Sailor Moon episodes 35 and 36 are now available on Hulu

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Adam

Two new episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime, in Japanese with English subtitles, have been added to Hulu and Neon Alley this morning, September 8th 2014. This week we have the aftermath of Usagi being revealed as Princess Serenity and Mamoru being abducted by the Dark Kingdom. Tired of listening to subtitled episodes? The first 23 episodes of Viz’s new Sailor Moon dub have also been added to Hulu and Neon Alley for a limited time.

Episode 35, Returning Memories: Usagi and Mamoru’s Past, takes off where we left with Mamoru mortally wounded and Usagi transformed into Princess Serenity. We get a pretty good look at the events of Silver Millennium in which Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion fell in love. Unfortunately with some memories revealed Mamoru is taken away by the Dark Kingdom for as of yet unknown purposes. Most of the episode deals with the Sailor Team trying to get out of the Starlight Tower. One interesting exchange occurs when Sailor Mars slaps Sailor Moon in the face. She’s upset that Mamoru sacrificed himself for a crybaby like Usagi and is probably a bit upset that she stole her boyfriend. Zoisite dies in this episode, killed by Queen Beryl for ignoring her order and trying to kill Tuxedo Mask. Kunzite is upset about this but not enough to actually do anything about it! Finally at the end of the episode Sailor Moon uses her Moon Stick to destroy a massive building. No big deal.

Episode 36, Usagi’s Confusion: Is Tuxedo Mask Evil?, has us introduced to Minako while there isn’t anyone getting killed. Sailor Venus’s first appearance was amidst a battle after which she just ran off. Usagi doesn’t actually get to meet Minako as a civilian until after the excitement which ended in the last episode. Usagi is depressed after having lost Mamoru to the Dark Kingdom and Minako has the solution to this problem. Makeover! Minako and Usagi head over to a local salon which is having a sale which as always is a plot by the Dark Kingdom to find Sailor Moon. Oh yes, that’s their new plan. Now that the Rainbow Crystal thing is all played out they’re trying to find out who Sailor Moon is so that they can steal her Crystal. This week it’s all about DNA testing! They find a blonde hair at the site of the last battle and, assuming it’s Sailor Moon’s, they use it to cross reference against everyone who comes in to the salon. Minako sets off the machine and they assume she’s Sailor Moon. It turns out she got one of Usagi’s hairs on hers when brushing her. Wouldn’t it also make sense that the hair that was found by the Dark Kingdom was actually from Sailor Venus and that this is what set off the false positive? Anyway, Tuxedo Mask comes back and he’s evil. Not really evil but kind of evil and without much of a memory. This is all very distressing but Usagi is in better spirits just knowing he’s alive.

Tune in next week to see how else Kunzite can try to find out who Sailor Moon is.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 5, Makoto – Sailor Jupiter, Review

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Adam

Saturday September 6th the 5th episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, Act 5, Makoto – Sailor Jupiter, became available on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Niconico. This episode marks the introduction of Makoto Kino, Sailor Jupiter. Once again it follows the manga fairly closely but there are a some differences to note this time around.

This episode is all about Usagi getting herself into trouble and Makoto saving her! First it’s from a car which almost hits her, which may very well have killed her. The second time Makoto stops a baseball from almost hitting Usagi in the face. We know from the original Sailor Moon anime that Sailor Moon can take a high speed tennis ball to the face so that’s no big deal. Usagi and Makoto become instant friends, despite the fact that many of the student are scared of Makoto having heard she got kicked out of her last school for fighting. Once again we see Usagi’s greatest quality, her easy ability to make friends. Even without knowing her new classmate has super powers, she’s immediately nice to her, offering to show her around the arcade and such.

While at the arcade Makoto runs into Motoki and she is instantly smitten by him. Motoki is later used by the enemy to lure in Makoto which is a very effective ploy, as he reminds her of her old “sempai” or rather another student at her school from a higher grade. This idea of Makoto’s sempai recurs in many series. She did not leave her old school for fighting but rather because her heart was broken by this boy. Here we get to see Makoto’s sempai in a flashback scene and we learn that he broke Makoto’s heart because he had a girlfriend. During this scene I kept waiting for her Rainy Day Man to show up, but alas there was no such person to console her.

