According to Anime News Network, a new anime adaptation of Sailor Moon is set to air next summer. The only details released so far are that it won’t be a feature-length film and that Momoiro Clover Z, the group that created “Moonlight Densetsu,” will sing the opening for the new series. Rumor has it that this is the new song, but that’s up in the air. Correction: DALI was the group that created “Moonlight Densetsu” and that link is not the song for the new series, but check it out anyway because it’s cute and catchy. Thanks to beforjess for clearing that up! While the broadcast date is still unknown, the anime will be released on the same date worldwide.
So, this is the part where I fangirl myself into oblivion.
For the past year or so, a Sailor Moon revival has been happening all over the world (which is why we got a new manga printing) in celebration of the series’ 20th anniversary. Needless to say, I’ve been shocked every time something new happens with this effort, mostly because I never see it coming. The Dragon Ball Z revamp made sense; although I never got into the series, I assumed that it was infinitely more popular than Sailor Moon, meaning that of course DBZ gets updated and SM keeps its place in the 90s. Even when the new manga series came out, I reduced the idea of a new anime series to wishful thinking. A brand new anime is probably the ultimate dream come true for us lifetime fans, especially those of us in the U.S. who have DIC’s butchering of the series as their childhood memories, but hey at least it’s better than what these folks would’ve done.
As excited as I am for a revamp, I also have a lot of questions. Sure, the new anime will bring in the fans from the 90s, but will it attract any new ones? Is the magical girl genre, as Sailor Moon defined it, even relevant to contemporary audiences? When we have series like Puella Magi Madoka Magica that put such a dark spin on everything familiar about magical girls, can we go back to the cut-and-dry good and evil that Sailor Moon provides?
I would hope that the answer to all of those questions is “yes.” I believe that Sailor Moon has more than enough status and hype around its name to be a success. So then, this is a list of my hopes and dreams for the new anime.
Less filler.
Let’s be real here. As much as I know we all love the 200 original episodes, there is admittedly a TON of filler, especially in the first couple seasons. Cutting down on some of that could really make for a cleaner dramatic structure where character development is more obvious. In the original series, Usagi didn’t seem to mature much and stay that way until around season 4. Of course, some filler could be useful in drawing out certain parts of the manga that seem to move too fast. I might be alone in saying this, but I liked the Doom Tree arc. I could see each arc containing 26 episodes or less to give everything sufficient development without dragging.
Closer adherence to the manga.
As I’ve been reading the reprints of the manga, I’ve seen that Sailor Moon gets very serious very quickly. Perhaps the revamp could benefit from putting more focus on that seriousness to attract a new audience. Of course, the level of seriousness depends entirely on how the show is being targeted in the first place. Also, there are several places where the plot in the old anime greatly deviates from the manga plot, although I thought many of those changes worked well in the anime. Maybe a mix of adherence and deviance would be best? Plenty of characters later on in the manga got snubbed or completely cut out in the anime, so it’d be great to have them appear.
Stay similar enough to the old series, but implement some vital changes.
I’m talking in terms of art style, character design, and other things along those lines. Some updates are fine, but Sailor Moon is an iconic character and changing her too much would be a bad move. However, there’s at least some speculation that Usagi’s original voice actress might return for the new series. Hopefully that comes to pass and most of the voice actors are able to reprise their roles. Sailor Moon doesn’t seem to be too deeply rooted in the 90s, though. The time period is only obvious when the characters are in street clothes, which doesn’t happen too often. Also, when they get to the Black Moon arc and Sailor Pluto appears, she better be as dark-skinned as she is in the manga.
I’m sure as more information surfaces, there will be tons to speculate on, but for now let’s relish the excitement. What are some of your hopes for the new series? Do you think it’ll be awesome or are you convinced that they’ll ruin it?