Sailor Moon's magic endures as new theater set to open in Tokyo
More than 30 years after Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon first sparked a global phenomenon and established the fighting magical girl genre, the franchise continues to evolve with the opening of a new permanent theater in Tokyo staging performances throughout the year.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo-, set to open in Shinagawa Prince Hotel's Club eX in April, will carry on the legacy of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Moon Tokyo-, a theater restaurant which opened briefly in 2019 in the Azabu-Juban district, the setting of the series in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
A show at the theater restaurant Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Moon Tokyo- in Azabu Juban. (Copyright Naoko Takeuchi)(Photo courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.)
A show at the theater restaurant Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Moon Tokyo- in Azabu Juban. (Copyright Naoko Takeuchi)(Photo courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.)
Nelke Planning Co., which operated the previous theater and has been producing Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon musicals since 2013, will also take the helm at the new venue, promising to deliver a "never before seen" adaptation of the show.
"The biggest difference is that previously there were five Sailor Guardians, whereas this time all 10 Sailor Guardians will appear in a completely original story," said Michiho Matsumoto, a managing director and producer at Nelke.
An official poster for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Moon Tokyo-. (Copyright Naoko Takeuchi)(Photo courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.)
An official poster for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Moon Tokyo-. (Copyright Naoko Takeuchi)(Photo courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.)
The theater will also offer meet-and-greet opportunities with the cast and themed drinks. General tickets will go on sale next month on the official website, with overseas bookings welcomed.
The new development underscores the franchise's enduring popularity, with legions of fans across the world.
Last year, "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live toured Britain and the United States to much fanfare. Stage productions have also been performed in France and Taiwan in the past.
An official English poster for "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live. (Copyright Naoko Takeuchi/PNP/"Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live production committee 2025)(Photo courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.)
An official English poster for "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live. (Copyright Naoko Takeuchi/PNP/"Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live production committee 2025)(Photo courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.)
With overseas visitors making up about 10 percent of the audience at Japan performances, Matsumoto said, Nelke had long sought to establish a permanent theater.
"Typically, stage productions in Japan run for about two weeks, or at most around a month. So when overseas visitors come to Japan, the show they want to see may already have ended, or they may be visiting during a period when there is no show running," said Matsumoto.
An official of PNP, the firm that manages the rights to Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, said many overseas fans had traveled to Japan specifically to visit the Azabu-Juban theater, as well as for the recent run of The Super Live last October.
The official added that Shinagawa was chosen with such visitors in mind, with the major railway hub providing convenient access to Azabu-Juban and the official Sailor Moon store in Harajuku.
Photo taken Dec. 28, 2025, shows the official Sailor Moon store in Harajuku. (Kyodo)
Photo taken Dec. 28, 2025, shows the official Sailor Moon store in Harajuku. (Kyodo)
"Rather than seeing (the theater) as just something that has happened 30 years (after the franchise's launch), the original creators see it as a new addition joining the many wonderful ongoing developments surrounding the franchise today," said the official.
Indeed, the franchise's appeal is showing no signs of slowing, with a manhole cover project started by Tokyo's Minato Ward in March 2024 proving a big draw for visitors.
The five manhole covers, featuring both original art and manga scenes, are located near sites featured in the series that fans often make pilgrimages to, including Tokyo Tower and Azabu-Juban shopping street.
Naomi Terado, Minato Ward's director of tourism policy, said around 3,000 people, including foreign visitors, lined up from the morning to get manhole cards on the first day of their release in April 2024.
"There were many social media posts in various languages, and seeing this, we realized just how many international fans there are. Initially, the (manhole) map was produced only in Japanese, but we later created English, Chinese and Korean versions as well," said Terado.
Exclusive Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon tote bags for sale at Minato Ward's tourist information center are mostly sold out on Dec. 8, 2025. (Kyodo)
Exclusive Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon tote bags for sale at Minato Ward's tourist information center are mostly sold out on Dec. 8, 2025. (Kyodo)
An estimated 12,000 people from outside the ward visited its tourist information center for the card and other exclusive goods in the first month, according to Terado. Visitors now average around 3,000 a month, with foreign nationals comprising around 10 percent.
Since first airing in 1992 in Japan, the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon anime has been released in over 40 countries. The series' widespread appeal lies in the fact that its story "resonates globally" in a similar way to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," according to the PNP official.
"Unlike some Japan-specific manga, the story is easy to engage with. The themes of love and justice transcend nationality and race, making them universally understandable," she said.
Brooke, co-founder of the Sailor Moon Fan Network, poses with her large collection of merchandise. (Photo courtesy of Brooke)
Brooke, co-founder of the Sailor Moon Fan Network, poses with her large collection of merchandise. (Photo courtesy of Brooke)
A longtime American fan who co-founded the unofficial Sailor Moon Fan Network, one of the most comprehensive fan sites in English averaging over 100,000 hits a month, said she "fell in love with the animation and story" when she first discovered it aged 7.
"It was completely different from other cartoons on TV in America at the time," said the content creator, who asked to be referred to only as Brooke.
A cardboard cutout of Sailor Moon that is one of Brooke's most prized possessions. (Photo courtesy of Brooke)
A cardboard cutout of Sailor Moon that is one of Brooke's most prized possessions. (Photo courtesy of Brooke)
Brooke, now 37, said she has visited Japan eight times for Sailor Moon events, and boasts an impressive collection of merchandise, which she showcases on her YouTube channel "Ochibawolf Collection."
Another loyal fan, Victoria L. Johnson, runs a Sailor Moon podcast where she interviews high-profile fans such as Bennett Abara, the American voice actor for Sailor Jupiter, and rapper Rei Ami, the singing voice for Zoey in "KPop Demon Hunters."
Victoria L. Johnson. (Photo courtesy of Victoria L. Johnson)
Victoria L. Johnson. (Photo courtesy of Victoria L. Johnson)
"I kept coming across so many amazing Sailor Moon fans who were authors, comic book creators, wrestlers, musicians, animators, voice actors and more. It made me realize that the Sailor Moon fandom is the coolest one," said Johnson, 34, who also launched an annual Magical Girls Festival in New York in 2024.
Vendors at the 2025 Magical Girls Festival in New York on Sep. 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Victoria L. Johnson)
Vendors at the 2025 Magical Girls Festival in New York on Sep. 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Victoria L. Johnson)
While girls that grew up with the series in the 90s form the bulk of fans, streaming platforms helped create cross-generational fandom and perpetuated the series' cultural staying power.
"We have heard that during the pandemic, people around the world turned to Japanese manga and anime while staying home, which expanded the global Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon fan base," said Terado.
Matsumoto expressed hope that the upcoming theater would draw longtime and new fans alike, saying changes in stage production techniques and technology have made "what was once impossible technically achievable."
"But at the same time, the raw, analog power of live performance, the energy conveyed by human presence, remains essential," she said.
＊Cover photo: Copyright Naoko Takeuchi, Courtesy of Nelke Planning Co.
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