There is no cross dressing in this episode. For shame! In the manga when Usagi visits the Bridal Boutique she disguises herself as a well dressed groom before transforming into Sailor Moon. Here we have Usagi getting lured from her bedroom by Tuxedo Mask and remaining in her pyjamas when she gets to the action! Luna calls Rei and Ami and while Rei is wearing her standard Miko Robe Ami is wearing some sort of comfortable night clothes that may very well be pyjamas. Girls! Don’t leave home like this. Take a hint from Optimus Prime. Transform and Roll Out. These girls are always waiting until they’re in front of the monster to transform. This is a terrible way to keep a secret identity. Oh and yes the implication with Mamoru at Usagi’s window is that Mamoru knows that she is Sailor Moon. I think the handkerchief from the last episode gave her away.

Sailor Jupiter does two attacks in this episode. The first is Flower Hurricane, which cuts clothes and paralyses opponents. The second is Jupiter Thunderbolt which in the manga kills Nephrite but here it does not finish the job. This follows Jadeite not being killed by Rei in act 3, a change from the manga. Clearly something is being planned by keeping them all alive. All four Shitennou are shown to be alive and well in the next episode preview for act 6. Nephrite also makes the comment “I’ve seen this look before” as Sailor Jupiter charges up her Thunderbolt. In an image in the manga it’s insinuated that Sailor Jupiter and Nephrite had a romantic relationship during Silver Millennium. Similarly in act 3 Jadeite made a comment about how beautiful and familiar Sailor Mars’s face looked, and they are also paired together in the manga. Surely there has not been much deviation from the source material to date but this small change may be indicative of something substantial to come in the future.

Finally we see the first appearance of the new Moon Stick in this episode! At this point we’ve seen it in other places, such as the cover art for the first Blu-Ray (which does not include episodes where Sailor Moon actually has the Moon Stick…) but it’s nice to see it in the show. It’s a bit different from the original anime Moon Stick or even the one seen in the manga. The silver crescent moon is a bit similar to the live action series Moon Stick but there are differences from that one too. Surely we will be getting a toy of this Moon Stick in time!

The next episode, airing September 20th 2014, will be Act 6, Tuxedo Mask. As the title suggests it’s all about Tuxedo Mask. Will we see Mamoru with his shirt off like we do in the manga? Find out in two weeks!

Until then here are more screenshots from the episode.

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Sailor Moon episodes 33 and 34 are now available on Hulu

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Adam

Episodes 33 and 34 of the original Sailor Moon anime are now available on Hulu and Neon Alley. As with every Monday two new episodes, subbed by Viz, are added online. This week we get the introduction of Sailor Venus and the revelation that Usagi is Princess Serenity.

Episode 33, Enter Venus, the Last Sailor Guardian, introduces us to Minako Aino, Sailor Venus, as well as her cat Artemis. Note of course that she is by no means the last Sailor Guardian. The introduction of this character is actually somewhat secondary to the rest of the plot, as she only appears late in the episode and does not introduce herself as Minako to most of the girls until episode 34 at the end of which Usagi still doesn’t know who she is. Minako does appear briefly early on as she overhears Usagi mention that she is Sailor Moon in a crowd. Not the best way to hide your secret identity! The plot revolves around Zoisite disguising himself as Sailor Moon in order to lure in Tuxedo Mask. This ultimately works as he stabs Tuxedo Mask in the shoulder, injuring him severely and discovering his secret identity. Meanwhile Kunzite has the Sailor Guardians trapped until Sailor Venus comes to the rescue. Usagi asks if Sailor Venus is actually the Princess they’ve been looking for. I guess she hasn’t seen the new intro.

Episode 34, The Shining Silver Crystal: The Moon Princess Appears, is one of the more eventful episodes of the series. All cards are on the table! Zoisite, and Queen Beryl by association, have discovered that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask! He challenges him to come to Twilight Tower with his Rainbow Crystals. Usagi has the misfortune of running into him in the street right before he’s whisked away to the showdown. Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship grows during a long elevator ride just as he discovers she is Sailor Moon and then she discovers that he’s Tuxedo Mask! As if that wasn’t enough, Tuxedo Mask is mortally wounded and Usagi is revealed to be the Princess they’ve been searching for all this time. Rei isn’t going to be happy about this!

Sailor Moon episodes 31 and 32 are now available on Hulu

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Adam

The latest two episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime have been added to Hulu and Neon Alley. As with every Monday two new episodes, subbed by Viz, are added online. This week we have episodes 31 and 32 which are two of the funniest episodes of the series.

