10 Anticipated Manga-induced Changes for the New Sailor Moon Anime

Back in 2012, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, it was announced that a new Sailor Moon anime was in the works. Fans of all ages rejoiced, but were left without news pertaining to this new incarnation of the story. Developments of the new series were left up in the air resulting in bloggers and fans alike to speculate as to what it might be. Was it to be a continuation of the story? Or is it simply a reboot? With a release date for Summer of 2013 it became the simple matter of waiting for the day to arrive. However, since then the series has been delayed not once but TWICE, leaving some to speculate that the series was all talk just to sell merchandise. Currently it stands that the anime is to launch worldwide this summer with it not being a sequel or a reboot, but a completely new series that is to keep faithful to the original source material- Naoko Takeuchi’s 18 volume manga.

With this in mind it should come as no surprise that this means there will be many obvious differences between this new incarnation and the anime from the 1990s. Though the series will be new these changes and additions will not as they had existed long before. Yet for some fans the old will be new, presenting a completely new story to enjoy. Here are just a few of the significant manga-specific details that may finally be animated this summer.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for fans of the anime that have not read the manga. 

10. The Sailor Quartet and Human Cats

The_Quartet's_appearance_after_Chibi_Moon's_Transformation
Early appearance of the Sailor Quartet.

Known only as the Amazoness Quartet in the anime these four girls served Queen Nehellenia and the Dead Moon Circus. They were introduced following the “death” of the Amazon Trio and were sent out in search of the golden mirror. By the end of the anime story arc they went on to live their lives as normal girls after they aided the sailor senshi by stealing the golden crystal from Nehellenia, replacing it with a pineapple. In the manga it is revealed that the Amazoness Quartet are Sailor Chibi/Mini Moon’s future guardians intended to remain sleeping until it was their time to serve. They were forcefully awakened and became the minions of the Dead Moon Circus in which time they forgot their true destines. The existence to the Sailor Quartet suggests a continuation of the story beyond Sailor Moon and the senshi in the far future, thus opening the door for future adventures and battles that may or may not be realized on screen, but are still relevant.

Colored concept art of Artemis, Diana and Luna
Artemis, Diana and Luna in both cat and human form.

Additionally, in the manga, the roles of Luna and Artemis extend beyond mentor-ship. Though it is not explicitly stated, one infers that in the manga they possess powers of their own including transformation. These same abilities are also found in their daughter, Diana, who throughout the final chapters of the manga is shown to be able to change into a human at will in times of crisis; however, unlike her parents she retains her tail. With the Sailor Moon S Movie the anime audience was given a glimpse of Luna’s human form which was brought on by the power of Sailor Moon and not her own. Having this ability returned to the cats will push the narrative forward, demonstrating how relationships function amongst them and even the rest of the universe as they are said to come from a planet called Mau; the same as the Sailor Animamate, Sailor Tin Nyanko from the Stars arc.

9. Manga-specific Characters

sailor animted 2
Manga-only Sailor Animamates from StarS Arc. Drawings by Naoko Takeuchi.

The Sailor Moon manga hosts a huge cast of characters, most of which were edited or omitted in the anime. The Stars arc, in particular, introduced a range of villains, the Sailor Animamates that were in cahoots with Sailor Galaxia in her quest to reorganize the universe. Moreover, in the anime one finds that all the senshi, with the exception of Serena/Usagi who was seen with Naru/Molly, only interact with each other and villains or the occasional family member; however, the manga clearly shows the inner senshi having friends and relationships outside of fighting evil. These manga-specific characters, if featured would provide increased variety to the narrative and ensure the development of the protagonists.

8. Villain Motivation

Flashback scene from Sailor Moon  Manga
Human Beryl pining over Endymion.

For the most part villains of the American dub were bad for the sake of being bad. Their motivations were limited to wanting control of the Moon Kingdom, Earth and the Universe but for reasons not fully explored. In the manga one is able to see the jealousy that Beryl had for Princess Serenity due to her obsessive love of Prince Endymion and Prince Diamond’s original good intentions for his family that lead to them becoming villainous. The back stories and motivation will humanize the characters by demonstrating their hopes, dreams and fears while also emphasizing the moral decisions on behalf of the senshi. These motivations will also emphasize the dark extremes of action that they are willing to take to get what they want.

7. Genderbending

The Three Lights
The Three Lights- the popular male idol group from the StarS arc and alter ego of the (female) Sailor Starlights.

