Mugen Gakuen ~Mistress Labyrinth~ (Kaiteiban) Guide
Name Translation: Infinity Academy ~Mistress Labyrinth~ (Revision)
Stage: Fourth (fan) / Second (producers)
Play rundates: 1/2 – 1/14/03
Released on video?: Yes
Released on: VHS, DVD
Omake Footage?: Yes, the 2002 Autumn Fan Kansha Event, a VHS preorder omake, and a DVD omake
Available subtitled?: Yes, FINALLY, thanks to Innocentami.
CAST:
Heroes
Kuroki Marina – Usagi/Sailor Moon
Wakayama Manami – Ami/Sailor Mercury
Kawasaki Aiko – Rei/Sailor Mars
Watanabe Mai – Makoto/Sailor Jupiter
Watanabe Mizuki – Minako/Sailor Venus
Uchida Asako – Haruka/Sailor Uranus
Inami Tomoko – Michiru/Sailor Neptune
Hosaka Yuuko – Setsuna/Sailor Pluto
Nakamura Ruria – Hotaru/Sailor Saturn
Oono Mao – Chibiusa/Sailor Chibi-Moon
Shirota Yuu – Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen
Villains
Aoki Kaname – Professor Tomoe
Kawasaki Miki – Kaolinite
Tsumura Hitomi – Eudial
Kudo Aki – Mimete
Iwasaki Akiko – Tellu
Kuwahara Yuka – Bidou Yui/Viluy
Amano Saeri – Cyprine
Akiyama Chinatsu – Mistress 9
Unknown – Master Pharaoh 90 (voice)
Minor Characters
Yukimura Yoshiya – Damask/Hoshino Shintarou
Endou Ado – Centi/Hoshino Hanako
Yoda Shuusuke – Gallica/Hoshino Barako
Ishiguro Atsuki – Moss/Hoshino Seika
Yamaguchi Jun – Alba/Hoshino Kibou
SUMMARY:
A new enemy threatens the Earth: the Death Busters, who are trying to bring about the revival of the Tau Star System and the dominion of their leader, Master Pharaoh 90, by taking people’s life force. Sailor Moon and the other Inner Senshi decide to investigate Mugen Gakuen, a mysterious academy, to get to the bottom of the Death Busters’ plans.
But this will prove difficult. The three Outer Senshi discourage the Inners from taking on the Death Busters, preferring to take them down on their own. Then there is the Hoshino family, really the survivors of a planet destroyed by Mistress 9, who want the Silver Crystal so they can rebuild what they lost. With the safety of humanity and the awakening of world-ending Sailor Saturn hanging in the balance, will the Senshi be able to stop the Death Busters’ plans, save the world, and grant the Hoshinos their wish?
SONGS:
- Overture: similarly to the Black Lady myus, this myu begins with an instrumental overture.
- “Usagi Love Magic”: a Usagi and Mamoru duet during which Marina-chan is rather kawaii (cute). During it Usagi wears a wedding dress (and the song opens with the sound of wedding bells). It is explained in the scene following the song that the dress is her mother’s, and she wore it because she heard wedding bells when she woke up and thought Mamoru was going to propose to her that day. This is somewhat reminiscient of the opening of Wedding Peach episode 1, where Momoko tries on her mother’s wedding dress and dreams about getting married.
- “Unubore Shoujo ga Yatte Kita!!” (“The Conceited Girl Has Come!!”): a rather fun song that features Usagi, Rei, Ami, Makoto, Minako, Chibiusa, and Mamoru. Three of the soon-to-be-revealed Witches 5 (Mimete, Viluy, and Tellu) also show up and dance as background dancers. A few people roller skate by in the background, including Damask/Shintarou, who is properly introduced in the scene following this song. This song is similar to earlier upbeat group songs like “Wake Up! Shining” from Chou Wakusei Death Vulcan no Fuuin and “Set Me Free” from the Transylvania no Mori myus. Shirota Yuu, who debuted as Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen in this myu, is particularly cool in this song.
- “Zigzag Slash”: Sailor Jupiter’s theme song. This is a song change for the kaiteiban as it was not in the original Mugen Gakuen. It does give new Jupiter Watanabe Mai (who debuted in the original Mugen Gakuen) a chance to shine, though.
- “Isei Nottori Keikaku” (“Plan to Conquer the Alien Star”): This song introduces the plan of the musical’s villains, the Death Busters. It shares a melody with “Talisman wo Sagase” (“Searching for the Talisman”), a song sung by Kaolinite, the Death Mannetjes, and the Death Nightmares in Sailor Moon S – Usagi Ai no Senshi e no Michi, the first S-based myu, way back in 1994.
