Song of the Week
8/12/10 - "La Soldier"
SeraMyu 17th Anniversary Special
Welcome back to Song of the Week! This is the 10th Song of the Week so far! This week is a special one for the myus, for it was on August 11, 1993, that the very first Sailor Moon musical, Gaiden: Dark Kingdom Fukkatsu Hen, first opened, and SeraMyu as we know it began. Now 17 years and 800+ perfomances later, the myu fandom lingers on, and nothing represents that more than this week's featured song, "La Soldier."
The late Kanbe Miyuki said at the Last Dracul Jokyoku fankan that if they didn't sing "La Soldier," they weren't true Sailor Senshi, and she might have a point there. "La Soldier" is the quintessential song of the musicals; it appeared at every fan event and was an encore number for every musical, usually in a 1-chorus version. It was also part of the "Best Songs Medley" performed at the 2001 Super Revue Show (the 2nd part of the Death Vulcan myu) and the 2002 Memorial Talk and Live Show. It appeared in full in Gaiden (which also debuted another myu staple, "Sailor War"), Shin Densetsu Kourin, and Ankoku no Princess Black Lady (where the orchestral version, first used in the "Best Songs Medley," made its debut in a musical). It also appeared on every musical soundtrack except for the Kaguya Shima Densetsu soundtrack (however, the version from that musical was later released on the Theme Songs 1993-1999 CD). So to say this song is the musicals' main theme is an understatement. It even appears in the Sailor Moon anime as the BGM for the fight against Death Phantom in episode 88.
To be honest, "La Soldier" is not my favorite song in the myus. I do get a bit tired of hearing it sometimes. But it is a great song nonetheless. So go ahead, celebrate the myus' 17th anniversary and you might "begin to change/Vividly, Secretly, La Soldier."
Happy 17th anniversary, SeraMyu! That's all for this week. Tune in next Thursday to see the next Song of the Week!