Though sailor senshi can only be female, the Sailor Starlights and Sailor Uranus possess the power to disguise themselves as male. As they are able to go back and forth between these sexes it is never made clear if they are women who pose as men or vice versa. In the anime, this ambiguity is hinted at with the characters costume choices with Sailor Uranus constantly shown in men’s attire. Considered to be merely disguises for these characters, for many the ability worked to define their sexual orientation especially in the case of Sailor Uranus, who in her first appearance in the manga is shown dressed like Tuxedo Mask with Sailor Neptune in the already familiar sailor fuku. Genderbending was also not just limited to these four characters as Sailor Moon herself was the first to do so, donning the persona and attire of a handsome groom to distract an enemy in the beginning of the series. Choosing to include the genderbending quality of some characters heightens the complexity of the story as it breaks the rules set by the series itself. 

6. Short Stories

Sailor Moon -Rini's picture diary
Rini’s Picture Diary– one of many side story arcs included in the manga.

Along with the main series a number of short stories were also published, appearing at the very end of the manga volumes. Recently these stories were collected and featured as two separate volumes entitled Sailor Moon Short Stories. The stories include the same characters as the rest of the series plus some new ones, in non-canonical events and adventures that do not fit into the larger narrative. Some of the stories are comical in nature and others lean closer to parody of the series itself. While the stories were not included to further the major plot in any way, they do include insight as to the lives of the scouts outside of battling evil. If animated the side short stories may take the role of the Sailor Moon Says segment that was added to the the episodes for the DiC dub or become stand alone episodes between the seasons, providing us with some character antics to enjoy. 

5. More Violence and Graphic Content

Senshi in Dark Moon Jail Cell
Captured Inner Senshi in Dark Moon jail cell.

Much of the violence and gore of the series was edited out for the American dub, possibly to give it a more hopeful and fluffy girly tone. That is not to say that the anime was all butterflies and rainbows (well, besides the transformation sequences) but removing basic elements of the original story kept the narrative from entering darker themes. Suicide, kidnapping, trauma, torture, sexual assault, attempted murder, self-harm and even implicit incest are common features within the manga series. Also some of the images are downright disturbing in some instances with disintegrating bodies, and faces melting. The dark element of the series gave it a serious tone that helped drive home the horrors of evil and constant struggle that comes with fighting on the side of good. Returning these elements would catapult the villains to a more ominous level instead of goofy and thematic as they were before.

4. A Strong Mamoru Chiba/Darien Shields and Tuxedo Mask Character Arc

Tuxedo la smoking bomber

It is no secret that the producers of the original series hated the character of Mamoru. Following the first season his importance waned considerably to the point that they had him temporarily “removed” from the show entirely. Later on he would only make random appearances that only worked to further the story or to cheer Sailor Moon on (with a toss of a rose no less) when the battle outcome seemed grim. As both Darien/Mamoru and Tuxedo Mask, he was often the target of kidnapping and brainwashing by the antagonists of the early story arcs presenting the only recurring male with the damsel in distress trope.

In the manga the character is both significant and developed as he does support Usagi/Serena as the romantic lead but also as plantarian guardian. Mamoru takes the role of Sailor Earth with his own guardians (the Earth Generals/Shitennou–Jadeite/Jedite, Neflite/Nephirite, Zoisite/Zoycite and Malachite/Kunzite) and even has abilities similar to those of the Sailor Senshi, most famously his Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber. He also has his own crystal- the golden crystal, which was used together with Sailor Moon’s silver crystal to defeat Nehellenia. Additionally, he is said to have psychic abilities such as touch telepathy and healing which he possesses even when not in his Tuxedo Mask guise. Having special powers and multiple incarnations Mamoru/Darien plays a critical role to the plot and the new anime will provide him equal billing with Usagi and the rest of the senshi.

3. Use of the Original Japanese Names

ami mizuno
Manga character listing for Ami Mizuno a.k.a. Sailor Mercury.

With the DiC dub came a “need” to change the names of the protagonists so that they could appeal to the American audience. Originally this meant that Usagi was to be Victoria, Ami was to be Blue, Makoto was to be Sarah, Rei was to be Dana and Minako was Carrie. However, these names were never used in the official release as DiC went with the names Serena, Amy, Lita, Raye and Mina instead, resulting in a small bit of confusion for those who were introduced to the story by the anime and later moved on to reading the manga. With the new series having a global online release, one is left wondering whether or not this means that there will be no dubbing involved. Needless to say, if the series does follow the original manga this could involve the original names and the attached honorifics as well as correct pronunciation of said names.

