Sailor Moon

While we have word that both Usagi and Mamoru's V As are coming back, the same could not be said of the rest of the old cast. The reboot should be interesting though, as it'll bring the kids (who weren't even BORN when the series first came out) up to speed on the show that pretty much popularized the trend of Magical Girl/Magical Warrior. Though there IS also the danger (much like of Jojos Bizarre Adventure) of Seinfeld Is Unfunny...

edited 6th Jul '12 10:07:41 AM by MyssaRei

Keiko Han voiced Luna as recently as in the live action series, so she should be in. Michie Tomizawa (Rei) was supposed to have retired, but she returned to play Roberta in Black Lagoon, and a big time gig like this should be enough for her. Aya Hisakawa (Ami) is still very active everywhere.

ALL RIGHT, Toei! I'll finish my stinkin' recaps! Are you happy?!

...I'm so happy...

And it's supposed to air World wide.

I did not see this coming ever. Japan must be on a nostalgia trip, what with Jojos Bizarre Adventure this fall (granted that series is still around). Not to memtion the third Eva movie.

I watched the series on Toonami back in the day...and looking back on it now, I find I disliked the rather formulaic nature of the show (this was before I knew about the dub changes OR the manga). Still, I'm probably going to watch this one - nostalgia is a powerful thing, even if this anime turns out different (and it probably will).

Think this will be the Magical Girl Reconstruction in response to Madoka Magica?

edited 6th Jul '12 12:01:08 PM by universalperson

If the rumors about Ikuhara being involved are true, I fear for Mamo-chan.

I'm obviously excited for this, being a big Sailor Moon fan (as one can tell by my Chibi-Usa avatar) and curious to see how it turns out and what they do with the storyline. There are 52 chapters in the manga, so each one could theoretically be an episode, if they're trying to stick to the manga plotline. However, that might be difficult with some of the chapters being longer than others, and thus they might just stick to the Dark Kingdom battles like with the live-action or else spread it out into more than just 52 episodes.

edited 6th Jul '12 2:28:32 PM by Rainbow

I don't have anything against Mamoru, but it wouldn't be a great loss either.

Considering the manga gave him a lot of screen time, didn't include the forced "break up" arc, and actually remembered to give him super powers so he could keep up with the main character, I think it would be a big loss.

Also, I'm a sucker for Furuya Tohru's sexy sexy Tuxedo Mask voice and I'm dearly hoping he comes back for the new series.

That said, it would be interesting if Ikuhara does come back to Sailor Moon after all this time. Especially after he basically deconstructed the entire thing when he made Utena.

edited 6th Jul '12 3:47:49 PM by Rebochan

Well I liked first season Marmoru for his dynamic with Usagi, but after that... Yeah I still wouldn't want him removed.

Okay, so I'm not too familiar with Kunihiko Ikuhara. What would you assume he'd do with Sailor Moon if given the chance exactly? I mean, I think I hear Mawaru Penguindrum involved separation for the couples involved.

I hope he doesn't dial up the yuri too high, but assuming he's going to do Sailor Moon with a touch of Utena and taking pointers from the popular elements of Madoka it's probably all too likely.

Except that would be too straightforward wouldn't it?

Ikuhara actually got his big break for his work on Sailor Moon. He directed three seasons of Sailor Moon (R, S, and Super S) as well as the Sailor Moon R movie. He also had a lot of involvement in the first series, and in particular, he directed several key episodes including the extremely emotional finale. In fact, he's claimed that Utena came from a discarded pitch he wrote for the Super S movie that would have focused on Haruka and Michiru.

For the most part, he handled a lot of the best parts of the anime...though under his watch, Mamoru completely dropped out of the main plot even at parts where he actually had a big role in the manga. Not shockingly, Haruka and Michiru got much larger roles in the S anime on his watch...so, Author Appeal probably played some part in that (he's admitted as much). On the other hand, the extremely Mamoru-centric R movie was all Ikuhara, so it's not like he can't write a decent story about the guy when pressed to.

I've noticed he's rarely given interview questions about his Sailor Moon work anymore, though a lot of his frusteration over how Super S turned out led to him leaving and creating Utena.

