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Assault Lily: Schwester's Prayer

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Assault Lily x Ludvico Private Girls Academy vol.1 "Schwester's Prayer" (アサルトリリィ × 私立ルドビコ女学院vol.1『シュベスターの祈り』) is a stage play created by AZONE International and acus in collaboration with the theatre troupe Ludvico Private Girls' Academy. It is the very first stage play in the Assault Lily Series, and the first of four stage plays centered around the Garden of Ludvico Private Girls' Academy. The original performance ran from April 16 to April 24, 2016 at the Sun-mall studio in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

In 2021, the play was completely remade as the sixth volume of the Assault Lily x Ludvico Private Girls' Academy collaboration. It was performed at Theater Green's Big Tree Theater in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The revival version features several changes to the screenplay such as additional scenes and different dialogue. It ran from May 28 to June 6, 2021.

Schwester's Prayer was revived for a second time in 2023 as a part of the Lily Project series of stage plays. Though this version is nearly identical to the 2021 revival, it was performed by a completely new cast. The Lily Project version was performed at the Theater Sun-mall in Shinjuku, and ran from May 18 to May 21, 2023.

A sequel, Schwester's Secret, premiered September 16, 2016, with its revival version premiering on October 15, 2021.

Plot

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This information is based on the revival and not the original run.

Prelude

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One year ago, Kishimoto Raimu and her childhood friend Amamiya Seren find themselves amidst the crossfire between a swarm of Huge and the Temple Legion of Ludvico Private Girls’ Academy. Seren urges Raimu to flee, but Raimu insists on staying, recalling the promise she had made with her sister, Kishimoto Maria Mirai, that she would "become a Lily just like her". The Lilies are suddenly faced with a Gigant-class Huge, and Raimu and Seren are barely rescued by Mirai, who had previously deserted the Garden and the Temple Legion. While Raimu is overjoyed to finally join her sister in the battlefield, Mirai coldly rebukes her, stating that “she is unfit to become a Lily”. Unleashing the full power of her Rare Skill, Phase Transcendence, Mirai fires back against the Huge while Raimu and Seren observe in shock as an immense explosion claims Mirai's life.

Prologue

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In the present day, Matsunaga Brigitta Kayo informs the longtime members of Temple Legion Fukuyama Jeanne Sachie and her friend Seto Veronica Ichika of Ichinomiya Michaela Himari’s arrival in Ludvico, having transferred from Irma Girls’ School for the Arts. Upon her arrival, Himari is told by the second year Sano Matilda Kokoro of the Temple Legion’s variable lineup system, where the strongest Lilies at any given time are selected by the Garden to integrate it. Kokoro remarks how Sachie and Ichika, as well as one Kuroki Francisca Yuria, have been repeatedly chosen since their time as first years.

Meanwhile, Ichika contacts her longtime friend, Tachibana Theresia Nagisa, currently a student of the Swedish Garden Heimskringla Trädgård, and the pair discusses Sachie’s current mental state, remarking how she has paid daily visits to Ludvico’s cemetery, known as Maria’s Hill, since the death of Mirai, who was once her Schwester. During one of such visits, Sachie reminisces of a conversation she had with Mirai on how the world used to be filled with life, where Mirai remarked that it was a dream of hers and her father, a researcher, to one day bring the world back to the way it used to be.

Upon graduating from junior high, Raimu and Seren formally enroll into Ludvico, and are respectively baptised with the names “Lucia” and “Sophia” as per school tradition. On their first day of training, they are approached by fellow freshmen Hasegawa Gabriella Tsugumi, Saeki Julia Karen and Haneda Catalina Mei, who are awestruck by Seren, as she passed the entrance exam at the top of their grade. They are soon joined by Narumi Clara Yuko, Hanaoka Angela Moe and Nagase Marta Nonoka in their Class B, who are equally smitten by Seren's performance, Clara particularly so, leading her to belittle Raimu due to her particularly poor performance during the exam. Hojo Monica Asahi of Class A, Clara’s old partner during junior high, also introduces herself, and is completely dismissive of Class B as a whole.

