The original Sailor Moon anime first aired 32 years ago today

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Crybaby Usagi's Magnificent Transformation

March 7th 1992, 32 years ago, the original Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon anime first aired in Japan. This first episode, The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation, introduces us to Usagi Tsukino who gets a magical broach from a talking cat and transforms into Sailor Moon! It was three years until that show would be released dubbed into English but throughout the next few years Sailor Moon took the world by storm.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Usagi removing a bandage from Luna's head

What are your first memories of this show? I didn’t watch it until 1995 when it started airing in English in Canada and the US and became almost instantly hooked on it.

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Silhouette

Will you be doing anything special to celebrate this occasion?

Sailor Moon episode 1 - My job here is done

The first episode of the Sailor Moon anime aired 30 years ago today!

Sailor Moon episode 01 Screenshot - Japanese DVD

On March 7th 1992 the first episode of the original Sailor Moon anime, The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation, aired on Japanese television. The show quickly became a hit not only in Japan but worldwide and now 30 years later the franchise lives on!

Sailor Moon SuperS episode 133 - Chibiusa is an old lonely cat lady watching Sailor Moon

I certainly didn’t start watching the show until a few years later when it started airing on English TV here in Canada after which I became a fan quite early on. How about you? Are you doing anything special to celebration this milestone?

The first 10 episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime are now on the official Sailor Moon YouTube channel which is great news for fans living in Japan, Somalialand and Macedonia

Sailor Moon Episode 01 on YouTube - Tuxedo Mask can't solve anything with only kale

“me I can’t solve anything with only kale that can’t chew tuxedo”

As a promotion for the upcoming Sailor Moon Eternal movie, which is still scheduled to be released in theatres in Japan on September 11th, 10 episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime will be released every week on the official Sailor Moon YouTube channel from now until late July. This will mean that fans will have the opportunity to watch up to the end of Sailor Moon S. This is being promoted mainly to fans living in Japan who can speak Japanese.

Video unavailable outside of Japan, Somalialand and Macedonia

Originally these videos were open to fans worldwide, which meant anyone could watch them, but as of Friday morning I can no longer watch these videos. Looking into it a bit it seems the videos are only available to view in Japan, Somalialand and Macedonia. If anyone knows of a reliable and free way to access region restricted videos please leave a comment with details!

Sailor Moon Episode 01 on YouTube - Sailor Moon says "Yeah yeah yeah punishment"

“Yeah yeah yeah punishment”

There are certainly no English subtitles by default but YouTube does allow for automatic closed captions. While the videos were still viewable globally I did this for episode 1. If you’re a fan in Japan, Somalialand or Macedonia, or are otherwise able to load these videos I would suggest trying this out for a laugh! Click on the “Settings” gear on the bottom right of the video. Chose “Subtitles/CC” and then “Japanese (Auto Generated)”. Now click back through to “Subtitles/CC” and click on “Auto-translate” and scroll down to your language of choice such as “English”. I’ve included a few choice quotes in this post.

Sailor Moon Episode 01 on YouTube - Luna talks about being mischievous for 50,000 years

It was 50,000 years since I was mischievous, but thanks to you, I went and chose Paisley.

No doubt this is actually a pretty terrible way to watch a show and since most people will need to do sketchy things to do it, why bother? There are many ways better and easier ways in which a person can watch Sailor Moon these days. Fans can of course buy the series on DVD, Blu-Ray or digitally and watch it either in English or in Japanese with English subtitles. Americans with a Hulu subscription can stream the series on that service. The first four seasons are available to watch dubbed and subbed though Sailor Stars is currently only available in Japanese with English subtitles. Americans can watch those same episodes for free on Viz’s web site. Canadians can watch subtitled episodes for free on TubiTV. The service has ads but it is free to watch.

Sailor Moon Episode 01 on YouTube - Tuxedo Mask things that's awesome

Awesome sailor moon remember tonight

So is there any reason to watch these episodes? The video quality is pretty good! The best you’ll get for free at least. I don’t know if this is using the same source material as the Japanese Blu-Rays. They aren’t quite as nice, perhaps due to being compressed when uploaded, but I find it looks better than the Viz Blu-Ray releases. Don’t take my word for it though. Check out these screenshots for comparison. I’ll add a few more at the end of the post.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - YouTube - Usagi meets Luna

YouTube

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Japanese Blu-Ray - Usagi meets Luna

Japanese Blu-Ray

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Viz Blu-Ray - Usagi meets Luna

Viz Blu-Ray

Here’s the schedule for which episodes will be released each week. New episodes will be posted on Fridays though because of time zones this ends up being a day earlier in North America. The date range suggests that episodes will only be hosted for a week and then removed, but I’m not certain about that. The Japanese site restarts episode numbers for each season which is a bit odd as Japanese sources usually use the full episode number. I’ve included both for reference.

