... the American Sailor Moon show has achieved mythological status ...
July 19, 2018 6:18 PM Subscribe
In 1993, before the magical girl anime Sailor Moon was released in the U.S., there was an alternate vision for it. It was an American vision. A total remake of the show with Saturday morning-style animation, intercut with footage of real-life, all-American high school teens.
Wow, that was quite a read! I've spent a lot of time wondering about creative projects that never made it to the public, having had one or two of my own. And it's hard to take in this day and age where every little thing is documented, that so much stuff from the past is just gone.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:57 PM on July 19, 2018
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:57 PM on July 19, 2018
I guess they figured they could either make their own cartoons exactly the way they want or they could spend pretty much the same amount of money to make bowdlerized versions of anime like Robotech.
It's worth remembering that Macek combined Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeda together because of how syndication works in the US. For a show in syndication with a once a weekday airing, most stations want to be able to go three months without repeats. (For an example of what happens when you don't do that, the recent Nick Knacks episode on Reggie Jackson's World of Sports is illustrative in how a show can get run into the ground.) As such, shows being packaged for syndication need to have an episode count of about 75-80 to be considered seriously. Hence the merging the three series together to get to that count.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:11 PM on July 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's worth remembering that Macek combined Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeda together because of how syndication works in the US. For a show in syndication with a once a weekday airing, most stations want to be able to go three months without repeats. (For an example of what happens when you don't do that, the recent Nick Knacks episode on Reggie Jackson's World of Sports is illustrative in how a show can get run into the ground.) As such, shows being packaged for syndication need to have an episode count of about 75-80 to be considered seriously. Hence the merging the three series together to get to that count.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:11 PM on July 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
man, that intro sequence looks like a Bonne Bell lip gloss commercial
a young disabled superhero would have been pretty great at the time, though
posted by Countess Elena at 7:57 PM on July 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
a young disabled superhero would have been pretty great at the time, though
posted by Countess Elena at 7:57 PM on July 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
It’s a fascinating article, but I kind of wish it had been written by someone who was an actual Sailor Moon fan. If anything, it’s understating the kind of influence that Sailor Moon has had on young girls.
Sailor Moon first aired in the US in 1997. And now, 20 years later, we have shows like Steven Universe, Star vs The Forces of Evil, and Bee and Puppycat, each of which is obviously influenced by Sailor Moon, and each of which was created by a woman animator. Another example: according to this article, The graduating class of 21 experimental animation in CalArts in 2012 majors included only one guy. Not only were girls watching Sailor Moon, they were saying to themselves, I could do this.
Sailor Moon’s influence is hyyuuuuuuge.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 8:01 PM on July 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
Sailor Moon first aired in the US in 1997. And now, 20 years later, we have shows like Steven Universe, Star vs The Forces of Evil, and Bee and Puppycat, each of which is obviously influenced by Sailor Moon, and each of which was created by a woman animator. Another example: according to this article, The graduating class of 21 experimental animation in CalArts in 2012 majors included only one guy. Not only were girls watching Sailor Moon, they were saying to themselves, I could do this.
Sailor Moon’s influence is hyyuuuuuuge.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 8:01 PM on July 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
It sure feels a lot like 1 part Jem, 1 part saved by the Bell, 1 part Captain N?
posted by symbioid at 8:05 PM on July 19, 2018
posted by symbioid at 8:05 PM on July 19, 2018
Now do Kidd Video.
posted by runcibleshaw at 9:27 PM on July 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by runcibleshaw at 9:27 PM on July 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
So interesting, I am in love with Sailor Moon.
I do want inform those not in the know that there is a Japanese live action version of Sailor Moon than spanned some 30 or so episodes, and the musicals (which I desperately want to see).
posted by AlexiaSky at 9:40 PM on July 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
I do want inform those not in the know that there is a Japanese live action version of Sailor Moon than spanned some 30 or so episodes, and the musicals (which I desperately want to see).
posted by AlexiaSky at 9:40 PM on July 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sailor Moon’s influence is hyyuuuuuuge.
Case in point: The most recent episode of the Ducktales reboot had a transformation sequence that was a loving homage to the Sailor Moon transformation sequence. And given who it involved, it made perfect sense.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:59 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Case in point: The most recent episode of the Ducktales reboot had a transformation sequence that was a loving homage to the Sailor Moon transformation sequence. And given who it involved, it made perfect sense.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:59 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
> there is a Japanese live action version of Sailor Moon
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003 TV series)
posted by gen at 12:29 AM on July 20, 2018
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003 TV series)
posted by gen at 12:29 AM on July 20, 2018
Holy shit, Pretty Guardian is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD.