2. Original Character Personalities

Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon as depicted in the manga and the anime.

In the anime, particularly in the American dub, great liberties were taken in regards to the personalities of the senshi as well as the rest of the cast. For instance, Raye in the anime was depicted as rude, bossy and boy crazy with hopes of becoming a career woman who travels the world. In the manga, Rei is actually the most mature and sophisticated of the inner senshi who desired to become a high priestess. Usagi/Serena also retains her clumsy, lazy and cowardliness personality for most of the series run, which differs from her manga counterpart who is constantly maturing as the story goes on. Bringing back the original personalities of the characters presents the possibility of a more mature tone to the series as it enters into darker territory in terms of the plot.

1. Instant Transformations and Attacks

Sailor Moon Transformation Parody
Sailor Moon Transformation Parody Art. Credit to Tv Tropes.

Other than the monster- of- the-week formula, the Sailor Moon anime follows the anime tradition of lengthy magical girl transformation and attack sequences. These stock footage induced sequences would happen at least once every episode and would run from a couple of seconds to two minutes in length; should it be a group transformation it would run a little longer or would be sped up. The sequences always go on without interruption suggesting that it may or may not be conducted in real time but rather it is there solely for the amusement of the viewer. However, there are instances in which a scene alternates between the transformation and the villain’s or bystander’s reaction suggesting that the lengthy multi-colored dance is an actual occurrence.

While it is unknown what the enemy is doing as these sequences happen, it is obvious that they are unrealistic and if real would hinder the actual fight. Throughout the manga transformations and attacks happen with a blink of an eye, allowing for the senshi to instantly take action against the enemy. In fact attacks by the senshi, though magical, are much more aggressive and varied in the manga needing some physical action to produce the powers. While many fans do enjoy these sequences (even going so far as to create their own for Sailor Saturn who did not have one in the anime) having instant attacks and transformations would have the senshi in constant movement and the battles will be of a more action-genre variety.

As someone who grew up watching the American dub before venturing on to reading the manga, I believe that bringing these manga-specific details to the screen will help take Sailor Moon away from the Shoujo Magical Girl label. Both the manga and anime as do possess flaws but in starting over and following the original tale would give the series an edge that is usually reserved for science fiction or adventure manga genres. The Sailor Moon manga presents a grand list of opportunities for and there is no telling how far this new series will go in embracing or reinterpreting the original material. Whatever the case may be one thing is for sure, following the manga will lead to the creation of an epic — of love and justice, in the name of the moon.

What do you think? Leave a comment.

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60 Comments

  1. I have a suggestion for them. I haven’t read all the manga, but I’ve seen all the eps and I love them. But can we please fix Rini? I’m not really sure what she’s supposed to be like in the manga, but I found her very annoying!

    • I don’t think she was annoying. Think about it, she was a little girl, and she was flung into the past. She had caused her mother to go into a sleep-like state, and nearly destroyed crystal neo-tokyo, by taking Neo Queen Serenity’s silver crystal. She had to live in the past, to be safe, around her kid mother and father.(Also being stalked and tortured by the wise man.) Not to mention, she was literally 5, or at least extremely young, both her and serena/usagi were immature, and they were supposed to be irritating and annoying.

      • She is extremely annoying and needs to rewritten. There is a ratio scale for children anime characters of cute acts to obnoxious brats and Rini crosses it in almost the second episode.
        She also isn’t 5 years old she’s over one hundred, and one of the reasons she stays in the past (SMS) is because NQS and KE can see she is actually improving (and physically growing) there. Also in the manga she’s a fully developed character, and the reason she is called Small-lady in the manga is because of her solemn ladylike disposition that is highlighted by her relationship to Sailor Pluto.
        Nor is she or Usagi supposed to be as annoying as they were in the USA dub, the voice actors were horrible (particularly Rini’s) and have been criticized for it up one side and down the other.
        This new anime is a chance to improve the Rini character and give her the three dimensional depth of her manga counterpart.
        Also, not all little girls in animes are obnoxious. Some are very immature, but there is a difference between immaturity and being a spoiled brat (Kare Kano, Princess Tutu, Card Captor Sakura).

