| Sailor Moon Crystal | |
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| 美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Kurisutaru) | |
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| Genre | Magical girl |
| Created by | Naoko Takeuchi |
| Original net animation | |
| Season I: Dark Kingdom | |
| Directed by | Munehisa Sakai |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Yūji Kobayashi |
| Music by | Yasuharu Takanashi |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | |
| English network | |
| Released |
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| Episodes | 14(List of episodes) |
| Original net animation | |
| Season II: Black Moon | |
| Directed by | Munehisa Sakai |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Yūji Kobayashi |
| Music by | Yasuharu Takanashi |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network |
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| English network | |
| Released |
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| Episodes | 12(List of episodes) |
| Anime television series | |
| Season III: Death Busters | |
| Directed by | Chiaki Kon |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Yūji Kobayashi |
| Music by | Yasuharu Takanashi |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | Tokyo MX |
| English network | |
| Original run | April 4 (4-04) – June 27, 2016 (2016-06-27) |
| Episodes | 13(List of episodes) |
| Sequels | |
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 Anime and manga portal | |
Sailor Moon Crystal, known in Japan asPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal (Japanese:美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal,Hepburn:Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Kurisutaru), is a Japaneseanime series based on theshōjo manga seriesSailor Moon written and illustrated byNaoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th anniversary.[1] Produced byToei Animation and directed byMunehisa Sakai (Seasons 1 and 2) andChiaki Kon (Season 3), the series was streamed worldwide onNiconico from July 5, 2014, to July 18, 2015. Season 1 and 2's episodes were released twice a month.[2][3] Instead of remaking the1990s anime series preceding it, Toei Animation producedCrystal as areboot ofSailor Moon and as a more faithful adaptation of the original manga by omitting much of the original material from the first series.[4][5][6] Set inTokyo in the 2010s, the story focuses onUsagi Tsukino, who is a young girl that obtains the power to become the titular character. Other Sailor Guardians join her in the search for Princess Serenity and the Silver Crystal.[7]
The first episode had an advanced screening on June 30, 2014.[8][9] In May 2014,Viz Media licensedCrystal for an English-language release in North America, simulcasting the series onNeon Alley andHulu to coincide with the worldwide streaming.[10][11][12]Crunchyroll also simulcast the series in a separate contract with Toei Animation.[13] Viz premiered the first episode as part of their "Sailor Moon Day" celebration at theAnime Expo Convention inLos Angeles.[14]
The third season, based on theInfinity arc of the manga, premiered on April 4, 2016, and concluded on June 27, 2016.[15]
A sequel two-part film,Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie, based on theDream arc of the manga, was released in 2021, with the first film released on January 8 and the second on February 11,[16] followed by another sequel two-part film,Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie, based on theStars arc of the manga, which was released on June 9 and 30, 2023.[17]
Set inTokyo in the 2010s,Usagi Tsukino, a fourteen-year-old middle school student, meetsLuna, a talking black cat that tells her that she is Sailor Moon, a Sailor Guardian destined to fight a group of villains called theDark Kingdom. Luna also instructs Sailor Moon to find her four fellow Sailor Guardians, the long-lost Princess of an ancestral kingdom on the Moon, and a legendary artifact of supreme power known as the Silver Crystal. On her journey, Sailor Moon meets her fellow GuardiansSailor Mercury (Ami Mizuno),Sailor Mars (Rei Hino),Sailor Jupiter (Makoto Kino),Sailor Venus (Minako Aino), and a mysterious masked man calledTuxedo Mask (Mamoru Chiba), to whom Usagi is attracted. Later, Usagi and the Sailor Guardians discover that in their previous lives they were members of an ancient Moon Kingdom in a period of time called the Silver Millennium. The Dark Kingdom waged war against them, resulting in the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. It turns out that Sailor Moon herself is Serenity, the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and that she alone has the power to make the Silver Crystal appear and to use its incredible mystical powers to overcome the forces of evil.
Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask is revealed to be Endymion, the firstcrown prince of the Earth and Serenity's lover in his previous life. After defeating theFour Kings of Heaven (who turn out to have been Prince Endymion's loyal knights in the past) and killing their leaderQueen Beryl, the Sailor Guardians confront a brainwashed Endymion and the ruler of the Dark Kingdom —Queen Metaria. To prevent Queen Metaria from spreading darkness all over the Earth, the Guardians sacrifice their lives. Using the power of the Silver Crystal, Sailor Moon destroys Queen Metaria and reunites with her four friends upon returning them to life.
After Sailor Moon restores the Earth to normal and prepares to live a normal life again with Mamoru and her friends, a little girl falls from the sky, claiming to have the same name as Usagi, but nicknamed as "Chibiusa" by Usagi and the others. A group of villains called theBlack Moon Clan, led byPrince Demande, initiate a series of operations which lead to the abductions of Sailors Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter while looking for Chibiusa and the Silver Crystal. Chibiusa is revealed to be Sailor Moon's and Tuxedo Mask's daughter from a distant future that has been decimated by the Clan, and is searching for Sailor Moon and the Silver Crystal in order to save her mother. Sailor Moon and her friends accompany Chibiusa to the future, and they meet the Guardian ofSpacetime and Chibiusa's friend,Sailor Pluto.
After being captured herself, Sailor Moon then rescues Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter, and they escape from the planet Nemesis, the Black Moon Clan's headquarters. Chibiusa is manipulated by Prince Demande's advisor and the true mastermind of the Black Moon Clan,Death Phantom, and transforms into Black Lady, who brainwashes Tuxedo Mask as well. During an intense battle, Demande manages to obtain the Silver Crystals of the past and the future and tries to bring them together to destroy the universe in a time paradox. Sailor Pluto stops time to prevent this from happening, leading to her own death. Black Lady is shocked to see her friend die and reverts to her true self, transforming into Sailor Chibi Moon. Demande dies protecting Sailor Moon from Death Phantom, but the latter is destroyed by the combined powers of Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon. Neo-Queen Serenity, the future incarnation of Sailor Moon who had also awakened, gives the four Sailor Guardians new Planet Powers and gives Sailor Moon a new brooch, as her old one was destroyed defeating Death Phantom. Sailor Moon and her friends say goodbye to their future selves and return to the past. Chibiusa stays in the future, but returns to the past shortly afterwards to train as a Sailor Guardian.
After students from the prestigious Mugen Academy become victims of a group of villains called theDeath Busters, who transform them intoDaimons, Usagi and their friends meet two Mugen Academy students: tomboyish car racer Haruka Tenoh and violinist prodigy Michiru Kaioh. Haruka and Michiru are the civilian identities of two new Sailor Guardians:Sailor Uranus andSailor Neptune, who are initially reluctant to work with Sailor Moon and the others. Chibiusa befriends a mysterious girl named Hotaru Tomoe, daughter of Mugen Academy founderProfessor Tomoe, who is later revealed to be a key figure of the Death Busters.
Sailor Pluto is revived and reborn as university student Setsuna Meioh, and she joins Sailors Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Using the power of all nine Sailor Guardians, Usagi evolves into Super Sailor Moon. The Sailor Guardians learn that Hotaru's body is host toMistress 9, partner of the leader of the Death Busters,Master Pharaoh 90. At the same time, Hotaru is also the lookalikereincarnation of the Sailor Guardian of Silence and Destruction,Sailor Saturn, who has the power to destroy the whole world. For this reason, Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto fear her. In the climactic battle, Pharaoh 90 begins to merge himself with the planet, but the newly awakened Sailor Saturn uses her full power to send him back to his dimension, the Tau Star System, sacrificing herself in the process. As Neo-Queen Serenity, Usagi restores the city and resurrects everyone that was killed in the final battle, including Hotaru, who is immediately reborn as an infant alongside Saturn's spirit within her once again. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna vow to be Hotaru's family (as Professor Tomoe was killed by Sailor Moon) and leave the city, with the promise to rejoin Usagi and her friends someday.