In episode 31, Love and Chased: Luna’s Worst Day Ever, we meet Rhett Butler, a fat alley cat who falls in love with Luna. The search for the last Rainbow Crystal is on and leads Zoisite and the Sailor Guardians to the house of a young girl, but it’s her cat who’s actually the final Rainbow Crystal carrier! Rhett Butler choses to protect Luna from all of the stray cats in Tokyo. Their adventures take them deep into the sewers and ultimately back to the surface where Rhett Butler turns into the monster Bakene who is still able to keep his wits and protect Luna despite his monster status, a feat that none of the human Rainbow Crystal carriers were able to do. Like many of the romances early in the series, this one is short lived and the reasons are simply because there are other plans for some characters. Artemis will be showing up in just a few episodes and so there’s just no room to keep Rhett Bulter around beyond the scope of this episode, but in the final moments it’s quite clear that Luna and Rhett Butler shared a great love.

In episode 32, Umino’s Resolve: I’ll Protect Naru, we see Umino’s protective side as he suits up and becomes Tuxedo Umino Kamen. Now that Usagi has new friends it’s long overdue that Naru and Umino hook up with each other so that we don’t have to feel bad about how neglected they are! Umino is of course completely socially awkward and has no idea how to win over Naru so he asks Usagi who describes what she is into as qualities attributed to Tuxedo Mask. Umino naturally decides to dress as Tuxedo Mask and protect Naru, which is met with some apprehension but is ultimately fairly successfull. They go on a date together to see Red Man, and when Zoisite misses Naru he ends up making a monster of the Power Ranger style character who attacks everyone in site, forcing Umino to step up as protector. Once again Umino isn’t terribly effective, but his heart is in the right place, and that’s what counts. This is one romance that isn’t about to get sidetracked by some inconvenient destiny as Umino and Naru are set to have a long and happy relationship.

And here’s a funny still from episode 31:

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4, Masquerade Dance Party, Review

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Adam

The 4th episode of Sailor Moon Crystal became available on Saturday August 16th. You can watch it on Crunchyroll, Hulu or Niconico. Act 4, Masquerade Dance Party, has everyone crashing a party put on by the D Kingdom in order to steal their jewels, hoping to find the Silver Crystal. While this is an early story in the manga it is somewhat similar to episode 22 of the Sailor Moon anime, Romance Under the Moon: Usagi’s First Kiss.

The episode largely follows act 4 of the original manga with one major exception, Jadeite is still alive. In the manga Sailor Mars kills Jadeite at the end of act 3 however in the last episode it was unclear if Jadeite actually died during the fight. Indeed Jadeite is still alive which is the biggest change to the story we’ve seen to date. Perhaps this change will lead to more differences down the line, as all of the Shitennou are still alive at this point leaving things open for different stories. In act 3 Jadeite made comments about how beautiful he thought Sailor Mars was, which may be related to a past and future relationship between the two of them. Manga art from the final Dark Kingdom story shows pairings between the Shintennou and Sailor Guardians during Silver Millennium. Sailor Mercury was with Zoisite, Sailor Mars is with Jadeite, Sailor Jupiter was with Nephrite and Sailor Venus was with Kunzite, a relationship which was also alluded to in the Sailor V manga. This may seem odd to anime fans who have only seen the Shintennou as villains however in the manga they were all friends of Endymion and good people from Earth prior to being corrupted by Queen Metalia. While we’ve followed the manga closely to date this may not last forever. By act 4 of the live action series we were still following the manga episode by episode but major changes were just around the corner.

Sailor Moon gets a new tiara and attack this week! Her last tiara was destroyed by Sailor Mars as she burned Jadeite and so she gets a new upgraded one and with that has a new attack which she uses to destroy Nephrite’s shadow. The attack she uses in the manga is Moon Twilight Flash, seen frequently in the live action series, though the attack is not named in this episode. Strangely enough an image of Sailor Moon using this attack is seen in the newspaper on the morning before she gets her tiara upgrade and is first able to use this attack.

Another fun moment has Umino acting like a total creeper when he reveals a photo of Princess D. Indeed Umino always having images of women at hand when needed is in itself creepy but something about the way he acts and speaks in this scene is particularly funny.

