Anime fans collectively shouted for joy when we got news that the incredibly popular 90s anime Sailor Moon was going to be being rebooted as a new anime series this July. Unfortunately, there has been very little promotion for the new series—Sailor Moon Crystal—despite it debuting in less than a month. Well, not anymore. Today the first trailer for the new series was released online and it looks incredible.
*cue fangirling and arm flailing* First off, thank goodness for advances in animation and technology; twenty years really makes a difference in quality. This anime is simply gorgeous to look at. While the original anime was simple in its animation (and cut a lot of corners), it never quite lived up to the designs in the manga; however, this new anime’s look delivers and it is going to be much more visually appealing and complex. It’s wonderful to see varied camera angles, detailed background, shading, and more full animation than what we saw back in the 90s.
Now let’s move onto the characters. For the most part, the character designs are very reminiscent of their 90s anime counterparts. The characters’ eyes are a bit different, which is the only thing that notably seems a bit off and might be a bit hard to adjust to for some. But the new look also incorporate some of the original designs of Naoko Takeuchi, the series’ creator and manga illustrator. The manga’s characters are simply stunning and beautiful, so it’s wonderful and exciting to see her style captured so well in these new Crystal characters. Specifically, the long, skinny appendages of the characters really stand out as characteristically Takeuchi.
The trailer was released in Japanese, but here’s a translation of the caption and dialogue. First, captions are interspersed between the animation and say: “Beyond time…The Dawn of a New Destiny…Is unleashed….” We also hear Luna’s voice at the beginning, while Usagi is running to school (presumably late): “My name is Luna. I’ve been looking for you Usagi. This is the beginning, Usagi. You and your gathered team must defeat the enemy.” And finally, we get to hear Usagi, voiced by her original voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi, saying her most famous catch phrases, “Moon Prism Power Make Up!” and “In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”
We also catch a glimpse the other four sailor scouts. Their designs are equally as beautiful and Usagi and Luna’s. It’s also nice to see certain elements from the manga brought back into this series, such as Sailor Venus’ wink chain.
For those hoping for the return of the original theme song, sorry. The trailer premiered a new theme song the series by pop group Momoiro Clover Z.
The more we see of the animation and characters, the more excited we get. This truly is a reboot that will no doubt be incredibly and do big things for the franchise. Sailor Moon Crystal debuts online in July.
via Huffington Post
