So, it’s finally happened; the remake of one of the worlds most loved anime series’.
Let me start with some facts about the new series before I start talking about the first episode.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal (Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Crystal) is going to be a 26 ONA, which stands for Original Net Anime. Each episode will air on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month Japan time, so sadly we will have to wait 2 weeks for the following episode. The series will be airing for a year with a start date of 5th July 2014. This new anime adaptation is going to follow the original Manga by Takeuchi, Naoko. If you have read the manga you will realise that a lot of what appears in the original anime was just filler which I must say I did enjoy, but it will be interesting to see if they follow the original story completely.
Now I’m going to talk about the first episode I just watched. I was at Japan Expo so I unfortunately missed watching it the same day it aired like a true fanatic would. However I have watched it and must say…I LOVED IT! The art style was beautiful and refreshing. The appearance follows the manga art style which really does distinguish the difference between the 90’s version and the new release.
There have been a lot of fans complaining about the new art style which I find incredibly bizarre seeing as it appears more like the Manga which is already over 20 years old. Animation has improved and there will obviously be a difference. I’m happy with the look of the series so far.
I was so excited about watching it that I decided to sit downstairs and plug my laptop into the 42″ TV instead of my standard 32″ whilst sitting on a stall very close to the screen like I did when I was a child. My mum and sister were sitting on the sofa laughing at how I haven’t changed since I was around 6 years old where I would sit on the arm of a chair and scream at people who would walk in front of the TV.
I liked the opening and ending animation, however I think it will take time to get use to Momoiro Clover Z’s OST. Watching the anime as a kid on TV, we had the dub and the opening song in English which I still love to this day which still makes it hard to hear it in Japanese let alone a completely different song. I have no problem with this, I never wanted it to be the same, but it will take time to get used to it. I do think they did a good job though!
In episode one we meet Tsukino, Usagi (sailor moon) , Luna the cat, Chiba, Mamoru and Usagi’s school mates. It starts off with Usagi having a dream about a princess which is a key part of the plot. She then wakes up to find she’s late for school as per usual and has to make a mad dash to school. She steps on a black cat on her run to school. She notices the cat has a plaster on its forehead and helps by removing it. The cat runs off after you see the crescent moon which was hidden under the plaster.
Usagi then arrives at school late and is made to stand outside the classroom as punishment which we often saw in the original series. She later goes to play the Sailor V game at the arcade where she meets Mamoru outside for the first time.
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When arriving home she’s scolded by her mother for poor results in her English exam. Later that night Luna appears in front of Usagi and gives her the transformation locket. She can hear her friend Naru is in trouble and goes to help as Sailor Moon . Naru’s mother has been taken over by an evil power controlled by Jadeite of the Dark Kingdom.
I already said too much about the first episode (none of which are considered spoilers for those who don’t already know the story), so I will leave the rest for you to watch.
The original anime has also been liscened by VIZ media in the US with an all new dub cast for all 200 episodes. This means the final season will finally have a dub for those who may have not watched it before. So much to look forward to. It’s going to be a fun ride
So to old fans and those soon to be new fans, keep posted for the next episode on the 19th July. Will try to write a little something on the next one too.
You can watch the new series on Crunchyroll , and Hulu . In the UK you can watch it on Nico Nico.