It’s been almost 5 years since the last new episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. The retelling of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon manga only got to the Death Busters story arc before going on an extended hiatus. Now, in the summer of 2020, the series finally returns, now condensed from a multi-episodic series into a two-part theatrical film.
Sailor Moon Crystal has gone through its fair share of growing pains, often being unfairly compared to its 20th-century anime counterpart. But the wait will soon be over and fans are chomping at the bit for more magical girl action. Here are 10 things that OG Sailor Moon fans are expecting to see in the Sailor Moon Eternal films.
Helios
The guardian of the Golden Crystal is a crucial player in the Doom Circus story arc, and fans are eager to see how Helios will size up in his first theatrical interpretation. The anime and manga versions of Sailor Moon have different backstories when it comes to Helios/Pegasus, so it will be interesting to see what angle they take in the movie, or if Sailor Moon Eternal will go rogue and devise an entirely original origin story for the character. There is also hope the relationship between Helios and Chibi-Usa is further explored in the movie.
References To The SuperS Specials
Unique to the SuperS saga of Sailor Moon, a special was created tying in some side stories that were part of the universe. One involved a more in-depth look at Haruka and Michiru’s – Scooby-Doo-esque adventure when she encounters a real-life vampire. While these stories have nothing to do with the Doom Circus arc, it would be interesting to see if certain elements of these separate stories are somehow incorporated into the main plot of Sailor Moon Eternal.
Better Redemption For The Amazoness Quartet
The Amazoness Quartet are four guardian soldiers that were intended to protect Chibi-Usa in much of the same way that Sailor Moon is protected by the Inner Senshi. While this detail is only briefly touched upon in the manga, this plotline is abandoned entirely by the original anime, rewriting the group as literal inhabitants of the Amazon Jungle.
For these characters to have such a pivotal role in the eventual Neo-Silver Millennium, it’s a shame their potential wasn't explored more fully. After all, the Amazoness Quartet is essentially touted as the next generation of sailor senshi. Here’s hoping that Sailor Moon Eternal does justice to the four, and gives them more to do than to be minions to the main villain Queen Nehelenia.
Departure From The Source Material
While Sailor Moon Crystal was a more faithful adaptation to the original manga source material than the classic anime, it still made some notable (albeit questionable) changes. For example, in the first arc of Crystal, the storyline was altered so that all the generals were left alive for the final showdown against Queen Beryl…only to be unceremoniously destroyed before a reunion could be made with the inner senshi. One can only be left to wonder how strictly the story will follow the dream arc. Given that an entire season's worth of storyline will have to be crammed into two films, some concessions will likely be made to adapt the Doom Circus arc to the big screen.
New Transformations And Powers
The third season was a dramatic departure from the first and second in regards to choices made for the transformation sequences. While the first two seasons opted for a slower, CGI-based animation style, season 3 went back to basics and created a brand new batch of beautifully-rendered 2-D animated sequences. It remains to be seen which way the movie will go, but given the positive reception to the style changes made for the Death Busters arc, it seems more than likely Sailor Moon Eternal will stay the course and give the fans the gorgeous transformations which they crave.
Improved Animation
There was much lampooning of the corners Toei had cut with bringing Sailor Moon Crystal to the small screen. A lot was cleaned up for the subsequent Blu-ray releases, but many eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out animation errors when the episodes first aired. Things improved, however, upon the third season of Sailor Moon Crystal, and it appears more care has been taken to properly represent what is arguably one of Japan’s most valuable exports. Here’s hoping the movie has been offered a healthy budget to truly bring alive the vision of the 3rd season to cinemas.
A Setup For The Sailor Moon Stars Arc
Fans of Sailor Moon are well aware that the end of Sailor Moon Eternal is by no means the end of the Sailor Moon saga. In both the original anime and the manga, the story culminated with the Stars arc, which introduced such pivotal characters as the Sailor Starlights, Chibi Chibi, and Sailor Galaxia. It’s entirely plausible that the studio working on Sailor Moon Eternal may want to footnote the series on the Doom Circus arc; however, to truly be considered a complete version of Sailor Moon, the fifth and final story must be properly represented in some capacity. Fans will expect to see at least some hints of this chapter during the 2020 movie.
Chibi-Usa
The Death Busters arc focused predominantly on Chibi-Usa, and if the movie is about the Doom Circus, fans can expect more of the same. After all, it is Usagi’s daughter that plays a key role in the outcome of both arcs, so unless major revisions have been made, Chibi-Usa will be the star player in Sailor Moon Eternal.
This can either be seen as terrific news for people who consider Chibi-Usa adorable, or the ultimate turn-off if they’re not a fan. However, the Chibi-Usa portrayed in the Crystal is one of the rare improvements made in comparison to the original anime.
New Songs
The Sailor Moon franchise has some of the most recognizable soundtracks around. If nothing else, Sailor Moon Crystal has only added to the amazing library of songs that are already available. Sailor Moon SuperS is noted for having not only a great opening and ending song, but one of the most memorable songs between Helios and Chibi-Usa with the heart-wrenching tune "Watashi Tachi ni Naritakute". Given Sailor Moon Crystal’s track record, it would only be fitting for them to create some new amazing songs that fans can replay as often as "Moon Pride".
Promise Of New Storylines
Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Sailor Moon Eternal is the possibility that it will introduce brand-new elements to the Sailor Moon universe. The same senshi have been seen over and over; the same plots has been remixed and redone several times, with no new storylines released outside of the Sera Myu musicals in Japan. Perhaps now, over 20 years after the original anime concluded, there will finally be new lore introduced for diehard fans to consume. What fan wouldn’t kill for expanded lore on the future city Crystal Tokyo?
