Growing up in the mid to late 90s and just starting to
get into Anime, I always saw Anime as kind of a guys only pastime. From Dragon Ball to Ronin Warriors,
there was no denying Anime seemed like a male dominated genre. Little did we know in the US, that has never
been the case for Anime. There were
female power houses galore who were Mecha Pilots and Super Heroes amongst
dozens of other professions in Anime.
And one of the eternal megastars of Anime became Toonami’s most powerful
and popular Queen when her series finally graced the Anime block in 1998. She is the one and only, Sailor Moon.
Based on the Manga by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon told
the story of Usagi Tsukino, a bumbling high school student who learns she is
actually the magical superheroine Sailor Moon.
With her powers unlocked, Sailor Moon battles the forces of the
Negaverse alongside her other Sailor Senshi allies: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and
Venus, while also receiving assistance from her love interest, the dashing
Tuxedo Mask.
While Toonami wasn’t the
official debut of Sailor Moon in the US, it was where the show got the most
exposure.
Until then, Sailor Moon
languished in syndication with a heavily edited run of the first two seasons (
Sailor
Moon and
Sailor Moon R).
Sailor Moon’s arrival on Toonami brought with it both seasons plus
Sailor
Moon S and
Sailor Moon Super S and its trilogy of theatrical films
(The Promise of a Rose, Hearts in Ice and Black Dream Hole).
Finally, the girls who loved Toonami had a
female inspiration to look up to and one who was just as beloved as Goku and
Vegeta on Dragon Ball Z.
Sailor Moon quickly became a must watch series on the
Toonami lineup, one I looked forward to just as much as DBZ for a while.
Probably the most memorable part of Sailor
Moon’s Toonami run was that while it wasn’t as heavily edited as its syndicated
beginnings, censorship was still everywhere.
One need look no further than the two sexy powerhouses that were Sailor
Uranus and Sailor Neptune, introduced on Toonami in Sailor Moon S.
In the Anime and Manga, these two are an
openly lesbian couple and are quite affectionate around one another.
Back in the late 90s and early 200s, this
material was deemed inappropriate for a young adult afternoon block.
Hence, Uranus and Neptune were changed from
“lovers” to “cousins”…and yet the censors failed to recognize viewers had
brains and were well aware of the not so subtle attraction between the
two.
Needless to say, amongst the many
edits in Sailor Moons Toonami history…this was arguably the most dumb and easiest
to read between the lines.
Regardless of censors and edits, Sailor Moon is one of
Toonami’s most beloved titles, achieving consistently high ratings for its four
season TV run and all three theatrical features.
Sadly, due to rights issues and content, the
final season of the original Sailor Moon Anime,
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars,
would not see a US release until 2014 and has not been shown on Toonami.
While it is cool to see the Sailor Starlights
finally see the light of day in the US, it feels wrong that they never got to
be shown on the block that made Sailor Moon a household name to the entire
world, not just a niche community.
I
still remember sitting down with my little sister to watch Usagi kick ass
before it was time for
Dragon Ball Z and
Gundam Wing and watching
with equal enthusiasm.
Thanks to
Toonami, Sailor Moon showed the world Anime wasn’t just a boys game, it was a
game for everyone regardless of gender…and it was so much fun for it.
Next week on Toonami Flashback Friday, it’s time to talk
about a show I’ve talked about countless times at this point…and it’s one of my
favorite Anime of all time and the reason this blog has its name…so imma talk
about it some more. Gundam rises on
Toonami with our look at Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Next Friday right here
at the Gundam Anime Corner.
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