Shall Sailor Moon Return?

[StanS]

I was wondering what the fate of the Sailor Moon franchise was? I heard that ADV lost the licence for the first two shows because the owners decided just not to renew it? This reminds me if the Geneon and Bandai business models. Is this the case and are we going to ever see a re-release of Sailor Moon here in the US?

[Vicserr]

Checks the Magic 8 Ball(TM)

"Seems unlikely"

remember that basically Toei has given up licensing their stuff in R1 unless if it is for 4Kids and Disney for the Sentai/Power Rangers shows and after their halfhearted launch of Slam Dunk, Interlude and Air Master I can't blame them (but they basically bombed because of their incompetent release)

Unless we see a change in Toei, I don't see much of a further Toei presence in R1

[Suzaku Seikun]

I agree that Sailor Moon's return is very unlikely since it is an old show and Toei has (at least for now) pulled out of R1 land.

[Phil]

Probably not for a few years down the road. And then only if someone goes on a Macross style 'nostalgia' kick.

I expect fansubs and episode downloads to pick up though.

[crazianimechick]

Doubt it. Naoko Takeuchi has said many times that she did not like how her series was bastardized in the US, especially by DiC.

[jecca-neko]

It's doubtful. Toei + older + magical girl = not good chances

[danielle]

I really hope we see Stars brought out, subtitled only in a brick release would be great. I hope it will happen, I mean I never though Hana Yori Dango or Kodomo No Omocha would make it and thy both did.
Sailor moon will live forver!
Danielle /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[golthin]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
Doubt it. Naoko Takeuchi has said many times that she did not like how her series was bastardized in the US, especially by DiC.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow! this is so rare to hear, I wish other people were like that, it will stop 4kids.

[Steve_the_Talking_Pie]

I don't think the age is the problem, because the show is very popular and marketable. We have to wait and see what kind of move Toei makes. In the mean time *pats all 200 episodes and OAVS on VHS fansub*, we'll have to wait.

[EmperorBrandon]

[ QUOTE ]
Steve_Man said:
*pats all 200 episodes and OAVS on VHS fansub*, we'll have to wait.

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean TV specials, right? /images/graemlins/wink.gif I don't think Sailor Moon ever had any OVA's.

[LexiJ]

[ QUOTE ]
golthin said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
Doubt it. Naoko Takeuchi has said many times that she did not like how her series was bastardized in the US, especially by DiC.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow! this is so rare to hear, I wish other people were like that, it will stop 4kids.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, from what I recall, she didn't like the anime period, because of how it deviated from the manga. And that the reason it was being held up was because she wanted more money from foreign licensing and Toei didn't want to pony it up. She's also sitting on the manga rights, I believe. Of course, if she didn't like the Japanese version of the series and actually knew what happened to the versions that were released in other countries (it's edited lots of places, not just in the US - you should see the French male Haruka), then she very likely doesn't like those versions either.

[Chiyosuke]

[ QUOTE ]
golthin said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
Doubt it. Naoko Takeuchi has said many times that she did not like how her series was bastardized in the US, especially by DiC.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow! this is so rare to hear, I wish other people were like that, it will stop 4kids.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately, most creators don't have the right to license anime. Takeuchi, as of a couple years ago, does.

[AbeChinchilla]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
Doubt it. Naoko Takeuchi has said many times that she did not like how her series was bastardized in the US, especially by DiC.

[/ QUOTE ]

ORLY?

Proof?

[plaidwolf]

[ QUOTE ]
EmperorBrandon said:
[ QUOTE ]
Steve_Man said:
*pats all 200 episodes and OAVS on VHS fansub*, we'll have to wait.

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean TV specials, right? /images/graemlins/wink.gif I don't think Sailor Moon ever had any OVA's.

[/ QUOTE ]

There was trhe Ami special and SuperS special....but i think there were the Hero Club....

and i recall there was some TV special that wasnt in any of the storylines, but was a between seasons episode, but i am not sure

[EmperorBrandon]

[ QUOTE ]
Plaid Wolf said:

There was trhe Ami special and SuperS special....but i think there were the Hero Club....

