''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014
original net animation
An original net animation (ONA), known in Japan as , is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animati ...
adaptation of the
''shōjo'' manga series ''
Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by
Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th anniversary.
Produced by
Toei Animation
() is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
and directed by
Munehisa Sakai (Seasons 1 and 2) and
Chiaki Kon
is a Japanese anime director. She started her career in 1998 after joining Pierrot.
Biography
Chiaki Kon was born in September 29, at Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she used to watch and fan of Toei Animation's anime adaptation works, su ...
(Season 3), the series was streamed worldwide on
Niconico from July 5, 2014, to July 18, 2015. Season 1 and 2's episodes were released twice a month.
Instead of remaking the
1990s anime series preceding it, Toei Animation produced ''Crystal'' as a
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of ''Sailor Moon'' and as a more faithful adaptation of the original manga by omitting much of the original material from the first series.
The story focuses on
Usagi Tsukino
, better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...
, who is a young girl that obtains the power to become the titular character. Other Sailor Guardians join her in the search for Princess Serenity and the Silver Crystal.
The first episode had an advanced screening on June 30, 2014. In May 2014,
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
licensed ''Crystal'' for an English-language release in North America, simulcasting the series on
Neon Alley
Neon Alley was an American digital anime service run by Viz Media. The service began as a 24-hour linear web channel dedicated to showing English dubbed anime series in uncut and uncensored formats. It later evolved into a Hulu-based streaming ...
and
Hulu to coincide with the worldwide streaming.
Crunchyroll also simulcast the series in a separate contract with Toei Animation. Viz premiered the first episode as part of their "Sailor Moon Day" celebration at the
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first w ...
Convention in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
A third season, based on the ''Infinity'' arc of the manga, premiered on April 4, 2016, and concluded on June 27, 2016.
A sequel two-part film, ''
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie'', based on the ''Dream'' arc of the manga, was released in 2021, with the first film released on January 8 and the second on February 11,
followed by another sequel two-part film, ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie'', based on ''Stars'' arc of the manga, which will be released in Summer 2023.
Plot
''Dark Kingdom''
Usagi Tsukino
, better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...
, a fourteen-year-old middle school student, meets
Luna
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin
* Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon
Luna may also refer to:
Places Philippines
* Luna, Apayao
* Luna, Isabela
* Luna, La Union
* Luna, San Jose
Roma ...
, a talking black cat that tells her that she is Sailor Moon, a Sailor Guardian destined to fight a group of villains called the
Dark Kingdom
The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usagi ...
. Luna also instructs Sailor Moon to find her four fellow Sailor Guardians, the long-lost Princess of an ancestral kingdom on the Moon, and a legendary artifact of supreme power known as the Silver Crystal. On her journey, Sailor Moon meets her fellow Guardians
Sailor Mercury
is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. She is the alternate identity of , a teenage Japanese schoolgirl, and a member of the Sailor Guardians, supernatural female fighters who protect the Solar Sys ...
(Ami Mizuno),
Sailor Mars
, better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, Rei is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fi ...
(Rei Hino),
Sailor Jupiter
, better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Makoto is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar ...
(Makoto Kino),
Sailor Venus
, better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' and '' Codename: Sailor V'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. Minako is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fig ...
(Minako Aino), and a mysterious masked man called
Tuxedo Mask
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element f ...
(Mamoru Chiba), to whom Usagi is attracted. Later, Usagi and the Sailor Guardians discover that in their previous lives they were members of an ancient Moon Kingdom in a period of time called the Silver Millennium. The Dark Kingdom waged war against them, resulting in the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. It turns out that Sailor Moon herself is Princess Serenity, the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and that she alone has the power to make the Silver Crystal appear and to use its incredible mystical power. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask is revealed to be Prince Endymion, the first crown prince of the Earth and Serenity's lover in his previous life. After defeating the
Four Kings of Heaven (who turn out to have been Prince Endymion's loyal knights in the past) and killing their leader
Queen Beryl, the Sailor Guardians confront a brainwashed Endymion and the ruler of the Dark Kingdom —
Queen Metaria. To prevent Queen Metaria from spreading darkness all over the Earth, the Guardians sacrifice their lives. Using the power of the Silver Crystal, Sailor Moon destroys Queen Metaria and resurrects her friends.
