I just. Iâm really trying to come to terms with the news that the failed cartoon-live action hybrid adaption of Sailor Moon almost spawned this surreal late 90s show about four lesbian angels descending to Earth to save children from getting hit by trains.
I donât
why is
what
what
WHAT
I absolutely would have watched this. holy shit. just imagine, the hues would be so sparkly right now.
Itâs so cool to see people STILL finding Sailor Moon related lore even now in 2018! If you enjoyed my Miami Mike article/episode, then you should definitely give this a read. Itâs long, but itâs worth it (and has an AMAZING video near the end that you definitely need to watch.)
After speaking with the dead showâs creator, animator, biggest fans, and
haters, I think I have finally uncovered the full history of animeâs
white whale. It involves a quarter-million-dollar unsuccessful
investment, a drugged-up cat, no shortage of corporate intrigue, a Storage Wars-style
drama, several eBay bidding wars, and, finally, a dusted-over DigiBeta
reel in a retired millionaireâs Florida garageâwhich brought its own
surprises.
This story is absolutely bonkers. You guys have to read this.
oh man, I heard hearsay about the animation cels and storage locker back when it first happened!
Youâre really not! If I know 10-12 year old Baby Alex, she would have gotten JUST as engrossed in Saban Moon as she did the DiC dub. I donât remember where I read this, it may very well have been you, or maybe someone else on Tubmlr, or maybe my friend Colleen who is also a gay blonde femme in love with Haruka Tenoh. BUT ANYWAY, whoever said it said that Saban Moon would have probably gained cult status like the likes of She-Ra, and I completely agree.
(I have had some rum this evening, sorry for typos.)
When the cels from Toonmakersâ production popped up on eBay a few years ago, Sailorfailures did some artwork and speculation based on the character designs, which are worth checking out!
Fun fact- that âMoon Cycleâ was one of the only remains of what we ALMOST got for an English âadaptationâ of Sailor Moon instead of the dub- they were going to use new vehicles for the Sailor Senshi (called the âPrincess Warriors/Fightersâ in this version) and that was going to be one of them. Itâs not in this video, but hereâs what almost happened in the US.
Linked video:
This is like the child of the MST3K opening and The Babysitterâs Club if it was given up for adoption and raised by Too Many Cooks and a series of bootleg âPlanetary Marine Girlâ toys. This is the most delightfully alienating premise I have ever seen. Itâs just confusing to every possible demographic. The constant laughter of bemusement that underlies the generic pop song speaks for itself. What a thing.
I do appreciate that one of them is in a wheelchair, though. And that they are actual literal moon sailors.
every time I see this, (and I manage to forget it exists most of the time and when Iâm reminded I feel that dizzying momentary relief you feel when you catch yourself before falling down the stairs â that âsomewhere in an alternate universe I broke both my legs and also this is what aired in the US instead of the DiC dub of the Toei anime jfcâ), but anyway every time I see this, I think of how angry Toei (and Naoko, I believe) was with the way DiC and Cloverway handled the dub that they wouldnât license Sailor Moon to a North American company for over a decade and how they would have reacted to this travesty. Like, there might have even been an actual war or at least an international incident like idek.
The year is 2023. It has now been thirty years since Japan closed its borders to North America. It was a time before restraining orders against an entire continent based on perversion of cultural content was unheard of, and yet it became so normalized it seems odd. We keep circulating the illegal tapes of Captain Harlock and Space Battleship Yamato, our last remaining link those we severed ties with years ago. Maybe our children will never know what it was like before the Wrath of Moon unleashed its rage upon us, for we were the sinners.Â