April 24th to April 30th – Sailor Moon 1 to 10
May 1st to May 7th – Sailor Moon 11 to 20
May 8th to May 14th – Sailor Moon 21 to 30
May 15th to May 21st – Sailor Moon 31 to 40
May 22nd to May 28th – Sailor Moon 41 to 46 and Sailor Moon R 47 to 50 (1 to 4)
May 29th to June 4th – Sailor Moon R 51 to 60 (5 to 14)
June 5th to June 11th – Sailor Moon R 61 to 70 (15 to 24)
June 12th to June 18th – Sailor Moon R 71 to 80 (25 to 34)
June 19th to June 25th – Sailor Moon R 81 to 89 (35 to 43) and Sailor Moon S 90 (1)
June 26th to July 2nd – Sailor Moon S 91 to 100 (2 to 11)
July 3rd to July 9th – Sailor Moon S 101 to 110 (12 to 21)
July 10th to July 16th – Sailor Moon S 111 to 120 (22 to 31)
July 17th to July 23rd – Sailor Moon S 121 to 127 (32 to 38)

Supposedly the reason for only releasing the first three seasons is because the movie is a retelling of the Dream arc of the manga which sequentially would follow Sailor Moon S, but since Sailor Moon Crystal is not at all in continuity with the original Sailor Moon anime this seems a bit odd! The new trailer for the Sailor Moon Eternal film is included at the start of every episode which is posted to YouTube.

If you are able to get these videos to load, here are some links to the individual episodes for convenience:

Sailor Moon Episode 1 – The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation
Sailor Moon episode 2 – Punishment Awaits: The House of Fortune is the Monster Mansion
Sailor Moon episode 3 – The Mysterious Sleeping Sickness: Protect the Girls in Love
Sailor Moon episode 4 – Learn How to be Skinny From Usagi
Sailor Moon episode 5 – Scent of a Monster: Chanela Will Steal Your Love
Sailor Moon episode 6 – Protect the Melody of Love: Usagi Plays Cupid
Sailor Moon episode 7 – Usagi Learns Her Lesson: Becoming a Star Is Hard Work
Sailor Moon episode 8 – The Girl Genius Is a Monster: The Brainwashing Cram School of Horror
Sailor Moon episode 9 – Usagi’s Disaster: Beware of the Clock of Confusion
Sailor Moon episode 10 – The Cursed Bus: Enter Mars

For everyone else you can support the site by buying episodes using the links below.





Keep reading for more screenshot comparisons.

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How accurate is the Tuxedo Mask “My job here is done” meme?

"My Job Here Is Done" "But You Didn't Do Anything" meme

You have probably seen this meme somewhere on the Internet! Tuxedo Mask states “My job here is done” to which Sailor Moon replies “But you didn’t do anything”. This lends itself well to a variety of humourous situations in which a person claims to have done something and really did nothing at all. Very funny, but just how accurate is this meme in the first place?

Sailor Moon episode 1 - My job here is done

There are really two things to ask ourselves here. The first is whether or not anything close to this exchange ever took place in the show and the other, more general idea, is whether Tuxedo Mask does indeed do anything with his interventions. Let us first look at the scene in question. The images we see in this meme are from the first episode of Sailor Moon “The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation”. Tuxedo Mask says something to Sailor Moon after her battle with Morga and then departs. Contrary to what the meme states he does not actually say anything which resembles “My job here is done” or “My work here is done”. This can be a bit tricky as there are so many versions of Sailor Moon and its dubs, so let’s look at a few. With Sailor Moon first coming into popularity in North America in 1995 the version most Internet users and casual fans are likely to be familiar with is the DiC English dub. In this version he states “You have done well Sailor Moon and now Molly’s mother and all the other women are free. Others will test you. Do not be afraid. I will fight with you.” to which Sailor Moon responds, after he’s gone, “What a hunky guy”. Note that the response isn’t from the image used in the meme but is said when she has hearts in here eyes moments later.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Sailor Moon is very impressed with Tuxedo Mask