The first years turn their conversation to the Schwester System, explaining to the clueless Raimu how it is a pact of sisterhood taken between an upperclassman and their junior, symbolized by exchanging the Medalhas that each student holds. They also tell her of the Easter Festival, in which a senior may hide their Medalha inside an Easter Egg, giving a chance for the junior who finds it to become their Schwester. Seren expresses that she wishes to become the Schwester of the strongest Lily in the Garden, and the first years posit that Himari is her primary choice, Clara, meanwhile, rebuffs Raimu’s desire to have a Schwester of her own, much to Seren’s rage.

Class B begins their first training session, conducted by the Instructors Izumi Rosa Rina and Kosaka Anastasia Ryoko, as well as the aid of the second year veterans Sachie, Ichika, Himari, Yuria, Kokoro and Kayo. The first year Lilies perform with varying results, but Raimu shows herself to be particularly unskilled in using her CHARM, the one-of-a-kind, lavender-colored Asterion previously used by Mirai. Sachie strongly reprimands Raimu, echoing the words said by Mirai a year prior: “you’re unfit to become a Lily”. Ichika comforts the upset Raimu, revealing that though Sachie was Mirai’s Schwester in the past, the latter would annul their vows a month before her death, leaving the Garden immediately after. Ichika tells Raimu that Sachie is still drowning in her grief, and hopes that Raimu may be able to help her move on.

Sachie once again visits Maria's Hill, where she is found by Kayo, who tells her that she harbors suspicions over Mirai's fate. She remarks how the information she found regarding her death is suspiciously vague, simply stating that she “died in combat” and absolutely nothing else. Meanwhile, Raimu suffers from a strong headache while attempting to remember her sister, and tells Seren that she cannot remember what happened after she saw Mirai for the last time during her final battle. Seren reassures her that “she does not have to remember”, and offers to switch groups with Raimu during training, so that she doesn’t have to endure Sachie’s scolding, but Raimu refuses, remarking that if her sister chose Sachie as her Schwester, then she must be someone kind deep within. Approaching Seren, Clara wonders why someone as gifted as her is so considerate of Raimu, and Seren responds that Mirai entrusted her with protecting Raimu, no matter the cost, and so she longs to become a Lily even stronger than Mirai was, so that she may keep that promise.

First Battle

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In a secret room within the Garden, Rina and Ryoko begin a video conference with a group of mysterious figures, reporting on Seren and Himari as the most noteworthy prodigies of their respective grades. The Instructors are inquired about Raimu and Yuria, and they reply that their situations remain in accordance with their plans. The meeting is interrupted by the alarm indicating Cave formation, and with no orders to assemble the Temple Legion, all Lilies are instructed to engage in combat. Unable to find Seren, Raimu leaves to the battlefield alone in order to search for her, while at the same time Sachie performs unusually poorly while fighting the Huge, and is saved by Himari after failing to take action after experiencing a triggering flashback Clara follows Seren, scolding her for fighting too erratically, and bluntly telling her that she is “weak”, which enrages Seren. The pair is then saved by Yuria, who effortlessly kills the Huge surrounding them, but dismisses the two as a nuisance.

Himari continues to tail Sachie, observing as she continues to fight inefficiently. Himari reveals that she joined Ludvico in order to fight together with Sachie once again, as the two shared the battlefield once during the Odaiba Counteroffensive. Yet, Himari remarks that she is nothing like she used to be, and blames it on Mirai recklessly abandoning her. Sachie protests this, and Himari urges her to fight properly to prove her wrong. Raimu finally finds Seren after frantically looking for her, and all Lilies regroup as they are surrounded by a pack of six Large-class Huge, Raimu is still unable to fight, but Sachie declares that she'll keep her safe, as she is her Schwester's sister. They are joined by the Battle Arsenal Amatsu Marei of Ryuto Girls' Academy as they carry on their counter strike, and she notably remarks how Yuria’s personality has changed since last meeting her during the Counteroffensive.

Interlude

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After the battle concludes, Ichika briefs Marei on the difficulties the second years have been facing, with Marei lamenting that Sachie hasn’t yet made use of the Fierbois she made for her. Ichika supposes that Sachie still wants to hold on to the CHARM she used when fighting together with Mirai. Ichika contacts Nagisa once again, and the pair discusses how Ichika was able to move on from her own Schwester’s death, where Nagisa remarks that it’s not an easy process, as even if one can convince themselves that they’ve moved on, that may not necessarily be true.

