Sailors rejoice! Viz Media, a major distributor of Japanese anime, has announced today that they have acquired the North American rights to all 200 episodes of the groundbreaking, still popular mid-90s cartoon Sailor Moon which they are bringing to popular streaming service Hulu. Included in the order are the unaired seasons five and six. Expect an even greater uptick of 'fat bearded guy in a Sailor Moon costume' this year at Comic Con.
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Fans of the show will also be happy to hear that Viz will be presenting the entire series in its uncut, original form. Anime shows have always been heavily re-edited for airing on American television, especially in the 1980s and 1990s, when anime was a much smaller market niche. Sailor Moon was chopped up due to questionable content, including accusations of gay relationships among the characters. Complaints that seem mild by today's standards.
"Since its initial debut in the mid-1990's, Sailor Moon has been unavailable to English-speaking fans for nearly a decade. It has also never seen a complete and proper unedited release in North America...until now!" says Charlene Ingram, Viz Media Senior Manager, Animation Department. A whole new generation will be able to join in the adventures of the Sailor Scouts as they navigate life in the real world and occasionally have to save it, utilizing their very specific astronomical powers. Before girls grew up to wonder if they were a Carrie or a Samantha, they dreamt of being a Jupiter or a Moon.
Four subtitled episodes are available now on Hulu, with the plan being to release four more each subsequent Monday. You can also stream episodes via Viz Media's own Neon Alley service here. In even more good news, Viz Media has also acquired the rights to Sailor Moon Crystal, a brand new series featuring the characters.
Viz Media will also be releasing DVDs and Blu-rays of the entire series later this year, which will include a brand new English dub of the show. No official date has been set for the Blu-ray release.
Watch the absolutely gloriously anime announcement trailer below!