''Black Moon''
After Sailor Moon restores the Earth to normal and prepares to live a normal life again with Mamoru and her friends, a little girl falls from the sky, claiming to have the same name as Usagi, but nicknamed as "
Chibiusa
is a fictional main character from the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. She is one of the main characters of the series. She is introduced in Chapter 14, "Conclusion and Commencement, Petite Étrangere", first published in ...
" by Usagi and the others. A group of villains called the
Black Moon Clan
The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. It comprises the main villains of the second major story arc, which is called the ''Black Moon'' in the manga and '' Sailor Moon Crystal'', and which fi ...
, led by
Prince Demande
The is a group of fictional characters in the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. It comprises the main villains of the second major story arc, which is called the ''Black Moon'' in the manga and ''Sailor Moon Crystal'', and which f ...
, initiate a series of operations which lead to the abductions of Sailor's Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter while looking for Chibiusa and the Silver Crystal. Chibiusa is revealed to be Sailor Moon's and Tuxedo Mask's daughter from a distant future that has been decimated by the Clan, and is searching for Sailor Moon and the Silver Crystal in order to save her mother. Sailor Moon and her friends accompany Chibiusa to the future, and they meet the Guardian of Time and Chibiusa's friend,
Sailor Pluto
is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. The alternate identity of , she is a member of the Sailor Guardians, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System from evil.
She is unique amo ...
. After being captured herself Sailor Moon then rescues Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter and together they manage to escape from the Black Moon Clan's headquarters, the planet Nemesis but Chibiusa is manipulated by Demande's advisor and the true mastermind of the Clan,
Death Phantom, and transforms into Black Lady who also later brainwashes Tuxedo Mask as well. During an intense battle Demande manages to obtain the Silver Crystals of the past and the future and is about to bring them together when Sailor Pluto stops time to prevent the universe from being destroyed by this act, leading to her own death. Black Lady is shocked to see her friend die and reverts to her true self, transforming into Sailor Chibi Moon. While Demande dies protecting Sailor Moon from Death Phantom, the latter is destroyed by the combined powers of Sailor Moon and the awakened Sailor Chibi Moon. Neo Queen Serenity who had also awakened then gives Sailor Guardians new Planet Powers and gives Sailor Moon a new brooch as well (as her old one was destroyed defeating Death Phantom), Sailor Moon and her friends say goodbye to their future selves and return to the past and everything returns to normal. Chibiusa also returns to the future afterwards but returns shortly afterwards to stay in the past and train as a Sailor Guardian.
''Death Busters''
After students from the prestigious Mugen Academy become victims of a group of villains called the
Death Busters
The are a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. This group comprises the villains of the third major story arc, which is called the ''Infinity'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon S'' in the first ...
, who transform them into Daimons, Usagi and their friends meet two Mugen Academy students: tomboyish car racer Haruka Tenoh and violinist prodigy Michiru Kaioh. Haruka and Michiru are the civilian identities of two new Sailor Guardians:
Sailor Uranus
is a fictional lead character in the ''Sailor Moon'' media franchise. Sailor Uranus' alternate identity is , a teenage Japanese student. Haruka is a member of the Sailor Guardians, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System fro ...
and
Sailor Neptune
is a fictional lead character in the ''Sailor Moon'' media franchise. Her alternate identity is , a teenage Japanese schoolgirl. Michiru is a member of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar System from evil.
...
, who are initially reluctant to work with Sailor Moon and the others. Chibiusa befriends a mysterious girl named Hotaru Tomoe, daughter of Mugen Academy founder
Professor Tomoe
The are a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. This group comprises the villains of the third major story arc, which is called the ''Infinity'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon S'' in the first ...
, who is later revealed to be a key figure of the Death Busters. Sailor Pluto is reincarnated as university student Setsuna Meioh, and she joins Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Using the power of all the Sailor Guardians, Usagi gains a new transformation: Super Sailor Moon. The Sailor Guardians learn that Hotaru's body is host to
Mistress 9, partner of the leader of the Death Busters,
Master Pharaoh 90. At the same time, Hotaru is also the reincarnation of the Guardian of Silence,
Sailor Saturn
is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Her spirit resides deep within , a twelve-year-old Japanese schoolgirl who is her lookalike reincarnation, which makes Sailor Saturn her Alter ego, alter ego; ...