On July 6, 2012, Kodansha and Toei Animation announced that it would commence production of a new anime adaptation for a simultaneous worldwide release in 2013 as part of the series' 20th anniversary celebrations.[18][19] The idol groupMomoiro Clover Z would perform the opening and closing theme songs, "Moon Pride" and "Gekkō" respectively.[20] In April 2013, it was announced the new anime had been delayed.[21] On August 4, 2013, it was confirmed the new anime will be streamed late in the year.[20]
On January 9, 2014, it was announced the anime would premiere in July,[3][22][23] and on the same day, executive producer, Atsutoshi Umezawa announced that the new anime is not a remake of theprevious anime, but a reboot by adapting Naoko Takeuchi's original manga from scratch.[4] On March 13, 2014, the new anime's official website was updated to show a countdown beginning on March 14 for an announcement due to occur on March 21.[24] That day, Toei's website showed an image displaying the key visual art, synopsis, and staff for the new anime. It also revealed the anime would be calledPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal (美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal,Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Kurisutaru). The series was directed byMunehisa Sakai atToei Animation,Yūji Kobayashi handled the series' scripts, Yukie Sakō handled the character designs, andYasuharu Takanashi composed the music.[25]
The cast and premiere date were announced at the 20th Anniversary Project Special Stage on April 27, 2014. The anime would premiere on July 5, 2014. Episodes would premiere on the first and third Saturdays of each month.[26] The new cast were announced, along withKotono Mitsuishi reprising her role asUsagi Tsukino.[27] On April 30, 2014, Toei confirmed the series would run for 26 episodes and streamed worldwide on the video sharingNiconico website with subtitles in 12 languages on the first and third Saturdays of each month.[2] It debuted on July 5, 2014, and ended on January 17, 2015.
On November 8, 2014, it was announced that the latter half of the 26 episode-run will be the second season, covering theBlack Moon arc of the manga.[28] During a special screening of theDark Kingdom finale on December 27, 2014, the new cast for the second season were announced.[29] The second season debuted on February 7, 2015, and ended on July 18, 2015. The Blu-ray updated version of the first and second season aired on Japanese television in April 2015.[30]
On September 28, 2015, the day in which the final episode of the second season was aired on Japanese television, it was announced that production for the third season ofSailor Moon Crystal was given the green light. The third season covered theInfinity arc of the manga (known asDeath Busters arc in Japan).[31] The name for the season was announced asPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Season III (美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal Season III,Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Kurisutaru Shizun Tsurī).Chiaki Kon replaced Munehisa Sakai as the series director, and Akira Takahashi took over Yukie Sakō's position as a character designer. The latter returning staff and new cast for the third season were announced in a live webcast on January 27, 2016.[15] The first episode of the third season was previewed at a special event held at Animate Ikebukuro store in Tokyo on March 6, 2016.[32] The third season began its regular airing on Japanese television on April 4, 2016,[33] and ended on June 27, 2016, with a total of 13 episodes.
On January 25, 2017, it was announced on theSailor Moon 25th anniversary website thatSailor Moon Crystal would receive a sequel,[34] revealed as the fourth season covering theDream arc of the manga, but being produced as a two-part theatrical anime film project opposed to a television season.Chiaki Kon returned as a main director,[35][36] whileKazuko Tadano handled the character designs, who took over Akira Takahashi's position from the third season.[37][38]Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, replacing Yūji Kobayashi, wrote the scripts, original creator & mangakaNaoko Takeuchi was credited as a chief supervisor,Yasuharu Takanashi returned to compose the music, andStudio Deen co-animated and produced the films with Toei Animation.[39][40] The name for the two-part film was announced asSailor Moon Eternal.[b] The first film was slated to be released on September 11, 2020,[41] but was postponed and released on January 8, 2021, due toCOVID-19 pandemic. The second film was released on February 11, 2021.[16]
The fifth and final season, based on theStars arc of the manga, was also produced as a two-part theatrical anime film project. The majority of key staff members returned from theEternal two-part film, while Tomoya Takahashi replacedChiaki Kon as a director. The title of the two-part film was announced asSailor Moon Cosmos.[c] Both films were released on June 9 and 30, 2023, respectively.[17][42]
