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{{Unreferenced|article|date=February 2007}}
]
The '']'' ] and ] ] has been adapted into many different languages, including ]. One of the series' later localizations (the first ] having been in ]),<ref>{{cite web | author = Homme de Verre | title = Sailor Moon | work = Fiches de Séries | publisher = Planète Jeunesse | date = ], ] | url = http://www.planete-jeunesse.com/sources/series.php3?cle=161&sec=1 | accessdate = 2007-02-16 }}</ref> the English-language anime has also served as a profound introduction of anime to mainstream entertainment around the world.{{Fact|date=April 2007}}<!--"profound" sounds a bit POV, so it'd be nice if we could cite it.--> The entire manga series has also been translated and released in English-speaking countries.

All English adapted anime episodes and the three movies were helmed by executive producer Janice Sonski. Lisa Lumby-Richards is the only writer to be credited throughout all four seasons, and the only script writer listed in the credits for the three ''Sailor Moon'' ] and the last seventeen episodes of ''Sailor Moon R''.

==Anime==
===Broadcasting history===
====North America====
=====Beginning=====
]n ''Sailor Moon'' episodes released in ] and ].]]
The English adaptation of ''Sailor Moon'' was produced in an attempt to capitalize on the success of '']''.<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Allison
| first = Anne
| title = A Challenge to Hollywood? Japanese Character Goods Hit the US
| journal = Japanese Studies
| volume=20
| issue = 1
| pages = 67-88
| publisher = Routledge
| date = 2000
| doi = 10.1080/10371390050009075
}}</ref> The English adaptation of ''Sailor Moon'' hit the airwaves on ], ], with the show airing on ] in Canada, and entered syndication in the United States ]. While the show had moderate success on YTV, in the US the show struggled in early morning timeslots<ref>The series originally aired in the USA at 9:00 am, and 2:00 pm, which ] describes as unsuitable for the target audience, {{cite journal
| last = Allison
| first = Anne
| title = A Challenge to Hollywood? Japanese Character Goods Hit the US
| journal = Japanese Studies
| volume=20
| issue = 1
| pages = 67-88
| publisher = Routledge
| date = 2000
| doi = 10.1080/10371390050009075
}}</ref> despite picking up a loyal following of fans. The show left syndication in 1996 after 65 episodes had been broadcast, leaving fans with no real conclusion or resolutions to the major ''Sailor Moon R'' storyline. A year later, in 1997, the show resurfaced on ] where it aired for several months before leaving the airwaves again.

Although the series aired at various times in America, in Canada it was fairly consistently given an early-afternoon timeslot (YTV scheduled the program for noon), and this consistency may explain how ''Sailor Moon'' was initially far more of a ratings success in Canada than in the States. In addition, the dialogue in the English-dubbed ''Sailor Moon'' was recorded in ].

DiC originally dubbed a total of 65 episodes for distribution in 1995, a number that took them approximately two-thirds of the way through ''Sailor Moon R'' and ended on something of a ]. Two years later, in Canada, funding was acquired to dub the remaining seventeen ''Sailor Moon R'' episodes into English and the episodes aired in Canada to wrap up lingering plotlines. Ironically, the last episode of Sailor Moon R was a clip show episode, which featured previews for ''Sailor Moon Super'', the show's third season. The shows were brought over to America a year later, initially billed as "The Lost Episodes."

DiC subsequently fell into breach of its contract to dub <!--How?--> ''Sailor Moon'', allowing ] Inc., the North American branch of ], the Japanese studio that produced the original version of the anime, to pick up the distribution rights to ''Sailor Moon S'' and ''SuperS''.

=====Cartoon Network=====
On ], ], ] acquired the rights to the original 65 English-dubbed ''Sailor Moon'' episodes and began airing them as part of its anime-themed ] block. The decision proved extremely profitable for Cartoon Network, as ratings for the show helped boost viewership for the Toonami programming block and generated revenue for them to acquire more shows such as ] to add to the block. Cartoon Network later acquired the rights to the remaining ''Sailor Moon R'' episodes, and subsequently aired English-dubbed versions of ''Sailor Moon Super'' and ''Sailor Moon SuperS''. The Super and SuperS episodes also aired in Canada on YTV, in 2000.