[/ QUOTE ]

The Ami thing was a short movie (that I think went with the SuperS movie), and the SuperS specials were TV specials. None of them were OVA's (just being painstakingly particular in that regard, that's all /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif)

[Orihara_Kaoru]

[ QUOTE ]
Plaid Wolf said:
There was trhe Ami special and SuperS special....but i think there were the Hero Club....

[/ QUOTE ]

Hero Club were indeed videos (never LDs or DVDs), but they were just clips of the episodes. More summaries really.

The Memorials were LDs and videos released after Sailormoon ended. There was one for each season. These were about hour-long clip shows with some narration and extras. For example, the first (I think it was the first) memorial has clips from Sailormoon around the world. Sort of cool to hear Sailormoon in Chinese. ^_^ I wish they would put these on DVD.

[LexiJ]

Something we all tend to overlook is that until recently, none of SM had been released on DVD in Japan. That fact alone could very well have influenced what was released outside of R2, especially once they decided to go back and clean it up for the R2 release. Also, DIC telling Toei that the show had to be put out in a certain way to be popular in R1, and then bascially following through (though it was never Pokemon, it did endure pretty well, and gets similar edits in other countries), is what kept season 5 from being released here. That element is essentially gone now. Not that I'm saying the series has any better of a chance of being released here unmolested and intact, but the landscape has changed. Just because they said 5 or 10 years ago that X would never be released because of reason Y doesn't mean something hasn't changed or that reason Y is still valid now or will be in the near future. I like having just a little hope. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Shsway]

Honestly, I share that hope. It will be a difficult licensing path, but I think any US company that manages it will still reap greatly the rewards. The popularity and the nostalgia for the show hasn't died down in the least, and the female audience is HUGE, more mature and more capable of investing in it.

I will advise to all interested parties, however, patience. Lots of patience. I think that we may see the live action show long before the complete animated series.

Somehow, I think FUNimation may be the one company capable of snagging SM, eventually. They seem to be shaping up to be the next powerful player in this market.

[LexiJ]

[ QUOTE ]
Shsway said:
Somehow, I think FUNimation may be the one company capable of snagging SM, eventually. They seem to be shaping up to be the next powerful player in this market.

[/ QUOTE ]

I never thought I'd say it, but I really wouldn't mind if Funimation did pick it up. Either them or Geneon. Don't really trust anyone else with it, especially after ADV screwed up some pretty basic things in their release. But Funi is the only one I can think of with the capital for this monster.

I have doubts about the live action coming over, though. Even fans of the anime were snubbing it because of how cheesy it looked. Not that it wasn't cheesy in a Xena sort of way, but damn was it good. The angst was off the charts, the acting improved dramtically after the girls had a chance to practice and stretch their acting muscles in the first few episodes, and episode 47 still rips my heart out and stomps all over it gleefully. My poor, poor Rei. Oh, and Minako, too. But poor poor Rei. /images/graemlins/cry00000.gif /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[AbeChinchilla]

I'm hoping that someone here will license the live action series instead.

Live Action > Anime'

Media Blasters, don't let me down.

[meganly_chan]

[ QUOTE ]
AbeChinchilla said:
I'm hoping that someone here will license the live action series instead.

Live Action > Anime'

Media Blasters, don't let me down.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree! Give us the plushie Luna and Dark Sailor Mercury goodness!

[MrNice]

[ QUOTE ]
meganly_chan said:
I agree! Give us the plushie Luna and Dark Sailor Mercury goodness!

[/ QUOTE ]Well personally I just want it for all the Mars/Venus scenes /images/graemlins/noseblef.gif /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

[plaidwolf]

[ QUOTE ]
meganly_chan said:
[ QUOTE ]
AbeChinchilla said:
I'm hoping that someone here will license the live action series instead.

Live Action > Anime'

Media Blasters, don't let me down.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree! Give us the plushie Luna and Dark Sailor Mercury goodness!

[/ QUOTE ]

*wolfie sobs* my dear Ami-chan......turned [b] HEEL????? [b]

[Njr Scrawl]

They really really needed an animated cat for Luna. Either muppet, animatronic (like Salem in Sabrina) or plain cartoon. Even P-chan type robotic like Chibi-usa has in anime SMR would have been better.

And serious looking weapons, not the kids toys used.