- “Triangle Secret!”: a fun little group song similar to “Triple Dreams” from the 1995-96 SuperS myus and 1998’s Shin Densetsu Kourin. The song title is also a nice reference to the fact that Mugen Gakuen is located in the Delta Zone, since the Greek capital letter Delta (for which the zone is probably named) looks like a triangle. The Inner Senshi, Hoshino family, and Witches 5 all sing parts, and we get our first look at Mugen Gakuen in the process. Hotaru and Chibiusa also meet each other for the first time during one of the interludes, when Chibiusa goes wandering through Mugen Gakuen in search of Usagi and friends. Setsuna also makes a brief speaking-only cameo in the song.
- “Tuxedo Versus”: a Tuxedo Kamen song introduced in 2001’s Ankoku no Princess Black Lady that appeared in both Black Lady myus and 2002’s 10th Anniversary Festival – Ai no Sanctuary but was replaced in the original Mugen Gakuen by the older song “Tuxedo Mission,” which debuted in 1994’s Sailor Moon S – Usagi Ai no Senshi e no Michi. Personally, I like “Tuxedo Versus” better and I think it gives Shirota-kun a better chance to shine in his debut myu than “Tuxedo Mission” would’ve done.
- “Harsh! Saint Cry!”: the new Uranus and Neptune song that was introduced in Ankoku no Princess Black Lady (Kaiteiban). Since fan favorites Takagi Nao and Asami Yuuka graduated after the original Mugen Gakuen (though Yuuka returned later in 2003’s Starlights*Ryuusei Densetsu as Jadeite), this song gives us a chance to see the new Uranus and Neptune – Uchida Asako and Inami Tomoko – in action. They do a good job, though they’re not as good as Nao and Yuuka. I kinda like Inami-san better as Neptune than Yuuka though – the way she says “Such a troublesome princess” right before the song is totally kakkoii (cool). (It’s hard to believe she played Mistress 9 in the original Mugen Gakuen!) The song was apparently re-arranged in this case (it’s identified in the myu video as “Harsh! Saint Cry (Re-Arrange)”), but if you actually listen to it, the music doesn’t sound all that different.
- “Chinmoku no Hameln” (“Silent Hameln”): the Hoshino family’s song. This is one of my favorite songs in this myu, along with “Tuxedo Versus” and “HEREAFTER…” I’ve fandubbed it before, but after watching this myu and hearing the Hoshinos’ sad backstory in the scene preceding the song, I saw the song in a new light. In short, knowing of the Hoshinos’ sorrow over the loss of their planet not only makes “Chinmoku” much more poignant, but it also gives a purpose to their quest to get the Silver Crystal.
- “Usagi to Yonin no Zureru Omoi” (“Usagi and Her Four Friends’ Conflicting Feelings”): sung by Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako at Rei’s shrine after they encounter the Outer Senshi, who don’t want the Inners’ help going after the Death Busters. It shares a melody with “Tabidachi” (“Setting Out on a Journey”), a song by Usagi and Ami from the First Stage, but has different lyrics. All five girls sing this song very well, considering that all of them are still pretty new to performing at this point – particularly Kawasaki Aiko-san, who debuts as Mars in this myu, and the still relatively new Jupiter, Mai-chan.
- “Honoo no Messenger” (“Messenger of Flame”): Sailor Mars’s theme song, which debuted in 2000’s Transylvania no Mori. This is another song change for the kaiteiban and was probably included to feature the new Mars. (The tenth song in the original Mugen Gakuen was “Destined Couple,” a Uranus and Neptune song. My guess is that they cut it from the kaiteiban since it was, according to Takagi Nao, written with Nao and Yuuka in mind, and they both graduated after the original Mugen Gakuen). It’s set in the context of the Grimmseijin (Hoshinos)’s visit to the shrine to try to get the Silver Crystal. It also differs from previous renditions of this song in that it is a 1-chorus version. Kawasaki-san does all right with the song, but I prefer earlier versions, particularly Yoshida Megumi’s version from the 2001 Super Revue Show.
- “Magus Collection”: another Death Busters song. This song is more interesting than “Isei Nottori Keikaku” though for me. It is more like the usual villain song one would expect from SeraMyu.
- “Kagami yo Moshi ya...” (“Mirror, Could it Be…”): another new song for the kaiteiban (oddly enough, it wasn’t in the original Mugen Gakuen) and unusual in that it is a Kaolinite solo. However, this song proves, if nothing else, that this myu is based on the S manga (a.k.a. “Infinity Arc”) rather than the S anime, since Kaolinite’s water mirror is unique to the manga. It’s sung by Kawasaki Miki-san, a true Myu veteran (she appeared in every myu from Shin Densetsu Kourin onward) and the myus’ third longest-running performer (after Endou Ado and Mochizuki Yuuta). She does a great job, as usual. This song does not appear on the Mugen Gakuen soundtrack, since it is unique to the Kaiteiban; it does, however, appear on the compilation CD Eternal Edition 3 (although, unlike many other villain songs, it doesn’t appear on the Dark Side Edition compilation CD).
