Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set 1 impressions

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set 1 - Contents

The first North American release of Sailor Moon Crystal is out on DVD and Blu-Ray! This came out on August 16th and is available in stores as well as online retailers such as Amazon. Yes I know this review is long overdue. I started it months ago and then just never got around to posting it. I’ll be talking specifically about the Limited Edition Blu-Ray set though the standard Blu-Ray and DVD versions are both out and since those are contained within this set you can get an idea of what they are with this review. The set contains the first 14 episodes of the series, spanning the entire Dark Kingdom story arc. I had pre-ordered the set from Amazon Canada but when it didn’t ship after release I canceled my order and bought it from HMV. I haven’t rewatched the entire set but have watched it a bit to see the quality.

The quality looks really good. This is probably the issue most people, or at least myself, had with the original series release. The old masters from the 90s weren’t great. The Japanese DVDs looked decent but every release we’ve gotten in North America has had significant issues. I don’t blame Viz for that. I think they did the best with what they had to work with. This is a whole other ball game. Sailor Moon Crystal is new. Viz has access to great masters and the quality of the release reflects that. I didn’t do frame by frame comparisons but the show looks generally good. The Blu-Ray looks like a Blu-Ray of a recent show should and the DVD is limited only by the format. Note that this is the same video as the Japanese home video release which had minor changes from the original streaming version. That was the same source that was used for the dub of Sailor Moon Crystal which is included on this set.

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set 1 - Extras menu

There aren’t a ton of extras in this release. There are art galleries which include a handful of character art from various characters. There’s also a “clean” version of the opening and end credits, meaning they don’t have any credits included, just the original visuals. There’s an English trailer for Sailor Moon Crystal which you may have seen before. There are also trailers for other Viz releases such as their release of the original Sailor Moon anime and some other anime shows.

The set also comes with an 88 page booklet. Since the Japanese releases of the first story arc of Sailor Moon Crystal covered 7 different releases, including a 24 page booklet each, it wasn’t practical to include these as a massive 168 page book, but this booklet is close enough. It includes episode summaries and character art from those included in the Japanese release. Not everything is included or translated word for word. Interviews are included but instead of featuring Japanese voice actors and staff who’d worked on the show these are replaced with interviews with actors from the English dub.

As you can see the character art included is nearly identical.

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray vol. 3 Deluxe Edition - Booklet - Rei

Japanese Blu-Ray vol. 3 booklet

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set 1 - Booklet - Character designs - Rei and Sailor Mars

North American booklet

While interview content is completely different the layout is very similar.

Sailor Moon Crystal Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-Ray vol. 1 - Booklet interview with Kotono Mitsuishi, the voice of Sailor Moon

Japanese Blu-Ray vol. 1 booklet

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set 1 - Booklet - Interview with Stephanie Sheh

North American Blu-Ray booklet

The packaging looks great. Since there was so much art for the various Japanese releases a series of art cards are included in this. There are seven cards in total which reflect the art included with each of the seven Japanese releases for the first story arc.

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set 1 - Character art

If you have been enjoying Sailor Moon Crystal then you should probably pick up this release. It isn’t necessary if you just want to watch the show, as the streaming version remains available on a number of services, but as more of those require users to pay to view content free of ads or at all we can’t know what the future may bring. Physical media continues to be less and less relevant but if you want to have this series and have it forever this is an affordable way to do it. The Limited Edition Blu-Ray may seem expensive for 14 episodes but a single two episode Japanese release cost about the same. It’s a bargain all thing considered. If you’re a completist and you need a reason to get this when you can still watch the streaming version consider that this set is the only way to watch the series in Japanese with English subtitles including the updated animation.

Keep reading for more photos of this set and the included special book.

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The first 14 episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD Tuesday August 16th

Sailor Moon Crystal set 1 limited edition Blu-Ray

The first English home video release of Sailor Moon Crystal is coming this Tuesday, August 16th, in stores and online. This set will include the first 14 episodes of the series, which covers the Dark Kingdom story arc, in Japanese with English subtitles and with the English dub of the show. Since the Japanese release had only two episodes per release this is quite a bargain. The set will be available for a prerelease sale at Viz’s booth at Otakon this weekend for only $65. You can order the limited edition from sites like Right Stuf, which includes a bonus sun catcher for some pre-orders, and Amazon for an MSRP of $80. The regular Blu-Ray version is a bit cheaper with an MSRP of $60. Order this from Right Stuf or Amazon if you don’t care about the booklet, sun catcher and art cards. If you hate life and want to watch the show in a lower quality than you can with the free streaming version you can also get the DVD version from Right Stuf and Amazon for a bit less. Don’t do this. Even if you are a time traveler who can’t bring a Blu-Ray player with you to the past because old TVs don’t have HDMI you get the DVD with the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack so just get that.