[MrNice]

[ QUOTE ]
Wrath of the Njr said:
They really really needed an animated cat for Luna. Either muppet, animatronic (like Salem in Sabrina) or plain cartoon.And serious looking weapons, not the kids toys used.

[/ QUOTE ]While I somewhat agree with the weapons (although the marketting bods would disagree), I liked how Luna (and Artemis) were done. Definitely better then Salem in context. Salem style never really is believable as a "real cat" (which it's supposed to seem like to everyone else), the genius of the plushie is that it is supposed to just seem like a plushie to those not in the know. More believable for (nearly) always being with Usagi too.

[bender]

Aside from the older stuff, any idea if there's ever likely to be anything new done with the SM franchise? Like, what are the odds of some new anime or live action series being made in the foreseeable future for instance?

I'm guessing the answer is going to be "No chance", but I thought I'd ask anyhow. I'd really love to see this return in some form.

[LexiJ]

[ QUOTE ]
tengu said:
I'm guessing the answer is going to be "No chance", but I thought I'd ask anyhow. I'd really love to see this return in some form.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd never say never, but perhaps not likely. I mean, how many of us ever imagined a live action series being made? Yet they did it. Takeuchi has said she'd like to do more live action with all characters included (bring in the Outers!), but if they ever did it would have to be with a new cast, as all the live action girls have grown up and moved on. I think I'd have a hard time with a new live action cast. They hit gold with the girls they cast in PGSM.

As for more anime, I'm not sure I'd want it. Maybe the side specials from the manga, like Ami's First Love. But another season wouldn't feel right. It ended well, right where it should have, and it was a real ending. There is such a thing as going back to the well a few too many times.

[crazianimechick]

[ QUOTE ]
AbeChinchilla said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
Doubt it. Naoko Takeuchi has said many times that she did not like how her series was bastardized in the US, especially by DiC.

[/ QUOTE ]

ORLY?

Proof?

[/ QUOTE ]

You know, as much as I wanted to ignore the juvenille request for proof - I don't respond well to people who can't fully say 'Really, how about some proof' - I'll go ahead an answer it. (I do copy editing at work - I have some sort of standard to uphold.)

I'm recalling about 3 issues or so back of Anime Insider where the question was asked if there would be anymore Sailor Moon. The answer pretty much was what I bluntly stated. She didn't like how it was handled and thusly refused to allow Sailor Stars to be licensed overseas.

DiC made a mess of Sailor Moon - cutting episodes, editing one or more episodes together to make an episode. How many can say on the first two box sets of Sailor Moon that you didn't say 'Hey! that isn't what happened!' or 'I don't remember this episode!' I did. Many many times. I got a good look at what I was missing.

I would like to see Sailor Stars, but unfortunately, the only way that will happen is with either fansub or bootleg. So maybe if a company were to promise that the rest of the series wouldn't be put to shame as the first seasons were, maybe we'll get a chance. After all, if Disney can give us Miyazaki's works and not destroy them, there's bound to be some hope left.

[Kellory]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:

You know, as much as I wanted to ignore the juvenille request for proof - I don't respond well to people who can't fully say 'Really, how about some proof' - I'll go ahead an answer it. (I do copy editing at work - I have some sort of standard to uphold.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Not that I disagree with you, but considering how reclusive she is the question of proof isnt exactly unreasonable. Its well known that no one can seem to contact her. Or at least get a response back. Its almost like trying to contact ADV customer service. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ QUOTE ]
DiC made a mess of Sailor Moon - cutting episodes, editing one or more episodes together to make an episode. How many can say on the first two box sets of Sailor Moon that you didn't say 'Hey! that isn't what happened!' or 'I don't remember this episode!' I did. Many many times. I got a good look at what I was missing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, one thing to keep in mind is the age of the product. Back in 1996 this is how anime was treated. At least for the mainstream. Evangelion is the only anime I can think of offhand that did not get edited that also gained widespread fame. And it never made it on air till CN played it. And I dont think they ever showed all of it did they? The unfortunate fact was that back then if you wanted anime on TV it was edited. And compare to Robotech, Sailor Moon didnt make off that badly. I dont want to condone it, but it could have been worse, especially given the time it was done.