Some time later, Kokoro and Kayo watch in hiding as Rina and Ryoko hold another conference with the mysterious figures, where they report that Himari is currently the Lily with the highest Skiller Value in the entire Garden. They are instructed to carry on the same procedure they performed with Mirai, leading Rina to strongly protest against it, as she does not wish to turn another of her students into an experiment. She is starkly reprimanded, however, and both Nuns begrudgingly agree to proceed. Kayo identifies the figures as part of GEHENA, and concludes that they must be conducting experiments with Ludvico’s students.

Yuria inquires Himari on what led her to transfer to Ludvico, and where her desire to become stronger comes from. Himari reveals that during her time in Irma, she had a rival, and that despite always sharing the battlefield with her, they held starkly different ideals. Himari tells Yuria that she longs for a "freeform, gallant fighting style", that brings forth each Lily’s individuality, an inspiration that came to her after witnessing Sachie’s form during the Odaiba Counteroffensive.

Meanwhile, Seren finds a box left to her by Mirai, containing a gift the latter planned to give Raimu once she became a Lily. She is approached by Ichika, who after noticing how she appeared to avoid Raimu during their previous battle, urges Seren to believe in her growth, so that her wish to keep her safe does not prevent Raimu from progressing on her own. Meanwhile, Raimu talks to Sachie about wishing to become stronger for hers and Seren’s sake, and boldly declares that she wishes to become Sachie’s Schwester.

The Easter Festival comes, and the first years begin their Easter Egg hunt, though mostly finding eggs left by the playful Instructor Ryoko. Meanwhile, Sachie conducts a demonstration of her custom Fierbois for Marei, though to the latter’s disappointment, she remarks she is not quite used to it yet. Meanwhile, Clara tails Himari, wishing to learn where she hid her egg. Himari wonders why Clara wishes to become her Schwester all of a sudden, and the junior reveals she intends to make Seren jealous by being "taken" by the one she wants to become Schwesters with. Clara entrusts her teddy bear, Kumama, to Himari, promising to find her egg in the meantime.

Kokoro finds Kayo, who plans to tell Sachie of what they learned about Mirai. Kokoro disagrees, seeing it as contradicting Mirai’s wish to not tell Sachie while she still lived, but Kayo insists that Sachie’s grief and the doubts she faces cannot go on any longer. Meanwhile, Raimu finds Sachie’s egg hidden at Maria’s Hill, however, it turns out to be empty. Suddenly, the Cave alarm blares, with Instructor Rina declaring that the Huge are advancing directly towards Ludvico’s campus. Ryoko warns Rina that a large swarm of Huge are moving towards Maria’s Hill, and the latter worriedly remembers how GEHENA showed interest in Raimu, being Mirai’s sister.

Second Battle

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Predicting the appearance of a Gigant-class, Rina assembles Himari, Sachie, Yuria, Ichika, Kayo, Kokoro, Clara, Seren and Raimu to form the Temple Legion. Meanwhile, as the other first years join Instructor Ryoko’s Cheering Squad, Karen urges Mei and Tsugumi to go out and fight the Huge on their own, but Tsugumi refuses, deciding to join Ryoko while Karen and Mei leave for battle. Seren finds Raimu, and hands her the contents of the box left by Mirai: her Medalha, which matches the one worn by Sachie. The Temple Legion members arrive at Maria’s Hill, and Himari returns Kumama to Clara, which was adorned by the former's Medalha.

Immediately faced with a Gigant-class, the Legion begins the Neunwelt Tactic, where Clara displays her Rare Skill, Zenon Paradoxa, for the first time. While preparing her pass, Yuria is badly injured by the Huge, but her wounds heal immediately, revealing her to be a Boosted Lily. While on her turn with the Magisphere, Kayo, under the influence of her Lunatic Trancer, is further enraged by what she had discovered, and immediately reveals to Sachie that the reason Mirai left the Garden with no explanation was because she had been made into a human experiment by GEHENA.