And speaking of creepy, the final scene of the episode needs to be addressed. Sailor Moon, after a long day at the party, passes out. In the manga she does this after consuming alcohol. While unconscious Tuxedo Mask approaches her and kisses her, causing fans to swoon at this romantic moment. She is unconscious and unable to consent to his advances. This behaviour is completely inappropriate. Luckily Luna shows up and comes to Sailor Moon’s defence.

Unfortunately we have to wait 3 weeks for the next episode! We’ve gotten used to seeing shows every two weeks but Sailor Moon Crystal is released on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month, not every two weeks. The next episode will be available on Saturday September 6th. Act 5, Makoto – Sailor Jupiter, will introduce us to Makoto Kino who becomes Sailor Jupiter. We see a shot of her at the end of the episode and more of her during the next episode preview. This again follows the manga schedule with Sailor Jupiter appearing in act 5.

Keep reading for more images from this episode and from the next episode preview.

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Sailor Moon episodes 27 and 28 are now on Hulu

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Adam

The two latest episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime have been added to Hulu and Neon Alley this morning. Every Monday two new episodes, in Japanese and subbed in English by Viz, are added to Hulu. This week we have episodes 27 and 28 as the race to get all of the Rainbow Crystals heats up!

Episode 27, Crushing On Ami: the Boy Who Can See the Future, has Ami befriending a boy named Ryo Urawa who can see the future! Because of his gift he’s able to challenge her at exams and can also see predict that he’s a Rainbow Crystal carrier and that Ami is Sailor Mercury! This early romantic interest for Sailor Mercury is one that fans have always liked to imagine continuing, even though Ami is clearly more well suited to hook up with Shingo in the future! Ami isn’t the only one to have a romantic interest in this episode as we have a brief look at one of the many dates that take place between Mamoru and Rei, a lovely couple who’s relationship will soon be interrupted by pesky destiny.

Episode 28, The Painting of Love: Usagi and Mamoru Get Closer, introduces us to an artist Yumemi Yumemo who paints images that represent true events from the Silver Millennium. These images are coming to her because she is yet another Rainbow Crystal carrier. She choses Mamoru and Usagi as her models because they rightfully remind her of Endymion and Serenity who have been appearing to her in visions. Things heat up a little between Mamoru and Usagi, who justifiably feels guilty for her feelings because of Mamoru’s relationship with Rei.

Buy the first half of season 1 on DVD and Blu-Ray this November.

The Tao of Meow and Teen Romance Comics Sailor Moon shirts today at The Yetee

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Adam

There are two new Sailor Moon shirts for sale today and today only at The Yetee. These shirts are only for sale on August 6th for $11. The first shirt, “The Tao of Meow” has Luna and Artemis posed like a Yin and Yang symbol lying on top of a bed of roses and various Sailor Moon transformation and attack items. The second shirt, “Teen Romance Comics” has Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask in an old American comic type design.

The Tao of Meow shirt is designed by artist Gilles Bone. More of his work can be found on his Redbubble, Facebook, Twitter, deviantART and tumblr pages.

The Teen Romance Comics shirt was previously sold at Shirt Punch. This shirt’s artist is DiHA. Check out the original piece that this shirt was based off of. Check out her RedBubble store, Deviant Art and Facebook pages for more of her work.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 3, Rei – Sailor Mars, Review

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Adam

Act 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal, Rei – Sailor Mars, was released on August 2nd. You can watch it on Crunchyroll, Hulu or Niconico. With this new episode we are introduced to the incomparable Sailor Mars! Many will debate whether or not Sailor Mars is the greatest of the Sailor Guardians and these people fall into two categories. Those that think Sailor Mars is the best, who are right, and those who disagree, who are wrong! Rei’s portrayal in this episode is closer to her personality in the manga, which may be a bit of a change to those who know her fiery attitude from the original anime adaptation.

As with the earlier episodes we once again see an incredibly faithful manga adaptation as Usagi, Ami and Luna investigate missing persons on a bus that stops near the Hikawa Shrine which introduces them to the the Priestess Rei Hino. Usagi is immediately attracted to Rei, calling her beautiful throughout the episode. Usagi isn’t sure if Rei is friend or foe, just like Rei is herself unsure if Usagi is an enemy or not. It turns out both are actually being confused by the evil energy of Jadeite, who is driving the evil bus.