Sure, you may be saying, but that’s the horrible butchered DiC dub which committed various atrocities to my childhood and humanity! Let’s look at the original line then. This scene appears in the manga, in the original Japanese anime and in Sailor Moon Crystal. It has been translated more or less faithfully a number of times and always gives roughly the same idea. The recent more accurate Viz dub has Tuxedo Mask saying “Well done Sailor Moon. I won’t soon forget what happened here tonight.” to which Sailor Moon responds “He’s so cute”. The subbed version is essentially the same. The manga version is a bit different as there was no rose thrown and Tuxedo Mask actually didn’t do anything, though again there is no dialog which resembles the meme at all. In no version does Tuxedo Mask actually say “My job here is done” or anything like it. Sailor Moon similarly doesn’t respond that he didn’t do anything but this is hardly a surprise as this unexpected response is more meant to be a mocking of what he did rather than what she actually said.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Morga nearly kills Sailor Moon

Next then we should look at whether in this episode in question and the series as a whole, Tuxedo Mask actually does anything! In this particular scene the dialogue follows Sailor Moon’s fight with Morga. While Sailor Moon is fighting she is backed against a wall with a bunch of brainwashed jewelry store clients marching against her. Morga extends her claws to Sailor Moon, ready to strike her with a deadly blow. All hope seems lost when … a single rose flies in front of her distracting the enemy. Sailor Moon then cries which causes this amplified sonic attack which is not used again until Sailor Moon SuperS. Luna then tells Sailor Moon to use her tiara which defeats the enemy. Would Sailor Moon still have had the time to use her sonic attack without Tuxedo Mask intervening? It seems very unlikely. The image of Morga reacting to the rose shows that her hand was just in front of Sailor Moon and it seemed unlikely she would have had time to launch her sonic attack. It isn’t terribly fair to say that Tuxedo Mask didn’t do anything in this scenario. He caused a momentary distraction which allowed Sailor Moon to get the upper hand and use her own power to save the day and this is close to how that interaction usually occurs. Had he not been here would Sailor Moon have been killed by Morga? Who knows. Perhaps Sailor Moon would have died and then reincarnated through some plot device. Perhaps she would have cried which caused the light of the Silver Crystal to scare off Morga (though the Crystal in this continuity is split up into seven Rainbow Crystals with Sailor Moon’s tear being the catalyst to bring them together). Perhaps Luna would have sacrificed herself by putting her body between Sailor Moon and the attack, as she does when Fiore tries to kill Sailor Moon in Sailor Moon R The Movie. Lots of options but, generally speaking, it seems like his intervention did in some sense save Sailor Moon here.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - A rose appears

In general Tuxedo Mask usually does about the same thing. The monster shows up and things start to get a little tense when a well timed rose shakes things up enough for Sailor Moon and her friends to get their footing and deal a finishing blow to the enemy. Without Tuxedo Mask perhaps some of these close calls would have gone the other way leading to Sailor Moon losing instead of winning some of these close fights. Still Tuxedo Mask has no attacks in the original anime. He fights with roses and a cane which are not terribly lethal and at best helps to give the upper hand rather than actually defeating the monster of the week.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Sailor Moon not saying he didn't do anything

All said this is Sailor Moon’s show. She is the strong capable superhero and is not your typical damsel in distress in constant need of saving. Tuxedo Mask comes in with a quick assist from time to time but he’s not scoring the game winning goal. It’s an odd state where he is made to be protecting Sailor Moon and saving her without doing most of the heavy lifting. This is a tough line to walk and likely an intentional one. Sailor Moon is a role model and inspiration to viewers. She has strength and power of her own and is not helpless next to the man who protects her. Still Tuxedo Mask is the valiant and courageous love interest who protects and helps her because that is a sort of archetype which is appealing to the viewer. Sailor Moon herself is impressed with how he wants to protect her. Tuxedo Mask’s name Mamoru even means “protect” in Japanese. The manga and anime really do try to have it both ways by having Tuxedo Mask protect and rescue Sailor Moon but also have her be strong on her own. This is a hard balance to get. I have certainly heard criticism that Sailor Moon is a damsel in distress but I don’t think this is accurate. She really is strong and really does fight her own battles and Tuxedo Mask does the minimum needed to be the dashing protector and saviour while still making Sailor Moon’s victories her own well earned accomplishment, not to mention Sailor Moon getting along just fine when Tuxedo Mask is busy being evil, a bad boyfriend, injured or dead.

Sailor Moon Sailor Stars episode 173 - Mamoru sees something on the wing

With that I’d say the meme is certainly funny and I understand how in some fundamental way it strikes a cord but ultimately I don’t think it accurately reflects the dynamic between the two. Tuxedo Mask does something. He doesn’t do much and he doesn’t do enough to take away Sailor Moon’s spotlight but he’s a worthwhile low powered sidekick who provides well timed distractions and words of support when they are needed. Beyond that he doesn’t take credit for being the victor in battles which he isn’t actually winning.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Tuxedo Mask leaves

What do you think? Is Tuxedo Mask a useless blowhard who takes credit when nothing is done? Is he a harmful stereotype teaching girls they’re damsels in distress who can’t do anything on their own? Am I overthinking this harmless joke?

An Ojibway fan is creating a Sailor Moon fan dub in Anishinaabemowin

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Japanese Blu-Ray - Usagi and Luna

Westin Sutherland, an 18 year old Ojibway Sailor Moon fan from Winnipeg, has been working on creating a fan dubbed version of Sailor Moon in Anishinaabemowin, one of the many Indigenous languages which is spoken in Canada. A news story on the CBC web site covering this has been getting a lot of attention this week. Westin shared a clip of the first episode on Facebook a few weeks ago. This includes Luna telling Usagi that she is Sailor Moon and her first transformation sequence. You can watch it embedded below.

Westin Sutherland, who is from the Peguis First Nation, decided to dub Sailor Moon and other cartoons because he loved the sound of Anishinaabemowin and felt that his people didn’t have a lot of programming and books in their language. He’s also working on dubbing The Proud Family and other shows. There doesn’t seem to be any particular web site where these episodes are to be shared. The clips in question have only been posted on Westin Sutherland’s private Facebook account. I’ll be keeping an eye out to see if a full episodes shows up somewhere.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Usagi removing a bandage from Luna's head

You might notice that the sample clip is a mirror image of what was seen in the original episode. This was likely an attempt to avoid having the video flagged for copyright violation.

Luna waking Usagi

What do you think of the clip? Can any First Nation Canadian readers understand the dialogue?

The new Japanese Sailor Moon Blu-Ray sets look good but not great in HD

Sailor Moon Japanese Blu-Ray Vol. 1 - Cover

The first of many Japanese Blu-Ray releases of the original Sailor Moon anime was out on June 14th. I got my copy from Amazon Japan and it is available in stores and via other online retailers. The set includes the first half of the first season, that being episodes 1 to 23, and sells for a whopping 15,747 yen which is $140 US. Why, you may ask, would someone bother to buy this release when they can get the Viz Blu-Ray release for a fraction of the price? I don’t have an answer which would convince most fans. This is a Japanese only release with no subtitles. There is however a significant improvement in picture quality over what we got from Viz, but this is no real surprise given what we’d had. Ultimately though this is a software upscaled HD version of a standard definition master. What this means is that they used video which was roughly DVD quality and extrapolated using software algorithms to make a 1080p HD video. While this will look better than a DVD to most people it’s still nothing close to what we would have gotten if Toei went back to the film source and made an HD transfer, like we recently got for the Sailor Moon R movie. Don’t take my word for it! Check out some sample screenshots.

Sailor Moon episode 8 - Viz Blu-Ray - Ami

Viz Blu-Ray

Sailor Moon episode 8 - Japanese Blu-Ray - Ami

Japanese Blu-Ray

Make Up! Sailor Senshi - Ami

Make Up! Sailor Senshi Blu-Ray

Sailor Moon episode 8 - Japanese DVD - Ami

Japanese DVD

In the above image, and many other samples included at the end of this post, we have a comparison between four versions of the same scene. The top two compare the Viz Blu-Ray to the new Japanese Blu-Ray, and it’s hard to see the differences with just a thumbnail but if you look at the full sized versions of each image you’ll see that there’s a difference. Also included for comparison are a screenshot from the Make Up! Sailor Senshi Blu-Ray which was included with Sailor Moon R The Movie and the original Japanese DVD. I include screenshots from Make Up! Sailor Senshi because when that special was done it used footage from the original film source which, in 1993, was not yet lost as it apparently is today. Since that film was then transferred to HD this gives us a look at what this release would roughly look like if we’d had the opportunity to have a better master. It’s not perfect as the aspect ratio was changed for cinema so we have a cropped image but it should give an idea of what we could have gotten. The Japanese DVD gives an impression of what the master likely looked like before software upscaling.

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Viz Blu-Ray - Sailor Moon shocked by her transformation

Viz Blu-Ray

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Japanese Blu-Ray - Sailor Moon shocked by her transformation

Japanese Blu-Ray

If you look closely at the fine details you’ll see that even with this new Japanese Blu-Ray there’s some blurriness to the image. We don’t actually see the imperfections in the lines that make these images and the backgrounds which aren’t using as solid colours as the foreground don’t look as nice as they could. All that said this looks nice on a TV. It doesn’t blow your mind when you’re sitting a few feet from your TV trying to put a crying 2 month old to sleep at 5:30am but if you’re sitting on a couch looking at the show it looks pretty good. In an alternate dimension where someone in the mid 90s knew better than to discard masters for a shows which, given the evolving nature of video and high definition TV, they should have known better than to do, we would have a nicer looking Blu-Ray. Unfortunately we don’t live in that dimension so this is what we have and it seems like this is the best looking version of Sailor Moon we’ll get. It’s not leaps and bounds above anything else we’ve seen but it is a mild improvement.

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Viz Blu-Ray - Sailor Moon poses

Viz Blu-Ray

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Japanese Blu-Ray - Sailor Moon poses

Japanese Blu-Ray

Make Up! Sailor Senshi - Sailor Moon poses

Make Up! Sailor Senshi Blu-Ray

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Japanese DVD - Sailor Moon poses

Japanese DVD

These are just a few comparison screenshots. Be sure to click them and then click the link that says “1920×1080″ to see the full image. I’ve included many more at the end of this post for reference. There will be some distortion due to jpeg compression on these but that should be minor.

Sailor Moon Japanese Blu-Ray Vol. 1 - Comparison between Laserdisc, Japanese DVD and Blu-Ray

Besides the image quality, what do we have here? Some pretty nice looking box art. Is it really classy and iconic to keep using the exact same laserdisc artwork or is it lazy? I think it’s a bit of both. Some people have criticized Viz for their Blu-Ray releases but I thought their artwork was on point. Here we’ve got art which has been used time and time again being recycled yet again. This was used in the 90s for the original laserdisc and VHS releases of the series, again when the DVDs were released in 2003, yet again when those DVDs were rereleased and once again with these. That art has been seen in other places over the years. This art is of course fantastic, as it was when it first appeared on those massive vinyl sized laserdisc covers which credit art director Kazuko Tadano for having made them. Once again the above image is just a sample. All of the disc art was reused from earlier covers and I’ve included photos of all of these comparisons at the end of this post.

Sailor Moon Japanese Blu-Ray disc 1 menu

The episodes included are… do I even need to talk about this? It’s episodes 1 to 23. It’s the first half of what might very well be the best season of anything ever produced on the planet in the history of history. This goes from Usagi becoming Sailor Moon right through her meeting Ami and Rei and fighting Jadeite and Nephrite. The next half will begin with Nephrite’s tear jerker final episode. Not a ton in the way of special features are included. On the fourth disc there are creditless lower quality versions of the opening and first ending theme as well as the 15 second commercials which played after every episode, promoting the next one. The laserdiscs for the first season actually had many more fun extras which have never been included in the DVD releases. Given what we see with the musicals it doesn’t seem out of the question to include a ton of silly bonus features. It would have been nice to see them here! I understand that there may have been no HD source for these but not every special feature in a Blu-Ray needs to be 1080p HD! The low quality credits and ads are proof of that.

Sailor Moon Japanese Blu-Ray Vol. 1 - Booklet - Episodes 8 to 10

The special booklet which is included gives episodes summaries for all of the episodes in this set. This is a nice addition. Each episode has one screenshot, some character art and a brief description to go with it. I would assume we’ll have something similar with the next set which comes out on August 9th.

Sailor Moon Japanese Blu-Ray Vol. 1 - Back

So what’s the verdict? Is it worth spending so much money on this release? This is almost certainly not something anyone but a hardcore collector would want to bother getting. There are less expensive ways to watch Sailor Moon in a language you understand. If, however, you are a videophile that absolutely needs to have the best of the best, well go ahead and get that line of credit approved so that you can buy all of these!

Keep reading for more screenshots, images of the packaging and photos of all pages of the included booklet.

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Evgenia Medvedeva’s performance at the 2017 ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo recreates the first episode of Sailor Moon

Evgenia Medvedeva's Sailor Moon Figure Skating Routine

Two time World champion Russian figure skater Evegnia Medvedeva has given us another great Sailor Moon themed performance! She originally did a Sailor Moon themed routine last year and she’s updated it to reflect many of the events of the first episode of Sailor Moon. This was done this past weekend at the 2017 ISU World Team Trophy in Tokyo. A fitting location for a Sailor Moon themed performance! The soundtrack used for her piece includes a number of audio clips from the first episode as Usagi sleeps in, rushes off to school, meets Luna and ultimately transforms into Sailor Moon. As with the last routine it includes the original version of Moonlight Densetsu by DALI. You can watch the full clip below.

She did quite well at the competition setting records for Short Program, Free Skate and Total Score. Evegnia Medvedeva is a huge anime and Sailor Moon fan as we continue to see with her fun performances.

Evgenia Medvedeva's Sailor Moon Figure Skating Routine - Usagi meets Luna

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Luna freaking out with a bandage on her head

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The first episode of Sailor Moon aired 25 years ago today

Sailor Moon episode 01 Screenshot - Japanese DVD

It’s time to party like it’s 1992! 25 years ago today, on March 7th 1992, the first episode of the Sailor Moon anime “The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation” aired on Japanese TV. At this time last year we were still celebrating Sailor Moon’s 20th anniversary in Japan but that has finally been replaced with the ongoing 25th anniversary. The Sailor Moon manga predates the anime series by a few months, with its first story being published in Nakayoshi December 28th 1991. Codename: Sailor V, the series which inspired Sailor Moon and which Sailor Venus comes from, was published earlier that year in RunRun starting on August 3rd 1991.

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Usagi runs into Mamoru

I can’t really be nostalgic about what I was doing in March 1992, listening to Kris Kross and being full of teenage angst! I certainly wasn’t watching Sailor Moon, which wouldn’t be seen here in Canada for another 3 years. I wrote articles about the 15th and 20th anniversaries on Powet.tv and at the time nothing was going on with the franchise. Now, with Sailor Moon Crystal in full swing, a new series of musicals in production, a movie in theatres and mountains of merchandise Sailor Moon is an international sensation once again!

Sailor Moon Episode 1 - Silhouette

Are you doing anything today to commemorate the 25 year anniversary of this great show? If you’re looking to watch the first episode again you can stream it on Yahoo! View with subtitles or dubbed by Viz. Canadians can watch the first episode of TubiTV.


Chris Wiggins, Sailor Moon’s narrator and the voice of Mr. Baxter, has died at age 87

Chris Wiggins

I am sad to report that Chris Wiggins, a voice actor from the original English dub of the Sailor Moon anime, has died at age 87. He passed away on February 19th after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The provided the voice of Mr. Baxter from the episode “An Unnatural Phenomenon”. Mr. Baxter was a mild mannered gardener turned ecoterrorist thanks to Nephlite’s influence. He also voiced the narration included at the beginning of the first episode and episode 41. This first narration, added for the dubbed English version, provided excessive spoilers for the upcoming season including the identity of the Moon Princess and Prince Darien as well as the specific fate of the Moon Kingdom.

Sailor Moon episode 15 - Ami and Mr. Baxter

Aside from his brief work on Sailor Moon Chris Wiggins also had a lengthy resume. As a fellow Canadian the roles I knew him best for were Chief Quimby from Inspector Gadget and No Heart from Care Bears. His obituary can be found in The Toronto Star. He will be missed by fans around the world.

24 years ago today, the first episode of the Sailor Moon anime aired in Japan

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Luna freaking out with a bandage on her head

Episode 1 of the original Sailor Moon anime, The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation, aired on Japanese TV on March 7th 1992, 24 years ago today. It’s been a long time and love for the series is still going strong! More than that we are 4 years into the 20th anniversary and we are showing no signs of letting up that celebration!

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Usagi runs into Mamoru

The Sailor Moon official web site’s title remains the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary Project Official Site. The official Twitter account is @sailormoon_20th. This branding isn’t going anywhere any time soon! It’ll look really silly next year as we celebrate the 25th anniversary. The manga will be 25 years old on December 28th of this year!

Sailor Moon episode 1 - Crybaby Usagi's Magnificent Transformation

If you’re feeling nostalgic you can watch episode 1, The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation, on Hulu either in Japanese with English subtitles or dubbed in English.