Cloverway's production of the North American versions of ''S'' and ''SuperS'' was strikingly different from DiC's dubs of ''Sailor Moon'' and ''R'' in that it was much closer to the original version. All of the original animation and music was kept (except for the opening theme, which was the same as DiC's version (with different animation), and the closing theme, which omitted the vocal track). The "Sailor Says" segments were eliminated, and much less overt censorship was in evidence, as the rules for children's television in America having been relaxed in the intervening years due to the advent of a TV ratings system. However, many ''Sailor Moon'' fans disliked Cloverway's "]" of the two series by the addition of slang words (such as "phat") with no corollary in the Japanese series. They also vehemently objected to the treatment of the characters of ] and ] during ''Sailor Moon S''. Though it was never stated in the show, in the original Japanese series it was strongly implied that they were ]s, a fact that manga creator ] has confirmed; in Cloverway's adaptation they became "cousins" instead, an attempt to explain their relationship away as something else (homosexuality being an extremely ] subject in American children's entertainment).<ref>{{cite news
| last =Sebert
| first =Paul
| title = Kissing cousins may bring controversy Cartoon Network juggles controversial topics contained in the “Sailor Moon S” series
| work = The Daily Athenaeum Interactive
| pages =
| language =
| publisher =
| date =2000-06-28
| url = http://www.da.wvu.edu/archives/002806/news/002806,07,01.html
| accessdate = 2007-02-21 }}</ref> Nonetheless, it is generally agreed among the fan community that Cloverway's efforts represented a major improvement over DiC's dubbing of the first two series.

The ''S'' and ''SuperS'' dubs were first aired in ] on Cartoon Network as part of their ] programming block, and on YTV. The movies were also dubbed by Cloverway (but with many DiC voice actors returning for their previous roles) and aired on Cartoon Network and YTV. The broadcast syndication licence for ''Sailor Moon'' in North America recently expired, and Cartoon Network lost the rights to it in May 2003. The series is no longer shown on television in any English-speaking country.

The dubbing in all cases was performed at Optimum Studios in ], with Canadian voices in most of the character roles. The show was originally distributed for broadcast syndication by Seagull Entertainment, and later by ] (who had obtained an interest in DiC after ] purchased ]) and the Program Exchange. As indicated by the ], the writing staff is employed by Optimum; as such, some writers are common to both the DiC and the Cloverway produced versions of the show. The company boasts "trained adapters" who utilize "hip" colloquialized dialogue of the target country.

====Australia====
In 1996, the first 65 syndicated episodes of Sailor Moon were played on the ] '']''. They were replayed there several times, until early 1999, when Seven finally aired the newer 17 episodes. All 82 English episodes would be played on Seven once more; late 1999 - early 2000 on their morning program, '']''. In early 2002, the series was again transferred, this time to ] '']''. ''Cheez TV'' only played the first 65 episodes (twice), and due to classification restrictions, were forced to skip two episodes, ''Match Point For Sailor Moon'' and ''A Friend In Wolf's Clothing''.

''Sailor Moon'' also played on Australian cable network ] from September 2001; Fox Kids was the first Australian outlet to play the entirety of the English-dubbed series, with ''Sailor Moon Super'' starting in April 2002 and ''Sailor Moon SuperS'' starting in August 2002. In December 2002, Fox Kids aired a marathon of all 159 episodes over two weeks.

===Home video===
] by ].]]
During ] and 1997, a total of six VHS tapes, each containing two key (if nonconsecutive in most cases) episodes of the series, were released by Buena Vista Home Video. These tapes were originally available exclusively through ] stores, but later saw wider distribution in other chains. In 1998, a VHS boxset containing all thirteen episodes of the "Doom Tree" storyline (the first part of ''R'') was released, also through Buena Vista.

Pioneer Entertainment (now ] Entertainment) had the rights to release ''Sailor Moon S'', ''SuperS'' and the movies on Region-1 ] and ], both in the dubbed and uncut versions. In 2000, ADV released the English dubs of ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Sailor Moon R'' in a 20 volume VHS series. This release was later taken to DVD in 2002, released over fourteen Region-1 DVDs. These were also released on Region 4 (Australia) by ] and Region 2 (UK) by ]. ADV also released a subtitled version of the entire ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Sailor Moon R'' series in two separate DVD boxsets -- uncut, except for the removal of next episode previews and one episode (67) from the ''Sailor Moon R'' set, and using different versions of some openings than were in the original. ADV's license to distribute ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Sailor Moon R'' in either form expired at the end of ]. Geneon's license expired in ].