- “Triangle Secret & Traditional the Grace ~Ai no Arashi~ (MIX ver.)”: a cute sort-of duet between Mimete and Venus that combines the Witches 5 part of “Triangle Secret!” with Venus’s theme song “Traditional the Grace ~Ai no Arashi~” (“Traditional the Grace! ~Storm of Love~”), which debuted in 2001’s Transylvania no Mori (Kaiteiban). Some myu fans have pointed out that this duet is a reference to the rivalry between Mimete and Minako as idols in the manga. While I can’t confirm that (I’ve only read a bit of the S manga), the song does definitely suggest a rivalry. Although Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury each in turn meet up with a member of the Witches 5 while roaming Mugen Gakuen, only Mimete and Venus’s meeting ends up with a song attached to it. This specific mix of the two songs was never released on CD, though the two songs were released on CD individually. The mix was probably included to promote Kudo Aki (Mimete), who debuted in this myu, and Watanabe Mizuki (Venus), who was graduating.
- “Sailor War ’94”: a version of "Sailor War" that, as the name suggests, debuted in 1994 (in the myu Sailor Moon S - Usagi Ai no Senshi e no Michi). It is sung by the five Inner Senshi. I personally like the lyrics of this version of “Sailor War” better than other versions I’ve heard.
- “Seijaku no Hostie” (“Hostie of Silence”): sung by Mistress 9. The Mistress 9 in this myu is Akiyama Chinatsu, who debuted in this myu and then went on to be, of all things, the second Sailor Star Fighter! (Manami-chan, who plays Mercury in this myu, also played a villain before playing a senshi, playing Berthier in the Ankoku no Princess Black Lady revision before taking over as Mercury when Chieco Kawabe graduated after Ai no Sanctuary). The French word hostie is used in this myu as a synonym for the Japanese word seitai, both of which are translated as “spirit” or “host.” (In fact, in the actual video of this myu, the song title is listed as “Seijaku no Hostie (Seitai),” so the audience remembers what hostie means). This song also appeared in the original Mugen Gakuen, with Inami Tomoko (Neptune in this myu) singing it. Comparing the two versions, Inami-san’s is sung better, in my opinion.
- “Broken Mobiüs (Talisman Version)”: an Outer Senshi song. The original “Broken Mobiüs” appeared in the Black Lady myus; the slightly edited Talisman Version appeared in the Mugen Gakuen myus and in 2004’s Kakyuu-Ouhi Kourin - The Second Stage Final. I actually like the way the Talisman Version is sung. It’s sung here by the new Uranus and Neptune, Uchida-san and Inami-san, along with Hosaka Yuuko, the longest-running Sailor Pluto, who started in 2000’s Transylvania no Mori and stayed on with the myus after Nao and Yuuka left, graduating after Kakyuu-Ouhi Kourin. Since Saturn, who originally was part of this song, is absent in this performance, the four solo parts are redistributed among the three remaining senshi.
- “The World Died Out”: Saturn’s theme song for the Mugen Gakuen myus. In Mugen Gakuen (Kaiteiban), part of it is also sung by the other Outers; in the original Mugen Gakuen, Saturn sings the whole song alone, though Pluto sings a bit of the chorus with her. They are also staged slightly differently, with different backdrops. Also, in the Kaiteiban version, when Saturn sings “Destruction” and “Death Revolution,” there is an echo effect added in both the myu and CD versions.
- “Pinky Typhoon”: a Chibi-Moon song which makes its debut in this myu. Strangely enough, this is used as the main battle song of the myu, replacing “21st Now Millennium – Koi no Senshi ja Irarenai” (“21st Now Millennium – We Can’t Always Be Soldiers of Love”), a slightly edited version of “21st Century – Koi no Senshi ja Irarenai,” a battle song that debuted in 2000’s Transylvania no Mori (the year probably being the reason for the "21st Century” in the title). It is sung by the Inner Senshi, Outer Senshi, and Chibi-Moon. It might’ve been used to feature the new Chibi-Moon, Oono Mao. (Oono-chan is supposedly singing live, but it looks like she’s lip-syncing – not sure which it is).
- “HEREAFTER…”: the final song of the myu, sung by all the senshi. It is slow and pensive, very much like myu staple “Densetsu Seitan” (“The Birth of a Legend”). I like it a lot. The lyrics are really cool, and the scene itself, which features the Outers agreeing they are Sailor Senshi just like the others and Jupiter and Mars reassuring Moon that the Hoshinos made it back to Grimm (their planet), is pretty neat too.