Yuria explains that Lilies with high Skiller Values are targeted by GEHENA to become Boosted Lilies, a procedure that makes them not unlike the Huge they fight, and she wonders if that was a reality Mirai was unable to come to terms with. Yuria remarks, however, that Mirai still fought to the very end to protect Raimu and Seren, even in the face of that, and she urges Sachie to do the same. Sachie makes the final pass of the Magisphere to Raimu, who demands that Seren tell her what happened to her sister when she died, and why she could not remember it. Seren reluctantly reveals that as Mirai activated her Phase Transcendence, the sheer power of it caused her very body to explode. This leaves both Raimu and Sachie in shock, but remembering her sister’s final words to her, Raimu fires the finishing shot, awakening to the Rare Skill Shukuchi and finally destroying the Gigant-class Huge before falling unconscious. Holding Raimu in her arms, Seren remarks that she was the one who had forgotten that, on that day, it was Raimu who protected her instead.

Epilogue

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In the aftermath of the battle, Mei and Karen are shown to be lost, having made it far away from the battlefield and into the nearby woods. They are found by Tsugumi, who despite searching for them, can no longer remember the way back to the Garden. Rina is left distraught by what happened, revealing that she was the one who personally handed Mirai over to GEHENA, and remarking that her spirit certainly resents her for it. Meanwhile, Seren pleads with Yuria to become her Schwester, but she refuses, telling Seren that she is better off not involving herself with her, noting how in Mirai’s case, her Rare Skill, Phase Transcendence being overloaded by the increased Magie output from the boosting experiments is what resulted in her death, and that the same could eventually happen to her.

Looking back, Kayo remarks that during the battle, she strangely felt much more connected to her teammates and more in control of her power than usual, and she hypothesizes that Raimu’s Rare Skill might not be Shukuchi after all. Clara approaches Himari, wishing to ascertain what she meant by leaving her Medalha on Kumama. Confirming her intentions to become her Schwester, Clara and Himari exchange their Medalhas, properly taking the Schwester’s Oath. Raimu meets Sachie once again at Maria’s Hill, where Sachie promises to both keep Raimu safe and to make her into a top class Lily. There, they exchange their Medalhas, and finally, Raimu and Sachie take the Schwester's Oath. The Cave alarm blares, and the pair sets off to battle, now as fully fledged members of the Temple Legion.

Differences from the original play

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Though the revival introduces several changes to the play's structure and dialogue, listed below are some of the most notable differences:

  • Mirai, Nagisa, Asahi and Marei were completely absent from the original stage play, with all of their scenes being completely new additions to the revival. Asahi’s introduction scene, however, is adapted from her first appearance in the original Schwester’s Secret. Similarly, Mirai originally only appears in voice, but the scene were Mirai and Sachie discuss the presence of life on Earth is largely inspired by a similar scene in Schwester's Secret.
  • The Lilies Suzushiro Catarina Miyabi and Natsume Elizabeth Ema are completely absent from the revival, with the former being replaced by Haneda Catalina Mei.
  • Amatsu Marei appears exclusively in the revivals, and her very first scene particularly has her fill the role of Akutsu Magdalena Maaya, one of Ludvico’s Instructors, who was portrayed by the stage director of Ludvico (the troupe) Sakuragi Sakaya. As Maaya’s appearances after the original Schwester's Prayer only occur during the interactive interludes between the play acts, this effectively nulls Maaya's only in-universe appearance within Assault Lily media.
  • The original stage play did not yet use the term “Boosted Lily”, only referring to them as “Enhanced Humans” (強化人間).

Cast

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Revival (2021)

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Temple Legion

Ludvico Private Girls' Academy

Instructors

Ryuto Girls' School

Heimskringla Trädgård

Original Performance (2016)

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Temple Legion

Ludvico Private Girls' Academy

Instructors

Lily Project ver. (2023)

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Temple Legion

Ludvico Private Girls' Academy

Instructors

Ryuto Girls' School

Production

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The original draft was created by Obanazawa Ken'ei (尾花沢軒栄), the author of the Assault Lily series, who was responsible for the worldbuilding and adapting the Ludvico setting for the Assault Lily universe, while Sakuragi Sayaka (桜木さやか), the Director of the Ludvico Private Girls' Academy troupe, was responsible for the screenplay. The action direction was overseen by by Kato Manabu, dance choreography by Todo Mitsuyuki, and singing instruction by Kimura Wakana. For the revivals, Sakuragi Sayaka remained in charge of the screenplay, while sharing direction with Hayashi Shuji (林修司).

