A new Sailor Moon film will be released next year that will continue the story from the last film as revealed in the first trailer and visuals.
For all the Sailor Scouts out there, the wait for an update on the series is over. It was announced this week that the Sailor Moon anime will be continued in another two-part film called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos. This will finish off the last “Stars arc” and the studios were proud to announce the latest update with the first trailer and visual for the upcoming duo of movies.
This new film will follow the same format as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal and its “Dream arc”. It will be expanding upon the story from this previous film that was released on Netflix worldwide on June 3, 2021. Usagi and the Scouts return for the last, climatic time to thwart the dark forces of Queen Beryl. The trailer was quite epic as it showed many of the notable and lovable characters fans will remember from the series.
The trailer showed off Usagi and all her Scouts who have helped her along the way—including the dreamy Tuxedo Mask. The nostalgia was real as it recounted the importance of how all her friends had helped her get to the point where she was in Eternal. The new visual even showed Usagi suited up with her angel wings. However, Princess Kakyuu and the Sailor Starlights were missing in the trailer, but if the film is going to be loyal to the source material, they will make an appearance and be significant characters for this arc.
One mysterious character named “Chibi Chibi” fans may remember from the original series. Without any spoilers, she will be one of the many characters playing an important role in Usagi’s final battle. The trailer ended with the reveal that both films should premiere in early summer 2023. No release dates have been confirmed yet, so maybe part one will come out at the beginning of summer and part two by the end of the summer? Either way, summer 2023 will be spectacular!
Toei Animation (One Piece, Digimon Ghost Game) will be returning to work on the film, alongside Studio Deen. As a final homage and staying true to the original manga by Naoko Takeuchi, this arc, known from the original dubbed series as Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, will be expected to mirror more of the true ending from the manga versus the original TV adaption.
Tomoya Takahashi (Gatchaman Crowds, Kill La Kill) will be directing both parts of Sailor Moon Cosmos. Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) will be writing the screenplay, with Kazuko Tadano (Sailor Moon seasons 1 and 2) returning to work on the character designs. Yasuharu Takanashi (Sailor Moon Crystal) will be at the helm as music producer for both films again, with Yumiko Kuga from Studio Jack (Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness) as the art director of the films.
Kotono Mitsuishi was confirmed to voice Usagi again as she had voiced the character since the original anime in 1992. She was also best known for the voice of Misato Katsuragi in the whole Neon Genesis Evangelion series. The rest of the Crystal cast and crew are expected to return, but no further announcements have been made on new characters introduced in this arc.
Based on what I remembered from this final arc in the original series, the 90s adaptation ended in a fairly epic ending with Usagi fighting Galaxia. It really showed the test of growing up and learning the true power of friendship Usagi built with everyone along the way. I can only imagine how Cosmos will be able to rachet up the final scene even more! Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal is currently available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