The plot of episode 67 involves ] finding and befriending a dinosaur, but not any fighting against the main villains of the series. Its absence is notable due to it being ''Sailor Moon R'''s requisite "summer holiday" episode, of which one was featured in each of the five ''Sailor Moon'' series. Some printings of the ADV box set include a full description of episode 67 in their liner notes, perhaps suggesting that the decision to remove it was done relatively late in the production process.

So far, no American company is known to have the rights to release the ''Ami-chan no Hatsukoi'' theatrical short (shown prior to the ]), the ''SuperS'' TV special, or the ''Sailor Stars'' series.

===Alterations===
]<br>Scenes cut from the English-language "Day of Destiny" episode: The death of ], and ] being choked by ].]]
]<br>A bathing scene in the original series and the English dub. In the second image, the water level has been raised.]]

The ]n version of the '']'' ] was translated and distributed in ] by ], initially airing on ] in ] and various television stations in the ]. Although the basic storyline remained the same, many alterations were made - the target age group was several years younger in America, and so ] was often applied due to differences between ]ese and ] views about what is and is not appropriate material for younger viewers.

Many ''Sailor Moon'' fans familiar with the original Japanese version express great disdain for the English adaptation. Alterations ranged from mild to severe; plot points were vastly altered, and in some cases dropped altogether. Some of these changes include:

* General renaming. Besides individual characters, the ] team became the"Sailor Scouts" instead of the more accurate translation "Sailor Soldiers." In later episodes the second term was used more often. Almost all of the original attacks were renamed despite already being in English, and the phrase "Make-up!" was removed from transformations. It was replaced with the "Scout Power!" or "Transform!" only in group transformations.
* Omission of the Japanese version's original music. The melody of the original ], "Moonlight Densetsu" ("Moonlight Legend"), was retained for the dub's theme song, but with very different lyrics and redone instrumentation, animation, and special effects. After ] took over from DiC (episode #90 onwards) the original background music is retained.
* Scripts were rewritten to suggest that ''all'' enemies came from the so-called "Negaverse," rather than having distinct alliances and histories. This practice was soon downplayed by DiC themselves, and dropped altogether once Cloverway took over.
* Some elements of the plot or dialogue were reworked, often resulting in continuity problems from one episode or one scene to the next. For example, in "Day of Destiny," "Serena" remembers a scene in which she and "Darien" fall off a balcony and she uses an umbrella to float safely to the ground, but that scene was cut from the actual dub episode from which it came, and she still remembers it.
* Complete omission of six episodes by the dubbers, for varying reasons not always but usually stemming from content concerns. These included the use of ] and ] in ] and Usagi's transformation into an older, "punkish" version of herself to get into a piano bar in ].
* Removal of much of the adolescent ], and of ] relationships. These relationships were "solved" in three separate cases: twice by giving effeminate men a female ] and using feminine pronouns to make their relationships heterosexual,<ref>This was done with ], who was in a relationship with ], and with ], who ] and was openly attracted to various men (including ]).</ref> and once by making the characters ] and ] (who were obviously female) cousins instead of a lesbian couple, and by editing out most of their implicitly romantic scenes. For scenes of near-nudity, such as transformation sequences and bathing scenes, body lines were removed around the breasts and pubic regions.
* Removal of even small amounts of violence involving humans (such as when ] slaps ]), and removal or alteration of small details like people sticking their tongues out. These scenes were believed to have a potentially negative influence on children's behavior.
* Removal or altering of some (though not all) specifically Japanese cultural references which might not have made sense to English-speaking audiences - for example, changing dumplings to doughnuts, removing references to mock exams and other characteristics of the Japanese school system (such as marking right answers with circles and wrong answers with crosses), and changing the ] that ] attends to a computer school (though the dub script did refer to it as a "cram" school once). At the same time, the English dub left most of the Japanese text on signs, in publications, etc. untouched and untranslated, with a few exceptions (such as the sign over the junior high school).
* An end-of-show "morals" segment, "Sailor Says", which was added on to each episode to satisfy the contemporary requirement of educational content on American children's ]. Again, this no longer occurred after Cloverway began handling the dub. On several occasions, the "Sailor Says" segments - which were played out as voiceovers over vaguely-related clips from the episode they were tacked on to - contained footage that had been cut from the dubbed version of that episode, including some of the more controversial footage.

