then start worrying that they forgot Usagi. Kasahara Ryuuji (who's also on stage) says he gets lonely without the star too. Then Ryuuji presents Miyuki, and she rises out of a trap door in the floor as "Usagi Circus Show Time" begins to play. The rest of the cast then sing the song as Miyuki moves from one side of the stage to the other, greeting the audience. Eventually she starts singing too. The song keeps playing as the girls stop singing and Miyuki gives her self-introduction.
After this, someone (it's not clear who) announces that it's time for the Passing of the Tiara. "LINK" starts to play, and Hara Fumina (in a quite nice outfit and updo) comes out with a princess tiara in her hand (NOT the Moon Tiara this time, as with the first Passing). Then, with no dialogue at all, she passes it to Miyuki, who bows and then passes it to a stagehand for safekeeping. Then Fumina, Miyuki, and the rest of the cast sing "LINK" together. Fumina and Miyuki sing Moon's solo as a duet. The song fades out after the first chorus. Then the footage cuts, and we see Fumina introduce herself and chat with Miyuki. Fumina encourages Miyuki to play a "Kanbe Miyuki-like-Sailor Moon" and says the action won't be hard; as long as she uses her special attack and makes her enemies go "don" she'll be ok. ("Don" is Japanese onomatopoeia for a big impact). Then Uranus actress Takagi Nao (who also acted with Fumina) comes up, points to Fumina, and says "That's only true for you." Fumina laughs and replies, "So it was." Miyuki then tells Fumina she doesn't think she can be as beautiful of a Sailor Moon as Fumina. Fumina is taken aback and says Miyuki is a very honest girl. But then Miyuki adds that she thinks she can be a cuter Moon than Fumina. Fumina is amused by this, saying that sort of guts is needed. She then tells the audience to "take care" of Miyuki. Then the footage cuts again, and we see Fumina sing "Densetsu Seitan" with the rest of the cast. At the end, Fumina bows, and Mochizuki-san thanks her (in a voice-over) for her hard work and asks the fans to keep supporting her.
We then go into more general omake footage, featuring Miyuki's "first introductions" to the cast, footage from a script reading, and actual acting and dance rehearsal footage, with "L'amour D'amour Moonlight" playing in the background. During the script reading footage, Mochizuki comments that Miyuki really "has the feeling" of the scene she is shown reading. Hidemasa Edo, Kasahara Ryuuji, and Mochizuki Yuuta are also shown reading their lines. The rehearsal footage, though mostly acting, does show rehearsal for some dance. Kasahara Ryuuji is seen doing some sort of rehearsal as well. Mochizuki is shown at one point chatting with Ryuuji about having to comb back his hair to get Dracul's sleek, combed-back look. More dance rehearsal is shown after that.
Next we come to the interview portion, which is accompanied by photo shoot footage of each actor interviewed. The BGM this time is "FIRE," which debuted in this musical. A little bit of rehearsal footage is shown for each person too, right after they give their name. Most of the questions asked here are about the upcoming anniversary commemorating 500 performances of SeraMyu (this anniversary was so big in fact, they released a special omake video for it with footage of special guest appearances and such). Akamine Hisano (Mercury) is first. She says the anniversary makes her think of the previous Mercury actresses, then comments that she plays the best Mercury. Next is Kanda Eri, the third longest-running Mars (and a Mars I kinda like). She is also asked about the anniversary and says she thinks it will be a great performance and that she plans to give 100%. Third is Inada Nao (Venus) who is asked simply for a comment for the fans. She says that she has to work hard on performing and asks fans to cheer for her. Fourth is Kuriyama Emi (Jupiter) who is asked what she thinks of the new Sailor Moon (also a common question in this interview segment). She says that now she can be like a big sister since before Miyuki came, she was always the youngest and was everyone else's little sister.
