Back in the 90's, TV anime was dominated by two towering franchises:
Dragon Ball and
Sailor Moon. Both series were huge all over the world and spawned multiple series, movies, videogames and merchandise. The
D.I.C. English-dub of Sailor Moon was never quite the ratings smash it was hoped to be, but it had a loyal following and was a gateway into anime for legions of fangirls (and likely a fair few guys to boot.). Unlike Dragon Ball though, Sailor Moon has been curiously unavailable for the last decade or so. Thanks to the creator's reluctance to sign rights over, the original series is currently unavailable on DVD even in Japan. The recent English re-release of the original manga has flown off the shelves, proving there's still considerable interest in the property. It was good news for fans then, that a new anime based on the series-
Sailor Moon Crystal- was in the works, but details have been thin on the ground. Now, finally, thanks to a
recent event in Japan more details have emerged- including the cast and a July '14 airdate.
The new series will air on the first and third Saturdays of every month starting July 5th, 7pm local time. It has previously been announced that the series will see a simultaneous release streaming online worldwide. Key art from the Sailor scouts has also been released, some of which you can check out here. The art looks to be faithful to the original, albeit with a modern sheen.
Also unveiled was the main cast, headlined by
Kotono Mitsuishi, reprising her role of
Usagi/Sailor Moon from the original series. It will also feature
Hisako Kanamoto as
Ami/Sailor Mercury and
Rina Satou as
Rei/Sailor Mars. The official synopsis follows (from the
Official Site)
Usagi Tsukino is a second-year middle school girl who is a little clumsy
and a crybaby, but she is full of energy. One day, she meets Luna, a
black cat with a crescent moon on her forehead, and she transforms into
Sailor Moon, a sailor-uniformed pretty guardian of love and
justice! As a chosen guardian of justice, Usagi seems to have a mission
to find the Illusionary Silver Crystal with the other guardians and to
protect the princess.
Meanwhile, the queen of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl, also sends
minions to the town where Usagi lives to obtain the Illusionary Silver
Crystal, which has immense power. This causes strange events to unfold….
Can Sailor Moon really find the Illusionary Silver Crystal with the other Sailor guardians, and protect the princess…!?
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ANN]
