Streaming broadcast of iconic anime series will include episodes never previously available in the U.S.
2014 is a big year for the iconic anime/manga series Sailor Moon, with a brand new anime adaptation of the original manga, Sailor Moon: Crystal, scheduled to begin airing in Japan on July 5th. Viz Media aquired the rights to bring this new version to the U.S., but before that they’ve prepared a treat for fans: rebroadcasting all 200 episodes of the original series uncut on Hulu throughout the summer, beginning on Monday May 19th with the first four episodes and two new ones being added weekly after that.
Sailor Moon, which follows the adventures of a team of superheroine schoolgirls who must battle invading demonic forces, began airing in the U.S. not long after it’s Japanese debut; becoming (after a rocky start in syndication) one of the first major anime series to become a mainstream hit with U.S. audiences as part of the late-1990s anime boom. However, the version aired was heavily edited to (among other things) “Westernize” certain characters and plot points, remove “inappropriate” content and even change the relationship between two characters from a lesbian couple to cousins. The final season of the series, Sailor Stars, never saw a U.S. release.
The Hulu broadcast will include Stars, along with the rest of the original 200 episodes, presented uncut and restored with their original Japanese language tracks with English subtitles. A new English dubbed version is also being produced for Viz’s DVD/Blu-ray release of the series in the Fall, and is planned for a subsequent Hulu broadcast of its own.
Source: Variety
