How Should the Manga Be Adapted Next?

[Memento]

Since its original serialized run, the manga has been released in multiple formats: tankōban, shinzoban, kanzenban, bunkoban, bilingual, and most recently digital. Clearly the manga is a cash cow Kodansha will keep milking for years to come. In addition to all these different re-releases of the manga itself, they also recently put out a light novelization of the manga's Dark Kingdom arc, which I don't think sold very well. Of course, there are many other ways the manga could be adapted/retold in book form, so because I'm bored and this place has been kind of dead lately, I thought I'd just ask you guys what format you'd like to see the manga take next:

Picture Book: As with the anime and the live action series, each chapter of the manga could be retold as a picture book with simple text and cute, colorful illustrations.

Pop-Up Book: Pretty self-explanatory. Like a picture book, but, well, with pop-ups.

Plays: Each arc could be retold in play script form, perhaps sold with an accompanying toy theater, as with Edward Gorey's Dracula.

Poems: Each arc could be reinterpreted as an epic poem.

Epistolary Novel: Each arc could be retold as a series of diary entries, letters, postcards, newspaper clippings, etc.

Interactive Novel: Each arc or chapter could be retold in the classic Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style.

Audio Book: Pretty self-explanatory. They'd probably have Kotono read them.

Other: Is there another format you'd like to see instead?


I'd be super into an epistolary, interactive, or toy theater adaptation. What about you guys?

 

[ChampionOfNuggets]

Puppet theater

 

[sapphire91]

I think a full color hard covered edition would be the next release worth buying. I am certain it will never happen so the eternal editin would be the one you should buy if consider owning it. Visual novel with more storylines and different routes in the form of different futures would be neat.

 

[FloraKiraraHime]

I'd like to the manga in color, it'd be neat!

 

[Maraviollantes]

Puppet theater

 

[Onuzim Ima]

Restored to full colour, enhanced/revised digital Special Effects added, plus exclusive never-before-seen deleted scenes put back in

P. S.: Yeah, I know, sarcasm. Take that, G. L.!

 

[Nadia]

Of the choices, I'd be most interested in a translated audio book, because my biggest problem with the manga is sometimes I can't tell what's going on in it. Forcing someone to read it aloud and describe it would make it more clear, and it could be a companion to actually viewing the pretty pictures.

However, if we have an "Other" I wish there would be a new televised adaptation, 26 episodes per story arc for five seasons.

 

[GalX3]

Well if there was a Japanese version that had English explanations on every 2nd page for each non-beginner Japanese word/phrase I would certainly buy that. When I end up translating the chapter title as "The infusion of Sailor Mars" I just sit there scratching my head because I know Mars was introduced in "season 1". What does it all mean? Who knows what else I am getting wrong! It doesn't help when they mix hiragana and katakana around either (and sometimes mix both into the same word). I think they do this for emphasis, or accent. I could read the translated manga... and I could watch the dubbed version... but it just isn't the same. Ignorance truly is bliss though. It drives me mental when the subtitles say different things than what my mind is translating/understanding. I'm not saying the translations are wrong, and if I sat down for a long time I would probably come up with something similar, but sometimes it just doesn't match well with the way the words are spoken by the character. I also notice a lot of translators being clever and embellishing what is being said when what was said was actually really simple. This comes a lot because Japanese imply as much of the sentence as possible, and the result does not match the intensity/tone of the voice actor. So yeah... answers question and rambles... so sorry.

 

[Seira Hazuki]

Of the choices, I'd be most interested in a translated audio book, because my biggest problem with the manga is sometimes I can't tell what's going on in it. Forcing someone to read it aloud and describe it would make it more clear, and it could be a companion to actually viewing the pretty pictures.

However, if we have an "Other" I wish there would be a new televised adaptation, 26 episodes per story arc for five seasons.

If anime is on the table, this might be controversial, but I would be totally fine with another 50 episode per arc anime adaptation that targeted children primarily... I think realistically this is the only way Toei would ever invest significantly in the series again and with the right staff it could potentially be an incredible adaptation of the series.

 

[Valse de la lune]

Live action photo shoot interpretations

 

[DREWdesu]

Non-serious answer

Chinese Opera!

 

[Lum-chan 80]

The emphasis on romance and some comedy definitely makes Sailor Moon light novel material with a few really high quality pictures thrown in for transformations.

 

[Nadia]

I am aware it would be the height of redundancy, but what about drawing a new comic based on the manga? It would be an actual comic, from left to right, redrawn and fully in color.

 

[neptunekh]

A new comic would be nice.

 

[Verona]

A video game. I think Switch would be a good platform. Anything from an RPG style or a competitive fighting game like the former games. The possibilities would be pretty amazing. I'd personally enjoy animated cut scenes.

Plus, I miss Sailor Moon Drops.

 

[The Blizzard Prince]

Stop-motion film.

 

[Onuzim Ima]

@The Blizzard Prince Does already exist in the form of a Robot Chicken™ sketch.

But maybe something with LEGO™ could be an option.

 

[Rika-Chicchi]

But maybe something with LEGO™ could be an option.

This.

 

[Princess Venus]

A video game. I think Switch would be a good platform. Anything from an RPG style or a competitive fighting game like the former games. The possibilities would be pretty amazing. I'd personally enjoy animated cut scenes.

Plus, I miss Sailor Moon Drops.

Agreed, it’s been way too long since the last Sailor Moon game.

I’d personally love a new fighting game. Assuming Arc-Sys isn’t too busy with, well, everything else they have.

Alternatively, something by Platinum Games or a Musou game would be amazing.



Maybe a new movie?

 

[NJ_]

A video game. I think Switch would be a good platform. Anything from an RPG style or a competitive fighting game like the former games. The possibilities would be pretty amazing. I'd personally enjoy animated cut scenes.

It would need to be multi-platform, especially if it's a fighting game.