The truth about the new series
Last Updated: 03/24/05
As rumors of a
new anime began to swarm
thanks to a statement in January of 2003 on the official Sailormoon website, many fans had also begun to speculate as to whether
or not this would even be animated. The infamous SOS organization even offered suggestions, despite the lack of
a press release. Finally, however, on June 7th of 2003, the silence on the website was broken - the new series will
be live-action.
Anime News Network was the first site to break the
news in English. According to the website:
|
The July issue of Young You magazine has a statement from Naoko Takeuchi, the original creator of Sailor Moon,
officially announcing the new Sailor Moon TV series that will air on Japanese TV this fall.
The TV series will be a live action show produced by Toei. Takeuchi says, "It was decided that Sailor Moon will be brought to TV again, this time as a live action series," and that she is looking forward to seing it. More details ahsould be available soon, Takeuchi suggests that fans watch for announcements in newspapers and magazines and on the Sailor Moon website. |
Within another week, a rough fan translation of the announcement on Bandai's official website appeared on the Makenai.org Forums (translation by Abigail):
|
"Hello, everyone. On this occasion I am pleased to annouce that a second Sailor Moon television series has been decided upon. This time it will be live action. Again the sailor senshi will be active and fight with all their strength on television! (I wonder if the production by ??-san will be like "Abaranger" or "Kamen Rider" in a version for young girls!?) Broadcast will begin this fall. How fun!! For more details on when it will appear check the homepage or newspaper. The password is [moon prism power make up] ! 2003.6.1 Naoko Takeuchi" |
In early August of 2003, casting information finally appeared on the official site, and the first photos started to appear. In addition to this, the title of the series uses the same Japanese title but changes the translation of "Senshi" from "Soldier" to "Guardian." Finally, at the very end of August, the official Pretty Guardian Sailormoon website updated with a story section for the first series (translation courtesy of The Sailor Senshi Page):
| "Stealing the energy of everyday people, the evil group, "Dark Kingdom," set on terrestrial conquest, has begun its assault on society. Meanwhile, the 2nd year junior high school ditz, Usagi, unexpectedly encounters the talking cat, Luna, who gives her the power to transform into the beatiful female soldier, Sailormoon. Although it is necessary, being as stupid and rash as she is, the young heroine refuses to fight. Soon, she encounters the other soldiers, Sailormercury, Sailormars, Sailorjupiter, and Sailorvenus, which gives her the motivation to fight. But eventually, it is revealed that Sailormoon is the princess that Luna was in search of, and is being hunted by the enemy. As for Usagi, with the numerous troubles which were brought upon her as a sailor soldier, in addition to those of being a normal junior high school student- studying, diets, love, and even still, everyday singing at the Karaoke Bar- the outspoken song of the young girl's mind is a song to hopefully not be heard. Although having an easy life, Usagi and her cat Luna have reluctantly entered the chain of events that will shake the destiny of the earth. As for the Soldiers' hurdles in their mission, not only the evil organization "Dark Kingdom," a mysterious man, "Tuxedo Mask," who is searching for the answer to the question of his existance. It's a fight with the Dark Kingdom to get the crystal, but the crystal's appearance and powers remain unknown." |
In early 2004, a mysterious new toy appeared on a few Japanese stores, bragging about a new senshi. Since a young girl, Rina Koike, had been cast, it was believed that this mysterious character was to be Chibi Usa's live action premier. However, as April neared, the first promotional art came in and this new character was finally revealed to be: Sailor Luna. Yes, the plush cat has now become a Senshi. No, I didn't make that last line up - I only do one joke like that a year, and 2004's was mechas.
When the series came close to the end of it's run, it became apparent from the slightly reduced episode count and the final culmination of the plot that the series would not continue beyond it's first season. Despite many internet fans hoping for the series to have a second season and incorporate plotlines that would have covered the later arcs of the manga (such as the introduction of the Outer Senshi), the fact remained that most live-action series do not get a second season, and PGSM was never the earth-shattering success it's anime and manga predecessor was, either in ratings or in sheer merchandising. While never a failure, the show had an average performance. However, while the show may not have turned into a major cash cow for Toei, it did make many people revive their old love for a series they had held dear, with a dramatic plotline full of twists and turns on an old favorite.
As the new series has concluded, smaller rumors will be placed in the "Pretty Guardian Sailormoon" section in Common Legends, while major announcements will go here. However, for complete coverage of the series, including new images, video clips, and translated articles, check out the archives at The Sailor Moon Soapbox. AnimeSuki has a variety of digisubs for the series from various groups. The word from Toei on an international release of PGSM has remained the same - they have no plans to release it outside Japan. Whether the massive exposure from fansubs will generate enough interest to change their minds remains to be seen.