''Sailor Moon Eternal'' is a 2021 Japanese two-part
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
fantasy film based on the ''Dream'' arc of the ''
Sailor Moon''
manga by
Naoko Takeuchi, that serves as a direct continuation and a "fourth season" for the ''
Sailor Moon Crystal
''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series '' Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th ann ...
'' anime series. The two-part film is directed by
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 ...
, written by
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. ...
, chief supervised by Naoko Takeuchi, and co-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
Studio Deen. The two-part film was released in Japan in 2021, with the first film on January 8, and the second film on February 11.
The two-part film is the first in the franchise to screen in Japanese theaters in 26 years, the last one having been ''
Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie'', released in 1995.
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 ...
acquired streaming rights to both films, and they premiered on June 3, 2021, on the streaming service.
A sequel two-part film, ''Sailor Moon Cosmos'', is set to release in Japan in Summer 2023.
Plot
Part One
Six months after the
Mugen Academy incident,
Usagi and
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 ...
receive a vision from a
pegasus named
Helios asking for their help, and
Mamoru gets a stabbing feeling in his chest. The
Dead Moon Circus
The are a group of fictional characters from the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They serve as the main antagonists of the fourth arc, called ''Dream'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon SuperS'' in its first anime adaptation, an ...
arrives on a flagship and its members conjure a dark barrier around the area where the circus tent is. That night, Chibiusa dreams of riding Pegasus, who tells her that he needs the Golden Crystal to save his home realm of Elysion. When Chibiusa tries to return to the 30th century with
Diana, the dark barrier stops her and alerts the
Amazoness Quartet
The are a group of fictional characters from the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. They serve as the main antagonists of the fourth arc, called ''Dream'' in the manga, ''Sailor Moon SuperS'' in its first anime adaptation, ...
, prompting them to send a tiger to investigate. Usagi and Chibiusa's brooches are upgraded, allowing them to transform into Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon. The Amazoness send some
Lemures
The lemures were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead in Roman religion, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae (from Latin ''larva'', "mask") as disturbing or frightening. ''Lemures'' is the more common liter ...
to fight the Sailor Guardians, but they quickly destroy them.
The circus' ringleader
Zirconia
Zirconium dioxide (), sometimes known as zirconia (not to be confused with zircon), is a white crystalline oxide of zirconium. Its most naturally occurring form, with a monoclinic crystalline structure, is the mineral baddeleyite. A dopant sta ...
is instructed by her master,
Queen Nehelenia, to let the Sailor Guardians' nightmares take hold of them so she can obtain the Silver Crystal. PallaPalla sends the
Amazon Trio members Fish Eye, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye to respectively trap
Ami Mizuno
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 ...
,
Rei Hino
, 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 ...
, and
Makoto Kino in their respective nightmares, one Guardian at a time. However, the girls are able to break free of them and transform with their respective Sailor Crystals into their Super forms, enabling them to destroy the Amazon Trio. Helios reveals that Mamoru's incessant chest pain are caused by Nehelenia's curse on Elysion, a sacred place within Earth, which also caused Helios to turn into a pegasus, imprisoning him in a cage from which he is
astral projecting
Astral projection (also known as astral travel) is a term used in esotericism to describe an intentional out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of a subtle body called an " astral body" through which consciousness can functio ...
. Sailor Moon promises that she'll heal Mamoru and hugs him which then gives Usagi the same curse as Mamoru.
Minako Aino
, 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 figh ...
is unable to transform, and the Amazoness VesVes sends two knife-throwing twins,
Xenotime and Zeolite, after her. In the ensuing conflict, VesVes sends her falling to her death, but she is saved by Artemis, who is about to be crushed with a boulder by PallaPalla but he turns human and gives Minako her crystal, enabling her to transform into Super Sailor Venus and destroy Xenotime and Zeolite. PallaPalla then traps the four Sailor Guardians in vines. Usagi then falls ill from a black rose inside her as well, and Zirconia brings darkness to Earth with the nightmare energy she has accumulated.
Part Two
The spirit of
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; ...
talks to young Hotaru Tomoe, and restores her memories of her previous life. Hotaru then gives
Haruka Tenoh,
Michiru Kaioh
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.
...
, and
Setsuna Meioh
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 ...
their crystals, allowing them to transform into Super Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn, they also manage to release Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus from PallaPalla's vines. Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask arrive to help, but Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are mortally wounded by Zirconia. Helios teleports Usagi and Mamoru to Elysion to save their lives with what purification power it has left. Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Saturn confront the Amazoness Quartet inside a tent, and Saturn reveals the Amazoness Quartet were corrupted by Nehelenia's nightmare power. As the Amazoness Quartet start to come to their senses, Zirconia imprisons them inside orbs, and traps Chibi Moon and Saturn inside shards of glass, before putting all six inside Queen Nehelenia's mirror.