Viz has put together an unboxing video which can be viewed on their site or in the embedded clip below.

The packaging looks good. The art cards included are the cover art for all of the Japanese releases. The included special book looks a lot like the ones that came with the Japanese releases only with interviews with the English cast. The sun catcher catches sun. You really don’t have any reason not to buy this set. With the quality of the show there’s no reason to expect this release to be plagued by the video quality issues the releases of the original Sailor Moon anime were.

The first English Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray Set will be released August 16th

Sailor Moon Crystal set 1 limited edition Blu-Ray

The first North American home video release of Sailor Moon Crystal is coming August 16th. This set will include the first 14 episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal, which covers the entire Dark Kingdom story arc and concludes with the appearance of Chibiusa. The set is currently up for preorder from Right Stuf for $63 US. It will likely be available for preorder at other stores soon. The set includes the episodes in Japanese and English, with optional subtitles, some extras, a full colour booklet and some art cards.

Sailor Moon Crystal set 1 limited edition Blu-Ray - Art cards

The box art looks like a lot like the Japanese releases and the included cards feature individual cover art for those releases. With the Japenese Blu-Rays including only 2 episodes a piece and costing as much as this entire set, this is quite a bargain for fans who have been enjoying the show. Right Stuf preorder will include an exclusive sun catcher.

Sailor Moon Crystal set 1 limited edition Blu-Ray - Suncatcher

The animation will almost certainly be the updated animation used for the Japanese home video release and English dub of Sailor Moon Crystal, which features minor changes from the original subtitled streaming version.

A trailer to announce this release is included below.

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Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 14, Conclusion and Commencement – Petite Étrangère, Friday Febuary 12th at 9pm

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 14 - Queen Serenity, Usagi and Tuxedo Mask

It’s the end of one era and the beginning of a new one in this week’s English dubbed episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. With Act 14, Conclusion and Commencement – Petite Etrangère, we will wrap up the Dark Kingdom story arc and start the Black Moon story arc with the arrival of a small stranger! The episode will be available on Hulu and Neon Alley this Friday starting at 9pm Eastern Time.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 14 - Chibiusa breaking up a romantic moment

Usagi will need to make a hard decision. Stay on Earth with the 7 billion or so people living there, including all of her friends, or be Queen of the dead and desolate Kingdom on the Moon?! It won’t be easy! This episode will also feature a Sailor Moon Crystal exclusive look at the human version of Luna!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 14 - Human Luna

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 14 - Conclusion and Commencement - Petite Étrangère

The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13, Final Battle – Reincarnation, is now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13 - Sailor Moon attacks Metalia

The latest episode of Sailor Moon Crystal is now available to view in English on Hulu and Neon Alley. Act 13, Final Battle – Reincarnation, is the final full episode of the Dark Kingdom story arc. Everyone is putting their life on the line this week to defeat the evil Queen Metalia!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13 - Queen Serenity and Kitten Luna

This is the version of the episode with modified animation, originally used for the Japanese DVD and Blu-Ray release. Amongst the changes is Queen Serenity’s dress who in the streaming version, shown above, shows a dress that looks like Princess Serenity’s. This was changed to reflect a style of dress that was similar to what Queen Serenity wears as an adult. I didn’t like this change at all. I thought it was nice to see Queen Serenity in a different light, dressing like her daughter later would, perhaps when she was still Princess herself. Oh well. At least we still have kitten Luna!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13 - Final Battle - Reincarnation

Next week is Act 14, Conclusion and Commencement – Petite Etrangère, which will sort of span both story arcs. We will conclude the Dark Kingdom story arc and then end with a setup for the Dark Moon Clan arc with the arrival of the “small stranger” Chibiusa.

Note: I will be traveling all week so this post was written last week and scheduled to go online after the episode airs. Should the episode not go online for whatever reason, I apologize for the confusing and misleading post!

Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13, Final Battle – Reincarnation, Friday Febuary 5th at 9pm

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13 - The Sailor Guardians fighting Queen Metalia

The English version of the next episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be available on Hulu and Neon Alley this Friday, February 5th. Act 13, Final Battle – Reincarnation, is the last full episode of the Dark Kingdom story arc. The girls are facing off against the evil Queen Metalia putting everything on the line.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13 - Queen Serenity and Kitten Luna

One fun thing about this episode is a look at kitten Luna, from back in the early days of Silver Millennium. The above screenshot shows the original streaming version of this scene where Queen Serenity, then much younger, is wearing Princess Serenity’s dress. The updated Blu-Ray version, which we will be seeing on Friday, includes changes to that scene to give Queen Serenity a dress which matches what she wears later. I thought the original was a nice touch, which I assumed was intentional, and so I didn’t appreciate this change.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 13 - Final Battle - Reincarnation

Note: I will be traveling the week this episode is released so this post was scheduled to be published automatically on Wednesday.

The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 12, Enemy – Queen Metalia, is now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 12 - Sailor Venus attacking Beryl

The latest episode of Sailor Moon Crystal is now available to watch in English on Hulu and Neon Alley. Act 12, Enemy – Queen Metalia, has the Sailor Guardians facing off against Queen Beryl. A big change in that fight occurs here when compared to the manga, which lead to some controversy with the fans. This episode also sees Sailor Moon fighting with Evil Tuxedo Mask in a fairly heart wrenching scene.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 12 - Sailor Moon getting choked

The Shitennou make their final living appearance this week. In the manga they were killed off one by one through the series but in Sailor Moon Crystal they were kept around for… what exactly? A fairly brief exchange with the Sailor Guardians that doesn’t lead to much. Ultimately the story of Sailor Moon Crystal is so faithful to the manga that there isn’t much room for changing the story at this point.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 12 - Enemy - Queen Metalia

Next week is Act 13, Final Battle – Reincarnation, which is the final full episode of the Dark Kingdom story arc. This could be considered the finale of the first story arc though we won’t see this chapter fully concluded until Act 14, which is at once a finale and premiere.

The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11, Reunion – Endymion, is now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11 - Endo and Mamoru are good friends

The latest episode of Sailor Moon Crystal has been added to Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get Act 11, Reunion – Endymion. A mysterious new boy Endo is in town and he happens to look exactly like Mamoru only his eyes are red so there’s just no way it’s him. Mamouru and Motoki, while under evil influences, appear to have a romantic interest in each other where such a thing was not previously insinuated. This is problematic not because is it showing a same sex relationship, but because it associates that relationship with the characters being evil. Ignoring all else, one could get the impression based on this coupling that homosexuality is evil, or that evil characters were more likely to be homosexual. Given the relationships found between same sex characters elsewhere in the series it seems evident to me that this is not the position of the author Naoko Takeuchi and not what is meant to be shown here. All said, taking this relationship on its own one can see why it is potentially controversial.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11 - Endo is absolutely no Mamoru

Next week is Act 12, Enemy – Queen Metalia, as things get real and the gang faces off against Queen Beryl. We are getting close to wrapping up the Dark Kingdom story arc.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11 - Reunion - Endymion

Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11, Reunion – Endymion, January 22nd at 9pm Eastern Time

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11 - Evil Tuxedo Mask

This Friday the next English dubbed episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be released. As with every week the episode will be available at 9pm Eastern Time, 6pm Pacific Time, on Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get Act 11, Reunion – Endymion. Last we saw Mamoru was dead. Now there’s a new guy in town who looks exactly like him, but with slightly different eyes and who likes Motoki a lot more than he used to.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11 - Endo and Mamoru are good friends

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11 - Reunion - Endymion

The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 10, Moon, is now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 10 - Princess Serenity taking her own life with Prince Endymion's sword

The latest English dubbed episode of Sailor Moon Crystal is now available on Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get Act 10, Moon, as the gang literally travels to the Moon. There they visit the uploaded consciousness of Usagi’s mother from another life, Queen Serenity. This leads to more flashbacks including the revelation of a tragic murder suicide.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 10 - Jadeite with a cape and sword

The big change from the manga in this episode is the suggestion of Shitennou Sailor Guardian pairings. This was hinted at only with an image in the original manga. There was a suggestion that Rei and Jadeite had a previous relationship in Act 3 when Jadeite found her beautiful and familiar. Also paired up are Makoto and Nephrite as well as Ami and Zoisyte. The relationship between Minako and Kunzite was mentioned elsewhere, including the Sailor V comic.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 10 - Moon

Next week is Act 11, Reunion – Endymion. Some new guy in town looks a lot like Mamoru only he’s evil and a bit gay.