With the 30th anniversary of the Sailor Moon anime upon us, there’s been the usual news of pop-ups and merch tie-ins to keep fans on their toes. But during a special program for the anniversary, it was announced that the final arc of the series, the “Shadow Galactica” arc would be receiving its own two-part movie. The project, which is titled Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos the Movie, is slated for release in Summer 2023. A new website, trailer, and visual were released alongside the news.
The fact that the final arc is getting a movie of this caliber is truly thirty years in the making. While Viz Media did release the “Sailor Moon Sailor Stars” arc on DVD in 2019, this version of the arc will most likely be the closest in comparison to the manga. Given the gravitas of the final arc’s twist, having a movie that won’t worry about cutting the reality of that out has been worth the wait.
All original staff and cast are returning from the previous Sailor Moon Eternal films, including original anime character designer Kazuko Tadano. While the series reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal, and the two-part “Dark Moon Arc” movies, Sailor Moon Eternal are currently available to stream on Netflix, there’s no word yet on whether Sailor Moon Cosmos will be available on streaming platforms after its release.
All in all, from the trailer alone, this movie looks like a stunning finish for the series reboot and a fitting way to celebrate the anime’s 30th anniversary. Going forward, it’s fairly hard to predict what future anniversaries for the series will hold. Will the franchise keep banking on nostalgia as time marches forward, or will something new be created? From a personal standpoint, it might be a boon for the franchise to do something similar to what Pokémon is currently doing with its web-series Pokemon Evolutions. Following any of the Senshi or expanding on the small bits of lore we’d been given throughout the original series could breathe fresh life into the series. And since the series tends to run the course between comedy, drama, romance, and slice of life, any moment is really up for grabs.
Source: Anime News Network