In Elysion, Helios explains to Usagi and Mamoru that the Golden Kingdom used to exist in Elysion, and the Golden Crystal is Earth and Elysion's counterpart to the Silver Millennium's Silver Crystal. Usagi then realizes the Golden Crystal is inside Mamoru, just as the Silver Crystal was sealed inside her. After Helios sends Usagi and Mamoru back to the surface, Zirconia casts a hot, suffocating fog around Jūban which incapacitates them. Helios uses the last of his power to send Elysion's purifying crystals to Earth, blocking Zirconia's fog, and heals the group, but apparently dying as a result. Zirconia attacks Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, and spreads hellish nightmares, but Tuxedo Mask manages to break free and others from the nightmares and the Sailor Guardians use their combined powers to blast and weaken Zirconia who then escapes into Queen Nehelenia's mirror and Sailor Moon follows her inside. She then frees Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Saturn, with the latter taking the four orbs containing the Amazoness Quartet with her while the others break the mirror and frees them all, but Nehelenia disappears and Zirconia remains inside the mirror.
The Dead Moon Circus disappears, but the darkness remains throughout the city. The Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask teleport to Elysion, where Queen Nehelenia appears inside her mirror and reflects Super Sailor Moon's attack back at her and everyone, sending them all into a flashback of Queen Nehelenia's past: Queen Nehelenia had arrived uninvited at the party celebrating the birth of Princess Serenity. After their exchange was escalated, Queen Nehelenia was permanently sealed inside her mirror by
Queen Serenity, but not before
cursing
Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, ru ...
the newborn princess and the Silver Millennium to their inevitable downfall.
Queen Nehelenia takes the Silver Crystal from Super Sailor Moon, but before she can kill the Super Sailor Guardians and take over Earth, Usagi and Tuxedo Mask kiss, breaking free of Queen Nehelenia's nightmare and getting the Silver Crystal back. Super Sailor Moon transforms the other Sailor Guardians into their princess forms and summons
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 ...
, Artemis, and Diana in human form. The other Eternal Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask, using his Golden Crystal, send power to Sailor Moon, transforming her into Eternal Sailor Moon, who destroys Queen Nehelenia and her mirror, restoring Earth and Elysion to normal. Eternal Sailor Chibi Moon revives Helios with the power her Pink Moon Crystal, causing him to realize she was the maiden in his vision. The Amazoness Quartet, who are revealed to be Sailor Guardians of the
asteroids named Sailors Ceres, Pallas, Juno, Vesta, who were asleep in the
Amazon Jungle
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
until Queen Nehelenia forced them to awaken into a nightmare. They return to their slumber, only to reawaken when Sailor Chibi Moon becomes a full-fledged Sailor Guardian in the future. Helios escorts the others back to the surface before returning to Elysion, assuring Chibiusa that they will meet again. Mamoru wonders if the warm feeling in his chest is caused by the Golden Crystal, but Usagi assures that it's a star shining in his heart.
Voice cast
Additional voice cast includes:
Production
Development
On January 25, 2017, it was announced on the official ''Sailor Moon'' 25th anniversary website that the ''
Sailor Moon Crystal
''Sailor Moon Crystal'', known in Japan as , is a 2014 original net animation adaptation of the ''shōjo'' manga series '' Sailor Moon'' written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, produced in commemoration of the original series' 20th ann ...
'' anime would continue. Later, on June 30 of the same year, it was revealed that the fourth season based on ''Dream'' arc of the manga was to be produced as a two-part theatrical anime film project. Additionally,
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 ...
, who was a series director for the
third season of the anime, returned as a main director for the films.
On June 30, 2018, it was announced that the film's production had begun, and
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 ...
, who handled the character designs for the first two seasons of the 1990s ''
Sailor Moon'' anime series and ''
Sailor Moon R: The Movie'', was chosen as a character designer for the film. Tadano had commented: At the time of production, the film's original name was .
On June 30, 2019, more staff has been revealed:
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. ...
wrote the scripts, original creator & mangaka
Naoko Takeuchi chief supervised the films' production,
Studio Deen co-animated and produced the films with Toei Animation, and the name for the two-part film was decided as .
Casting
Most of the main voice actors from ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' had returned for the two-part film, but, for unknown reasons,
Taishi Murata
is a Japanese voice actor. He is affiliated with Across Entertainment.
Filmography
Television animation
Film animation
Original net animation
*''A.I.C.O. -Incarnation-'' (2018), Kazuki Minase
Video games
*''Super Bomberman R'' (Red Bomber ...
took over Yohei Oobayashi's role as Artemis.
In April 2020, it was announced that
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
is a Japanese voice actor from Hokkaido affiliated with the talent agency I'm Enterprise. Honored at the 6th Seiyu Awards for Best New Actor in 2012 and the 10th Seiyu Awards for Best Lead Actor in 2016, he is best known for being the voice of K ...
will voice Pegasus/Helios for the film.
In August 2020, it was announced that
Shouta Aoi
, is a Japanese singer and actor. Under the stage name Showta (stylized as "SHOWTA."), he debuted as a singer with the song "Negaiboshi" in 2006 and released his first studio album, '' Eve'', in 2008. In 2009, he left his agency and briefly relea ...
,
Satoshi Hino
is a Japanese voice actor. He is known for his voice acting roles in anime, many of which also feature voice actress Rie Kugimiya, such '' Shakugan no Shana'', '' Zero no Tsukaima'', ''Gintama'', and ''Nabari no Ou''.
