CodenameSailorB has posted image comparisons on her blog of the Blu Ray release of Sailor Moon Crystal and we do seem to be getting improved animation fixes after all!  http://codenamesailorb.tumblr.com/post/97228665813/tiffanybluesprinkles-found-a-few-more-animation

Wow, such a drastic difference! I'm so happy to see it, though. I guess they really were rushing to get it on air in the first place.

they look soo much better.

wahhhhhhhhh this looks so much better. *o*

Sooo happy how 'fixed' and consistent it all looks now!! Excited for the release =D Although I will probably get them much further down the line anyway.

Yay!! I had a feeling that it would be better. Now if only there was a subbed blu ray

There probably will be a subbed version since Viz said they were dubbing crystal. At least that's what I'm remembering.

they just fixed the quality faces so it's not really a "improved ANIMATION"

Hopefully they fixed Luna's body because these people can't draw cats. Poor thing. 

The faces look better, but the art style is still meh to me. I don't think Naoko's style translates well to animation. But that's my opinion. 

I hope Viz does release Crystal because I am not paying like almost 100 dollars for a 26 episode series. I think the price is nuts for the Blu Ray is coming out right now. Why pay that much for 2 episodes? I will never understand the Japanese anime market.

For those who want to see more, they're streaming "digest" previews of the first two episodes from the Blu Ray release on the official Sailor Moon youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m1Nlp4tkfXk

luna even looks a bit better imo

Don't get me wrong, I love Sailor Moon and appreciate that we're getting a new anime after all this time, but this is a rip. I'm all for fixing animation in future releases, but the quality and difference is inexcusable. I don't judge anyone for purchasing these new Blu-rays, but I'm not going to support it.

I have to agree with Sailor CJ, Yami, and Crystal. I didn't want to be a Debbie Downer but the price for these blu-ray sets are ridiculous. Yeah it comes with some stuff but to pay $70+ for two episodes is crazy and they don't even have English subtitles. If they had totally reanimated the episodes to the point that it looked like the moon pride video I could definitely see it being worth the price but it's not which just makes this feel like a rip off. 

I agree with Sailor CJ. That's kind of bogus that they would put in that much effort for something theyll make a lot of money off but not that much effort for the fans staying up till all hours of the day and night to watch it air online. It's like a slap in the face imo. Like they're saying your not good enough for better quality animation unless you pay lots of money for it. 

Makes me sad :/

You don't have to buy these Blu-Rays. Viz will probably release them with English subtitles with a more reasonable price. BR releases in Japan are commonly pricey, this isn't a Crystal exclusive problem, guys. It's normal in Japan and they also go all out with the LE stuff (the special box, the new cover art, the charms, etc). If you don't think it's worth it (and I agree the price is high) you don't have to buy it. Wait for the subbed version.

I do agree that Crystal's quality should have been passable even when they're airing, but Toei isn't making any money off of this due to it being streamed for free on the net. Yes it's harsh but you do get what you pay for, that's how business works. Plus they're there for a while so no one's asking you to stay up late to watch it (and they don't have to care more for international people beyond already allowing us to watch it for free exactly at the same time as the Japanese do).

I'm not making excuses for them because I wished the quality had been better too, but money speaks and that's the hard truth. Though I still think they should have just aired it on TV for something this big and get it a proper budget. I will never understand why they didn't.

I don't get why the Japanese Blu Rays are so pricey. That's why I don't own Madoka Magica. If Viz releases the full season, ata reasonable price, without all the frills, I would buy it in a heartbeat

It's how the Japanese anime market works. They know that the 'true' fans will pay anything to support their shows. Plus it is pricey to animate animes. It's a risky business. But seriously the price is too high for 2 episodes. I might buy Crystal if Viz dubs it, but I have to see the whole show first. It's getting a bit better but they have ways to go to be able to impress me.

Crystal has already been stated to be getting dubbed, so the DVD will eventually reach other places at cheaper prices via VIZ. No need to import Japan's stuff right away.

How are you getting ripped off?  You're getting the show for free.  As Sailor Mercury points out, this is how ALL anime Blu Ray releases are done in Japan, even Madoka was done this way, not just Sailor Moon Crystal.  Obviously the American release is going to be cheaper.  At this point, I think fans are just complaining to justify not having to support the show they've been freeloading off.  Honestly, is Sailor Moon fandom the grumpiest fandom on Earth?  At the very least, Sailor Moon fandom seems completely unaware of how the anime industry works.

Neon Genesis wrote:

How are you getting ripped off?  You're getting the show for free.  As Sailor Mercury points out, this is how ALL anime Blu Ray releases are done in Japan, even Madoka was done this way, not just Sailor Moon Crystal.  Obviously the American release is going to be cheaper.  At this point, I think fans are just complaining to justify not having to support the show they've been freeloading off.  Honestly, is Sailor Moon fandom the grumpiest fandom on Earth?  At the very least, Sailor Moon fandom seems completely unaware of how the anime industry works.

There is a huge difference between the edits for Madoka and the edits for Sailor Moon Crystal.