The Outers are next, starting with Mita Mao (Saturn), who strikes some great photo shoot poses, particularly her first one with the Silence Glaive behind her. She is asked for a comment for the fans, and she says that though both Saturn and Hotaru are docile, they also both have strong hearts from which they can call forth great power. Next is Takagi Nao as Uranus, looking awesome as usual. When asked about the anniversary, she says that's "just excellent" and that the performance will be great because she gets to be Uranus again. Following her is Asami Yuuka, Neptune's actress and Nao's "partner" so to speak. She begins by promising she won't be doing lines in Osaka dialect this time (Yuuka is from Osaka). Asked for a comment for the fans, she replies that she used to just keep up with everyone, but this time she's stepping it up, focusing on the details, and going for a "mature, ladylike performance." Then she is followed by Watanabe Teruyo, the Pluto for this musical. She is also asked for a comment for the fans and says she plans to bring out the charm of the calm and mature Pluto but also try not to ruin fans' idea of Pluto. Last are Chibimoon and Tuxedo Kamen. Chibimoon is once again played by Gunji Ayano, the longest-running and oldest Chibimoon, who also played Chibimoon in all of Fumina's stage. She is asked what she thinks of the new Moon. She says that Miyuki is "great, bright, and cheerful" and that this makes her want to be cheerful too. Gunji-chan then muses about how Miyuki is only 15 and says that when she turns 15, she also wants to play Sailor Moon. Then she is also asked for a comment for the fans (she's the only person besides Miyuki to be asked more than one question) and she asks the fans to keep supporting both her and Chibiusa. Next is Hidemasa Edo as Tuxedo Kamen (and the only myu Tuxedo Kamen I've seen appear with an actual rose, let alone be photographed with one). He is asked what he thinks of the new Moon, and he comments that Miyuki is still a kid and that he can't express how he felt when he heard that. (By the way, Edo-san here is only 20. Miyuki is 15. I don't see how he can call her a kid with only a 5-year age difference). He does say she provides something fresh though and promises to work hard to "build a new legend with her."
Last in the interviews is, naturally, Miyuki herself. She is asked how she felt when she was chosen as Moon. She said she was surprised and wondered if it was ok for her to have won the part. (You hear a lot of new myu actors say this. I think it's part of the traditional Japanese tendency toward modesty when talking about oneself). She also says she's looked up to Usagi since she was little and that she thinks they have similar personalities. (Fans would agree; I've heard a lot of myu fans say Miyuki was the best out of the four Moons at playing Usagi). Then she promises to work hard on her role. Next, she is asked if she has memories of Sailor Moon; she says she and her friends used to pretend to be Sailor Moon in elementary school and that she, of course, would be Sailor Moon in these pretend games. (This is similar to the story told by PGSM actress Alisa Durbrow on Pin Spot! about three years later – she also admitted to pretending to be Sailor Moon along with her friends in elementary school). Lastly, Miyuki is asked for a comment for the fans, and she simply asks the fans to watch over her and cheer.
The interviews completed, we are shown more photo shoot footage, mostly candid shots, with the song "Wake Up Usagi" in the background. Though there is a lot of goofing-off footage in here, at one point Mochizuki reminds the fans that photographing is serious business.
After this, we see footage of Mochizuki Yuuta (who's sporting long hair and a cool goatee) and Kasahara Ryuuji recording the MC dialogues for the Best Songs Collection CD (which was released around this time and includes songs through the Kaguya myus), with "I Do Justice" playing in the background. The two guys then introduce themselves and their roles. They are asked both what they think of the new Moon and about the 500th performance. Both like Miyuki; Ryuuji calls her "hopeful" and Mochizuki recalls Miyuki telling him to do his best when she passed him at an event. Ryuuji comments how fast the 500th performance came, but Mochizuki doesn't seem too excited. At this point, the top 5 myu performers' names as of the end of 1999 scroll across the screen; Mochizuki is #1 and Ryuuji is #5 as of this ranking; they would later drop to #2 and #6 respectively overall, beaten out of their previous places by Endou Ado (#2 in this ranking) and an Anza/Morino tie (they're #3 here, but they got pushed down to #5 later by Ono Hikari and Kawasaki Miki) respectively. They then discuss the CD and their parts with each other and Mochizuki comments how neither of them have a song on this CD. Ryuuji asks him if he was expecting a solo, and Mochizuki realizes that would be weird and is content that they get to talk on the CD. Ryuuji then hopes the musicals will go for 200-300 more performances (which they did) and says since his current character is "undead" (he plays Prof. Tomoe/Undead Berserk in this myu) he'll probably remain in the myus for a while. Then the two guys ask the fans to cheer.
