Ever since it was announced that all 200 plus episodes of Sailor Moon would be re-released and redubbed by a new cast, those who grew up on the mid 90’s classic were anxious to see how the new version would compare. Nearly 20 years of nostalgia coupled with a series so iconic means that no matter who Viz decided to give the roles to, they would have an uphill battle. The cast reveal was mostly a who’s who of voice actors, so the cast has the potential to meet our lofty expectations, but there’s no way to know until we can hear it for ourselves. Well, after being lucky enough to attend an exclusive pre screening of the first two episodes with the new cast, while it was definitely an adjustment, it looks like our beloved series is in good hands.
As soon as the familiar opening moments of Usagi waking up late for school began to play, we’re introduced to a much sweeter, (and less ditzy), sounding version of the titular character than we’re used to, courtesy of Stephanie Sheh. Throughout the first two episodes, Sheh portrays Usagi as a much more realistic character compared to the over the top comedy version we got from DiC. Watching it definitely gave me a different feel for the character compared to the days where I would wake up in my PJs to catch half an episode before being late to my 5th grade class, but different doesn’t necessarily mean bad. I’ll always appreciate the off-beat Serena I grew up with, but Serena this is not, which made the show stand out more from its predecessor than I expected.
On that subject, another adjustment that had to be made was keeping all of the Japanese names intact. While I’ve watched the series in both English and Japanese more times than I care to mention, it was still weird to see and hear certain aspects played out in English. Names like Naru, Umino and Shingo might be instantly recognizable to me now, but outside of the Japanese version, I’m used to Molly and Melvin myself. Other little things like Naru not having a New York accent while being from Tokyo, or Luna sounding more like a young woman than an older sage further helped the new dub stand out, and once again, giving it a unique feel without ever feeling like it could, (or even wanted to), replace the original dub.
Despite being mostly pleased with the handling of the new dub, there were a few aspects that were better off staying in the Japanese version exclusively. The eyecathes in between where would normally be commercials were awkward enough when the Japanese voices would shout, “SAILOR MOON!”, as if we didn’t know what show we were watching. But over time, it became tollerable. Now, Viz went through the trouble of redubbing THOSE sections too, making me sink into my chair a little bit each time. Back to square one, I guess.
And while it’s early to tell how well each actor will do with their role, since it often takes a few episodes for some to really get into their character, I just couldn’t stand Umino’s voice. Played by the very talented Ben Diskin, I know he has the acting chops, but that super nasily voice he speaks with when voicing the school nerd is just too much. When we got into episode 2, (which has never before been dubbed since it’s essentially the sexual harassment episode), this Umino focused story just felt cringeworthy. Hopefully, future ADR direction will help the character find a balance of being annoying as intended, but not so much so that I feel awkward watching. And while I won’t focus on it too much since he only had two lines, Usagi’s kid brother, Shingo, sounds older than their dad. Either he’s been hitting the testosterone shots of this should probably be adjusted down the road.
Regardless of any unpleasing moments, anyone who was concerned about how Viz was going to handle dubbing Sailor Moon won’t have to worry anymore. Wisely taking a completely different approach with how some of the characters are portrayed, it manages to remain a faithful English adaptation of the original series without ever trying to encroach on our memories of the original version that we all fell in love with in the first place. There are some obvious growing pains in certain areas, but as more characters are introduced, more story arcs are played out and more time passes to improve, Viz’s version just might deliver the complete Sailor Moon experience that we’ve never had the chance to watch in English.
Check out Viz’s first promotional teaser below and tell us what you think! The first box set is scheduled for a November 11th release date, and pre orders at rightstuf.com will receive an exclusive collectors coin while supplies last.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aPMh2ZZOCzI