        • Chibi-Usa is supposed to be 900 years old, but she lead a very sheltered life before she showed up in the past and stopped aging physically when she was about 5 years old. Something about Neo-Tokyo causes people to just be… not aging. I don’t think it’s explained, but is just part of the Sailor Moon world magic.
          In Sailor Moon R most of what made her annoying to me had a lot to do with the voice acting. She later matured, except for those silly fights between Usagi and Usagi, used for comic relief. Hopefully the new anime will move away from the episodic formulas that have become so habitual in anime. Maybe in their development of Sailor Luna in Pretty Guardian there has been some realization about how to use a child character in a dynamic with Usagi’s childlike manner.

          • I agree on almost everything, except that the Manga really matured Chibi-Usa AND Usagi whereas the anime (imo) kept them both pretty immature. Also one of my pet peeves with the anime was how stupid they continued to make Usagi (and Chibi-Usa a few times) whereas in the Manga it was not that she wasn’t intelligent it was just that she wasn’t trying. So I am REALLY excited about SM Crystal for that!!! Yay!

    • I found her way less annoying in the Japanese version….about equal with Usagi honestly haha. Also, re-watching as an adult, I find her behaviour pretty accurate – that is, throwing herself into trouble and being a bit of a brat, is exactly the way you’d expect a 5 year old to behave who is desperately missing her parents.

    • Malcolm Collier
      0

      I read all of the Black Moon Arc in the manga, and I can tell you that they did make her more likable. She was deeper, and her evil version was about ten times more epic in my opinion. She was portrayed less like Phantom’s bitch and more like herself determined to destroy her past. She almost destroyed the planet HERSELF.

      • Marlena Matute

        I agree, Rini/Chibiusa was a much more complex character in the manga. I read the manga after watching the Black Moon Arc in the anime and I think having her powers awakened as she changes from Black Lady to her normal age was a very nice touch too.

    • I agree. Chibiusa (or Rini) was one of the most annoying characters in the anime, plus for whatever reason she dominated Super S series (which by the way was the weakest one from all 5 seasons), making Sailor Moon a background character, who cannot even defeat a simple demon without calling on the power from the Pegasus. Seriously – WTH?

      • She will eventually become stronger in the new anime. Her attack is actually effective to kill an enemy. All her attacks are
        Pink Sugar heart attack
        pink sugar tuxedo attack
        moon double rainbow heartache
        Moon gorgeous meditation
        Silver moon crystal power double therapy kiss

  2. I would appreciate a male sailor scout of the sort. Maybe more emphasis of Darien/ Tuxedo Mask/King Endymion being the prince or guardian of earth while women run the world. An explanation on the tuxedo would be nice. Is he a server at a catering company? I love strong female roles but please. just please add a male role for the boys to get excited about. And don’t have the sailor scouts need Tuxedo Mask to throw a rose at them every time they start to lose a battle. Some more violence/blood wouldn’t hurt. I am not saying turn it into a zombie flick but since the action was very censored some more emphasis on combat and power usage would be cool. More of a Shounen genre approach would work in its favor. Sailor jupiter is a bad ass martial artist? Show us. There was also definitely a sword that sailor moon seemed too afraid to use in the last episodes of the series. It would be cool to see her a little bit more amazon/warrior like and confident in her ability to fight along with the rest of the Scouts.

    • More details regarding the male roles, what happened on Earth, etc. would be nice. There were probably other princes, and there’s definitely room for more depth while still maintaining the girl’s spotlight.

      I’m hoping for the best of both worlds as far as the battles go. Maybe show Jupiter’s skills when the girls are out of uniform or something. I would love better fight scenes but not necessarily more of them. Adding more violence and blood to the main battles seems unnecessary considering how heavy the material is already (manga-wise), and I’d rather it stayed relatively girly. Since a lot of it is psychological/magical, maybe find a way to make what’s already canon more eerie. Hopefully if they do amp up the intensity, it won’t take away from it’s initial “vibe”.

      In the manga, TM/Mamoru seemed to have more of a personality and the scouts didn’t rely so heavily on him showing up on time. Usagi was more mature in the manga, too, while still being relatably….well…herself.

    • Gchrist
      0

      Yeah, the closest to male sailor scouts are the Sailor Stars. They’re aliens that appear male until they transform into sailors.

      • Not in the manga they are always female. It was changed to that in the anime.

    • Merrilee Leung
      0

      Why should Takeuchi add more boys to a genre flooded with male characters? What you’re suggesting completely rewrites the manga and changes the tone. More blood? This is a series for young teen girls, primarily. If you want boys and blood, look elsewhere. FFS, can’t girls have just one thing?

