Was the Sailor Moon manga popular/influential enough to warrant Crystal?

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Was the manga popular enough to warrant Crystal’s existence?

  • Yes

    Votes: 31 79.5%
  • No

    Votes: 8 20.5%

  • Total voters
    39
Jan 23, 2023
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2,613
1,665
So Manga Haruka being some type of genderfluid/non-binary wasn’t actually planned but was just Naoko trying to scrap/salvage her idea for a male Haruka?
I don't know whether those rumors were true or not but then you have to wonder why Uranus has the Tuxedo Kamen mask and cape...
Ouranos in mythology is the primordial God of heavens and is the father to the Titans.
Considering Mamoru represents the Earth despite being male, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think Uranus may have been envisioned to be originally male.
If anything, male or female, the original plot was for a love triangle between Usagi, Mamoru and Haruka.
As for Haruka being genderfluid, I always took Michiru's words as Haruka being physically and mentally female but has the physcial prowess and endurance the same as a full-fledged male (even possibly surpassing males in terms of strength) and hence possesses the strengths of both genders.
Unlike Makoto who has more of a magical, herculean physical strength to her.

As for the wedding rings, the thing is despite Haruka and Michiru being a couple in Dream, Haruka still longs for Usagi - crying at the thought of her and longing for her smile...
Haruka's speech during the Outer's reveal trailer -
'Our Samsara (cycle of life and death), be it our despair or hope, or even dreams rest by your side you who shines of a blinding light. Yes, you Princess' (barf)

The 'wedding rings' were even revealed to be a testament to their promise to raise Hotaru rather than true rings...
In Stars, Haruka is coupled with Michiru and is even forgotten in favor of Seiya - the new girl in love with Usagi = rinse and repeat...
 
Feb 8, 2021
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Reinako is meant to be the parallel ship to HaruMichi. (Minako = Haruka and Rei = Michiru)
Naoko is basically one of the pioneers of the modern Yuri genre, although it was really Ikuhara's effort.
 
Aug 16, 2014
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I don't think Uranus and Neptune was bad at all in the manga.Naoko had basically all the senshie adore Usagi and make there wanting to protect her.They are her guardians and she is still a princess.

Haruka and Micheru still a couple In the manga and it's decently not a rebound.As for gender thing even Naoko said Haruka was a girl.
 

Lady Pen

Aurorae Lunares
Mar 12, 2021
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I don't know whether those rumors were true or not but then you have to wonder why Uranus has the Tuxedo Kamen mask and cape...
Ouranos in mythology is the primordial God of heavens and is the father to the Titans.
Considering Mamoru represents the Earth despite being male, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think Uranus may have been envisioned to be originally male.
If anything, male or female, the original plot was for a love triangle between Usagi, Mamoru and Haruka.
As for Haruka being genderfluid, I always took Michiru's words as Haruka being physically and mentally female but has the physcial prowess and endurance the same as a full-fledged male (even possibly surpassing males in terms of strength) and hence possesses the strengths of both genders.
Unlike Makoto who has more of a magical, herculean physical strength to her.

As for the wedding rings, the thing is despite Haruka and Michiru being a couple in Dream, Haruka still longs for Usagi - crying at the thought of her and longing for her smile...
Haruka's speech during the Outer's reveal trailer -
'Our Samsara (cycle of life and death), be it our despair or hope, or even dreams rest by your side you who shines of a blinding light. Yes, you Princess' (barf)

The 'wedding rings' were even revealed to be a testament to their promise to raise Hotaru rather than true rings...
In Stars, Haruka is coupled with Michiru and is even forgotten in favor of Seiya - the new girl in love with Usagi = rinse and repeat...
I think Uranus wearing a cape and a mask was just a concept Takeuchi dropped... like the concept of the Usagi's brooch shining before a Daimon appearing, the uselessness of the Taioron Crystal or the Moon Kaleidoscopes / Ami's Harp talking abilities... :lol:
 

Starlight

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May 31, 2009
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From an artistic standpoint, Crystal was necessary because the manga that spawned the anime deserved to have its story told.
If it actually expanded on the manga or enriched it in any way, then yes it would have been worthwhile. But what's the point of a poorly copy-paste, panel-by-panel hack job of an anime adaptation? Just read the manga or watch the Nelke musicals instead.
 