Production issues (revival)

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On May 26, 2021, it was announced that the nighttime debut performance of the Schwester's Prayer revival would be cancelled due to suspicions that the stage actresses had come into contact with personnel infected with COVID-19. The subsequent performances had the understudy Hanana Mio (Yokoyama Azusa) replace lead actress Sakura Ui (at the time going by Miyase Reina) in the role of Kishimoto Lucia Raimu from May 28 to May 30, and later Nishimoto Rimi in the role of Ichinomiya Michaela Himari from June 4 to 6.

Because of the issues encountered, five additional performances were added to the original ten, extending the play's runtime from June 2 to June 6.

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack for Schwester's Prayer, titled Assault Lily x Ludvico Private Girls' Academy: Schwester's Prayer - Original Sound Track (舞台アサルトリリィ×ルドビコ女学院 シュベスターの祈り Original Sound Track) was composed by Tani Naoki (谷ナオキ). It includes the opening theme, "Schwester's Prayer" and ending theme, "Lily Days", performed by the stage actresses, for a total of 28 tracks. It was released on December 1st, 2021 as a standalone CD, and was later released on streaming services, under the label "Lily Record".

# Original Title English Title Length
1 シュベスターの祈り Schwester's Prayer 4:19
2 あなたはリリィに向いてない "You're unfit to be a Lily" 2:34
3 未来との思い出 Memories with Mirai 2:16
4 未来との思い出 (Another) Memories with Mirai (Another) 2:15
5 イルマ女子からの転校生 The Transfer Student from Irma 1:26
6 日葵の実力 Himari's Prowess 1:06
7 黒木・フランシスカ・百合亜 Kuroki Francisca Yuria 2:45
8 百合亜 備考 強化リリィ Yuria (P.S: A Boosted Lily) 0:47
9 クララとクママ Clara & Kumama 1:16
10 モニカ!?!? Monica!?!? 1:11
11 この人は戦闘時に人が変わるみたい。 "Her personality seems to change during combat" 1:35
12 二重人格とルナティックトランサー Split Personalities and Lunatic Trancer 1:17
13 天津麻嶺 Amatsu Marei 1:49
14 I see . . . From 渚 "I See..." From Nagisa 1:14
15 Fantastic!! From 渚 "Fantastic!!" From Nagisa 1:21
16 そう簡単には無理よね "Not an easy thing to do" 1:34
17 応 援 団 Cheering. Squad. 1:29
18 シュベスター制度 Schwester System 1:46
19 幸恵の覚悟 Sachie's Resolve 1:01
20 私のレギオンだもの! "This is my Legion!" 2:14
21 強化リリィの悲しみ A Boosted Lily's Sorrow 1:49
22 守る。私が守ります! "I will! I will protect her!" 0:55
23 ラベンダー色のアステリオン The Lavender Asterion 4:39
24 リリィデイズ Lily Days 3:58
25 シュベスターの祈り – Side B – Schwester's Prayer -Side B- 4:17
26 リリィデイズ – Side B – Lily Days -Side B- 3:58
27 シュベスターの祈り – instrumental – Schwester's Prayer -instrumental- 4:17
28 リリィデイズ – instrumental – Lily Days -instrumental- 3:58

Trivia

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  • While never stated in the play, later media would clarify that the battle in which Mirai died occurred during the preparations for the Makuhari Recapture.
  • Sachie remarks that apart from humans, most living creatures have perished, particularly noting that she has never seen a Cicada before.
  • Moe and Nonoka’s hairstyles have been completely reworked, as Moe originally sported a medium bobcut, while Nonoka’s hairstyle used largely to resemble the one now officially part of Moe’s design. While not necessarily a change in design, Karen had her hair in a bun for the duration of the original play.
  • Marei references the Shimokitazawa Expedition as the last time Sachie used the Fierbois made for her, officially placing the events of Schwester’s Prayer after League of Gardens, and presumably after Bouquet in the anime/game continuity.
  • While the Lily Project version maintains the same script as the revival, Nagisa is once again absent present from the play.
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2016

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  • Official Poster
    Official Poster

2021

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  • Official Poster
    Official Poster

Lily Project ver.

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  • Official Poster
    Official Poster
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Stage Plays
Ensemble
Ludvico
Odaiba
Irma
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