, who has the power to destroy the whole world. For this reason, Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto fear Saturn's awakening. In the climactic battle, Pharaoh 90 begins to merge himself with the planet, but the newly awakened Sailor Saturn uses her power to send him back to his dimension, the Tau Star System, sacrificing herself in the process. As Neo-Queen Serenity, Usagi restores the city and resurrects everyone that was killed in the battle, including Hotaru, who is reborn as an infant alongside Saturn's spirit within her once again. Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna vow to be Hotaru's family and leave the city, with the promise to rejoin Usagi and her friends someday.
Production and broadcasting
Seasons 1-3
On July 6, 2012, Kodansha and Toei Animation announced that it would commence production of a new anime adaptation for a simultaneous worldwide release in 2013 as part of the series' 20th anniversary celebrations.
The idol group
Momoiro Clover Z
is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or .
The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies.
MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...
would perform the opening and closing theme songs, "
Moon Pride" and "Gekkō" respectively.
In April 2013, it was announced the new anime had been delayed. On August 4, 2013, it was confirmed the new anime will be streamed late in the year.
On January 9, 2014, it was announced the anime would premiere in July,
and on the same day, executive producer, Atsutoshi Umezawa announced that the new anime is not a remake of
the previous anime, but a reboot by adapting Naoko Takeuchi's original manga from scratch.
On March 13, 2014, the new anime's official website was updated to show a countdown beginning on March 14 for an announcement due to occur on March 21. That day, Toei's website showed an image displaying the key visual art, synopsis, and staff for the new anime. It also revealed the anime would be called . The series was directed by
Munehisa Sakai at
Toei Animation
() is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
,
Yūji Kobayashi handled the series' scripts, Yukie Sakō handled the character designs, and
Yasuharu Takanashi
is a prolific Japanese composer and arranger for anime and video game series. His anime composition credits include '' Naruto Shippuden'', '' Fairy Tail'', '' Log Horizon'', '' Shiki'', ''Hell Girl'', and ''Record of Ragnarok''. He also compos ...
composed the music.
The cast and premiere date were announced at the 20th Anniversary Project Special Stage on April 27, 2014. The anime would premiere on July 5, 2014. Episodes would premiere on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
The new cast were announced, along with
Kotono Mitsuishi
is a Japanese voice actress, actress, singer, and narrator. She was affiliated with Arts Vision and Lasley Arrow, but is now freelance. Mitsuishi lived in Nagareyama, Chiba. She graduated from high school and entered the Katsuta Voice Actor's Ac ...
reprising her role as
Usagi Tsukino
, better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...
. On April 30, 2014, Toei confirmed the series would run for 26 episodes and streamed worldwide on the video sharing
Niconico website with subtitles in 12 languages on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
It debuted on July 5, 2014, and ended on January 17, 2015.
On November 8, 2014, it was announced that the latter half of the 26 episode-run will be the second season, covering the ''Black Moon'' arc of the manga. During a special screening of the ''Dark Kingdom'' finale on December 27, 2014, the new cast for the second season were announced. The second season debuted on February 7, 2015, and ended on July 18, 2015. The Blu-ray updated version of the first and second season aired on Japanese television in April 2015.
On September 28, 2015, the day in which the final episode of the second season was aired on Japanese television, it was announced that production for the third season of ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' was given the green light. The third season covered the ''Infinity'' arc of the manga (known as ''Death Busters'' arc in Japan). The name for the season was announced as .
Chiaki Kon
is a Japanese anime director. She started her career in 1998 after joining Pierrot.
Biography
Chiaki Kon was born in September 29, at Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she used to watch and fan of Toei Animation's anime adaptation works, su ...
replaced Munehisa Sakai as the series director, and Akira Takahashi took over Yukie Sakō's position as a character designer. The latter returning staff and new cast for the third season were announced in a live webcast on January 27, 2016.
The first episode of the third season was previewed at a special event held at Animate Ikebukuro store in Tokyo on March 6, 2016. The third season began its regular airing on Japanese television on April 4, 2016,
and ended on June 27, 2016, total of 13 episodes.