    • Oh my god Vega your stupidity is literally killing my brain. Please for the love of God stop posting

    • Naoko Takeuchi, the creator. has female only Sailor Senshi(Guardian) rule. So no male ones ever.

    • 21minute
      1

      Some of those were actually fulfilled in the manga version. A more in-depth view on Mamuro/Tuxedo Mask? Check (in the manga, he’s much more complex as a character and he uses an actual power, not a rose). Gore and brutality? Check (we see characters disintegrating, being stabbed, burned, or committing suicide). More showacases of their strength and powers? Check (the anime version actually downplayed the senshis, especially the inners). One thing lacking is more interesting male characters. The only male character that’s significant in the series is Mamuro. And besides, though only females can become sailor senshis, it’s possible that a male can have a sailor crystal with powers comparable to sailor senshis (eg. Tuxedo Mask).

  3. Seth Wood
    0

    I’m dying to wait for new season of Sailormoon. I wish Ami, Rei, Lita and Mina have a love life this time and please make Tamara and Michelle prove to all that they are real girls. Darien and Serena I missed you so much

    • OK, firstly, added love lifes aren’t necessary at all! There’s no point in coming up with new random characters for no reason.

      Also, Minako is my favorite so I may go overboard here and I apologize in advance!

      Minako had a terrible love life for a reason. She may be Sailor Venus- senshi of love and beauty, but her bad luck with love and consistent prioritizing of her job over every else is a key part of her character. She’s also considerably more badass in the manga swinging around a posionous giant fucking sword and all. She has to be. She’s been fighting alone against evil for about a year before she meets the Sailor senshi group.

      SPOILER ALERT

      In the Sailor V manga, she put her job over the life of her possible one true love who was part of the Dark Kingdom and kills him. She forces herself to stop crying and smile.

      MINAKO IS THE BOSS

      • shut up
        0

        your favorite, that’s why you said she is the boss… not for everyone else. you are annoying. don’t make me start hating minako please.

      • mel the annoying whiner
        0

        no one is asking about Minako alone. its all about the other senshi. so sht the fking up!

      • mel the annoying whiner
        0

        if naoko didn’t support the shitennou/senshi, she would have just killed those shitennou just like the other enemy of the dark moon kingdom… there is episode 10 a slap in your face, and musicals which involves shitennou senshi, where Naoko wanted to happen. you may be fking right! but we also don’t care about your opinion of you wanting minako to end up all alone! but only as a guardian for life. and fk you… this applies to all the senshi, not just minako! comments like yours are irritating as well. i like seth woods comment. i don’t see any freaking harm, than your fking rant btch! whine all you want! hahahaha. NAOKO SUPPORTED IT ANYWAY.

  4. MRattay

    It seems like the new anime really promises to be a more ambitious adaptation of the original manga, and with the reintroduction of the cross dressing characters is particularly exciting to me. The queer voice in Sailor Moon was something I stumbled upon later as an adult, but when I was growing up, I had always sensed something between Uranus and Neptune that I couldn’t put my finger on. Including the proper context and streaming the series in both the States and Japan should remind everyone of this part of the story, rather than it getting deliberately lost in translation like in the DIC version.

    HOWEVER, I would still like there to be transformation sequences, but mostly because they were the coolest part of the show growing up and not because they accomplish much of anything.

    • Kahlia Sankey

      I hope they do adapt the manga more closely, I remember being an avid fan of the original as a child – loving those kickass girl characters. I tried to reconnect with it as an adult and thought the cheese was laid on a little thick if you get my meaning

    • Marlena Matute

      I also enjoy the transformation sequences and even watch them on YouTube from time to time, but I think that having new transformation sequences would be nice just as long as they are sparse. If only to make the battles a bit “realistic”.

  5. I think this should take place 10 years after their last battle, everybody’s all grown up now and Serena and Darian are definitely married now. But one day, Luna and Artemis discover that a new threat is drawing near, and this threat is STRONG, like STRONG, like Kid Buu strong, capable of eradicating the whole galaxy strong. So, the Sailor Scouts must dust off their uniforms and get back in action. But they can’t even touch this enemy, so they start losing, and the enemy keeps saying “I won’t kill you this time, but don’t think that I won’t” or something. Then she starts murdering them one by one, one in one episode. After that, Sailor Moon is left, and when she tries one final attack, it doesn’t work and she dies, along with Earth being destroyed. Then she goes to heaven and finds everyone else, and they help from the Gods, Blah Blah Blah. HOWEVER, not even the gods can kill their enemy, yadda yadda yadda, I don’t care what else happens.

