Viz Licenses Original Sailor Moon Anime Franchise

[Mavrick]

All 200 TV episodes, 3 films, & specials unedited with subtitles & new dub

North American anime distributor Viz Media announced after its Anime Central panel on Friday that it licensed the original Sailor Moon magical girl anime franchise. The streaming, digital, and home video licenses include all 200 episodes from the five television series, the three feature films, and the assorted tie-in specials. This will include the first North American release of the final television series, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars.

Viz is offering the franchise without edits in its original uncropped 4:3 aspect ratio, with the original Japanese names, story elements, and relationships. It is also producing an uncut English dub with a new voice cast.

Viz aims to release the franchise digitally with English subtitles starting this summer, followed by the English dub starting in late 2014. It also plans DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo releases in half-season sets starting this fall.

The first four television anime episodes will stream with English subtitles on Viz Media's NeonAlley.com service and the Hulu Plus service on Monday. Two more episodes will then debut every Monday ("Moon-day," as Viz's representatives deemed it).

Naoko Takeuchi launched the original magical girl team manga series in the shōjo monthly manga magazine Nakayoshi in 1992. It soon spawned anime, a live-action television project, musicals, and other adaptations, and it also sparked a worldwide boom. The 20th anniversary project began in 2012, and featured the first musical in eight years at the AiiA Theater Tokyo last September. Kodansha has been republishing the original manga in a complete edition since last November, and Kodansha USA Publishing's Kodansha Comics imprint has been publishing the manga in North America.

Sailor Moon Official Announcement Trailer - YouTube

http://www.viz.com/sailormoon

[Vashetti]

Fantastic news.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

Viz aims to release the franchise digitally with English subtitles starting this summer, followed by the English dub starting in late 2014. It also plans DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo releases in half-season sets starting this fall.

Why do companies do this? DVD by itself, but if you want Blu-ray, it has to be a combo pack.

[Herry Dunston]

And Viz also has the rights to the new Sailor Moon reboot. Viz's gettin' all of that nostalgia money. I guess FUNImination spent it all on Attack on Titan to not acquire this.

[neoz]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

Why do companies do this? DVD by itself, but if you want Blu-ray, it has to be a combo pack.

If you don't want the DVD sell it, simple as that.

Personally I love BD/DVD combo packs. One I can let me 8 year old watch it on his DVD player in the car or let someone without a blu ray player borrow it. Two one can always sell it to lessen the cost.

That being said, happy about this and I hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by neoz

If you don't want the DVD sell it, simple as that.

Personally I love BD/DVD combo packs. One I can let me 8 year old watch it on his DVD player in the car or let someone without a blu ray player borrow it. Two one can always sell it to lessen the cost.

That being said, happy about this and I hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The Blu-ray case will be twice as thick, even if I sell the DVDs.

Here's a good example of why I'm sad by the combo pack news:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=554

[Scarface32]

I am happy that both the original series and a new series of Sailor Moon is coming to Blu-ray I'll probably end up buying both!

[GenPion]

This is unreal. This is incredible news. One of the greatest anime classics and on Blu-ray for the first time and with the entire five season run. Just... amazing. First Cardcaptor Sakura from NIS America and now this. That's just stunning news.

I think right now I feel an element of disbelief because this has been a difficult show for companies to license again so for us to not only get it in the US again but in HD and featuring the full version, a new dub, etc. All five seasons AND the feature films... It's great news all around.

[neoz]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

The Blu-ray case will be twice as thick, even if I sell the DVDs.

Here's a good example of why I'm sad by the combo pack news:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=554

haha oh yeah those "things". I can agree with you there. I mean look at Star Trek: TNG blu rays. They are in smaller cases. I mean Viz probably won't do that but it can be done. I guess we'll see how they turn out later on.
I would rather have fat cases then a bunch of G1 crap which I have a bad feeling they might do.

[beatnikslacker]

I dont know, im not a huge fan of SM, BUT the way viz is handling packaging for Ranma 1/2 blu sets leads me to think that could be the way they go for for these releases.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by beatnikslacker

I dont know, im not a huge fan of SM, BUT the way viz is handling packaging for Ranma 1/2 blu sets leads me to think that could be the way they go for for these releases.

I hope not, the Ranma½ sets are too expensive.
By the time all the sets are released at the current price, you're looking at around $300-$400
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ranma_½_episodes

What would be better (for consumers) would be to release all 200 episodes in one pack, and charge around $100-$150.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by Scarface32

I hope not, the Ranma½ sets are too expensive.
By the time all the sets are released at the current price, you're looking at around $300-$400
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ranma_½_episodes

What would be better (for consumers) would be to release all 200 episodes in one pack, and charge around $100-$150.

At least it's even being released... and keep in mind if this ever hit's Blu-ray in Japan (which I imagine it will around the same time) it will likely be $300-400 per season.

This probably cost VIZ a fortune (relatively speaking, of course) to license and the fact that they are releasing the new series at the same time and creating a new dub means they are going all-out for Sailor Moon.

[ultlife2013]

This is good news, I actually hope it does cost an arm and a leg.

[madlost1]

My excitement can be summed up by only one thing and that is the Nintendo 64 kid:

Nintendo Sixty-FOOOOOOOOOOUR - YouTube

[Bubblegum2032]

hey hey Sailor Moon, now we're talking

[Thomas Guycott]

Viz,

I love you so much right now.

[bajor27]

New to the sailor moon series (sorta - I've only seen Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon). Did an English Dub exist for the uncut version previously or had that always just been subtitled.

Good news for me is that I'm not attached to any of the original dub voices, so I gladly welcome a new one. Sucks for those fans like grew up on the previous voices though I guess. And I know, any real fan watches it in Japanese w/ subs :P ya ya. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to read okay.

Also, while the price will be a bit steep by the end of everything (like with Ranma), at least we aren't getting cropped nonsense from Funi like DBZ.

PS - where's a North American release for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon? I know. Dream on.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by bajor27

Did an English Dub exist for the uncut version previously or had that always just been subtitled.

Pretty sure it was only subtitled.

[Scarface32]

Originally Posted by UseY0ur1llusi0n

My buddy nails is a die hard fan of Sailor Moon. He even has the bootleg releases...he should be happy.

More cell in HD is always good!

Nails? As in Nine Inch...

I'm guessing that's not his real name

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by UseY0ur1llusi0n

My buddy nails is a die hard fan of Sailor Moon. He even has the bootleg releases...he should be happy.

More cell in HD is always good!

This really is a great announcement. By the way, cool Spike avatar.