As you can see, most of Madoka's edits are in the backgrounds and environments. Yes, the quality of the BD release is better, but the overall experience doesn't change entirely. Sailor Moon Crystal had to edit character's entire faces. I personally can't find a single edit in Madoka where that happened other than artistic license. As for getting it "free," we're not getting Sailor Moon Crystal for free. Unless you pirate the anime, you still are supporting it by viewing ads or paying for services like Crunchyroll. Not to mention of course the enormous profit Toei Animation and other companies have made off of Sailor Moon merchandise.

Sailor Moon Crystal is improving and, quite frankly, I want it to succeed. If we weren't fans of Sailor Moon, this issue wouldn't matter to us in the first place. I'd rather the fanbase rage than be silent about an important issue in anime. Again, I think that later edits in already respectful programs like Madoka are a nice touch for those with extra money, but the SMC edits are really a kick to the teeth to fans who can't afford the BD releases.

Just because that's how the industry works doesn't mean people have to automatically like it and can't voice their dislike of it. If that was the case college students would never be allowed to complain haha. 
*states at tuition and textbooks.* 

Anyway, I really like those comparisons CJ! Based on what people were saying about blu-ray releases I expected changes like those and would have been happy to pay! I mean the box set is exceptionally pretty!

I don't blame western fans not understanding the Japanese anime market. In Japan the quality of blu ray is superior to blu rays in America (not sure about Europe) so they're more pricey. You also get some cool merch.

What I don't understand is buying a box set that has two episodes on it for 80 bucks. That is not logical to me and a waste of money. I rather spend 80 bucks on the whole series.

If fans are complaining about the show being too pricey that means they want to buy it and support it. Even if the Viz release will be cheaper it will still be pricy. Most anime fans are in their teens or 20s. We don't have a lot money to throw around. Yes you can watch it online but it's great to own a physical copy.

Didn't Madoka air on TV though? (I have no idea so don't quote me on this) Again, the fact that SMC is an ONA impacts the quality. Maybe there's another net-only series we can compare it with?

As for getting it for free, I have been watching it on NicoNico for free without ads at all. Plus next episode previews which Hulu/Crunchyroll sometimes doesn't even show.

Sadly I just don't think they feel it's their problem that their target demographic can't afford the Blu-Rays. And judging from how they continually price it that way, that means they must be getting enough profit to not decrease the price.

Again, this is the Japanese release.  If you don't want to spend that much, wait for the American release which will be significantly cheaper.  I imagine we'll probably get a boxset with all 26 episodes for $40 or something like that.

Yeah, my problem with pricing extends to just about every anime series, not just this one. As Yunie said, status quo shouldn't change someone's opinion on inferior quality.

And SMC didn't air on television... but why not? It's Sailor Freaking Moon. Toei Animation couldn't risk putting Sailor Moon on television?

Sure, you might watch SMC for free, but I'm pretty certain there isn't a single member on this forum who hasn't purchased merchandise or other content in the past. We pay for Sailor Moon. It isn't a "free" service.

Again, going back to Madoka, the edits of that show added to the content. The ones in SMC fix content that should have never been faulty in the first place. I sincerely hope that Toei keeps up the great work they did in Episode 5. If not, I'm afraid SMC will only be remembered as a cash grabbing embarrassment.

EDIT: As an added note, my complaint is that these corrections should have never been issues in the first place. This is the quality we should have expected out of the original version. It's like on disk DLC with video games. I don't care if the BD versions are $10 or $100. This quality shouldn't have been saved later as a cash grab.

Sailor Mercury wrote:

Again, the fact that SMC is an ONA impacts the quality. Maybe there's another net-only series we can compare it with?

There was a post on tumblr that showed the animation of an anime that was online. The person was trying to prove that the issue with Crystal being online isn't always the norm. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it. 

OMG these look so much better!! Now I want the bluray... I have no money though.

Sailor CJ wrote:

And SMC didn't air on television... but why not? It's Sailor Freaking Moon. Toei Animation couldn't risk putting Sailor Moon on television?

This is my problem basically. And I don't deny that it looks like they're trying to spend as little as possible while trying to gain as much money as possible. That might be why they don't bother airing it on TV.

Edit: I don't think merch normally pays for animation, though. And they might go to different people. Toei just animates it, so the ones receiving money for merch might not have to do anything with them at all. IDK I just think that's not how it usually works.

Yunie wrote:

Just because that's how the industry works doesn't mean people have to automatically like it and can't voice their dislike of it. If that was the case college students would never be allowed to complain haha. 
*states at tuition and textbooks.* 

Anyway, I really like those comparisons CJ! Based on what people were saying about blu-ray releases I expected changes like those and would have been happy to pay! I mean the box set is exceptionally pretty!

And I want a flying pony and a million bucks too but that doesn't mean I'm going to get it.

Neon Genesis wrote:

Yunie wrote:

Just because that's how the industry works doesn't mean people have to automatically like it and can't voice their dislike of it. If that was the case college students would never be allowed to complain haha. 
*states at tuition and textbooks.* 

Anyway, I really like those comparisons CJ! Based on what people were saying about blu-ray releases I expected changes like those and would have been happy to pay! I mean the box set is exceptionally pretty!

And I want a flying pony and a million bucks too but that doesn't mean I'm going to get it.

This literally has nothing to do with the topic of the thread. This is a forum to talk and share opinions and if you can't handle that everyone isn't go to share your opinion or accept it than that isn't my problem. I've been extremely polite about my opinions so I would appreciate if you would do the same.