  6. Liz Kellam

    Thanks for the great article. I have not read or watched anything to do with Sailor Moon in years. I am excited at the prospect of new changes. Your article makes me want to catch up on what I’ve been missing out on.

    • Marlena Matute

      Thanks! You should definitely take advantage of the Kodansha reprint of the manga as well so you can catch up on everything.

  7. FigureOfSpeech
    0

    I would like to see more actual fight scenes – rather than just the exact same transformation and attack scenes thrown in every single episode. The few times they showed the characters using their attacks outside the sequences, or their transformations, were SO much more interesting (when Chibiusa first tries to transform and trips and falls, for example – now THAT is fun :3)

    • I totally agree! I always found the repeating transformations and attacks kinda boring and tedious. I would LOVE to see the attacks happen more real, like that one time in one of the movies.

    • Allow the circumstance to interact with the attack. Maybe even show how transforming works. If the whole thing is supposed to be done in a flash in real time, show time slowing down or something.

  8. Heidi Franklin
    0

    I think it is quite obvious that the MOST important aspect of the new Sailor Moon is that it will have state of the art graphics…
    I have just begun to re-watch all the original eps and the 1990’s anime was very poor CG wise, even for THAT time.. I find myself wincing at the bare-bones drawing and the artificial movements that are not much better than the org. Astro-Boy (Mighty Atom) of the 50’s
    Of course the meat and potatoes of the story is important, but unless this is a totally new SM universe, we already know the plot….

  9. Diana Chin

    Great article! I’m definitely looking forward for the new Sailor Moon release.

  10. AnnaMayOtaku21

    I hope this version will have better voices for the characters. The ones for the original dub were awful, but then again I watched the abridged series before watching a few original episodes.

  11. Yeah, I’m hoping for all of this. Maybe something new as well like the changes for the PGSM plot. As much as I love Sailor Moon, I kinda still would like to enjoy this anime on its own merits too.

  12. I’m a little scared to see this new series because Sailor Moon was my first anime EVER but this list has got me PUMPED!

    • Marlena Matute

      Thanks. I am a bit nervous to see what they come up with too but just the promise that it will follow the manga is enough for me to start a countdown for the premiere.

  13. DeadlyDiva

    I’m all for anime productions that keep true to the manga. As I have read the entire BSSM manga and watched the entire series (Stars included), I’m eager to see what they do with it. I think that a lot of complaints about the characterizations in the US dub would disappear once people read the manga… Then again, it may cause more complaints…lol

  14. Something I should mention about point 8. Many villains tended to have more development and personality in the anime. In the manga, much villains appeared only to be destroyed (Beryl is an exception).

  15. ‘Sailor Moon’ was a part of my childhood as well. However, I agree that these are alterations that would make the series much deeper and really appeal to older audiences (including veterans and new fans of the series).

    I just hope if they do do a dub, the woman who played Usagi in S and SuperS will not reprise her role. Everyone else was fine, but Sailor Moon’s voice was grating.

  16. Even though this adaptation will start with the best of intentions of adapting the original manga, I wonder if eventually it might go off the rails. The longer it goes, the more it runs that risk, so I am curious how long this series will actually run.

  17. Charlotte

    I’m looking forward to watching the new sailor moon anime. I agree that it needs to follow the manga more and there needs to be more depth to their personalities, and a mature/darker tone to appeal to a wider audience. Looking at the drawing style on the official website it looks like the animation’s going to be quite good. http://sailormoon-official.com/animation/characters/moon.php

