Mugen Gakuen ~Mistress Labyrinth~ (Kaiteiban) Review
I finally got to watch this recently thanks to a YouTube user named innocentami, who has taken it upon herself to fansub some SeraMyu musicals that haven’t already been subbed.
Since S is the only anime season I’ve seen in full, the Death Busters arc has a sort of special place in my heart. The Mugen Gakuen myus, however, are based on the manga equivalent of S, called the Infinity Arc. I recognized some of the plot elements from the later part of the Arc (which I am familiar with from the lone Sailor Moon comic book I used to have, which was from that arc) but not the earlier elements. So I can’t say for sure whether the myu was true to its source material.
The myu does have the compressed-plot feel of the manga, whereas anime-based myus like Sailor Stars and Eien Densetsu seem to have more gradual plot development. It starts with the initial attack and the introduction of Haruka and Michiru, progresses rather quickly to the senshi investigating Mugen Gakuen and running into the Witches 5, and then moves quickly to Mistress 9’s awakening, the final battle, the awakening of Sailor Saturn, and the aftermath.
The traditional Infinity Arc story is fleshed out in this myu, however, with the inclusion of the Hoshino family. They are original characters that are the last survivors of a planet that was destroyed by the Death Busters. Their story gives a different perspective on the destructive potential of the Death Busters.
The acting in this myu was rather good. All of the Hoshinos are well played, particularly Damask. The Death Busters are all right, though Tomoe is shown to be a bit too insane and the Witches 5 seem a bit over the top. I liked all of the Outers – Nakamura-chan as Saturn and Yuuko-san as Pluto both give great performances. The new Uranus and Neptune also do really well for their first myu outing – they don’t have the Nao-Yuuka chemistry, but they definitely act well. I’m undecided with the Inners. Marina, Manami, and Mizuki (Venus) are all awesome in this myu. Marina nails the typical whiny Usagi in the opening scene, Manami is hilarious when she keeps telling Damask she can’t transform into Mercury because she can’t move (since she and the others are frozen by Kaolinite's Magus Freeze), and Mizuki is fantastic in the scene with Mimete. The other two Inners – Watanabe Mai as Jupiter and newcomer Kawasaki Aiko as Mars – are just ok for me. Mai doesn’t get much time to shine in this myu, despite getting a solo through the addition of “Zigzag Slash” to the Kaiteiban, so maybe she has more potential than I think. Kawasaki-san is a decent Mars but not my favorite.
The new Chibimoon is pretty cute, though thanks to being unconscious for a majority of the play, she doesn’t get nearly enough stage time, though she does get a solo in “Pinky Typhoon.” Yuu-kun as the new Mamoru is very impressive. At a mere 18 years old, he is the sort of young, kakkoii Tuxedo Kamen Mochizuki Yuuta-san could’ve been if he was 10 years younger when he started in the role. Unlike most of the other Tuxedo Kamens after Mochizuki-san, Yuu-kun can sing well, act well, and seems comfortable in his own skin.
The songs in this myu are good. I like “Tuxedo Versus,” “Chinmoku no Hameln,” and “HEREAFTER…” the most. The other ones are good too, though, like “Harsh! Saint Cry (Re-Arrange)” and “Broken Möbius (Talisman Version).”
Overall, it was a very good musical, with lots of humor mixed in with the dark parts (like Saturn destroying the world). Whether or not you like S or the Infinity Arc, it’s worth a watch.