Friday 13 June 2014

My thoughts on Sailor Moon Crystal

Hello again everyone! If you're one to dabble in the anime universe you will undoubtedly know about the Sailor Moon 20th anniversary reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal, which is set to air in Japan on the 5th of July (less then one month away...!!!). A trailer was released on the 5th of June and this trailer really didn't meet the expectations of some Sailor Moon fans. You can watch the trailer for yourself here

I will admit, when I first laid eyes on the new character designs I was very shocked and confused. Everything was strange looking and looked nothing like the manga like I presumed it would. Luckily for me, this all changed when the trailer aired, but a lot of fans are still sad that the art is so different to the original anime. I personally think the art looks fantastic now that I've had a chance to get my head around it. The new anime was never going to look like the original series because of how much art and animation has advanced over the past twenty years! If you compare the art to the manga it is indeed very similar, which is what we were promised way back when the series was announced- so they definitely delivered on that one! The only thing that has me quite puzzled is Usagi's eyes. It might just be because I haven't watched an actual episode yet so therefore they're not showing emotion or anything but her eyes look a little.. dead? It may just be me still getting used to a much more modern eye (their original eyes were very simple) but that is literally the only thing I can complain about in the trailer. Yes their legs a long, but have you watched the original anime? Have you read the manga? Their limbs are incredibly unrealistically long and their heads are huge, they always have been.  

Sailor Moon Crystal by Marco Albiero Art
I think the most exciting thing for me will be seeing Mamoru animated. Mamoru is one of my favorite characters within the Sailor Moon franchise and I can't wait for him to get the portrayal he deserves! Now I could be totally wrong here but I'm pretty positive there is a theory that the director of the original anime (or producer of one of the seasons?),  disliked Mamoru, hence why his portrayal in the original anime was not so great. It is believed that he preferred the romance between Usagi and Kou Seiya (one of the Sailor Starlights) and this can definitely be seen within the original series. Mamoru was also portrayed to be a lot meaner, grumpier and- dare I saw it, dumber, than he is in the manga so I just can't wait to see the gentle, kind Mamo-chan that I know and love. Also we get Mamoru in glasses. And a school uniform. I also think his character designs looks a lot like a CLAMP character... but without the huge shoulders...I can't be the only animanga fan thinking this can I?

I'm a little nervous to hear the voice actresses playing Minako, Ami, Rei and Mokoto but I'm also very excited, if you know what I mean? We are so lucky to have the original voice actress of Usagi, Kotono Mitsuishi, return to the mic, but I only wish we could have the original voice actor for Mamoru as well (I'm getting a little greedy, I know, but imagine how amazing it would be to have all of the original cast!). I also can't control my excitement for the seasons and films that are bound to follow. We will be re-introduced to well-loved characters such as the Outer Senshi, Helios and the Sailor Starlights. I hope the character designs for the Outer Senshi are received better than the Inner Senshi but we'll just have to wait a year (or longer) to see! I hope Haruka's original voice actress returns in Sailor Moon Crystal as I think Megumi Ogata was perfect in this role (I love Megumi's work, she's fantastic!) but we'll just have to impatiently wait for the announcements to be made. We will also be seeing a new Tokyo as the series will be adapted to suit a much more modern audience so don't expect that everything will look the same!

I'm a little undecided on how I feel about the announcement of the re-dub as I despise the original dub with great passion. I'm sure Viz Media know what they're doing and will keep this series un-cut (please oh my god), I'm sure many fans will be disappointed if they do cut and edit anything out. 

Well that is basically some of the most prominent thoughts swirling around my head when it comes to Sailor Moon Crystal. If any of you would like me to make another post when the first episode airs (which is July 5th in Japan but I'll need to wait for it to be subbed which can take up to a week usually, though I'm sure it will be sooner because of the hype surrounding the episode), just leave a comment below and I'll happily do so! 

Thanks for reading, love from Maddie! xo

4 comments:

  1. You sure do love your anime

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  2. Sorry to ask this but who is Mamoru and who is Haruka?? xx

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    1. That's okay anon! Ask Away! Mamoru is Mamoru Chiba aka Tuxedo Kamen or in the English dub Darien Shields (Darien.. why Darien of all the names they could've picked?) aka Tuxedo Mask! Haruka is Haruka Tenoh aka Sailor Uranus. xx

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