Sequels
On January 25, 2017, it was announced on the ''Sailor Moon'' 25th anniversary website that ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' would receive a sequel,
revealed as the fourth season covering the ''Dream'' arc of the manga, but being produced as a two-part theatrical anime film project opposed to an television season.
Chiaki Kon
is a Japanese anime director. She started her career in 1998 after joining Pierrot.
Biography
Chiaki Kon was born in September 29, at Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she used to watch and fan of Toei Animation's anime adaptation works, su ...
returned as a main director,
while
Kazuko Tadano
is a Japanese animator, character designer, illustrator and animation director. She's mostly known for her character design work for the first two seasons of the 1990s ''Sailor Moon'' anime series.
Career
Tadano first worked on as an animatio ...
handled the character designs, who took over Akira Takahashi's position from the third season.
Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
is a Japanese anime screenwriter. He debuted in 1997 and has worked on numerous series since, including ''Black Clover'', ''That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime'', and ''By the Grace of the Gods''. Fudeyasu usually spells his name with kanji. ...
, replacing Yūji Kobayashi, wrote the scripts, original creator & mangaka
Naoko Takeuchi was credited as a chief supervisor,
Yasuharu Takanashi
is a prolific Japanese composer and arranger for anime and video game series. His anime composition credits include '' Naruto Shippuden'', '' Fairy Tail'', '' Log Horizon'', '' Shiki'', ''Hell Girl'', and ''Record of Ragnarok''. He also compos ...
returned to compose the music, and
Studio Deen co-animated and produced the films with Toei Animation. The name for the two-part film was announced as ''Sailor Moon Eternal''. The first film was slated to released on September 11, 2020, but was postponed and released on January 8, 2021, due to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The second film was released on February 11, 2021.
The fifth and final season, based on ''Stars'' arc of the manga, was also produced as a two-part theatrical anime film project. Majority of the key staff members returned from ''Eternal'' two-part film, while Tomoya Takahashi replaced
Chiaki Kon
is a Japanese anime director. She started her career in 1998 after joining Pierrot.
Biography
Chiaki Kon was born in September 29, at Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As a child, she used to watch and fan of Toei Animation's anime adaptation works, su ...
as a director. The title of the two-part film was announced as ''Sailor Moon Cosmos''. Both films will be released in Summer 2023.
International production and broadcast
In May 2014,
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
licensed the anime for an English-language release in North America as ''Sailor Moon Crystal''.
The series began streaming on
Hulu and
Neon Alley
Neon Alley was an American digital anime service run by Viz Media. The service began as a 24-hour linear web channel dedicated to showing English dubbed anime series in uncut and uncensored formats. It later evolved into a Hulu-based streaming ...
simultaneously on July 5, 2014.
Crunchyroll also began streaming the series on its website during the simulcast. At the 2014 Anime Expo convention in Los Angeles, Viz Media announced that the cast used for the ''Sailor Moon'' re-dub would also reprise their roles in ''Crystal''. On November 28, 2014,
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...
announced that they have the rights for ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' for Australia and New Zealand, who later broadcast the series on
ABC Me
ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3.
Hist ...
, and made the series available for streaming on AnimeLab. On November 20, 2015, Viz Media started streaming the ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' English dub on Neon Alley and Hulu. In Italy, the series was broadcast on
Rai Gulp
Rai Gulp is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's television channel for early teenagers, and is known for its programming for childr ...
, making ''Crystal'' the first series in the franchise that was broadcasting on a
Rai
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
or other channels in Italy other than
Mediaset, which broadcast the classic series.
In June 2021,
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
announced that ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' will be streamed on its platform on July 1, 2021.
Related media
Home release
The first two seasons of ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' were released in Japan in thirteen
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
box sets. Each volume contained two episodes. A
limited edition
The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...
Blu-ray was released first. A regular DVD and Blu-ray were released a month later on the exact date of the next limited edition Blu-ray. The first limited edition Blu-ray was released on October 15, 2014.
The third season of ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' was released in Japan in three Blu-ray box sets, with each volume containing four episodes each (five episodes on the last volume). The first limited edition Blu-ray was released on June 29, 2016.