  18. What little girl who grew up in the 90s didn’t want to be Sailor Moon? I know I did! Actually, since I was apparently a very observant kid, I often fantasized that I was Sailor Saturn, as the show clearly needed a ninth counterpart to complete the solar system. Yes, I would often run around the playground at pre-school shouting phrases like “Moon Tiara Power!” and “In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!” and I can safely say, Sailor Moon did teach me the values of being strong and independent, and these were lessons that I would have to remember time and time again throughout my childhood and teenage years. I, too, was introduced to the show in all its American dubbed glory before discovering the manga in my later years and have often wished the show could have produced the same dimension and significance as its paper and print companion. However, upon revisiting the show and often reflecting upon it, I think that for me personally, discovering the development of the anime and learning about the manga when I did was actually the path that could have had the greatest influence in my life. By this, I mean that as a little girl, the safe, candy-coated Sailor Moon adaptation was exactly what I needed to create life-long role models in my mind as I watched the show every day of my five-year old career. However, growing up also meant learning more about the darker side of Sailor Moon, which was appropriate as I ventured into darker venues of literature and television. Now, I sincerely hope that the aforementioned differences you stated find their way into the new anime. Its about time that the borders of safety and comfort are removed from the parameters in Sailor Moon so that the audience can really get a sense of all the brilliant character development and plot progression that is so wonderfully executed in the manga. Fans of the Sailor Moon anime have been looking to expand the show’s universe for years, often exploring fan fiction, so I believe that adding more characters and more meaningful occurrences along with background stories will provide a level of satisfaction that has been too long awaited in the hearts and minds of all Sailor Moon fans. And I certainly hope someone figures out how to fix that transformation time gap! Nothing’s worse than a break of logical sequence in literature, although I definitely think the pretty animation is almost worthwhile 😉 In any case, I’ll be re-watching and re-reading some of my favorite Sailor Moon installments and playing with my scepter and Luna stuffed animal until that day finally comes!

  19. Jessica Pedersen

    The day I rewatched the 90s anime with English subtitles as opposed to the English dubbed version was the day that I realized that Sailor Moon was much more powerful than my 8-year-old self gave it credit for. That alone was a huge improvement for me.

    I’m incredibly excited for all of the changes in this article, but what I’m most looking forward to is the improvement of Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru character. Even as a kid, I could never understand why he was so underdeveloped as a character, especially in the English dub.

  20. bluegreenxlt
    0

    To get the full story of Sailor Moon without reading the manga, you HAVE to watch the Japanese version with English subtitles. I loved Sailor Moon growing up, but after watching the original version, I realized just how badly DIC fucked the show up. I also prefer the Japanese names of Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako to the English Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. So much of the story was left out by DIC, and what was left in was changed so much, it’s embarrassing.

    I can’t wait for the new anime, and hope it brings everything from the manga that the original anime didn’t. I also hope that they include a transformation sequence for Saturn (I’m sure the transformation’s won’t be completely omitted), as well as seeing the Senshi (not just Serenity) in their Princess attire. That said, I also hope Small Lady has her own dress as in the manga as opposed to a knockoff of Serenity’s gown.

    Although I love the new anime’s character design for the girls, I don’t understand why they’re not complete; Venus has her Love-Me Chain around her waist and Mercury doesn’t have the shoulder pads, so where is Jupiter’s ball of potpourri, and Mars’s gem at her waist that is worn as a choker in her civilian form? Not that it matters that much, but why change some if you’re not going to change all?

    Will we also finally see Usagi and Mamoru get married? What about Sailor Cosmos? Either way, I am HELLA excited!! The only thing that saddens me is that Usagi’s original voice actress is the only one returning. I have faith in the others, but still…sad.

    • bluegreenxlt
      0

      Also prefer the Japanese Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna to the English Amara, Michelle, and Trista. Hotaru didn’t change.

    • Moonpoon
      0

      “To get the full story of Sailor Moon without reading the manga, you HAVE to watch the Japanese version with English subtitles.”

      If you’ve only seen the original cartoon and haven’t read the comic book, you can’t “get the full story”. The original cartoon was an even worse adaptation of the comic book than the DiC dub was of the Japanese cartoon.

      “Although I love the new anime’s character design for the girls, I don’t understand why they’re not complete; Venus has her Love-Me Chain around her waist and Mercury doesn’t have the shoulder pads, so where is Jupiter’s ball of potpourri, and Mars’s gem at her waist that is worn as a choker in her civilian form?”

      The character designer used the original designs from when the comic was originally released in the 90’s, where Sailor Jupiter didn’t have the belt and Sailor Mars only had the gem on her waist the first time she appeared. (Those details were taken from Takeuchi’s early designs and were added for the reissued comic books in 2003.)

  21. You are very misinformed.

    Sailor Uranus does not transform between sexes. She is 100% female in both the manga and the anime. In the manga her masculinity was just magnified more. When it is stated that “She is both female and male”, or however it was worded in the manga, it wasn’t being literal. She is drawn more like a male in her civilian form at the beginning to throw the reader off from her identity. However, unlike the anime, she is also portrayed as very feminine as well in the manga. Throughout it you see her dressing in very feminine clothing.

    TLDR: Sailor Uranus is 100% female. She does not “turn” into a male. She is not male. She will and was never a male.