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Rika-Chicchi

Staff member
Site Admin
May 7, 2009
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If it actually expanded on the manga or enriched it in any way, then yes it would have been worthwhile. But what's the point of a poorly copy-paste, panel-by-panel hack job of an anime adaptation? Just read the manga or watch the Nelke musicals instead.
But the point is that it's in color - a fully colored manga! :oh my:
 
Feb 8, 2021
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I don't know whether those rumors were true or not but then you have to wonder why Uranus has the Tuxedo Kamen mask and cape...
Ouranos in mythology is the primordial God of heavens and is the father to the Titans.
Considering Mamoru represents the Earth despite being male, it's not out of the realm of possibility to think Uranus may have been envisioned to be originally male.
If anything, male or female, the original plot was for a love triangle between Usagi, Mamoru and Haruka.
As for Haruka being genderfluid, I always took Michiru's words as Haruka being physically and mentally female but has the physcial prowess and endurance the same as a full-fledged male (even possibly surpassing males in terms of strength) and hence possesses the strengths of both genders.
Unlike Makoto who has more of a magical, herculean physical strength to her.

As for the wedding rings, the thing is despite Haruka and Michiru being a couple in Dream, Haruka still longs for Usagi - crying at the thought of her and longing for her smile...
Haruka's speech during the Outer's reveal trailer -
'Our Samsara (cycle of life and death), be it our despair or hope, or even dreams rest by your side you who shines of a blinding light. Yes, you Princess' (barf)

The 'wedding rings' were even revealed to be a testament to their promise to raise Hotaru rather than true rings...
In Stars, Haruka is coupled with Michiru and is even forgotten in favor of Seiya - the new girl in love with Usagi = rinse and repeat...
CLAMP insisted on their plan for Tomoyo being single and Eriol being paired with Kaho even if the fans preferred the pairing between Tomoyo and Eriol back in the day, it seems that Takeuchi did not even insist on Haruka and Usagi and was forced by her editor and sponsors to write what they want to happen in the Sailor Moon manga.
 

Psajdak

Luna Crescens
Jan 7, 2010
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But the point is that it's in color - a fully colored manga! :oh my:
And also in motion, with soundrack, and of course, it is voiced, in case of Sailor Moon with any popular, and beloved seiyu.

Plus, characters in anime are always redesigned, and drawn by different people from mangaka, so there's that too.

Even if anime adapts something 1:1, it is still a different medium, hence a different experience.
 
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Nadia

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Jun 30, 2010
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If it actually expanded on the manga or enriched it in any way, then yes it would have been worthwhile. But what's the point of a poorly copy-paste, panel-by-panel hack job of an anime adaptation? Just read the manga or watch the Nelke musicals instead.
While I agree Crystal's quality should have been much better, there is an artistic need for any animated adaptation, especially when you consider some of Takeuchi's deficiencies when it comes to sequential storytelling and panel arrangements. Ideally, one could use the anime to make sense of the manga, because there are a lot of events that are not clear in the manga due to both the artist's art style and the nature of the medium.
 
If it actually expanded on the manga or enriched it in any way, then yes it would have been worthwhile. But what's the point of a poorly copy-paste, panel-by-panel hack job of an anime adaptation? Just read the manga or watch the Nelke musicals instead.
Nelke musicals?
 

Nadia

Aurorae Lunares
Jun 30, 2010
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They should have made a colored motion comic of the manga instead.
Sailor Scribbles was working on something like that.

The reality is a motion comic would actually be harder than making an animated adaptation. While there would be less total work, there is no structure in place for such a conversion from comic stills to moving panels, so the decision on how each panel would be move and be arranged would have to be planned, in contrast with a reanimation where there are defined teams and roles. Motion comics would also be a nightmare to translate, since instead of just dubbing, one would have to translate the sound effects and sight gags.
 
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Sailor Scribbles was working on something like that.

The reality is a motion comic would actually be harder than making an animated adaptation. While there would be less total work, there is no structure in place for such a conversion from comic stills to moving panels, so the decision on how each panel would be move and be arranged would have to be planned, in contrast with a reanimation where there are defined teams and roles. Motion comics would also be a nightmare to translate, since instead of just dubbing, one would have to translate the sound effects and sight gags.
There was a motion comic of Sailor Moon in Sailor Moon Channel back then but it was taken down, perhaps we could have it distributed again.
 
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I think we could have something better than Eternal and Crystal if the rights owners like TOEI and PNP treated the fans better.