Instant Reaction: Sailor Moon dub episode 1!

I’m sure many of you have already heard that Viz has released a new version of the Sailor Moon dub, far better and more accurate than the DiC version from the mid-’90s.  Well, the DiC version was the one I grew up on – and while it’s what sparked my nearly two decade long love of Sailor Moon, it was incredibly cringe-worthy.

Exactly.

Exactly.

So, when I found out that Viz had redubbed the English version, and remastered all the original Japanese music, I had to give it a watch.  I wasn’t entirely sure I’d like it, considering how very used I am to the old dub voices, but I had to watch.  For science. (And, conveniently enough, it’s on Hulu!)  And as I started watching, I caught myself posting my reactions to Twitter – and then realized it might just be better to collect them all here, to share with everyone!  So, here’s my in-the-moment reactions to the first episode of the new Sailor Moon dub!

I will warn you – this is very much my instant reactions as characters talked or scenes happened, so bear with me here.

Episode One: The Crybaby: Usagi’s Beautiful Transformation

Sailor-Moon-Episode-1-English-Dubbed

The expression on Luna’s face was the look on my face, I’m pretty sure, when it hit me just how long I’ve been a ridiculous Sailor Moon fan.

  • First off, it hit me as I was watching the intro that in three years, I’ll have been a fan of this show for TWENTY YEARS. That’s over half my life at this point. I feel so OLD. (Plus, in two years?  I’ll be 20 years older than the majority of the characters.  ACK)
  • OH GOD IT JUST HIT ME WE HAVE A LEGIT DUB NOW. I hope Luna doesn’t sound like an old lady.
  • Oh, Naru just came on screen! I cannot get over the fact that Naru doesn’t have that weird accent anymore. She started talking and I had NO IDEA it was her until I looked at the screen.  I do not miss Molly’s wacky accent.
  • Usagi’s voice sounds so familiar, and I have no idea why. They definitely did a good job picking her voice, though…
  • Oooh we’re in the Dark Kingdom now, Queen Beryl sounds vaguely like Princess Luna from My Little Pony this is so weird. And Jadeite pronounced his name “jay-dite” WHAT I AM NOT USED TO THIS
  • Aaaand the jazzy bad-guy-music is playing now – the soundtrack’s been beautifully remastered, everything sounds so good!
  • AAAAH MAMO-CHAN. You sound so weird now.  Then again, fifteen-year-old me crushed very very hard on Darien way back in the day, so of course it’s gonna sound weird.
  • Luna speaks! She sounds like an adult, but not like an old grandma.  I think I like this.
  • They… re-recorded the voice overs for the commercial breaks. It sounds awkward.  I would’ve preferred if they left it the way it was…
  • Shingo sounds like he’s older than Usagi, what the heck O_O
  • Ohh, I love Luna’s voice. She sounds FAR cuter now.  I really hope they dub the movies over with this new Luna voice, it’ll make the dub of Sailor Moon S: The Movie far more bearable to watch…  All I can hear in my brain when I think “Sailor Moon S Movie dub” is old granny Luna saying “I love you, Kakeru”, ugh.  *shudders*
  • I have never heard the transformation theme sound this good oh god it’s giving me super goosebumps
  • Seriously this is like being a teenager all over again BUT BETTER
  • Sonic Cry! Oh man.  The new Sonic Cry is much less cringe-worthy.
  • And Tuxedo Mask is cheesy as heck, as always. Then again, it wouldn’t be Sailor Moon without Tuxedo Mask being cheesy!
  • I don’t even think I’ve heard Heart Moving sound so crisp on the MP3s of the soundtrack I found way back in the days of Napster…
  • … I do not miss Sailor Says one bit. Just sayin’.
Sailor Moon says WATCH THE NEW DUB IT'S WAY BETTER YOU GUYS.

Sailor Moon says WATCH THE NEW DUB IT’S WAY BETTER YOU GUYS.

I think once we get some more new characters (Ami, Rei, Makoto, and so on) I might do more Instant Reaction posts – I think it’d get old quick if I reacted to every episode, you know?  I hope other old-school Sailor Moon fans like me give the new dub a chance – it is ridiculously good, even if it does take some getting used to!

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