    Now, for the Starlights. In the manga, they were 100% women as well. But unlike Sailor Uranus, they PURPOSELY disguised themselves as men. In the anime they were still female, but were PHYSICALLY disguised as men. The creator, Naoko Takeuchi has stated many times that she didn’t like this.

    If you’re going to write an article, you should really know what you’re talking about. No disrespect.

  22. I agree 100% on Human Cats, a stronger Mamoru and more accuracy with ALL the characters. I kind of love the manga’s Mars/Venus relationship that PGSM totally ran with. But I can’t picture them doing a better Haruka than SM’s. And I really enjoyed Rei’s amped up friendship with Usagi, although I could do without her weird, out-of-character boy-crazy obsessiveness.

    Having now seen SMC I mainly just want them to get a better showrunner. Whoever’s in charge allowed for horribly inconsistent animation and somehow sapped the life, joy and magic out of the show. Usagi’s annoyingly screechy, the Senshi are rather dull and Mamoru’s charmless. I like the Shitennou though.

    Also, the henshins are atrocious. Just because they’re using CGI and better character designs does not make it better. The beauty of each transformation was replaced with awkward showiness. It’s like Michael Bay remaking a Wong Kar Wai film. They just copycat what SM did. And poorly.

    I never realized how well Naoko Takeuchi handled the UsaMamo romance until I watched Crystal. They had surprisingly few run ins compared to SM, but they clicked immediately. SMC replicated their encounters – almost too faithfully – but somehow the spark is missing. Her outraged spunkiness and his bemused smirk are absent. SM dropped the ball with them big time reducing Mamoru’s role and changing his fiercely obsessive dedication to her into an awkward aloofness. But at least when they had their rare romantic moments you felt like they belonged together.

  23. I’m hoping that the Shittenou will come back… they had so much potential.

  24. I grew up watching the English dubbed episodes of Sailor Moon. And with me I know that they change a lot of things when they make the anime’s Manga story but I would’ve loved to see a little of Sailor Moon’s crystal transformation, like the forming of the back bow as Sailor Moon’s in fetal position then kicks up with the Moon Crest appearing on her forehead then is replaced by her tiara. But I’ve would’ve been ok with just the moon crest appearing on her forehead.

  25. “Though sailor senshi can only be female, the Sailor Starlights and Sailor Uranus possess the power to disguise themselves as male. As they are able to go back and forth between these sexes it is never made clear if they are women who pose as men or vice versa.”

    Uranus doesn’t genderbend. She dresses in male attire but she has the characteristic of not trying to be a man or pass off as a man. As Michiru rightly said, Haruka has the best of both genders. In truth, Haruka is a genderfluid lesbian, since in the manga she also dones female (and pretty sexy at that) clothing, which show her generous bossom and curvacious figure. She is a female who just happens to like male attires most of the time with female attires once in a while.

  26. Fukufan
    0

    I’d so wish they showed continuous progress and maturing in sailor’s daily civilian lives.

  27. Sasha S
    0

    Like a few people on here i grew up waching the English dub edition and i love every bit of it including the names. I do feel like with them changing the names, makes it a bit awkward to me, but that’s only because Serena, Amy, Lita, Rei, and Mina is all i know. I haven’t read the manga, but judging by what a lot of you have said, Serena matures and shows progression which is awesome. I would have loved to have seen that in the seasons instead of her continuous whining. I am definitely excited and scared at the same time for the new anime. Like one or two other people, Sailor Moon was my very first anime right next to Dragon Ball Z (my other favorite) i would watch them both before leaving out the door for school when i was young. That was my start of a great day. I do hope the voice for Serena and Reni changes and it would be nice to see them not rely too much on Tuxedo Mask to do what they got to do but rely on each other. Either I’m anxious.

  28. Actually, in the comics, Uranus and the Sailor Stars did not partake in any gender bending. All four of them were just women who dressed as men. Uranus dressed like a tom boy mostly, but she also wear feminine clothing when she chose to. As for the Stars, the only dressed like men as a disguise, nothing more.

    In the cartoon, Uranus was a woman who again just dressed like a tomboy (or very butch, depending on how you look at it). The Sailor Stars again just used their identities as idols again as a disguise, although unlike Uranus, they did change their gender. The way to see it is, they were women (as Sailor Soldiers) who transformed into men as “civilians” for their disguise, then transformed back into women (ie, their original forms) when they needed to fight.

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