The “service” (encore) numbers for this myu are unknown, though “La Soldier” was probably one of them, as usual. “Mystery Sagashi” (“Mystery Search”) and a 1-chorus version of “La Soldier” were the service numbers for the original Mugen Gakuen, so they may have been the service numbers for this myu as well.
TRIVIA:
- The recorded performance for this myu is the January 7, 2003, performance (about halfway through the run).
- This myu and its predecessor are based on the Infinity Arc of the manga, which corresponds to the S season of the anime. The arc is called “Infinity” because the Death Busters’ base is at Mugen Gakuen, which means “Infinity Academy” in Japanese.
- Though this is a kaiteiban (revision) of its predecessor, the plot changes appear to be pretty minor, consisting mainly of song changes (though I haven’t seen the original Mugen Gakuen yet so I may be wrong about that). The songs “Zigzag Slash,” “Honoo no Messenger,” “Kagami yo Moshi ya…” and “Triangle Secret & Traditional the Grace! (MIX Ver.)” were new additions to the kaiteiban. “Tuxedo Versus” and “Pinky Typhoon” were replacements of “Tuxedo Mission” and “21st Now Millennium – Koi no Senshi ja Irarenai” respectively from the original Mugen Gakuen (although “Pinky Typhoon” itself was a new song).
- The cast changes, on the other hand, were more significant. Eleven parts were recast for this myu – Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Chibi-Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, Alba/Hoshino Kibou, Mistress 9, Mimete, Viluy, Tellu, and Cyprine.
- This was the first myu for Kawasaki Aiko (Mars), Uchida Asako (Uranus), Oono Mao (Chibi-Moon), Shirota Yuu (Tuxedo Kamen), Akiyama Chinatsu (Mistress 9), and Kudo Aki (Mimete). It was the only myu for Iwasaki Akiko (Tellu), Amano Saeri (Cyprine), and Yamaguchi Jun (Alba/Hoshino Kibou). This was also Inami Tomoko’s first myu as Neptune; she had debuted in the original Mugen Gakuen as Mistress 9.
- Watanabe Mizuki (Venus) and Nakamura Ruria (Saturn) graduated from the myus altogether after this myu.
- There is some confusion in this myu about Gallica’s gender. Gallica’s Hoshino Barako persona is clearly female, yet when Gallica is discussed in the scene prior to “Chinmoku no Hameln,” he is referred to as a male.
- Alba is identified by a dying Centi as the last princess of the Hoshinos' planet, Grimm.
- In this myu and its predecessor, the French word hostie and the Japanese word seitai are used interchangeably to refer to the human lifeforce the Death Busters are collecting to help establish their new order. The words are generally translated in both myus as “spirit” or “host.” While hostie does mean “host” in French, the term is actually used to refer to the consecrated wafer served during Communion. Seitai is most likely used here in the Communion host sense as well, since the furigana (hiragana or katakana characters written over a difficult kanji to clarify its pronunciation or meaning) written over the seitai kanji following the “Seijaku no Hostie” song title can translate as “the Host,” referring to the Communion wafer, which is believed by Catholics to be the real body of Christ (or “host”) substituted for the bread. [Thanks to Wikitonary & Denshi Jisho for the translations]
- The Hoshino family backstory is similar to the fairy tale “The Pied Piper of Hamelin,” the earliest version of which dates back to a circa 1300 stained glass window in the Church of Hamelin. The most well-known version today comes to us from the Brothers Grimm. In fact, the Hoshinos’ village and planet names – Hameln (German for Hamelin) and Grimm – may be a reference to the story and the Grimms. [Thanks to Wikipedia for this info].
- The Hoshino family’s names – both their real names and their Hoshino family aliases – are puns. The Hoshino surname uses the same “field/of” pun used in the Senshi’s names, where the kanji for the particle no can be translated either as “field” or a possessive “of.” The Hoshinos’ given names are Shintarou, Barako, Hanako, Seika, and Kibou, which translate as “rising first son,” “rose child,” “flower child,” “sacred fire,” and “hope” respectively. Adding these to Hoshino (“of the star”), their names become “Rising first son of the star,” “Rose child of the star,” etc. Their real given names (Damask, Gallica, Centi, Moss, and Alba) refer to different varieties of roses – the Damask rose, the Rosa gallica or Gallic rose, the Centifolia or “cabbage” rose, the Moss rose, and the Alba rose.
- Ironically, though Damask’s name Shintarou means “rising first son,” he is likely not the eldest of the group, since he calls Centi oneesama (big sister); they may not be related however, since oniisan/oniisama (big brother) and oneesan/oneesama (big sister) can also be used for those older than you who are like a brother or sister, even if they are not related to you. For instance, in episode 42 of the anime, Minako addresses her close friend and mentor Katarina as oneesama and Luna says “You were calling that monster Katarina-oneesan.”