Next we go into the second and final batch of fankan footage. This begins with an audience-participation contest for fans to try to do the dance for "Mata Mata Chibiusa Desu." Inada Nao (Venus) explains the contest to the audience on Chibiusa's behalf, even suggesting that the two best people might get prizes. Mars, Venus, Saturn, and Pluto (and eventually the others too) run into the audience to find volunteers to come on stage. Then Gunji-chan demonstrates the dance while Miyuki sings the song. It takes a while for the volunteers to get the dance down.
After this, we cut to the Question Corner, which is done just in chairs this time, minus the usual long table. The first question is about favorite foods, which the Outers are asked to answer. Watanabe-san (Pluto) says her favorite food is anything sweet, especially chocolate. Next is Yuuka, who likes spaghetti and cake. After her is Nao, who likes "soft cream" (the Japanese word for soft serve ice cream). Then Mao Mita (Saturn) says she likes hashed meat with rice, which the host (Ryuuji-san) says sounds manly. He is about to end the question when Edo Hidemasa indicates he wants to answer the question too. Edo-san says (with a lot of energy) that he loves eating Korean barbecue, to which Ryuuji-san says Edo-san doesn't have to go eat it, he just has to say he likes it. The second question shown, which is taken by Fumina, is about favorite musical songs. Miyuki is first and she answers "Solar Miracle Make Up" because it's very energetic (this is where I got my opening quote when I featured that song for Song of the Week). Gunji-chan says she likes "Sailor War" along with her own songs. Akamine-san (Mercury) says she likes "Chibiusa no Hanran" and shares smiles with Gunji-chan (who sang that song in the Kaguya myus, which they were both in). Inada-san says her favorite is "Welcome Hare Hare Hire Hare" from the Kaguya myus (except she doesn't get the title quite right). Kanda Eri says she likes "Hyouchaku Shita Keredo..." because it was the first time she had a solo. Kuriyama Emi (Jupiter) is last and says she likes "I Miss You," which she sang at the last fan event. This then ends the Question Corner footage.
Next we go into several short clips of musical numbers from the Fankan. First is an all-senshi performance of "Everlasting Moonlight." Then Kawasaki Miki (Le Fay in this myu) sings the Death Busters song "Talisman wo Sagase." Next, Edo-san and Miyuki sing the duet "Gondola no Koibito-tachi" (very well actually). Then, as if the demo of the dance wasn't enough, Gunji-chan gets to sing "Mata Mata Chibiusa Desu" like most Chibimoons, but a side shot shows Edo-san off to the side clapping along but looking very bored. Next is an all-senshi performance of "Solar Miracle Make Up." Then Edo-san gets his solo with "Miracle Twister," which leaves something to be desired. Then Mita-san (Saturn) is shown singing a song marked as "To a Brand-New World" but by the lyrics appears to be more like "Miss Dream" with the ending of "To a Brand-New World" tacked on. Whatever song it is, she does a very good job. Next are the Inners singing "Dream Yume wa Ookiku." Then Nao and Yuuka sing "Choubi! Uranus to Neptune," which they do a good job with. Next, Ryuuji-san is seen singing "I Do Justice" with Moon and Saturn dancing along. This cuts to an all-senshi performance of "L'amour D'amour Moonlight."
The fankan footage wraps up with Miyuki thanking the crowd for coming and introducing their last song, "La Soldier," which she says they must sing if they are "true Sailor Senshi." They sing this song, then say goodbye afterwards. Then footage of the "photograph meeting" (a sort of post-fankan photo op) is shown as "Solar Miracle Make Up" plays and Mochizuki finishes off his narration by thanking fans for their support. The Guide Video ends with a short commercial for the 2000 Summer Musical, Transylvania no Mori, which gives performance dates and a number to call to get tickets.
That does it for this guide. Rest in peace, Miyuki-san.
"Don" info from this page. Pictures from SeraMyu Antics except for the last one, which is from Eternal.legend.