The main change from the manga that is seen in this episode takes place when Usagi and Mamoru meet on the bus. In the manga Usagi notices that Mamoru looks like Tuxedo Mask and Mamoru notices that Usagi looks like Sailor Moon. Clearly this is quite a change from the original anime where the tiaras and mask do a great job of hiding one’s identity. Later in the episode Rei recognizes Sailor Moon as being Usagi which tells us these disguises aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Finally we have the “death” of Jadeite which is pretty subtle. We don’t really see him die. It’s unclear if this is meant to be a change to the story or if his death was made less graphic to make the show more child friendly. I watched the episode with someone who was not familiar with the original story and they assumed he had simply escaped to return another day. We will know for sure in two weeks.

August 16th Act 4, Masquerade Dance Party, will have the Sailor Guardians, Tuxedo Mask and the Dark Kingdom searching for the Silver Crystal. This week we actually get the next episode preview on all feeds, rather than just on Niconico as we had been seeing in the past. We continue to follow the manga with this next act. By this schedule Sailor Jupiter should be arriving in the following episode, Act 5 which will be airing September 6th.

Keep reading for more screenshots from the episode.

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Otakon to feature six voice actors from the old and new Sailor Moon dubs August 8th to the 10th

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Adam

Two Sailor Moons at one convention? There’s a ton going on at Otakon 2014 from August 8th to the 10th including voice actors from the original and new Sailor Moon dub and a special presentation and exclusive collectibles from Viz. Voice actors from Viz’s new Sailor Moon dub include Stephanie Sheh, the voice of Sailor Moon and Robbie Daymond, the voice of Tuxedo. From the original DIC and Cloverway Sailor Moon dub we have Linda Ballantyne, the 3rd voice of Sailor Moon, Katie Griffin, the voice of Sailor Mars, and John Stocker, voice director for Sailor Moon S and SuperS as well as all three movies.

Viz and Otakon are organizing Sailor Moon Saturday, similar to Sailor Moon Day at Anime Expo. The morning will start out with a large gathering of Cosplayers, trying to break their record set earlier this month at Anime Expo. The afternoon will include a screening of Viz’s new Sailor Moon dub, including two episodes that were not previously seen, followed by a Q&A and autograph session with Stephanie Sheh and Robbie Daymond. That evening the first two episodes of the new Sailor Moon anime Sailor Moon Crystal will be shown. Viz will have a poster, a coin and a t-shirt exclusive to Otakon.

Moon Animate Make-Up! reanimates an entire episode of Sailor Moon with 250 different animators

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Adam

Some fans have accomplished a pretty amazing undertaking, reanimating an entire episode of Sailor Moon. This group effort was made by 250 different animators each doing a short piece of an episodes. The result is nothing short of remarkable as the entire episode can be viewed with this showcase of a wide variety of different animation styles. You can view it below.

The episode which was used is episode 38 of the original Sailor Moon anime “Fracticious Friends”. The audio included, and video which was used as inspiration, was that of the DIC English dub. It even includes special effect transitions and the Sailor Says segment that accompanies the episode. This corresponds to episode 43 in the Japanese ordering of the series. The plot for this episode has the Sailor Scouts faking a rivalry in order to infiltrate the Negaverse. To put it in context, for those what haven’t seen the series in a while, these events take place while Tuxedo Mask has been brainwashed and kept captive by the Negaverse and so the plot is done so that Sailor Moon can get access to him and break him out.

This is a truly fantastic accomplishment. Everyone involved with this project should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished. Keep reading for a few more examples of the animation, but you really should just take the time to watch the whole thing to get an idea of what this is really about. To read more about this project check out their Facebook page or Tumblr.

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Sailor Moon News

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Tag Archives: Tuxedo Mask

Sailor Moon episodes 35 and 36 are now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 5, Makoto – Sailor Jupiter, Review

Sailor Moon episodes 33 and 34 are now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon episodes 31 and 32 are now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 4, Masquerade Dance Party, Review

Sailor Moon episodes 27 and 28 are now on Hulu

The Tao of Meow and Teen Romance Comics Sailor Moon shirts today at The Yetee

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 3, Rei – Sailor Mars, Review

Otakon to feature six voice actors from the old and new Sailor Moon dubs August 8th to the 10th

Moon Animate Make-Up! reanimates an entire episode of Sailor Moon with 250 different animators