Perhaps most infamously remembered among fans was the treatment of the episode "Day of Destiny," which concluded the first series. The original version of this episode was actually two separate episodes, the first of which included the deaths of all the Sailor Soldiers except for Sailor Moon herself; as the storyline progressed, Sailors Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars sacrificed themselves to protect their friend and leader. The second episode involved the deaths of Tuxedo Mask and ultimately Sailor Moon herself. Though each character was resurrected in the conclusion, it was still deemed necessary to remove all references to death in the American episode: instead of being killed, it was said that the girls were captured and held hostage in the Negaverse. Enough editing was required, in fact, that the two episodes were merged into one. ] copies of the original two-parter were popular among tape traders in North America during the height of the series' popularity in that region.

The North American version was the first experience with ''Sailor Moon'' (if not anime in general) for many ]s, and the differences between the two versions led to much confusion. However, many fans worldwide would never have known about the series had it not reached North America, and so many regard the North American version as a mixed blessing.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://moonkitty.net/Ep_SM_index.php | author=Brad | publisher=MoonKitty.net | title=Sailor Moon Anime Guide | accessdate=2006-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.soul-hunter.com/sailormoon/articles/dub.php | author=Elizabeth Ann Carroll | publisher= SoulHunter.com | work= The Oracle :: BSSM Online Encyclopaedia | title=DUB DEFENSE! | accessdate=2006-12-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://smuncensored.com/editorial.php?article=13 | author=Robert Wheeler | publisher= Sailor Moon Uncensored | work= Editorials| title=Disliking Vs. Hating | date=], ] | accessdate=2006-12-01}}</ref>

====Name changes====
Before ''Sailor Moon's'' American debut, DiC distributed a promotional tape to syndicators and stations to sell the series. This tape is notable in that it features completely different names for the five main characters; Usagi was called "Victoria," Ami "Blue," Rei "Dana," Makoto "Sarah," and Minako "Carrie." Tuxedo Mask was temporarily "The Masked Tuxedo."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.toonamiarsenal.com/download/sailormoon.php |title= Toonami Digital Arsenal |accessdate= 2006-11-02 |author= Tyler L. |coauthors= Zogg }}</ref> However, when the series aired the names were closer to their original form, either in sound or meaning:

*] - ''Serena'' (named for Princess Serenity)
*] - ''Amy''
*] - ''Raye''
*] - ''Lita''
*] - ''Mina''
*] - ''Amara''
*] - ''Michelle''
*] - ''Trista''
*] - ''Darien''
*] - ''Rini''
The only Sailor Senshi who retains her original name is ], though the final 'e' in her family name is not pronounced.

==="Saban Moon"===
When ''Sailor Moon'' was up for bids by Toei to be produced in North America, Toon Makers, Incorporated attempted to obtain the rights to the franchise in order to produce an original '']''-style version of ''Sailor Moon''. This version was intended to be half live-action and half American-style cartoon. Toon Makers produced a two-minute music video and trailer for this version of Sailor Moon, but it was rejected by Toei because the series would have cost significantly more than simply exporting and dubbing the original anime. The trailer was shown to an audience at ] 1998 and met with scorn and derision. Commonly known as "Saban Moon" in fan circles (because of the mistaken belief that ] had created it), the clip was taped off the screen at the Anime Expo exhibition and is available for viewing on the Internet. It has been cited as a ] in comparison with the dubbed episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lizzard.net/SuperS/downloads/index.html| title=In Defense of Sailor Moon SuperS|accessdate=April 4, 2007}}</ref> To date, the full pilot has never surfaced.

All of the five ] are depicted in the "Saban Moon" clip. An interview with Rocky Solotoff,<ref>{{cite web
| last = Arnold
| first = Adam "OMEGA"
| title = Sailor Moon à la Saban: Debunked - An Interview with Rocky Solotoff
| publisher = Animefringe
| date = ] ]
| url = http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/01.06/feature/2/index.php3
| format = Q&A
}}</ref> founder and CEO of Toon Makers Inc. is still sketchy with regards to many details of what would have been. What is clear is that the show, like ''Power Rangers'', tried to be as "politically correct" as possible; one Senshi was depicted as wheelchair-bound, and another was cast to be African-American. Although only a fluffy white cat is seen in the pilot (and was, according to the trailer's lyrics, apparently planned to be ]), Solotoff reported that both a white and a black cat were planned to be in the series.

One curious remnant of Toon Makers' involvement with Sailor Moon is the Moon Cycle toy that ] manufactured and sold as part of the U.S. line of Sailor Moon toys. The vehicle was to be featured in the Toon Makers series, but was not part of the original metaseries.

