Sailor Moon’s Moonlight Densetsu as played on traditional Japanese instruments

The classic theme song comes to life in a brand-new way that evokes a different style of “miracle romance.” 

“Moonlight Densetsu (‘Legend’),” the opening theme of the 1990s anime classic Sailor Moon, is still a beloved tune and karaoke go-to even though it first graced TV screens over 25 years ago. The song is instantly recognizable no matter if you grew up watching the original Japanese version or the English dubbed version, as the latter actually retained the original song’s melody (unlike many other popular anime of the time such as Pokémon). Doesn’t just hearing its familiar opening notes set you awash in a wave of nostalgia and childhood daydreams?

There have been countless covers of the song over the years, but a particular one making use of wagakki, or traditional Japanese instruments, especially piqued our interest. The video was posted earlier this year by Nami Kineie, a master of the three-stringed shamisen who has an impressive repertoire of CDs under her belt. Not one to shy away from traditional kabuki nagauta “long songs” nor modern tunes, Kineie has blown us away us by leading the following utterly unique arrangement of “Moonlight Densetsu.”

Particularly heartwarming to us is the video’s comments section, which is positively brimming with love and praises from people all around the world.

“So beautiful!”
“It’s awesome to see older musicians covering Sailor Moon songs.”
“It feels like I’m watching the Sailor Senshi, but dressed in kimono!”
“I love how the kimono colors match the characters’ image colors.”
“The seriousness of traditional Japanese music and this elderly band, against the bright, chirpy anime music of Sailor Moon! Wow!”

This isn’t the first–nor will it be the last–Japanese pop culture-influenced cover that Kineie and her companions provide. Check out this much earlier cover of Hatsune Miku’s “Senbonzakura” (complete with vocals):

If you liked what you heard, be sure to follow Kineie’s official website, YouTube channel, or Twitter account. Hopefully we’ll see many more anime-inspired videos in the near future!

Source: JAPANkyo
Images: YouTube/kineienami

Credit: