How to make Sailor Moon: The Movie

[PrimoPiccolo]

Okay, we've all heard the craptastic falsehood of Lindsay Lohan being offered the lead for a live-action Sailor Moon movie way back when. While that set off something of a world of imagination on my part, only the recent developments of this year's live-action Dragon Ball really made me start thinking about how Sailor Moon would realistically be pulled off.

The characters would have to be 18 or so for mature casting, if they were 15 the actors would look like they're from High School Shouj-ical. Obviously the girls would all get their powers at the same time, it would simply be a waste of film to give each Scout a solo introduction. The whole talking cat deal might remind those not familiar with the anime of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but that wouldn't be a big deal, especially given the special effects of today would make Luna and Artemis look as good as something out of the Chronicles of Narnia. But the one thing that's hard to figure is which villains make the cut.

Nowadays, every movie seems to get a sequel greenlit. When it comes to science fiction and fantasy titles, 3-movie deals are almost commonplace. And while exceptions to this rule are ever growing (Harry Potter and X-Men come to mind), execs still try to condense the major plot points of every adaptation into a hattrick.

Coming back to my thought, which forces of evil would be given the big screen treatment? (Dub names to follow, duh) Queen Beryl and the Negaverse immediately come to mind since they were first chronologically, and probably had the only lackeys whose personalities weren't one-dimensional and their resolutions memorable. The Negamoon Family could easily be altered for a sequel to pose a cliché "evil Sailor Scout" angle, since the four sisters have the black moon symbol on their foreheads and mimic the signature elemental attacks. Only problem with including them in the franchise is it would somewhat lessen the impact of potentially introducing the Outer Scouts later on, because the non-fanatics wouldn't know what constitutes the true Sailor Scouts. Or maybe to that effect, they could instead use Uranus and Neptune and make them sisters (I know, I know) who were tainted by Rubeus. Then of course there's the Heart Snatchers, the Dark Moon Circus and Shadow Galactica, all of which surround the identical task of seeking out some mystical part of the human body that only a select group of people hold within them. I'd want Sailor Saturn for the final film, which would fit perfectly since Pluto's no longer a planet ( ;_; ) and Mini-Moon sucks ( ^_^ ), but using a future Sailor Scout as a tool for evil would be a repetitive notion if I included my concept for the second film. Same goes for Sailor Galaxia as the antagonist, and she's the only true evil Sailor Scout.

So, as you can see, there are a number of ways to go. Three films, chronicling the villains from Classic/R, focusing purely on the first five Scouts. Three films, the second debuting Uranus and Neptune, the third Saturn. Five movies, each covering one of the five series. Then there's a ton of combinations for those choices to condense the anime to its most important elements. Option A sounds best, but I just wanted to gauge if I'm the only fan whom such an approach would please.

[Kamen Rider Decade]

Unless Uranus and Neptune are lesbians, I wouldn't bother watching. Same goes for any other adaptations that deviate from the original source material, no matter how tiny. Luna is made into a orange and white cat, I won't watch regardless if Luna is identical in any other way.

[PrimoPiccolo]

Originally Posted by The Virginian

Unless Uranus and Neptune are lesbians, I wouldn't bother watching.

Come on, if America ever did approach this, you know it would be marketed for kids, and openly embracing that culture just isn't a step we're ready to take.

Besides, movie adaptations ALWAYS make changes, mostly for the sake of time. And while Haruka and Michiru were the cutest of couples, I don't see them having enough time to spend on their relationship as well as Usagi and Mamoru's. Making them family would both embrace what the dub already provided and give them an instant bond that wouldn't require as much nurturing.


Spidey got organic webbing, Juggernaut was mutant instead of mystical, Piccolo Daimaou kills Goku's grandpa instead of his own Oozaru form. Change is inevitable for the sake of expansion.

[PRangerX]

I think they could just have Uranus and Neptune just be good friends. Present it like Xena and Gaberille ( afterall Xena Worrier Princess had its kid frendly momments). Being a movie would probably give them a bit more freedom then a cartoon. They'd have their own footage to shoot the way they would want. Besides Uranus and Neptune are never explicityly stated to be lesbians. Naoko won't even admit it in interviews. So its not like the movie would have to come out and say they were lesbians.

[Kamen Rider Decade]

Originally Posted by PrimoPiccolo

Come on, if America ever did approach this, you know it would be marketed for kids, and openly embracing that culture just isn't a step we're ready to take.

Not my problem. If someone was to do this not a single penny of mine they would have unless they were completely faithful to the franchise.

Originally Posted by PrimoPiccolo

Besides, movie adaptations ALWAYS make changes, mostly for the sake of time.

Not changes, compromises. Compromises are for the weak.

Originally Posted by PrimoPiccolo

Making them family would both embrace what the dub already provided and give them an instant bond that wouldn't require as much nurturing.

Anyone who wants to embrace that god awful dub needs to have the dvd collection of the dub shoved up their ass.

Originally Posted by PrimoPiccolo

Spidey got organic webbing

Spidey had in the comics as well.

Biological/Organic Webbing Generation: After the "Disassembled" saga, Spider-Man, as stated below in the Webshooters section, was also gifted with the ability to organically produce his own silk webbing from glands within his forearms, limited by his body's health and nutrition. These organic webs have many of the same properties as Spider-Man's artificial webbing, though they require a week to decay rather than decomposing within two hours. Thanks to its similar properties, it appears Spider-Man can utilize his organic webbing in any way he could with his artificial webbing. The silk is released through a spinneret near each wrist containing a central web spigot orifice used for web-slinging and drag lines, supplemented by several radial minor spigots for other types of webs connected to specialized glands.

Originally Posted by PrimoPiccolo

Juggernaut was mutant instead of mystical

I didn't watch. Don't care.

Originally Posted by PrimoPiccolo

Piccolo Daimaou kills Goku's grandpa instead of his own Oozaru form. Change is inevitable for the sake of expansion.

Never heard of them, don't care.

[christphern]

I actually had an idea for doing a Sailor Moon movie, that I think would work quite well for the constraints of time, and while doing it's own thing would have throwbacks to the Sailor Moon anime, manga, and live action series.

I won't go into too much detail, as I don't want a really long post to detail all of my ideas.

Anyway, my idea basically started off with Sailor V fighting Youma in London, ala the anime. The film would kick off with her and Jadeite fighting. Upon defeating him, with his dying breath, he scathingly declares her efforts futile, as a plan to destroy the other senshi is already in motion.

Anyway, long story short, the movie would basically be a rehash of the first season, condensed into 2 hours. It'd be different enough to stand on it's own, but similar enough to pay homage to the source material. Minako would be there from the start, sort of working in the background to track down all of the senshi by tracking Youma activity in Tokyo. Also, like the live action series and the manga, Venus would be the leader of the senshi, instead of Moon.

A lot of changes would have to be made, and pretty much all of the Youma, sans a few, would need to be dropped, as there's simply too much ground to cover in far too little time. The other senshi's joining may also have needed condensed into a montage in order to fit them all in. Moon, obviously, would have to be the exception, but the other 3 could be compressed into a montage, and then cover their characters and interactions with the group afterward, as the movie would build toward the climactic battle with Beryl.

Anyway, just how I would do it. Obviously, the other seasons would be saved for any potential sequals. As for Haruka and Michiru, if they can get away with having Marissa and Alex on the OC, and all the subtext in kids shows like Kim Possible (Kim and Shego's verbal sparring is flirting, no matter how you look at it), then I think they can get away with Haruka and Michiru. As was said, they never explicitly stated they were lesbians (though, contrary to the above posts, I have read that Takeuchi-san confirmed this). So, a bit of hand holding, maybe them touching more than necessary, whatever, I think it wouldn't be a problem. They never have to say it. Besides, us true Moonies know the truth.

And, while my stance isn't quite as violent as the above poster's, no respect to anything the dub did. The dub is evil, and should be ignored at all costs. It's not Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. It's the cheap nock-off.

Chris

[PRangerX]

Originally Posted by christphern

I actually had an idea for doing a Sailor Moon movie, that I think would work quite well for the constraints of time, and while doing it's own thing would have throwbacks to the Sailor Moon anime, manga, and live action series.

I won't go into too much detail, as I don't want a really long post to detail all of my ideas.

Anyway, my idea basically started off with Sailor V fighting Youma in London, ala the anime. The film would kick off with her and Jadeite fighting. Upon defeating him, with his dying breath, he scathingly declares her efforts futile, as a plan to destroy the other senshi is already in motion.

Anyway, long story short, the movie would basically be a rehash of the first season, condensed into 2 hours. It'd be different enough to stand on it's own, but similar enough to pay homage to the source material. Minako would be there from the start, sort of working in the background to track down all of the senshi by tracking Youma activity in Tokyo. Also, like the live action series and the manga, Venus would be the leader of the senshi, instead of Moon.

A lot of changes would have to be made, and pretty much all of the Youma, sans a few, would need to be dropped, as there's simply too much ground to cover in far too little time. The other senshi's joining may also have needed condensed into a montage in order to fit them all in. Moon, obviously, would have to be the exception, but the other 3 could be compressed into a montage, and then cover their characters and interactions with the group afterward, as the movie would build toward the climactic battle with Beryl.

Anyway, just how I would do it. Obviously, the other seasons would be saved for any potential sequals. As for Haruka and Michiru, if they can get away with having Marissa and Alex on the OC, and all the subtext in kids shows like Kim Possible (Kim and Shego's verbal sparring is flirting, no matter how you look at it), then I think they can get away with Haruka and Michiru. As was said, they never explicitly stated they were lesbians (though, contrary to the above posts, I have read that Takeuchi-san confirmed this). So, a bit of hand holding, maybe them touching more than necessary, whatever, I think it wouldn't be a problem. They never have to say it. Besides, us true Moonies know the truth.

And, while my stance isn't quite as violent as the above poster's, no respect to anything the dub did. The dub is evil, and should be ignored at all costs. It's not Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. It's the cheap nock-off.

Chris

The dub is the gateway into the subs. No one in North America would know what Sailor Moon was if it weren't for the dub. The dub was neccessary for Sailor Moon to exist as a franchise in the US. The dub did produce some good battle songs, as superficial as that sounds.

In a movie, they should have the Sailor Soldiers already formed. Have Moon be the last to join, during the movie. That way you don't have to rush the others jioning. And if a movie franchise was a a success, their orgin stories could be explained later.

[christphern]

From one standpoint, yeah, I'd agree, the actual introduction of the senshi isn't really necessary. But, at the same time, I think something would be lost to not have the team assembled within the film. Sure, the stories aren't necessary. Perfectly agree there. But, if you do it with the Senshi already together, you might give your audience the impression that the senshi are a well-oiled machine, and Usagi's the wrench that gets tossed into the gears, if that makes any sense. It would give the impression that Usagi's not really a part of the team, or, an outsider, if you will. It's sort of difficult to try and find a balance between what would work best for a film, and what would stay the most true to the series.

I figured that, since the actual stories aren't necessary for the senshi (notice, even though I'm a big Venus fan, I would have opted to drop her origin from a movie) they could be compressed into a montage sequence, fit in some time after Usagi becomes Sailor Moon, and before things heat up with Beryl and the Shitennou. The biggest issue I'm seeing with the movie is, how the heck do you seriously introduce Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen in the film, without it seeming out of place? I mean, If there was more time to elaborate on Usagi and Mamoru's relationship in the movie, then, okay, that could be done just fine. But, short of writing out the other senshi as anything more than token background characters, there's no way to give Mamoru and Usagi's relationship the proper development without it just being absurd. The only way to make it happen and work would be to introduce Tuxedo Kamen/Mamoru and have Usagi just fall in love with him. Pretty much what happened in the anime, but there wouldn't be much time to expand on the relationship. Add to that that most of the already minimized character development would have to be dropped to accomodated, and a lot of the backstory with the Silver Millenium would have to be dropped. The big problem there is that people would complain that it's not staying true enough to the series, or it's not doing the relationship or series justice no matter how you go.

I will admit this, though. There's not really enough time in one 2 hour movie to cover enough of Sailor Moon Classic to do it justice. The only way to do it, and actually fit enough to make it work the best is as 2 movies. Otherwise, there's always going to be something missing, or lost in translaation, as it were.

As for the dub, yeah, sure, it exposed us to Sailor Moon. Not going to deny that. But, that doesn't mean it should be honoured or respected in anyway, movie or not. The only thing the dub gave us, as far as I'm concerned, is a better appreciation for the sub. I don't even care for the music. I'm sorry if that seems harsh, but, well, I've never cared for the dub, and I've cared for it even less since getting the sub from ADV. There's just no comparison. The dub is Sailor Moon-lite. It's the watered down version, with the annoying music and voices, and bad scripting. I find no redeeming quality in the dub. If you do, that's fine. But, my stance on the dub is that I now have the sub, and never have to subject myself to the dub again. However, in the interest of forum relations, I will say something positive of the dub. I could actually tolerate Mina's (*shudder*) voice. Pretty much every actress. Not sure if that's just rose coloured glasses, as Minako's by far my favourite Sailor Moon character in every incarnation, but, there you go.

*Edit* Ooh, had a thought. For Mamoru, the best way I think to approach it, if the film were to be approached as a one shot, one film deal, is to introduce the character, but not really develop Usagi and Mamoru's relationship outside of some obvious attraction and caring. Reason being that it doesn't seriously compress the relationship, but, also leaves some expanding room should another film be done. Maybe leave the ending with the two characters meeting again after there memories have been wiped, and have them maybe date, or just interact. Whatever. Director's license at that point.

Chris

[PRangerX]

Originally Posted by christphern

From one standpoint, yeah, I'd agree, the actual introduction of the senshi isn't really necessary. But, at the same time, I think something would be lost to not have the team assembled within the film. Sure, the stories aren't necessary. Perfectly agree there. But, if you do it with the Senshi already together, you might give your audience the impression that the senshi are a well-oiled machine, and Usagi's the wrench that gets tossed into the gears, if that makes any sense. It would give the impression that Usagi's not really a part of the team, or, an outsider, if you will. It's sort of difficult to try and find a balance between what would work best for a film, and what would stay the most true to the series.

I figured that, since the actual stories aren't necessary for the senshi (notice, even though I'm a big Venus fan, I would have opted to drop her origin from a movie) they could be compressed into a montage sequence, fit in some time after Usagi becomes Sailor Moon, and before things heat up with Beryl and the Shitennou. The biggest issue I'm seeing with the movie is, how the heck do you seriously introduce Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen in the film, without it seeming out of place? I mean, If there was more time to elaborate on Usagi and Mamoru's relationship in the movie, then, okay, that could be done just fine. But, short of writing out the other senshi as anything more than token background characters, there's no way to give Mamoru and Usagi's relationship the proper development without it just being absurd. The only way to make it happen and work would be to introduce Tuxedo Kamen/Mamoru and have Usagi just fall in love with him. Pretty much what happened in the anime, but there wouldn't be much time to expand on the relationship. Add to that that most of the already minimized character development would have to be dropped to accomodated, and a lot of the backstory with the Silver Millenium would have to be dropped. The big problem there is that people would complain that it's not staying true enough to the series, or it's not doing the relationship or series justice no matter how you go.

I will admit this, though. There's not really enough time in one 2 hour movie to cover enough of Sailor Moon Classic to do it justice. The only way to do it, and actually fit enough to make it work the best is as 2 movies. Otherwise, there's always going to be something missing, or lost in translaation, as it were.

As for the dub, yeah, sure, it exposed us to Sailor Moon. Not going to deny that. But, that doesn't mean it should be honoured or respected in anyway, movie or not. The only thing the dub gave us, as far as I'm concerned, is a better appreciation for the sub. I don't even care for the music. I'm sorry if that seems harsh, but, well, I've never cared for the dub, and I've cared for it even less since getting the sub from ADV. There's just no comparison. The dub is Sailor Moon-lite. It's the watered down version, with the annoying music and voices, and bad scripting. I find no redeeming quality in the dub. If you do, that's fine. But, my stance on the dub is that I now have the sub, and never have to subject myself to the dub again. However, in the interest of forum relations, I will say something positive of the dub. I could actually tolerate Mina's (*shudder*) voice. Pretty much every actress. Not sure if that's just rose coloured glasses, as Minako's by far my favourite Sailor Moon character in every incarnation, but, there you go.

*Edit* Ooh, had a thought. For Mamoru, the best way I think to approach it, if the film were to be approached as a one shot, one film deal, is to introduce the character, but not really develop Usagi and Mamoru's relationship outside of some obvious attraction and caring. Reason being that it doesn't seriously compress the relationship, but, also leaves some expanding room should another film be done. Maybe leave the ending with the two characters meeting again after there memories have been wiped, and have them maybe date, or just interact. Whatever. Director's license at that point.

Chris

I don't think a montage will do their intros justice though. My intent was to have their be a conflict of whether Usagi was really ready or not, like the Anime did. In the end she would rise up and save the day. Of course the one flaw is that you'd lose the aspect of Usagi being the one to bring four lonely girls together ( which is a point so wonderfully pointed out in the R Movie) .

I agree it would be tempting to go with more then one movie with the orginal season story adaption. If you go with one movie some things will have to be changed. Perhaps it would be best to cut out some of the scouts, in order to do a better job with the ones you had.

Hollywood does love stories like Usagi and Mamuro all the time, it wouldn't bee too hard. Perhaps they already know each other, but don't get along in the beginning.

I was talking about songs like "Carry On", "My Only Love", and "The Power of Love". The climax of the first season in Japan is better then the cut dubbed version, but the music they use for Matallia vs Usagi doesn't hold up to "Carry On".

The dub background music was enjoyable for me. But I actually enjoy the japanese background music better. Its just the battle songs I talked about above that I like better. "Moon Revenge" diffinitly holds up with them though.

I can see why you like the orginal better. But would you even be into Sailor Moon if it wasn't for the dub? If anything that is the one thing we can cherish from the dub. That it introduced us all to Sailor Moon. I doubt very many of us would even know what it was otherwise. So in that way the watered down dub is a neccessary evil. Besides its better then what Saban Etertainment was going to do, lol.

[Kamen Rider Decade]

Originally Posted by PRangerX

The dub is the gateway into the subs. No one in North America would know what Sailor Moon was if it weren't for the dub.

By using that logic I would have never heard of the following animes because the dubs for them do not exist:
Claymore
Darker that Black
Code Geas: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Gundam OO
Deltora Quest

You are flat out wrong. Your entire point has no ground to stand on.