In May 2014,Viz Media licensed the anime for an English-language release in North America asSailor Moon Crystal.[10] The series began streaming onHulu andNeon Alley simultaneously on July 5, 2014.Crunchyroll also began streaming the series on its website during the simulcast.[43] At the 2014 Anime Expo convention in Los Angeles, Viz Media announced that the cast used for theSailor Moon re-dub would also reprise their roles inCrystal.[44][45] On November 28, 2014,Madman Entertainment announced that they have the rights forSailor Moon Crystal for Australia and New Zealand,[46] who later broadcast the series onABC Me, and made the series available for streaming on AnimeLab.[47] On November 20, 2015, Viz Media started streaming theSailor Moon Crystal English dub on Neon Alley and Hulu.[48] In Italy, the series was broadcast onRai Gulp, makingCrystal the first series in the franchise that was broadcasting on aRai or other TV channels in Italy other than theMediaset channels, which broadcast the original series. In Canada, the series is broadcast on WildBrain'sFamily Channel.[49]
In June 2021,Netflix announced thatSailor Moon Crystal will be streamed on its platform on July 1, 2021.[50]
The first two seasons ofSailor Moon Crystal were released in Japan in thirteenBlu-ray box sets. Each volume contained two episodes. Alimited edition Blu-ray was released first. A regular DVD and Blu-ray were released a month later on the exact date of the next limited edition Blu-ray. The first limited edition Blu-ray was released on October 15, 2014.[51][52][53]
The third season ofSailor Moon Crystal was released in Japan in three Blu-ray box sets, with each volume containing four episodes each (five episodes on the last volume). The first limited edition Blu-ray was released on June 29, 2016.[54]
Yasuharu Takanashi composed the score forSailor Moon Crystal. The series uses two pieces oftheme music for the first two seasons. The opening theme song is "Moon Pride" and the ending theme song is "Gekkō" (月虹; lit. "Moonbow"); both themes were performed byMomoiro Clover Z. The ending theme's music was written by Naoko Takeuchi (under the name of "Sumire Shirobara"), and composed by Akiko Kosaka, who has written several songs for theSailor Moon series.[55][56] The character song album, titledPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Character Song Collection: Crystal Collection, was released on April 29, 2015.[57] For the third season, four pieces of theme music are used: one opening theme and three ending themes. The opening theme song, "New Moon ni Koishite" (ニュームーンに恋して,Nyū Mūn ni Koishite; lit. "In Love With The New Moon") has three different versions. The first version is performed byEtsuko Yakushimaru for the first four episodes and reprised for the final episode, the second version performed byMitsuko Horie for acts 31 to 34, and the third performed byMomoiro Clover Z for acts 35 to 38.[58] The first ending theme song is "Eternal Eternity" performed byJunko Minagawa andSayaka Ohara, who voice Sailors Uranus and Neptune, respectively, used for acts 27 to 30 and reprised for act 39, mirroring the first version of the opening theme. The second ending theme song is "Otome no Susume" (乙女のススメ; lit. "Maiden's Advice") performed byMisato Fukuen, who is Chibiusa's voice actress, used for acts 31 to 34, mirroring the second version of the opening theme. The third and final ending theme song is "Eien Dake ga Futari wo Kakeru" (永遠だけが二人をかける; lit. "Eternity Brings Two Together") performed byKenji Nojima, who is Mamoru Chiba's voice actor, used for acts 35 to 38, mirroring the third version of the opening theme.[33]
The first episode ofSailor Moon Crystal earned a viewership of over one million on Niconico during the first two days of streaming it.[59]
The first two seasons ofSailor Moon Crystal were criticized for its overly fast pacing and its animation, which had noticeable errors. Victoria McNally ofThe Mary Sue wrote: "I can overlook poor quality animation when it's not too distracting. The problem with Sailor Moon Crystal is that itis getting distracting, because the series also has issues with the pacing and quality of its storytelling—which gives you a lot of downtime to criticize all of its visual flaws."[60]
The third season however, was praised for its improved animation and better characterization. Michael S. Mammano ofDen of Geek, who reviewed the first episode of the third season, wrote "This feels like a whole new show, and I mean that in the best way", and rated the episode 4 out of 5 stars.[61]
Rebecca Silverman ofAnime News Network gave the first two seasons B− ratings,[62][63] while solid B rating for the third season, as she felt that while the first two seasons are good on their own, the third season was an improvement out of all three seasons.[64]
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