If Naoko Takeuchi is involved hopefully we will see a lot of her creative vision in it.

Hopefully she will help keep the script balanced at least.

Depends on her involvement level. She's always "involved" on some level, and even the original series saw her contributing a lot.

Ogata Megumi (Haruka) is still working, at least part time (Shinji in the Eva rebuild and was Harribel in Bleach) and Shinohara Emi (Makoto) was working even more recently than Keiko Han. She was Youko in Maria Sama Ga Miteru and (Nobody out crazies) Ophelia in Claymore. I was a little worried about Fukamai Rika (Minako) but it turns out she's still working a bit. She was Yggdrasil in Digimon Data Squad and Ringo's mother in Mawaru Penguindrum. Katsuki Masako (Michiru) is still working as well. She's Tsunade in Naruto (including Shippuden). Minaguchi Yuko (Hotaru) has also had some recent roles (Ringo in Casshern Sins TV series and a part in the second season of Rosario To Vampire).

So most of the Sailor Senshi are either still working or if they've retired its relatively recently (probably enough that they might be willing to come back for one last hurrah). The main problem seems to be Kawashimi Chiyoko (Setsuna). A quick look on her ANN profile returns precious little work more recent than Sailor Moon and only a small part in Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne for her most recent, and even that finished in 2000.

I'd also point out that Seiya's voice actor passed away in 2000, so she would need to be recast.

I am particularly unconcerned about anyone that far outside the core cast.

Especially since we don't know who will be coming back.

Well, I do hope all the outers are more or less the same and it would be good if they are introduced much sooner.

Weren't those three really minor characters who got more screen time in the anime anyway?

Who, the Outers? No, all four of them were actually fairly relevant in the manga.

No, not the Outers. The genderbent Sailor Warriors from another galaxy. Starlights, I think.

Ah. In the manga, they weren't even genderbents, only cross dressing women. I actually think the anime handled them better. The manga made them look like a bunch of Haruka reduxes.

New Sailor Moon anime huh?

All the old school stuff is coming back it seems.

Guess we'll see a more competent Usagi (perhaps a balance between her Manga self and her anime self).

Wonder who the villains will be?

Uhhh...NO. Just NO. They could get away with being Haruka reduxes in the manga because they were minor characters. In that godawful Stars anime season, they were turned into major characters for no good reason, were incredibly obnoxious in the role (especially Seiya!), and the genderbending nature breaks the rule that men cannot be Sailor Senshi, PERIOD. So no, they were not handled better in the anime, 'cause they were not handled well at all.

For the most part, he handled a lot of the best parts of the anime...though under his watch

Under his watch, the anime slowly began to Jump the Shark, Super S being it's pinnacle.

Wonder who the villains will be?

The Dark Kingdom, obviously. They're always who you have to begin with.

edited 6th Jul '12 9:47:03 PM by ManwiththePlan

Okay, but do you think they'll get to the other dudes as well (Black moon family, Deathbusters, Dead Moon, and Sailor Animates), and if they do, will they give them character the way the first anime did (it may have been bogged with filler, but at least the majority of the villains lasted longer that one episode, the way most were killed in one chapter in the manga).

...Not that I watched any SailorMoon and all. No sirree.

Uh, Man with the Plan? The Sailor Starlights played a huge role in the manga too. I don't care what Takeuchi said in the art books, she killed off the entire main cast within a few chapters of the Stars manga and Sailor Moon spent most of the arc with the Sailor Starlights and Princess Kakyuu supporting her instead.

I also know you loathe Kunihiko Ikuhara, but he still shaped the most acclaimed portions of the series. That "goddawful Stars anime" was after he left.

If anything, they technically have a SMALLER role considering they don't ultimately affect the final battle of the anime at all - at least in the manga, they helped Sailor Moon get further across the galaxy before they all died.

edited 6th Jul '12 10:11:34 PM by Rebochan

I'd also add the "gender bending" does not break any rules - the characters are not men in the anime. They're women disguised as men. The only difference is they physically change forms, but they revert to their actual, female forms as Senshi.

I really had hoped the trans-bashing of the Starlights might have faded as the show's fanbase grew up....but sadly, all they seemed to have gotten over is girls kissing.