Sailor Moon Crystal Season III CD 3 single review

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Adam

The 3rd and last Sailor Moon Crystal Season III CD single was released on June 22nd. If you’re interested in purchasing it you can get it from Amazon Japan. This third single features the third versions of the opening and ending themes for this season. The opening theme is still In Love With the New Moon, as it has been all season, but this one is sung by Momoiro Clover Z who performed the ending theme Moon Pride for the first 26 episodes. The new ending theme is Only Eternity Brings the Two Together, is sung by Kenji Nojima, the voice of Tuxedo Mask. The CD single comes with normal and karaoke versions of full length versions of both songs as well as a DVD with TV sized and full length videos for each.

The packaging is much like the other two singles. Now that we have all three we can put them together to get a full image of all of the Sailor Guardians.

As the music goes if you’ve seen the later episodes of the season you have a pretty good idea of what to expect. This version of the opening theme isn’t my favourite. I still prefer the first version, sung by Etsuko Yakushimaru. The ending theme is decent. I believe this is the only theme for Sailor Moon which features a man so that’s something!

The DVD is pretty basic. The menu doesn’t have much exciting. The opening and endings are the ones from the streaming version only in standard definition and without credits. Later versions of the intro featured Super Sailor Chibi Moon and then later Sailor Saturn but this one only has normal Sailor Chibi Moon alongside Super Sailor Moon. Fans looking to see wet t-shirt contest Mamoru without credits may appreciate this. The full length versions have clips from throughout the season. The intro has clips from the four episodes late in the season which used this intro. The ending theme has footage of Mamoru from throughout the season’s first 12 episodes which demonstrates just how little he’s actually done lately. That’s cool though because he looks good in a wet t-shirt.

Keep reading for more images of the packaging.

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Does a Chibiusa and Pegasus Figuarts Zero statue confirm that more episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal are coming?

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Adam

The International Tokyo Toy Show is on now, running from June 9th to the 12th. One thing which has been revealed is this great looking Figuarts Zero statue featuring Chibiusa and Pegasus from the Dream arc of the Sailor Moon manga. This on its own is not odd as we’ve gotten a lot of figures from throughout the Sailor Moon series in the past couple of years, not all of them tied to stories being told in Sailor Moon Crystal. Something important to note though, as noticed by the Moon Sisters Facebook page, is that the sign for this statue refers to it as a Sailor Moon Crystal figure. We are currently seeing the Infinity arc of Sailor Moon Crystal and we’ve had no official confirmation of episodes covering the next story arc, the Dream story arc, which covers the manga chapters which were adapted as Sailor Moon SuperS in the original Sailor Moon anime.

This isn’t just branding. The Figuarts Zero statues have had two distinct lines of figures. The Sailor Moon figures are in a style closer to that of the original anime and the Sailor Moon Crystal figures have designs that colours that match those used in Sailor Moon Crystal. It’s hard for me to tell what style this figure is in. The main indicators of a Sailor Moon Crystal specific Figuarts Zero statue are the colours, such as Sailor Moon being a bit more pink in her reds, and some proportions. Without two Chibiusas to compare this figure to there isn’t much to go on. Her dress does not use standard colours. Her legs are hidden so we can’t see their shape. The face does look a bit more like the rounder Sailor Moon Crystal Figuarts Zero statue than the normal Sailor Moon statue. Have a look at both below to see the difference.

Sailor Moon Crystal Sailor Moon Figuarts Zero

Sailor Moon Crystal Figuarts Zero figure

Sailor Moon Figuarts Zero figure

Is this conclusive? Absolutely not. Many things could mean this does not actually indicate that the Dream arc of the manga will be adapted in Sailor Moon Crystal. Perhaps someone just made the sign incorrectly. Note that it says Chibi-Usa and Helios but this is clearly Helios in his Pegasus form. We don’t call something an Usagi figure if she’s in her Sailor Moon form. Perhaps the toy is done in a Sailor Moon Crystal style but does not reflect any plans to actually adapt these particular episodes. Figures take a long time to sculpt and approve. Perhaps when this figure was originally conceived and approved there was no indication of what the future of Sailor Moon Crystal might bring. Perhaps when the figure was planned there was an expectation that the Dream arc would be adapted but since then any number of complications has put a halt to development of those episodes. Perhaps there’s some other scenario I’m not even thinking of that is causing a disconnect between what this figure represents and what we will see in the show. There are a lot of unknowns so we should always wait for official confirmation before jumping to conclusions. That said, we may very well be getting our very first look at Pegasus from Sailor Moon Crystal!

The figure is due out in January and will sell for 6912 yen, about $65 US.

Image source: Hobby Maniax (Twitter) via Sailor Moon Italy

The Sailor Moon Crystal Infinity arc will have four episodes per Blu-Ray and DVD release

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Adam

Frustrated at the ultra expensive 2 episode disks of Sailor Moon Crystal that were released in Japan? Good news! It looks like the Infinity arc of Sailor moon Crystal will be released with 4 episodes per disk on DVD and Blu-Ray in Japan. News about these releases is out on the official Sailor Moon site. This season of Sailor Moon Crystal will span 13 episodes and only 3 disks are listed. Further the disk have been listed on Amazon Japan (Disk 1, 2 & 3) and CD Japan. Though there aren’t specifics on every release yet, the first release is listed at 100 minutes on both sites. Each episode of Sailor Moon Crystal is roughly 24 minutes, so 100 minutes covers 4 episodes. With 13 episodes this season it seems likely that the third release, with an MSRP of 1000 yen more than the other two releases, will have five episodes on the disk.