==Manga==
]
Although the original manga came before the TV series, it was not translated into English until two years after the anime. The English version was released in ] by manga publisher Mixx (now renamed ]). The manga was initially syndicated in '']'' but was later pulled out of that magazine and moved into a secondary magazine called "]."<ref>{{cite web
| title = Mixx Controversies: Analysis
| work = Features
| publisher = ]
| date = ], ]
| url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/1998-08-14/5
| accessdate = 2007-01-24 }}</ref>

The U.S. Sailor Moon monthly comic ran for 35 issues, and aside from finishing up the Dark Kingdom storyline, it featured the manga versions of Sailor Moon R and Super. The US manga volumes were released as three series: "Sailor Moon", which collects the first three arcs (the Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, and Infinity arcs), '''Sailor Moon SuperS''', which collects the Dream arc, and '''Sailor Moon Stars''', which collects the Stars arc. As of May 2005, Tokyopop's license to the Sailor Moon manga has lapsed, and the English-language manga is ].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tokyopop.com/oop.html | title=Tokyopop Out of Print | accessdate=2006-10-18}}</ref>

===Alterations===
For the most part the names chosen for the English manga matched up with those chosen the English television dub. Some modifications were made&mdash;for instance, Darien is given a surname, Shields (a play off of his Japanese name, Mamoru, 'to guard/protect'), and Serena is usually called by the nickname "Bunny" (a literal translation of her original name, Usagi). Other senshi are given family names matching the Japanese versions (Tsukino, Aino, Kino, Mizuno, and Hino). All of the Outer Senshi, who were introduced in the English manga before their appearance in the Cloverway dub, retain their original names. The manga was also flipped left to right, which was standard at the time of publication. The US manga, while omitting some of the bonus artwork included in the original manga, featured new bonus artwork commissioned exclusively for the US manga series. Inserts, dust jackets, and introductory pages were cut for budget. There were a few minor tweaks at the beginning, where many of the girls talked in stereotypical teenager talk. This was later changed when the editor changed. Also, in the instance of a poem by ] having been used in the text, they translated it back from the Japanese rather than using the original English.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Arromdee
| first = Ken
| title = Appendix: Why does everyone hate SOS/Mixx?
| work = Ken Arromdee's Sailor Moon FAQ
| publisher = grep Sailormoon *
| date = 2001-04-01
| url = http://www.sailormoon.org/faq/smfaq16.shtml
| format = Frequently Asked Questions
| accessdate = 2006-11-12 }}</ref> Other changes of note are the covers, which do not exactly match the original, and the sizes of the manga are slightly different. (The original is 4.5" x 6.75", but the Mixx manga is 4.5" x 7.75".) As ''Sailor Moon'' was Mixx's first title, the quality of its translation in the beginning is considered poor, though it improves somewhat towards the end of its publication run.

Mixx also altered Takeuchi's side-notes in the manga, completely rewriting them so the fundamental points were the same but they took on the appearance of an interview between herself and MixxZine (which didn't occur). Cultural references were Americanized, and because Japanese is read right-to-left and English is read left-to-right, Mixx flipped the pages (save for full-page images) so that all the drawings were mirror-images.

==Future development==
It has been confirmed that '']'', the final season of the ''Sailor Moon'' anime, will not be dubbed, because Toei is not putting it up for license. The manga is expected to remain out-of-print as well, although TokyoPop is looking into renegotiating the rights.<ref>http://www.genvid.com/News/TokyoPop-attempting-to-renegotiate-manga-license.html</ref> On May 5th, AnimeonDVD reported from Anime Central 2007 that "Toei currently has a lockdown on all Sailor Moon licenses, but Geneon may be interested if the situation changes.".<ref>http://www.animeondvd.com/conitem.php?item=278</ref>

Toei has also stated that it does not ever intend to license its recent live-action series '']'', or the ], outside of Japan. Viewers outside the country, including those in North America, generally rely on alternate means, such as the Internet, to obtain these.

==See also==
*]
*]
*]
*]

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==External links==
* - Official website of the English dubbing company.
* - Details on the differences between the Japanese and English versions of the show.
* - A guide to the dubbed version of Sailor Moon, including character info and voice acting info
* - A page with many Sailor Moon downloads, including the Toon Makers trailer clip and the DiC promotional video.

{{SMoon}}
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 01:14, 21 April 2015

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