From: Brad Lascelle Newsgroups: alt.fan.sailor-moon Subject: Re: The Sailor Moon Phenomenon Date: Sat, 26 Apr 1997 09:06:32 -0400 `Jinzo 17` Writes: You made quite a number of astute and incisive observations here, Jinzo. Just a couple additions I'd like to toss out. > And so, in August of 1995, Sailor Moon was officially released in NA > in Canada. (later premering in the US.) The results in Canada were > promising, though less than expected. I think that's a hard assessment to make... it's hard to visualize ANY kind of phenomenon without a strong core of U.S. fans to spur on the trend ever taking off as well as it has in Canada. The show got immeasurable national exposure on television airwaves (more than any other fictional series of any kind at various times) and went gangbusters in toy stores as Sailor Moon rose to the top of the merchandising sales charts. Considering the virtual lack of any mainstream movement or notoriety for the series in the United States, the sheer magnitude of the show's Canadian popularity is downright amazing. Or at least it WAS downright amazing this time a year ago... dozens of weeks of rerun stagnancy tend to have ways of killing a show's potential growth. Now with the VA revolt in full swing and the likelihood that a number of the cast will not be reprising their roles after going out of their way to interact with the fanbase at large, I think it's a fair assessment to state that Sailor Moon will NEVER reach the stature of success it enjoyed during its peak popularity in 1996. Even when the next 17 episodes finally trickle out this fall, most of the casual and semi-loyal fans will have already moved on to bigger and better things. > But the results in the US wer beyond pitiful. The show was dying, and > they hadn't even finished redubbing it yet! DiC scrambled to save the > show (and later themselves). But ultimately it was out of their > hands. US TV stations, seeing Sailor Moon as just more cartoon fluff, > stuck it in time slots reserved for shows that have to be shown, but > that no one in their right mind would get up so early to watch. And > so the show languished. Well, that's not entirely the case either. Most affiliates who deal in syndication are more than willing to tackle new endeavours and new projects when they're properly supported. Syndication, on the whole, is a medium where it's best days are behind it for children's animation. DiC spent an exorbitant amount of money to acquire the SM license itself, and then expected a myriad of merchandising contracts to make up the difference and that the show would generate its own success. DiC signed off countless numbers of merchandising deals (as you stated earlier) and tossed most of the juicy bones to scattered little-league companies around the U.S. Many of these bones were of interest to the folks at Bandai and from the moment the licensing agreement with Toei was first sealed, Bandai had assumed they'd be receiving the first shot at many of them. They were anxious to port over all of their existing merchandise from Japan and establish their SM nest egg in the Western world. When DiC only allowed them access to the doll line yet still expected them to fully fund the show's drive for syndicated timeslots, they were rather enraged at having so much in potential profits cut from their grasp, and as such, did a sub-par job at backing the show with affiliates... leaving SM to flounder in early morning, unearthly timeslots. > But not so in the US. True, shows like Star Blazers and Robotech had > achieved cult followings. But they, too, were expected to. It was > what could be called the Star Trek phenomenon: (the appeal of an > intense sci-fi show to adult fans who become rabid fanatics.) Sailor > Moon was a kiddy show, and never before had a "kiddy" show had a > large adult fan base. That's somewhat of an exaggeration as well. In the past there have been phenomally large adult fanbases for animated series geared towards kids... from Transformers to Animaniacs to Robotech. When one looks at the Internet SM cyberculture from rose-colored glasses, yes, one tends to get the impression that it's massive... and it's certainly the most massive thing the folks at DiC have run into. And they've been around since the early 80s. But, on the whole, I think it's a little overzealous to place the SM crowd at the top of the heap. If the Internet existed as means of exchanging information and discussion back during the heydays of a number of past shows, their movements would likely be just as massive if not more so. > This bizarre occurance is what has prompted Disney to discuss the > possibility of a live-action movie. Hmmm... that's somewhat of a misinterpretation as well. Disney (and predominantly Forge) are interested in producing a live-action movie because Sailor Moon is a first-rate storyline and such a film would have a lot of crossover appeal. The idea has been tossed about for months... and I think the fact that a deal has yet to be closed in that frame of time should tell you something about the fact that this is far from an open-and-shut licensing situation with Toei. The show's existing merchandising tie-ins would also be a plus in anyone's books, but I highly doubt that the significant adult fanbase is the primary factor at work here. Movies cost a hell of a lot more to make and market than the dub of an existing animated series... and the situation on that front is still far from rosy, despite the existence of a teen-to-adult demographic. > Because of the fact that the show has achieved a large following of > devoted fans... specifically fans with, uhh.. monetary power (I > forget the term I'm looking for).... Disney sees a lot of potential > money that they could make, if the show got out to more people. > Consider that the popularity of it has RISEN in the US over the past > year (despite it NOT BEING ON THE AIR) and you begin to see what > Disney is looking at: a LARGE money pot, waiting to be collected. That's somewhat of a skewed interpretation, as well. There are no hard statistics to back up such a bold statement. Yes, there's a lot of potential for Sailor Moon... particularly in the United States where the show has yet to be given the exposure it deserves... however, I think it's important to not over-emphasize the cyberMoonies pull in the grand scheme of things. > This is the HEART of the show. This is why people hate it. Because > they cannot believe that a clumsy crybaby can find the inner strength > to fight against some of the most horrid forces unleashed on the > world, and win. I don't think that's their mentality at all. Most people who outwardly hate Sailor Moon are prejudging it based on some commercials, merchandise, or a casual episode and haven't given the show a fair shake. Any hatred is formed out of sheer ignorance... and partly to spurn on the active pro-SM fans around them. Most everyone who takes the time to learn about the show, watch an entire storyline unfold, and truly get to know the characters are certainly a lot more open and welcoming of the series. I have yet to hear of an individual watching through a major chunk of the series and only HATING it because they can't outwardly fathom that a kid like Serena (we're talking about the NA version here, of course) rising to the occasion. -- == Brad Lascelle == * Roland Parliament Fired By Optimum For Making Himself Accessible To NA Fanbase... Toby Proctor and Katie Griffin Not Returning...