The Sailor Moon Official Site has posted some information about the upcoming new episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal. The Infinity story arc will start this Spring. The production staff has been revealed with more details coming during a live event which will be shown on Niconico Wednesday January 27th at 8pm Japan Standard Time, 6am Easter Time, 3am Pacific Time.
Sailor Moon Crystal’s new director is Chiaki Kon. She has directed a number of Anime shows I’ve never heard of including Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Junjo Romantica and Hanasakeru Seishonen. It’s nice to see a woman directing a show that is largely about and for women and girls. Akira Takahashi, who was an animation director for individual episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal, will be taking on the role of character designer.
Other staff remain the same. Series writer Yuji Kobayashi returns. Takashi Kurahashi remains the animation director. Yasuharu Takanashi will continue to do the music.
The third arc of Sailor Moon Crystal, called the second season by some and the third season by others, will cover the Infinity story arc of the manga, which is the Sailor Moon S season of the original anime. This will introduce us to Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Saturn as well as the Death Busters. The rest of the gang, including Sailor Pluto, will return. Unlike in the original anime Chibiusa will be present throughout this arc. She didn’t stay in the future for any period of time following the fight against the Black Moon Clan. We previously learned that the new episodes will air on TV in Japan first, though it is unclear how quickly it will be available to stream for international viewers. One way or another, the show will likely be made available either officially or through fansubs within a few days of the original broadcast. You can always count on this site sharing specifics about how to enjoy the show.
You can check out the stream on the Niconico site starting January 27th at 6am Eastern Time. I’ve watched many of the older streams online but I have been region blocked from viewing more recent ones for not being in Japan. I will do my best to watch the feed or at the very least follow news of the event and share all of the details.
As always take all news for what it is. The original release of Sailor Moon Crystal was delayed a number of time before having a firm release date. A very official source is claiming that the show will be available in the Spring but there is always the possibility of further delays. For reference, Spring this year will run from March 20th to June 20th.
I’m so glad to hear the project is getting a new director as well as a new character designer, all while slated to be shown on Japanese television. I think this all bodes very well for the rest of the series, and I hope to see stronger, better paced episodes as a result.
I’m going to keep holding out hope for additional content like OAVs, specials, and movies. I’d love to see a Sailor V series, and something dealing with the Senshi/Shittenou storyline that was altered so interestingly in the first Arc and then dropped without ever being mentioned again.
Keeping my fingers crossed!
Oooh, a new OVA or movie solely about the relationship between the Inners and the Generals isn’t something I’ve thought of before but it sounds like a unique and very interesting idea to me. I’d love to see that happen too! Toei did announce something else Crystal related is also in the works but I think most likely will end up getting a new adaptation of the Princess Kaguya special from the manga. In regards to Chiaki Kon, Higurarhi is widely regarded as one of the best horror anime shows and Junjou Romantica is fairly popular boys’ love anime. Considering all the homoerotic themes in the Infinity arc and that this is one of the darkest arcs in Sailor Moon, this seems like a very appropriate choice to me. I was already excited before but with this announcement, it seems like Toei is finally getting serious about Crystal, so I’m even more excited now!
Thank you for the info about Chiaki Kon, I didn’t know any of that and it’s both fascinating and exciting to hear. I’m even more eager to see how this new Arc’s tone and style deviate from what we’ve seen so far in Crystal!
I’m so excited and I can’t wait for more Sailor Moon Crystal!!!
I just read on their twitter, Sailor Moon Crystal Website info will be updated on Monday night 23:00 Japan time so that’s another thing to look forward to.
brilliant cant wait but i do hope they do what they did with first one make it English dubbed and also isnt this season 2 not season 3 im confused
Season 1 was the first story arc, Dark Kingdom. Season 2 was the second story arc, Black Moon. Season 3 is the third story arc, Infinity. Hulu displays them both as season 1 because seasons 1 & 2 had no break in between, but they really need to be broken up.
i see thanks for the help
Nice. And I also hope it won’t end this year. Not only that, but I want to see if there are more episodes with the Sailor Scouts in bikinis or any Scout holding Rini in their arms.
well I think the most logical air date is after the rerun of SMC first and second season on TV will end, so it is sometimes in april/may
Higurashi is a great anime that did a good job of adapting its source material (light novels) in a satisfying manner so hopefully this is indication that S will be better handled than Classic and R.