Early life and career
Hino ...
, and
Toshiyuki Toyonaga
is a Japanese actor and singer. He began working on television and stage as a child actor. Following his debut as a voice actor in 2002, he currently works with the Super Eccentric Theater Inc. He played Mikado Ryugamine in ''Durarara!!'', Yuri ...
were to voice the Amazon Trio: Fish Eye, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye. The following week,
Reina Ueda,
Sumire Morohoshi,
Yūko Hara, and
Rie Takahashi were cast as the Amazoness Quartet: CereCere, PallaPalla, JunJun, and VesVes.
In September 2020, it was announced that the Japanese comedian, fashion designer and actress
Naomi Watanabe
is a Japanese comedian, actress, and fashion designer. She rose to fame in 2008 for her imitation of Beyoncé, after which she was given the title “the Japanese Beyoncé”.
Career
Watanabe does impersonations of popular artists in Japanese c ...
was cast as Zirconia. The following month, Japanese model and actress
Nanao was cast as Queen Nehelenia.
Music
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 for the two-part film. The theme song for the two-part film is titled , 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 ...
with Sailor5Guardians. The song's lyrics were written by
Naoko Takeuchi (under the name of "Sumire Shirobara"), composed by Akiko Kosaka, and arranged by Gesshoku Kaigi. The ending theme for the first film is , performed by
Yoko Ishida
is a Japanese singer. She is known for having performed theme songs for anime shows such as ''Prétear'', '' Ai Yori Aoshi'', the '' Ah! My Goddess'' TV series and the ''Strike Witches'' series, as well as for having sung for the Para Para Max ...
, and the ending theme for the second film is , performed by
Anza. The eleven-track character song collection album, titled ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie Character Song Collection: Eternal Collection'', was released on February 10, 2021, and the eleventh track, titled "Moon Effect", performed by the voice actresses for all ten Sailor Guardians, is used as an insert song for the second film.
Release
Japanese release
The first film was slated to release in Japanese theaters on September 11, 2020, but was postponed and released four months later 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 Japanese Blu-ray and DVD were released on June 30, 2021.
International release
In late April 2021, it was announced that
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 ...
acquired the streaming rights for the two-part film, and it premiered worldwide on June 3, 2021.
In early May 2021, it was announced that the English dub cast from both ''Sailor Moon Crystal'' and the redub of the
1990s anime reprised their roles, with the exception of
Chris Niosi
Christopher Edwin Niosi (born December 31, 1988), also known by his pseudonym Kirbopher, is an American voice actor, animator, and producer.
His voice-work includes Lord Uroko in '' Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea'', Arataka Reigen in '' Mob Psycho 1 ...
as he did not reprise his role as Helios. The role was assumed by
Brian Beacock
Brian Beacock is an American film, television and voice actor in English-dubbed anime and video games.
He is best known for playing Byonko in '' Zatch Bell'', Takato Matsuki in ''Digimon Tamers'', Yumichika Ayasegawa from ''Bleach'', Yamato ...
who previously voiced Ail, an original character in the redub of ''
Sailor Moon R
The second season of the '' Sailor Moon'' anime series ''Sailor Moon R'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R''), was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Junichi Sato and Kunihiko Ikuhara. Accordi ...
''.
Reception
The first film debuted ninth place out of top ten from weekend box office, and also ranked sixth in Filmarks' first-day satisfaction ranking with a score of 3.46 out of 5 based on 242 reviews. On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the two-part film holds a
rating based on reviews.
Victoria Johnson of
Polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...
gave a positive review, and wrote "At its heart, ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie'' is about overcoming evil with the power of love and friendship. And there's nothing more ''Sailor Moon'' than that". Lynzee Loveridge of
Anime News Network gave a B approval rating and wrote "''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal'' is a solid entry in the ''Sailor Moon'' canon that had the pieces to be something even better. You can put your worries aside as it routinely looks excellent and, occasionally, fantastic". Rosie Knight from
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
labeled the two films as a "good adventure that boasts stunning animation, vibrant storytelling, and the return of our favorite magical girl Sailor Scouts in a dynamic double bill that will inspire and entertain." Michael Mammano from
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 ...
stated that ''Eternal'' is "an enthralling adaptation of one of the manga's best arcs."
Sequel
A sequel was hinted at the end of the second film during its Japanese theatrical release, with an English teaser-line, "To be continued..." On April 28, 2022 during the ''Sailor Moon'' 30th anniversary livestream, the sequel covering the ''Stars'' arc of the manga, was announced as a two-part anime film, titled . Both films will be released in Japan in early Summer of 2023.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{Studio Deen films
2020s animated superhero films
2021 anime films
Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Circus films
Films about dreams
Films directed by Chiaki Kon
Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films scored by Yasuharu Takanashi
Japanese sequel films
Japanese-language Netflix original films
Eternal
Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to:
* Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state
* Immortality or eternal life
* God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism
Comics, film and television
* ...
ja:美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal#劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンEternal