The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 8, Minako – Sailor V, is now available on Hulu

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Adam

The latest English dubbed episode of Sailor Moon Crystal has been added to Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get Act 8, Minako – Sailor V, which introduces us to Sailor Venus and her faithful companion Artemis. We have two new main voice actors in this episode. Minako Aino is voiced by Cherami Leigh and Artemis is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. You can follow these actors on Twitter at @cheramileigh and @johnnyyongbosch.

The gang is finally back together and the show will try to tell us that Sailor Venus is actually the Moon Princess. I’m not sure how many people are meant to be fooled by this as all flash backs to Silver Millennium show a girl who clearly has Usagi’s hair style.

Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 8, Minako – Sailor V, January 1st at 9pm Eastern Time

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Adam

The next English dubbed episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be available this Friday, January 1st, at 9pm Eastern Time on Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get Act 8, Minako – Sailor V, which introduces us to Sailor Venus. Is there really anyone who is going to believe that Minako is actually Princess Serenity? Regardless, we will be made to believe this is true in this episode. With the introduction of Minako we will also see Artemis, her wise mentor who I’m totally shipping her with.

Cherami Leigh will be voicing Sailor Venus and Johnny Yong Bosch, Adam the Black Power Ranger, will voice Artemis the cat. As with other voice actors these are the same voices which Viz used in their new dub of the original Sailor Moon anime. Follow them on Twitter at @cheramileigh and @johnnyyongbosch.

Sailor Moon Sailor Stars episodes 170 and 171 are now available on Hulu

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Adam

The two latest episodes of Sailor Moon Sailor Stars are now available on Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get parts 4 and 5 of the 6 parts mini series that starts off this season. We have the Sailor Guardians split up into unlikely pairings as they are left to make due with what they have and fight Queen Nehelenia. This gives us interesting explorations of all of the Sailor Guardians. Next week this arc will wrap up and we will also see the first of the Three Light and the Sailor Starlights Sailor Star Fighter, Sailor Star Healer and Sailor Star Maker.

Episode 170, Night of Destiny: The Sailor Guardians’ Ordeals, spends a nice amount of time having the gang prepare for battle. The girls are all together in civilian mode to talk about what to do about this whole problem of Mamoru getting kidnapped by Nehelenia and sucked into a world of mirrors. Usagi gets real upset and has an epic transformation into … Eternal Sailor Moon. Okay this is getting lame at this point. Eternal Sailor Moon is the new Super Sailor Moon. We need to stop making a big deal of it every time this transformation happens. This leaves the rest of the girls ready to transform and I know what you’re thinking! Will we finally see Sailor Saturn’s transformation sequence? No. Transformation is done off screen and the gang use Sailor Teleport to go after Usagi and save the day. Unfortunately as they are flying around they are broken up and left into a series of unusual pairings. Though most of the core group have been paired together with one another at some point in the series there has been very little one on one contact between the original Sailor Guardians and the newer ones. This next couple of episodes gives us a bit of that. First off we have Sailor Mercury and Sailor Uranus left in some sort of ancient ruins. When the two run we learn from Haruka that although she always thought Michiru was keeping up with her when they ran the truth is that Michiru was pacing herself. This is indicative of the power balance between the two. Haruka sees herself as leading in that relationship but Michiru is able to hold her own and is willing to let Haruka believe what she would like. There’s a nice flashback of Ami when she was a kid. She was basically terrible at basketball but after reading a bunch of books on strategy was able to help her team in other ways. This is indicative of her overall role in the group. Bubbles and other lame water based attacks aren’t beating the bad guys but Sailor Mercury is able to use her brain to save the day. She does so to find the source of the Nehelenia’s power. After the defeat the two are trapped in mirrors anyway. Next up is Sailor Mars and Neptune. I wasn’t crazy about this one. It’s insinuated right away that Sailor Neputune has a better power of prediction than Sailor Mars. All this time we see Rei as having a strong power but it is instantly neutered in this simple interaction where Sailor Neptune knows what’s right and Sailor Mars seems to be bluffing. To be continued…

Episode 171, For Love: the Endless Battle in the Dark World, continues where we left of fighting these evil Nehelenia monsters. Sailor Mars and Neptune quickly dispatch the one they are fighting but then inexplicably fall unconscious into a pond and are trapped in mirrors. What is the point of beating these things if they lose anyway? Defeating these Nehelenia clones seems roughly equivalent to being found innocent by a Quintesson. Next up is the unlikely paring of Sailor Venus and Sailor Pluto. They don’t fair so well. They fall into a chasm and Venus uses her Venus Love Me Chain as a rope to save both of them. The Nehelenia monster shows up and drops them in the ravine. Their fate is no different than that of their friends who beat their Nehelenia clones as they as well get stuck in mirrors. Oh well. Meanwhile Usagi marched through the snow to find a field of flowers which made her lose all memories. Sailor Jupiter shows up to save the day and takes a beating protecting Usagi. She loses her rose shaped earring in the process and this reminds Usagi of Tuxedo Mask’s roses. How lovely would it have been if Usagi had been reminded of her cherished friendship with Makoto instead but she is looking for her boyfriend and so this memory is what breaks the spell. She continues to march towards her destination on a giant stairway which is filled with thorny rose bushes. Back at the top of the tent we have the common pairing of Sailor Chibi Moon and Sailor Saturn. Sailor Saturn means business as she threatens what seems to be the real Nehelenia with her Silence Glaive. To be continued…

Next week we will wrap up this Nehelenia story with a real high quality final episode. After that we are introduced to the Sailor Starlights at last!

Support this site by buying the first two seasons of Sailor Moon on DVD and Blu-Ray using the links below.

Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, Christmas Day at 9pm Eastern Time

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Adam

Santa Claus finally brought you the gift you wanted. The next episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be available to watch in English on December 25th, Christmas Day, at 9pm Eastern Time on Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we will be getting Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask. Usagi slept over at Mamoru’s and now everyone seems to know who’s who! We will get a flashback to Mamoru as a child where he has Terry Bogart’s hat.

The episode will also feature our first look at Artemis and Sailor Venus. We had previously seen her only as her other identity, Sailor V. It looks like the old gang is just about back together!

Sailor Moon SuperS episodes 154 and 155 are now available on Hulu

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Adam

This morning the two latest episodes of Sailor Moon SuperS, episodes 154 and 155, were added to Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we get a couple more funny episodes. First Minako and Makoto compete for the affections of a kindergarden teacher and then everyone is having trouble with the pommel horse.

Episode 154, Clash of Dreams: Minako and Makoto’s Broken Friendship, seems like a bit of a repeat of a Sailor Moon R episode in which we similarly had Minako and Makoto fight with each other. It seems these two characters only interact for the purpose of ruining their friendship! The two of them have a crush on the same teacher, Honjou, who happens to have a class full of brats including the especially annoying young Kotarou. This particular kid gets on Minako’s nerves and in the ensuing chaos one of Makoto’s bears becomes destroyed, which causes a fracture in their friendship. Minako tries to win over the class with a nice concert where she dresses in the most ridiculous costume! After the teacher gets targeted and the fighting is done Minako repairs the damaged bear and bygones are bygones. Then comes the big shocker, Kotarou is Honjou’s son! This dashes Minako and Makoto’s dreams, as if they somehow would not have expected him to be unavailable if it weren’t for the fact that he had a child. This is odd as he may very well have been in a relationship if he didn’t have a child and there are plenty of single parents out there. Regardless, this settles the whole affair and there’s nothing more to fight about!

Episode 155, Overcome Your Fear: the Jump to Freedom, shows us the evils of the pommel horse. Are these things that popular in Japan? Judging by Anime I feel as if this is a dreaded thing in the formative years of all Japanese children, where they are forced to jump over a pommel horse or they will fail phys ed and be held back a year. I similar recall an episode of Pretty Sammy which centred around a pommel horse. In this episode there are not one but two characters who are afraid of the pommel horse! First Chibiusa tries to duck out of school event due to her fear of the thing, possibly because in the 30th century they are still subjecting Japanese children to it, and then we learn that Kyuusuke is also afraid of it, a fear which goes back to childhood. The solution to both aversions to the pommel horse? Keep trying until you stop running into it! This is nonsense for a number of reasons. We must break down how this thing works. To jump over it you jump up and try to clear it, pushing yourself up with your hands while going over. Failing to clear it will mean either having the top of it hit your stomach or groin, or if you clear the front you will just land over it. For whatever reason all characters in this episode are seen failing to clear it by slamming right into it as if it was a wall. There is no in between where they almost clear it, just smashing into it. Beyond this no proper technique of progression used to surmount this problem. This is clearly a modular pommel horse which could be set to a lower height. This is how problems such as this should be approached! If the pommel horse is too daunting a task one should simply try it at a lower height and then raise it once comfortable! This is not the approach that Kyuusuke uses however, as JunJun of the Amazoness Quartet helps him get over his fear. This has to come down to fear of course. The pommel horse is not vanquished with hard work and training, but by overcoming an irrational fear of the pommel horse brought on by a traumatic experience. Anyway, Chibiusa pommel horses the Lemures and Kyuusuke manages to jump over the pommel horse as well. Hooray!

Support this site by buying the first two seasons of Sailor Moon on DVD and Blu-Ray using the links below.

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.

Sailor Moon Crystal Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-Ray vol. 12 Review

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Adam

The last volume of Sailor Moon Crystal was released on Blu-Ray last month, on September 9th. I’ve dragged my feet on this review so much that the next disk, volume 13, is released today in Japan. Volume 12 can be purchased from sites such as Amazon Japan for 5194 yen, about $43 US. The next and final volume can also be ordered from Amazon Japan for 5994 yen, about $50 US. As always this release contains only two episodes, in this case Act 23 and 24, in Japanese only and the cover art included is of Black Lady, Chibiusa’s older and eviler self.

The charm included with this release is Sailor Moon’s Crystal Star, her transformation broach for this story arc.

Two episodes are included on this disk. Act 23 – Covert Maneuvers – Wiseman, and Act 24 – Attack – Black Lady. The video quality as always is great. As with other DVD and Blu-Ray releases some minor changes to the animation have taken place since the streaming version. Nothing of significance is included with these particular episodes. Nothing changes any of the scenes in any major way. The biggest change with Act 24 is the colour and brightness for certain scenes. As always you can check out Crystal Comparisons for screenshots which show the changes for any particular episode, including Acts 23 and 24.

A 20 page full colour booklet is included once again. Unfortunately I am unable to identify the subjects of the first interview. The names are Nozomi Matsuura and Yukiko Kariya. This web site indicates that they work for Bandai, but no other details are given. The second interview is with the voice actors playing the Black Moon Clan. This includes Mamoru Miyano, the voice of Prince Demande, Hiroki Takahashi, the voice of Rubeus, Tsubasa Yonaga, the voice of Saphir, and Houko Kawashima, the voice of Esmeraude. Also included in the booklet are the usual episode summaries for Act 23 and 24, character designs for Black Lady, Prince Demande and Saphir, backgrounds and screenshots from the episodes and a page for Fumio Osano, Osabu.

These episodes include an audio commentary featuring cast and crew from the show. This includes Munehisa Sakai, director of the first 26 episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal, Hisako Kanemoto, the voice of Sailor Mercury, Rina Sato, the voice of Sailor Mars, Ami Koshimizu, the voice of Sailor Jupiter, and Shizuka Ito, the voice of Sailor Venus.

Should you get this? Should you pay over $50 to buy and ship this set with only two episodes in a language you can’t speak when an English and Japanese version will eventually be released for much less and you can watch the series for free online in the mean time? That’s your call!

Keep reading for more images of this set’s packaging including images of all pages of the included special booklet.

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Sailor Moon SuperS episodes 140 and 141 are now available on Hulu

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Adam

The two latest episodes of Sailor Moon SuperS were added to Hulu and Neon Alley this morning. This week we get episodes 140 and 141. First Usagi befriends a fashion designer who is targeted by Fish Eye and then Minako tries to date two guys at the same time as she multitasks with Tiger’s Eye and Hawk’s Eye.

Episode 140, We Love Fashion: The Stylish Guardians, is all about fashion designer Yoshiki Usui. He’s doing a fashion show in town and all of the girls are instantly enthralled with his designs. This is bad news for Mamoru because Usagi wants him to buy her his expensive clothes! Yoshiki Usui is a gay man, making him the target of Fish Eye. In the past, and in future episodes, Fish Eye dresses as a woman in order to lure the men he targets but in this episode he lures Yoshiki as a man. Yoshiki sees Fish Eye as a muse, which leads to him being dressed up in all sorts of great outfits and even stripping down to nothing! Usagi, being a bit shameless, asks Yoshiki if he can design her wedding dress for free. Is money an object when you are in the midst of ascending to the throne as world leader? Oh well. Ultimately as Yoshiki finds himself in the middle of the battle he sees the Sailor Guardians and inspires his next outfits by them. So what is the original inspiration for these items? Though the Sailor Guardians’ outfits seem inspired by modern school uniforms which are themselves somewhat inspired by naval uniforms (hence the name Sailor) we also see that these outfits existed in the ancient days of Silver Millennium. Is some time travel involved or did these outfits themselves inspire naval uniforms and later school uniforms? So many unanswered questions!