[ QUOTE ]
I would like to see Sailor Stars, but unfortunately, the only way that will happen is with either fansub or bootleg. So maybe if a company were to promise that the rest of the series wouldn't be put to shame as the first seasons were, maybe we'll get a chance. After all, if Disney can give us Miyazaki's works and not destroy them, there's bound to be some hope left.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, I think in time it'll come over. Times have changed for anime in R1. In the end, I think it'll come down to licensing costs. Sailor Moon is still popular here in R1 land, but is it popular enough to justify a hefty license fee and a new dub? That might be more problematical.

In any event, I'm somewhat skeptical over the reasons we havent seen it here in R1 land. I've heard the "butchering" reason, but honestly that was how anime was treated back then. And its as good an excuse as any if someone simply wanted more money. Saying they're yanking the license because R1 studio's refused to pay enough money makes them look bad. Saying its artistic integrity, however, makes the R1 studio's look bad. But the fact that we havent seen it back yet makes me wonder about that. After all, if the manga-ka has that much influence then why not just stick a clause saying it needs to be treated right and license it at a reasonable price? After all, uncut and unedited is the standard for anime these days. Any new license would probably do that as a matter of course.

Hell, Viz has pretty much admited this with their Naruto release. They're not doing 15,000 SE boxes in addition to the normal boxes because they are giving lip service to die hard fans. 15k+ volumes makes it a top end seller. This says uncut and unedited is the standard and the market is there even with a cheap, cut version for the kiddies out.

So...yeah. I hope we see more Sailor Moon over. But I have a gut feeling (this is unsubstantiated, however, so take it worth a grain of salt) that getting it here involves more than just promising not to edit it again.

[Orihara_Kaoru]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I would like to see Sailor Stars, but unfortunately, the only way that will happen is with either fansub or bootleg.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or R2 DVDs. No, they don't have subs, but there is a perfectly legal way to watch Sailorstars. They even come in purdy cases and everything.

[LexiJ]

[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I would like to see Sailor Stars, but unfortunately, the only way that will happen is with either fansub or bootleg.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or R2 DVDs. No, they don't have subs, but there is a perfectly legal way to watch Sailorstars. They even come in purdy cases and everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

They're also very reasonably priced, even by R1 standards. But I still wouldn't suggest them to the average anime fan. It just doesn't work that way, and there's no way I'd buy anything that didn't come with a decent translation and the ability to play it on a R1 dvd player. Of course, I also think that the SM issues are all related to money, and that if someone is willing to pony it up (whether it's Toei to Takeuchi or a R1 company to Toei), we'll get the series eventually.

[PhilipReuben]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I'm recalling about 3 issues or so back of Anime Insider where the question was asked if there would be anymore Sailor Moon. The answer pretty much was what I bluntly stated. She didn't like how it was handled and thusly refused to allow Sailor Stars to be licensed overseas.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anime Insider isn't a source unless they (implausibly) have some special contact with Naoko Takeuchi that no one else has. They're just repeating whatever unsubstantiated rumour they've heard.

[AbeChinchilla]

[ QUOTE ]
Plaid Wolf said:
[ QUOTE ]
meganly_chan said:
[ QUOTE ]
AbeChinchilla said:
I'm hoping that someone here will license the live action series instead.

Live Action > Anime'

Media Blasters, don't let me down.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree! Give us the plushie Luna and Dark Sailor Mercury goodness!

[/ QUOTE ]

*wolfie sobs* my dear Ami-chan......turned [b] HEEL????? [b]

[/ QUOTE ]

It's possibly the GREATEST plot device in any Sailor Moon incarnation...

[Njr Scrawl]

[ QUOTE ]
LexiJ said:
[ QUOTE ]
Orihara Kaoru said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I would like to see Sailor Stars, but unfortunately, the only way that will happen is with either fansub or bootleg.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or R2 DVDs. No, they don't have subs, but there is a perfectly legal way to watch Sailorstars. They even come in purdy cases and everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

They're also very reasonably priced, even by R1 standards. But I still wouldn't suggest them to the average anime fan. It just doesn't work that way, and there's no way I'd buy anything that didn't come with a decent translation and the ability to play it on a R1 dvd player. Of course, I also think that the SM issues are all related to money, and that if someone is willing to pony it up (whether it's Toei to Takeuchi or a R1 company to Toei), we'll get the series eventually.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stars is the most dialogue intensive BSSM series as well, with a lot of conversation & explanations. And the love talk between Haruka & Mishiru /images/graemlins/wink.gif (FWIW the Stars fansubs, if you can find them, were done in the VHS days and were a labour of love by & for Sailor Moon fans, rather than the first-past-the-post digi rush you get nowadays.)

[crazianimechick]

[ QUOTE ]
Philip Reuben said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I'm recalling about 3 issues or so back of Anime Insider where the question was asked if there would be anymore Sailor Moon. The answer pretty much was what I bluntly stated. She didn't like how it was handled and thusly refused to allow Sailor Stars to be licensed overseas.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anime Insider isn't a source unless they (implausibly) have some special contact with Naoko Takeuchi that no one else has. They're just repeating whatever unsubstantiated rumour they've heard.

[/ QUOTE ]

The please point me in the direction of a "reliable" source. Not all of us can afford to pay out a hundred dollars a year for a magazine subscription.

[fantasydewdrop]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
[ QUOTE ]
Philip Reuben said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I'm recalling about 3 issues or so back of Anime Insider where the question was asked if there would be anymore Sailor Moon. The answer pretty much was what I bluntly stated. She didn't like how it was handled and thusly refused to allow Sailor Stars to be licensed overseas.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anime Insider isn't a source unless they (implausibly) have some special contact with Naoko Takeuchi that no one else has. They're just repeating whatever unsubstantiated rumour they've heard.

[/ QUOTE ]

The please point me in the direction of a "reliable" source. Not all of us can afford to pay out a hundred dollars a year for a magazine subscription.

[/ QUOTE ]
There's no way that Anime Insider costs $100 per year....

[LexiJ]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
The please point me in the direction of a "reliable" source. Not all of us can afford to pay out a hundred dollars a year for a magazine subscription.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't really expect to find many in this particular case, unless you go to the woman herself. She has made a few comments from time to time that can be directly quoted from their source, if you can find the source. But SM has a ton of rumors, half truths, and "I heard from X that Y said that Z told them..." statements going around, that it's hard to find out what's real info and what's fan speculation.

[PhilipReuben]

[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
The please point me in the direction of a "reliable" source. Not all of us can afford to pay out a hundred dollars a year for a magazine subscription.

[/ QUOTE ]

As stated already, there are lots of rumours surrounding Sailor Moon, and somewhere along the line rumours that get repeated often enough have a tendency to turn into "fact" that get treated as such by magazines (even "reliable" ones). There are certain things you should always take with a grain of salt, and "Naoko Takeuchi said XYZ" is one of them.

As for what could be a valid source for Takeuchi comments... #1 would be any interview she's done (not that I've ever read any, but I presume some are out there). I think she made a con appearance in the US once, so if she said anything worthwhile there (and if anyone except SOS reported it), that could be a source. Hmm. She used to write messages on the official Sailor Moon site (http://sailormoon.channel.or.jp/) but that entire section seems to have disappeared now. Though there is a mail corner that may or may not be answered by Naoko (it doesn't seem to say, so I assume not).

[crazianimechick]

[ QUOTE ]
KasiTL said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
[ QUOTE ]
Philip Reuben said:
[ QUOTE ]
crazianimechick said:
I'm recalling about 3 issues or so back of Anime Insider where the question was asked if there would be anymore Sailor Moon. The answer pretty much was what I bluntly stated. She didn't like how it was handled and thusly refused to allow Sailor Stars to be licensed overseas.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anime Insider isn't a source unless they (implausibly) have some special contact with Naoko Takeuchi that no one else has. They're just repeating whatever unsubstantiated rumour they've heard.

[/ QUOTE ]

The please point me in the direction of a "reliable" source. Not all of us can afford to pay out a hundred dollars a year for a magazine subscription.

[/ QUOTE ]
There's no way that Anime Insider costs $100 per year....

[/ QUOTE ]

That should have read magazine subscriptions.

The fact of the matter is, I know what I've seen, I know that a some of it was written up in the now defunct Animerica. Whether anyone wants to believe it or not is now up to them. I'd like to see more Sailor Moon, but I think that it will be a long time coming.