Anime distributor Viz Media announced that they acquire the license for the entire original Sailor Moon anime franchise from Toei Animation. The license includes all 200 episodes from the five television series of the original Sailor Moon to Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars plus the upcoming Sailor Moon Crystal to be release on home video, digital, and streaming services.
Home video options are DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo releases in half-season sets this fall. Streaming options are the first four television episodes in English subtitles on services like Neon Alley and Hulu Plus on Monday. Two more episodes will be added in every Monday to celebrate “Moon-day” as Viz Media put it to celebrate the franchise.
Viz aims to give fans the uncut version of the original anime franchise without editing it’s uncropped 4:3 aspect ratio and is producing a new English dub with all elements from the Japanese version by late 2014 after the English subbed episodes are out this summer through Neon Alley and Hulu Plus.
About Sailor Moon
Usagi Tsukino is a clumsy but kindhearted teenage girl who transforms into the powerful guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon. Meeting allies along the way who share similar fates, Usagi and her team of planetary Sailor Guardians fight to protect the universe from forces of evil and total annihilation.
Sailor Moon (originally translated as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and later as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Nakayoshi from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 tankōbon volumes. The series follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino as she transforms into the titular character to search for a princess and an artifact called the “Legendary Silver Crystal” (「幻の銀水晶」 Maboroshi no Ginzuishō, lit. “Phantom Silver Crystal”). During her journey, she leads a diverse group of comrades, the Sailor Soldiers (セーラー戦士 Sērā Senshi)—Sailor Guardians in later editions—as they battle against villains to prevent the theft of the Silver Crystal and the destruction of the Solar System.
The 18 manga volumes have been adapted into an anime series titled Sailor Moon which was produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast from 1992 to 1997 in Japan over the course of five seasons. The studio also developed three feature films, one television special, three short films and a live-action television adaptation titled Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. A reboot of the anime series titled Sailor Moon Crystal began simulcasting in 2014. Several companies have developed merchandising based on the series, including light novels, collectible trading card games, action figures, musical theater productions, several collections of soundtracks and a large number of video games. The manga series was licensed for an English language release by Kodansha Comics USA in North America, and in Australia and New Zealand by Random House Australia. The entire anime series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release in North America and by Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.
Since its release, Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon has received wide critical acclaim and has become one of the most popular manga and anime series worldwide. The entire series has sold over 35 million copies worldwide, making of it one of the highest selling shōjo series ever, and reviewers have praised the art, characterization and humor of the story. The anime is popular in several countries and is arguably one of the most influential in boosting the popularity of Japanese animation in Western culture. Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon is often cited with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls and for revitalizing the magical girl genre. The franchise is also credited with redefining the genre, as previous magical girls did not use their powers to fight evil and the concept is now considered one of its standard archetypes.