Episode 141, Storm of Love: Minako’s Grand Two-Timing Plan, is a great comedic episode. In it we have Minako splitting her interest between two guys she is simultaneously dating, who turn out to be Tiger’s Eye and Hawk’s Eye. This is somewhat funny as Minako has been single throughout the series and now finds herself with two guys at her side. There is a lot of focus on just how terrible what she’s doing is but is it really? The deception she is running on them is not great but ultimately if no insinuation of exclusivity is going on here she’s not doing anything wrong. Artemis seems more upset than anyone but he’s not actually bothered by the two timing. Artemis is clearly in love with Minako and is jealous of any man she may date who isn’t him! Too bad Artemis. That ship sailed the moment your daughter from the future showed up to cement your relationship with Luna, not to mention the events of the Sailor Moon S movie which have them informally beginning their exclusivity. The episode is full of great jokes as Minako has two dates at the same time and runs from one to another. This is cut short as she dumps both of them. For the first and only time two of the Amazon Trio reveal a Mirror of Dreams together, and then they both penetrate her Mirror at once, seeing her lovely dream. The episode concludes with a lovely romantic scene where Artemis and Minako once again express their strong desire for each other as we see this great couple happy together once again.

This marks the beginning of a new ending theme as “Rashiku” Ikimasho or “I’ll Go As Myself” begins playing during the credits of episode 141 and until the end of Sailor Moon SuperS. This replaces “Watashi-tachi ni Naritakute” or “Wanting to Be Together with You” which has played to date.

Support this site by buying the first two seasons of Sailor Moon on DVD and Blu-Ray using the links below.

Sailor Moon Petit Chara Christmas figures

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Adam

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Nearly 5 months before actual Christmas Bandai enveiled these Christmas themed Sailor Moon Petit Chara figures at Wonder Festival 2015. These variant figures of Sailor Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Chibi Moon are in their Sailor Guardian forms but with Santa Claus hats and outfits matching their colours. In addition many of the Sailor Guardians have a special item. Sailor Mercury has a book of carols. Sailor Mars is holding a candle. Sailor Jupiter has a bag of gifts. Sailor Venus has angel’s wings. A mini Artemis which resembles a small snowman accompanies Sailor Venus, though no Luna appears to be included in this set.

Why now? Why not at Christmas time? Well the toys will actually be released in November, they’re just being announced now. Wouldn’t these toys make great Christmas decorations?

Source: Sailor Moon official site (Post 1, Post 2)

Relevant:

Keep reading for individual photos of the figures.

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Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray vol. 10 review

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Adam

The latest volume of Sailor Moon Crystal was released on Blu-Ray July 8th. As always my review is so late that the next volume, volume 11, is about to be released on August 12th. Regardless, let’s talk about volume 10. This set, like many others, includes two episodes on Blu-Ray in Japanese only. You can order it from sites such as Amazon Japan for 5194 yen, which is about $42 US plus shipping.

The art for this release features the often neglected but never forgotten Sailor Pluto! This is fitting since her character is featured prominently on the disk. We have Act 19, Time Warp – Sailor Pluto, and Act 20, Crystal Tokyo – King Endymion.

The charm is Sailor Jupiter’s Star Power Stick. This fits with the trend we’d been seeing.

Included as always is a 20 page full colour special book. This includes summaries for Act 19 and 20, art, character designs for Sailor Pluto and some of the Black Moon Clan, a page for Fumio Osano, Osabu, as well as two interviews. The first interview is with Akiko Kosaka, a composer who provided many songs for the original anime as well as Gekkou, the ending theme for Sailor Moon Crystal. The second is with Ai Maeda, the voice of Sailor Pluto.

Quality for this release is great, as always. The video is 1080p and looks better than the streaming releases. There are a lot of minor changes to the animation from the original version. Nothing from these episodes in particular jumped out as me as being significant. You can always check out Crystal Comparisons to see changes for any episodes, includes the acts 19 and 20 which are provided in this set.

The disk is Japanese only and also include a commentary track featuring Munehisa Sakai, the series director, as well as Shizuka Ito, the voice of Sailor Venus, and Misato Fukuen, the voice of Chibiusa. I can’t really comment on the content of these commentaries, as I don’t actually speak Japanese.

I can’t tell you whether or not it’s worth it to buy this set. Do what you did with the last 9. The video quality is great and it’s worth having for a hardcore collector but North American fans who like their money may find it makes sense to wait for the English dubbed and subbed release we will be getting at some point in the future.

Keep reading for more photos of this set including pictures of all pages of the included special book.

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Tag Archives: Sailor Venus

The English version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 8, Minako – Sailor V, is now available on Hulu

Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 8, Minako – Sailor V, January 1st at 9pm Eastern Time

Sailor Moon Sailor Stars episodes 170 and 171 are now available on Hulu

Watch the English dubbed version of Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, Christmas Day at 9pm Eastern Time

Sailor Moon SuperS episodes 154 and 155 are now available on Hulu

A Sailor V Pullip Doll is coming in November

Sailor Moon Crystal Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-Ray vol. 12 Review

Sailor Moon SuperS episodes 140 and 141 are now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Petit Chara Christmas figures

Sailor Moon Crystal Blu-Ray vol. 10 review