The first disk will be released in Japan on June 29th with the others being released at roughly 1 month intervals July 27th and August 31st. The first two disks are selling on Amazon Japan for 7,068 yen, about $64 US. The third disk is selling for a slightly higher price of 7,872 yen, about $72 US.

All Blu-Ray and DVD releases of Sailor Moon Crystal’s first two story arcs feature minor updates to the animation from the streaming release. We have no confirmation at this time what changes, if any, might be done to the Infinity arc as it is released on home video.

Still too expensive for something without subtitles? That’s fine. A single disk from Japan costs about the same as the entire first story arc, containing 14 episodes, will cost in the North American release which is coming in August. If you’re able to make due with the free streaming options we already have available it seems prudent to wait.

Amazon Trio Petit Chara figures have been revealed

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Adam

Images have surfaced online showing the next wave of Sailor Moon Petit Chara figures. Next we will be getting the Amazon Trio from the Dream arc of the Sailor Moon Manga and Sailor Moon SuperS season of the original Sailor Moon anime. This includes Hawk’s Eye, Tiger’s Eye and Fish Eye. Not a lot of details are known at this time but we may learn more at the Mega Hobby Expo which will take place on May 28th.

The figures were revealed because enough people retweeted a message by Mega Girlshobby on Twitter. After every 333 retweets a new characters was revealed, and well over 1000 retweets means we’ve gotten them all.

Source: Mega Girls Hobby via Sailor Moon Screen Caps

A terrible looking DVD of the Sailor Moon Un Nouveau Voyage musical will be released on February 24th

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Adam

The DVD for Sailor Moon Un Nouveau Voyage will be released on February 24th. Those interested in shelling out 6,233 yen, about $55 US, can preorder the DVD from Amazon Japan. Two clips have been released on the official Sailor Moon site to promote this release. They are embedded below.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this musical, which I realize I never wrote a proper review for, I am already disappointed with this DVD release. I am once again asking myself, “Why DVD and not Blu-Ray?”. The last two musical DVDs have had terrible video quality, with interlaced 480i video. This musical deserves better than VHS era resolution. An HD version does not seem possible as footage from these clips show video artifacts normally seen with interlaced video.

Without getting into too many technical specifics an interlaced video is when one field is shown at a time, something we dealt with in the days of standard definition video because of the way a TV signal worked. We don’t need to deal with this anymore in the era of HD terminals. DVD supports progressive scan video, which is usually what is used for movies. Some older TV shows and the occasional low budget film will be shot on video and only have interlaced source material. This musical, which took place in 2015, really should have been shot on some modern cameras but it looks like either the cameras are cheap or there is some really poor video editing going on once again. In contrast Star Trek is 50 years old and was released on Blu-Ray in beautiful 1080p HD years ago.

So buy this thing like I am because you like to support Sailor Moon. It will have some cool features no doubt and it is the only legal way of watching this musical on home video. The less than totally legal way to watch this musical, with English subtitles, would be to download the fansub from Miss Dream.

Source: Offical Sailor Moon site (Link 1, Link 2)

Sailor Moon Funko Pop! Vinyl figures coming in April!

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Adam

These great looking Sailor Moon Funko Pop! Vinyl figures are coming in April. This image, shared by Funko of their set up for Toy Fair in New York, shows Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, Luna, Sailor Mercury, Tuxedo Mask, Artemis, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus in Vinyl figures. Toy Fair starts tomorrow but this was shared on Funko’s blog and Facebook page as a sneak peek this afternoon. The card with them states “April 2016″ as a release date. I had heard some time ago that these were coming at some point but this is the first we see of the actual figures.

They seem to make these Pop! Vinyl figures of pretty much every franchise. It’s nice to have Sailor Moon join the mix. Do you plan on getting these?

Sailor Starlight Pullip dolls announced

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Adam

Sailor Starlight Pullip dolls have been announced on the official Sailor Moon site! The Sailor Starlights Sailor Star Maker, Sailor Star Fighter and Sailor Star Healer join many other Pullip dolls already released. There isn’t much in the way of details at this time as we don’t have a date or price for these, though the price point would likely be the same as other dolls, costing between $150 and $180 US when released domestically.

Pullip dolls are high quality very expensive dolls with disproportionally large heads and eyes for their size. Different model Pullip dolls are used for different basic figures. Most Sailor Moon characters are Pullip dolls while Chibiusa and Sailor Saturn are Dal dolls, which are a bit smaller as the basic model is of Pullip’s sister. Tuxedo Mask is a Taeyang doll, which is Pullip’s boyfriend. One has to wonder if the Sailor Starlights would have alternate costumes as the Three Lights or, if such a doll were planned, if they would make male Taeyang dolls for the Three Lights Seiya, Yaten and Taiki. Many of the other Sailor Guardians had civilian costumes as Bandai Premium exclusives.

