Sailor Moon (anime)
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン; officially translated as "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon" or "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon") refers to two anime series based on the Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi.
The original anime series ran on TV Asahi from March 7, 1992 to February 8, 1997. In the fall of 2009 it began airing again on Animax. The series spanned 200 episodes, three feature films, five specials, and five memorials.
The second series was announced at the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon in July 2012 by Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha, with an expected release in the summer of 2013. The release date was pushed back several times before it began July 2014. The series ran until June 2023, and spanned 39 episodes and two feature films with two parts each continuing the storyline of the episodes.
Contents
Sailor Moon "Classic"[edit]
TV Series[edit]
Sailor Moon (First Season)[edit]
The first season of the Sailor Moon anime aired on TV Asahi at 7:00pm on Saturdays from March 7, 1992 to February 27, 1993. It consisted of episodes 1-46.
This season was dubbed into English by DiC, and was eventually released on DVD by ADV.
A subbed version is currently available through Hulu and Viz Media's Neon Alley service.
A second dubbed version by Viz Media was released on home video in two installments, with Part 1 released on November 11, 2014 and Part 2 released on February 10, 2015.
Sailor Moon R (Second Season)[edit]
The second season of the Sailor Moon anime aired from March 6, 1993 to March 12, 1994. It consisted of episodes 47-89.
Because the series was not developed with a second season in mind, the first 13 episodes (quarter season) of the series was an original story produced by Toei, allowing Naoko Takeuchi to release more of the manga before the anime returned to follow its storyline.
This season was the last to air in the UK on Fox Kids (now known as Jetix).
This season was dubbed into English by DiC and eventually released on DVD by ADV, though episode 67 was not dubbed nor released on DVD in the U.S. and Canada.
A subbed version is currently available through Hulu and Viz Media's website. A second dubbed version was released on home video in two installments, with Part 1 released on July 14, 2015 and Part 2 released on October 27, 2015.
Sailor Moon S (Third Season)[edit]
The third season of the Sailor Moon anime aired from March 19, 1994 to February 25, 1995. It consisted of episodes 90-127.
This season was dubbed into English by Cloverway, and released on DVD by Pioneer.
A subbed version is currently available through Hulu and Viz Media's website. A second dubbed version was released on home video in two installments, with Part 1 released on November 15, 2016 and Part 2 released on June 20, 2017.
Sailor Moon SuperS (Fourth Season)[edit]
The fourth season of the Sailor Moon anime aired from March 4, 1995 to March 2, 1996. It consisted of episodes 128-166.
This season was dubbed into English by Cloverway and released on DVD by Pioneer, and was the last season of the series to air in the U.S. and Canada during the original license period.
A subbed version is currently available through Hulu and Viz Media's website. A second dubbed version was released on home video in two installments, with Part 1 released on April 24, 2018, and Part 2 released on November 13, 2018.
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (Fifth Season)[edit]
The fifth season of the Sailor Moon anime aired from March 9, 1996 to February 8, 1997. It consisted of episodes 167-200. The series concluded with this season.
On the anime timeline at the Toei Animation Gallery, "Sailor Stars" is listed separate from "Sailor Moon," which on their timeline concludes with the fourth season. In addition, the opening song changed from "Moonlight Densetsu," which it had been for the first four seasons, to the "Sailor Star Song."
Until 2015, none of the episodes in this season had aired in English-speaking countries, and many rumors persisted as to why Toei Animation had not allowed any company to license the last series for distribution in English. The most persistent rumors were that Toei wanted more money for licensing than anyone was willing to pay, and that Toei was afraid of hurting Sailor Moon's "family friendly" image due to some content in Sailor Stars (such as the nudity in the last episode, Haruka and Michiru's relationship, and the gender-transforming Sailor Starlights). Despite this, however, this season aired in other foreign countries with little or no controversy. In 2014, Viz Media licensed the series in the United States and Canada, and the subtitled first episode of Sailor Stars was released to Hulu's Neon Alley service on December 24, 2015. Episodes were posted on Hulu at a two-a-week pace through to April 2016, when episode 200 was posted.
A subbed version is currently available through Hulu and Viz Media's website. A dubbed version was released on home video in two installments, with Part 1 released on June 18, 2019, and Part 2 released on November 12, 2019.
Films[edit]
- The Sailor Moon R movie - Theater run was from December 1993 to January 1994. The film's first English dub subtitle was "The Promise of the Rose." The Viz dub of the film was given a theatrical run in early 2017, and the DVD and Blu-ray were released on April 18, 2017.
- The Sailor Moon S movie - Theater run was from December 1994 to January 1995. It was based on the short story "Kaguya-hime no Koibito" that preluded the Dream story arc in the manga. The film's first English dub subtitle was "Hearts in Ice." The Viz dub of the film was given a theatrical run in 2018, and the DVD and Blu-ray were released on October 2, 2018.
- The Sailor Moon SuperS movie - Theater run was from December 1995 to January 1996. Of the three films, this was the only one to have a Japanese subtitle, called "The Nine Sailor Warriors Get Together! Miracle in the Black Dream Hole." The film's first English dub subtitle was "Black Dream Hole." The Viz dub of the film was given a theatrical run in 2018, and the DVD and Blu-ray were released on February 12, 2019.
Specials[edit]
- Make up! Sailor Senshi - A special that appeared with the R movie in theaters.
- Dreaming Moon - A special of a fan event from Christmas 1993.
- The Wonderful World of Sailor Moon S - A special that aired on December 22, 1994.
- Sailor Moon SuperS Specials - A set of three episodes that aired on April 8, 1995.
- Ami's First Love - A special that appeared with the SuperS movie in theaters.
Memorials[edit]
- Sailor Moon Memorial
- Sailor Moon R Memorial
- Sailor Moon S Memorial
- Sailor Moon SuperS Memorial
- Sailor Stars Memorial
Sailor Moon Crystal[edit]
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal premiered on July 5, 2014, with simultaneous streaming broadcasts around the world. A new episode aired every first and third Saturday of each month for a year, for a total of 26 episodes in the first two seasons. Season III began on April 4, 2016, with a new episode aired on television every week until the end of June that year, for a total of 13 episodes. The next story arc was in the form of the two movies entitled Sailor Moon Eternal, released in theaters in Japan on January 8 and February 11 of 2021, then later made available streaming worldwide on Netflix on June 3, 2021. The final story arc, in the form of another two movies entitled Sailor Moon Cosmos, was released in theaters in Japan on June 9 and 30, 2023, then later made available streaming worldwide on Netflix on August 22, 2024.