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Viz Buys License to Sailor Moon Franchise

Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 7:23 pm
by Earthshine
I'm not the biggest fan of Sailor Moon but I do have fond memories of this anime and understand its importance and significance to the anime fandom.

VIZ Media has bought not only the license to dub the original anime of Sailor Moon but the upcoming anime Sailor Moon: Crystal which is a more accurate representation of the original manga.

VIZ has stated that this dub will be respectful of the original series and will keep all relationships as well as genders and story elements unchanged, things that the 1990s English dub edited to make 'more appropriate' for American children as the idea of homosexuality was a blatant 'nono' (so there will be none of this "She's my cousin" excuse). The original Japanese names will be honored as well.

You can read the full articals of the announcements here and here via Anime News Network.

Sailor Moon: Crystal debuts in Japan on NicoNico on July 5th, VIZ also plans on announcing the dub cast on that very same day.

Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 12:24 am
by Shiyonasan
That was definitely a bombshell announcement by Viz yesterday!

I'm not the biggest fan either, but I do have fond memories of watching Sailor Moon on Toonami with my sister. I did however watch through all 200 episodes of the Japanese version from late 2012 to summer 2013. Yes, I will admit that even as a guy, I do kind of enjoy Sailor Moon! :lol:

I'm pretty interested to see how both Sailor Moon Crystal and the new dub will be. I'll definitely check out the new dub when it's released on Hulu.

Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 12:59 am
by Earthshine
I'm pretty interested in seeing the new dub myself, I watched the dubbed version of Super S last summer and it was really hard to watch. I am looking forward to a more respectful version of this beloved series.

I also want to see Crystal, apparently anyone can see it on NicoNico so long as they have an account? I'm not sure though. I thought I read something a while ago that stated that NicoNico will provide several subtitles as well for the release, you just need an account.

Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 4:22 pm
by Anime Girl
I just heard of it! I'm so excited. And in my case, I happen to be a huge Sailor Moon fan. XD I am excited, although I'll miss some of the songs from the dub, such as Serena's/Usagi's love song to Darien/Mamoru, My Only Love. But I am excited. Huh. I always thought it would be FUNimation that would get the new dub. Oh well, I like Viz too. I can't wait. First episode they dubbed will be streaming tomorrow. SQUEE!

Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 6:41 pm
by Fuzzy Pickles!
Very excited to see this. I remember seeing that horrible dub a long time ago and remember liking it (but then again, I was a child). I cannot wait to see the series as originally intended and without using illegal sources.

Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 12:07 am
by Earthshine
I admit, when I was younger I really enjoyed Sailor Moon but stopped watching it once Toonami stopped airing it, I kinda forgot about it for years until I decided to re-watch Super S (my partner's little brother gave it to me). I remember as I was watching it that I certainly remembered things being much better as a child!! :lol:

The dub really was hard to watch, and the edits looking back on it now were just unnecessary but understandable for its time.

I'm just looking forward to seeing it properly now and possible enjoying it a little better. Sailor Moon is just one of those series that is a classic for any anime fan and I feel one needs to be at least somewhat familiar with.

I will probably not be able to see the live stream for the episodes when they are released but I will more than likely enjoy them when I buy the Blu-Rays :)

Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 11:51 pm
by MrsEclipse
I remember there was one part in the series where everything just stopped making any sense all of a sudden. Everything was perfectly clear and then it just wasn't. I don't know if I was just too young to understand, if I missed something important, if the dub didn't explain something, or what. I just had to stop watching because it made about as much sense as the Voynich Manuscript.

I'm going to give it another try when the new dub airs. I hope that it makes sense this time. I have pretty high hopes.

Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 12:02 am
by Earthshine
Considering the standard dub quality now I'm sure it will make much more sense than the other dub, and with the release of the dvd/blu-ray we'll be able to have the original Japanese audio as well.

My best friend who loves Sailor Moon says that he had the same thing... it stopped making sense and he says that it's because they changed studios? Not sure if that's right but I'm sure glad it's getting new treatment.

Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 5:36 am
by Shiyonasan
Looks like Viz has already started uploading English subbed episodes of the original anime. Four episodes are already available. Just make sure ad block is disabled when you view it:

http://www.viz.com/anime/streaming/sailor-moon

Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 12:05 am
by jeffbert
I watched the JLV for a while, though I do not believe I ever finished the series. As far as dubs go, I think that only Excel Saga would interest me, as the dialogue was just much too fast for subs. Though admittedly, Lupin 3rd's ELV does make the jokes relevant to Americans, & I must admit, is my preference.

Why do you prefer dubs?