With the release of Sailor Moon Eternal just around the corner, fans are getting excited. This two-part continuation of the Sailor Moon Crystal reboot was originally meant to come out this year. It was delayed due to COVID-19, but the first half will be released in Japanese theaters on January 8 and the second half on February 11. To celebrate this, a series of Sailor Moon-themed cafés will be opening in Japan at the end of the month. These cafes have recently released pictures and information about their menu and merchandise offerings, and they have to be seen to be believed.
Sailor Moon isn't a stranger to themed cafes, having several pop-up events over the years, including 2019's "Girls Night Out" overlays and 2018's "Sailor Moon x My Melody" crossover event. There have also been two permanent Sailor Moon cafes. The first was Cafe Talisman in Osaka and unfortunately closed down due to financial issues. The other, Tokyo's immensely popular cafe and stage show hybrid Shining Moon, was closed down earlier in the year due to COVID-19.
The artwork for this new Sailor Moon Eternal cafe gives us another look at the designs that will be used in the upcoming movies, showing off the Sailor Scouts and some of the movie's villains. There is also cafe-exclusive artwork, showing the Senshi in new stylish white outfits. The menu contains a slew of dishes, each themed to different Sailor Moon characters or items. While the themed cafe staples of non-alcoholic cocktails and teas are present, the restaurant offers some more substantial dishes including, a seafood pilaf inspired by Mamoru's golden crystal and an adorable stew inspired by the Outer Senshi's house-sharing arrangements. The description for this "house where four people live together" stew describes it as something that Sailor Neptune would cook for her found family of Sailors Uranus, Pluto and Saturn.
However, it is the dessert items that really stand out, from a sweet pudding sandwich that looks like Sailor Chibi Moon's Crystal Carillon to a black sesame flavored donut that looks like Luna's head. The most impressive-looking dish has to be the Moon Crisis Mille Crepes. As you can see from the picture below, this traditional Mille Crepe cake is shaped to resemble the Moon Crisis compact. The heart-shaped cake is topped with special details and frosting that turn it into a surprisingly accurate facsimile of the legendary powerup.
Another nice touch is that one of the desserts will change when the second film releases. This dessert is a visually striking three-color parfait inspired by the design of the Amazon Trio. However, after the second film comes out on February 11, the dessert will be replaced by a four-color parfait inspired by the Amazoness Quartet.
If you want to sample these treats, you better act quickly. The cafes will only be running from December 24 until March 14. However, six different locations are running this café overlay. There will be two locations in Tokyo and one location in Osaka, Okinawa, Hokkaido and Nagoya.