Soundtrack
Yasuharu Takanashi
is a prolific Japanese composer and arranger for anime and video game series. His anime composition credits include '' Naruto Shippuden'', '' Fairy Tail'', '' Log Horizon'', '' Shiki'', ''Hell Girl'', and ''Record of Ragnarok''. He also compos ...
composed the score for ''Sailor Moon Crystal''. The series uses two pieces of
theme music
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
for the first two seasons. The opening theme song is "
Moon Pride" and the ending theme song is ; both themes were performed by
Momoiro Clover Z
is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or .
The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies.
MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...
. The ending theme's music was written by Naoko Takeuchi (under the name of "Sumire Shirobara"), and composed by Akiko Kosaka, who has written several songs for the ''Sailor Moon'' series.
The character song album, titled ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal Character Song Collection: Crystal Collection'', was released on April 29, 2015. For the third season, four pieces of theme music are used: one opening theme and three ending themes. The opening theme song, has three different versions. The first version is performed by
Etsuko Yakushimaru
is a Japanese singer, producer, composer, lyricist, arranger and artist. She is broadly active, from pop music to experimental music and art. Her output has also included drawing, installation art, media art, poetry and other literature, and reci ...
for the first four episodes and reprised for the final episode, the second version performed by
Mitsuko Horie
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. She was born in Yamato, Kanagawa.
She has voiced several characters throughout her career, such as Sailor Galaxia in '' Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars'' and Remi in the Nippon Animation World Master ...
for acts 31 to 34, and the third performed by
Momoiro Clover Z
is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or .
The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies.
MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...
for acts 35 to 38. The first ending theme song is "Eternal Eternity" performed by
Junko Minagawa
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyo. Her best-known role is Ryoma Echizen, the title character in ''The Prince of Tennis'' anime series. She sang some of the show's theme songs, insert songs, and character singles, some of which ...
and
Sayaka Ohara
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyō. Her major roles include Alicia Florence in ''Aria'', Milly Ashford in '' Code Geass'', Erza Scarlet in '' Fairy Tail'', Irisviel in the '' Fate/Zero'' and '' Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya ...
, who voice Sailors Uranus and Neptune, respectively, used for acts 27 to 30 and reprised for act 39, mirroring the first version of the opening theme. The second ending theme song is performed by
Misato Fukuen
is a Japanese actress and voice actress affiliated with StarCrew. Her real name is . She has also performed activities as a singer under the name of MIRI.
Filmography
TV anime
Original video animation
*''To Love Ru'' – Golden Darkness
*'' T ...
, who is Chibiusa's voice actress, used for acts 31 to 34, mirroring the second version of the opening theme. The third and final ending theme song is performed by
Kenji Nojima
is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with the voice talent agency Aoni Production. His first major role in voice-over was Spark in the '' Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' series. He voiced Hikaru Ichijyo in a nu ...
, who is Mamoru Chiba's voice actor, used for acts 35 to 38, mirroring the third version of the opening theme.
Reception
The first episode of ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' earned a viewership of over one million on Niconico during the first two days of streaming it.
Critical response
The first two seasons of ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' were criticized for its overly fast pacing and its animation, which had noticeable errors. Victoria McNally of ''The Mary Sue'' wrote: "I can overlook poor quality animation when it's not too distracting. The problem with'' Sailor Moon Crystal'' is that it ''is'' getting distracting, because the series also has issues with the pacing and quality of its storytelling—which gives you a lot of downtime to criticize all of its visual flaws."
The third season however, was praised for its improved animation and better characterization. Michael S. Mammano of ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
'', who reviewed the first episode of the third season, wrote "This feels like a whole new show, and I mean that in the best way", and rated the episode 4 out of 5 stars.
Notes
References
External links
Official site*
{{Portal bar, Anime and manga
2014 anime ONAs
2014 anime television series debuts
2014 Japanese television series debuts
2016 Japanese television series endings
Animated television series about teenagers
Animated television series reboots
Anime series based on manga
Japanese children's animated superhero television series
Magical girl anime and manga
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macro ...
Teen superhero television series
Television series about princesses
Television series about the Moon
Toei Animation television
Viz Media anime