Support the site by ordering some of the previously released Pullip Dolls using the links below.

Premium Bandai exclusives for Sailor V and Black Lady Pullip Dolls are Artemis and Luna P

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Adam

The Bandai exclusives for the Sailor V and Black Lady Pullip Dolls have been revealed! Sailor V will come with Artemis and Black Lady will come with Evil Luna P, which is just like Luna P only with a symbol of the Black Moon Clan on her forehead instead of a Crescent Moon. Bandai exclusives for Pullip Dolls are usually alternate costumes. In the case of most Sailor Guardians, this meant a civilian form school uniform. As Sailor Venus already came with Minako’s school uniform it makes sense that it not be included with this release. Black Lady couldn’t very well have had a school uniform since she never goes to school!

We had previously announced these two Pullip Dolls, high quality very expensive dolls with huge heads and eyes. Sailor V will be available later this month and Black Lady will be available in January. To get the Bandai exclusives the dolls must be preordered from the Premium Bandai site (Sailor V, Black Lady) for the price of 18,000 yen (about $150 US).

More images of the dolls were released along with this news. The above image shows Sailor V along with Artemis for scale.

Source: The Sailor Moon Official Site (Sailor V, Black Lady) & Premium Bandai (Sailor V, Black Lady)

Support the site by ordering some of the previously released Pullip Dolls using the links below.

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A Sailor V Pullip Doll is coming in November

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Adam

A new Sailor V Pullip doll was announced this week on the Official Sailor Moon Site. This doll is coming in November. Though the price has not yet been revealed it will likely be the same as other dolls that have been released, which end up costing about $150 to $180 US. A Sailor Venus Doll was released a while back, but this new design is of Sailor V, Minako’s alternate identify from before she became Sailor Venus.

The Codename: Sailor V comic predates the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon comic by a few months. In this story, which takes place chronologically before the events of Sailor Moon, Artemis gives Minako the power to transform into Sailor V and fight the Dark Agency herself. This character later appeared in the Sailor Moon comic, anime and live action series, where she ultimately becomes Sailor Venus.

Many Pullip dolls have Bandai exclusive alternate costumes. In the case of Sailor Venus we already have a Minako’s school uniform released so it remains to be seen what, if any, alternate costume may be in store for Sailor V.

Pullip dolls are detailed and very expensive somewhat creepy looking dolls with irregularly large eyes and heads. Sailor V joins a long list of other Pullip dolls which have already been released. Support the site by ordering some of them using the links below.

A Sailor Saturn Dal doll and Sailor Pluto Pullip doll are coming soon

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Adam

A Sailor Saturn Dal doll has just been announced on the Sailor Moon official site. Additionally a Sailor Pluto Pullip doll was announced last month.

Sailor Saturn is not a Pullip doll. She is a Dal doll. What’s the difference? Pullip is the name of a specific character and most of the Sailor Moon dolls are Pullip dolls because they roughly match that character’s size. The Sailor Moon Pullip doll is a Sailor Moon doll made like the Pullip doll, the first in the series. Tuxedo Mask does not have a Pullip doll but a Taeyang doll, Pullip’s boyfriend, because he is male. It’s like if Sailor Moon was a Barbie doll and he was a Ken doll. Similarly Sailor Chibi Moon, like Sailor Saturn, gets a Dal doll. Dal is Pullip’s younger sister. Pullip is 17 while her sister Dal is 13. Since the doll is younger looking her model fits better for younger characters. You’ll notice that this doll is a bit smaller and has a different shaped face as compared to Pullip. All this said Pullip dolls, Taeyang dolls and Dal dolls are all part of the same line of products made by the same company, they are simply made using different base designs for the doll. Sailor Saturn’s doll will be released in October 2015 and will sell for 17000 yen, roughly $143 US.

Sailor Pluto finally got a doll. How great! She has been last in so many products but even though coming after Human Luna she was not the last Sailor Guardian to have a Pullip doll announced. We have also gotten a look at Sailor Pluto’s Bandai Exclusive which is a civilian outfit which allows her to be Setsuna Meiou, Sailor Pluto’s civilian identity. Unlike the other Sailor Guardians Sailor Pluto does not have a school uniform (and is not based on a real planet) so she doesn’t have that as her Bandai Exclusive outfit like the others do. She has a purple business suit so that she can be all professional and stuff. Her doll will be released some time in September for 17,000 yen, roughly $143 US, with her Bandai Exclusive version selling for 20,000 yen, about $168 US.

The Sailor Saturn doll will be unveiled on Sunday September 6th at some sort of Spring Doll Show which you can read about at the show’s web site if you happen to be able to read Japanese, which I assume anyone who’s able to attend should be able to do. Due to time zones it’s actually tomorrow in Japan right now. The show should be starting in a few hours.

Are you made of money? If so please support the site by buying some of the previously released Pullip dolls using the Amazon links below!

Source: Sailor Saturn Dal doll, Sailor Pluto Pullip Doll

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