*collapses into dust*
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:23 AM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
*collapses into dust*
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:23 AM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
The thought that anime could achieve wide appeal in America without dramatically altering it just never occurred to anyone until after the success of Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z.
I half expect studios want the merchandising rights, and that's harder when you don't own the source IP. Even the first run of DBZ was cut short by Saiban to focus on original owned content. People complain that kid's cartoons in the US are essentially ads for toys, but it's not like Japan is immune to this.
And it takes a lot of cross cultural knowledge to profitably import these things; localization and ad break considerations, as well as audience demos their preferences. Is Sailor Moon's seifuku going to resonate with American teens, who don't typically wear them to school every day? And if it does become popular how do you capitalize on that? Sell action figures to girls in a world dominated by Barbie?
posted by pwnguin at 1:45 PM on July 20, 2018
I half expect studios want the merchandising rights, and that's harder when you don't own the source IP. Even the first run of DBZ was cut short by Saiban to focus on original owned content. People complain that kid's cartoons in the US are essentially ads for toys, but it's not like Japan is immune to this.
And it takes a lot of cross cultural knowledge to profitably import these things; localization and ad break considerations, as well as audience demos their preferences. Is Sailor Moon's seifuku going to resonate with American teens, who don't typically wear them to school every day? And if it does become popular how do you capitalize on that? Sell action figures to girls in a world dominated by Barbie?
posted by pwnguin at 1:45 PM on July 20, 2018
People complain that kid's cartoons in the US are essentially ads for toys, but it's not like Japan is immune to this.
It's worse in Japan. Shows targeted at kids will often be sponsored by a company that is selling products to children - a practice we really haven't seen in the US since the 50s. (IIRC, DBZ was sponsored by Glico, the confectionery maker behind Pocky.)
Is Sailor Moon's seifuku going to resonate with American teens, who don't typically wear them to school every day? And if it does become popular how do you capitalize on that? Sell action figures to girls in a world dominated by Barbie?
First off, Sailor Moon, even in the US DiC/Cloverway runs, never targeted teens, but young girls, just as you would expect from a shojo series. And given that, the clothes are never the focus, but the stories that make girls the protagonists.
Second, why can't you make an action figure out of a Barbie - they did exactly that with She-Ra. Also, a good deal of the toys for Sailor Moon, much like the sentai series it cribbed from, are what are known as "roleplay toys" meant to allow kids to play as the characters - you routinely see the various transformation trinkets and other MacGuffins made into toys, with some of the higher end ones being screen accurate to the point that cosplayers seek them out for their costumes.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:17 PM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's worse in Japan. Shows targeted at kids will often be sponsored by a company that is selling products to children - a practice we really haven't seen in the US since the 50s. (IIRC, DBZ was sponsored by Glico, the confectionery maker behind Pocky.)
Is Sailor Moon's seifuku going to resonate with American teens, who don't typically wear them to school every day? And if it does become popular how do you capitalize on that? Sell action figures to girls in a world dominated by Barbie?
First off, Sailor Moon, even in the US DiC/Cloverway runs, never targeted teens, but young girls, just as you would expect from a shojo series. And given that, the clothes are never the focus, but the stories that make girls the protagonists.
Second, why can't you make an action figure out of a Barbie - they did exactly that with She-Ra. Also, a good deal of the toys for Sailor Moon, much like the sentai series it cribbed from, are what are known as "roleplay toys" meant to allow kids to play as the characters - you routinely see the various transformation trinkets and other MacGuffins made into toys, with some of the higher end ones being screen accurate to the point that cosplayers seek them out for their costumes.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:17 PM on July 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Was it 1997? Wow, I thought it was a bit earlier but my memories of the time are hazy cough. Every morning I would get off my graveyard shift of stocking grocery shelves, come home and wake up my flaming faggot flatmate (his words!) and we'd smoke a bowl and watch Sailor Moon and Gargoyles. Morning routine. Fond memories.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:17 PM on July 20, 2018
posted by zengargoyle at 4:17 PM on July 20, 2018
Yeah, the only difference between my Barbie dolls and action figures is that they could change clothes and hairstyles. And that meant that they could go off on all kinds of different adventures!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:24 PM on July 20, 2018
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:24 PM on July 20, 2018
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I guess they figured they could either make their own cartoons exactly the way they want or they could spend pretty much the same amount of money to make bowdlerized versions of anime like Robotech. The thought that anime could achieve wide appeal in America without dramatically altering it just never occurred to anyone until after the success of Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:51 PM on July 19, 2018 [2 favorites]