The Controversial 'Sailor Moon' Episode That Faced a 19-Year Ban

The Big Picture

After decades of waiting and speculation, international fans finally got to see the long-awaited 67th episode of Sailor Moon, which had been banned for 19 years.

The episode, named "The Beach, the Island, and a Vacation: The Guardians' Break," is a non-essential installment that showcases the Sailor Guardians enjoying a beach vacation without any contentious or forbidden elements.

While certain viewers found the episode endearing and entertaining, others deemed it unproductive as it did not contribute significantly to the overarching plot. Despite this, Sailor Moon remains internationally revered for its depictions of love, feminism, and friendship.

Sailor Moon, a beloved manga and anime series, has captivated audiences for decades. Following the adventures of Usagi Tsukino, a young girl with supernatural powers, the series has inspired countless magical girl media. Originally released in 1995, the English dubbed version faced heavy censorship and editing, leading to the exclusion of certain episodes, including the infamous "banned" episode 67. This episode, titled "The Beach, the Island and a Vacation: The Guardians' Break," was eagerly awaited by international fans and was finally released years later by Viz Media. The episode's delayed release raised questions about its controversial content and whether it lived up to the hype after a 21-year wait.

Sailor Moon

A group of schoolgirls discover they are incarnations of super-powered alien princesses, and use their abilities to defend the earth.

Release Date September 11, 1995

Cast Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, Emi Shinohara, Rica Fukami, Tôru Furuya, Keiko Han, Johnny Yong Bosch

Main Genre Animation

Genres Animation, Action, children, Fantasy

Seasons 4

How Did DiC Entertainment Lose Episode 67 of 'Sailor Moon'​​​​​?

The fantasy anime, Sailor Moon, is comprised of five seasons: Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon SuperS, and Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. Originally produced and animated by Toei Animation, the Super Sentai series first aired on March 7th, 1992. Due to its immense popularity, DiC Entertainment (a former subsidiary of Disney) decided to seize the success of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and engaged in a bidding war against Toon Makers for the rights to the anime's first two seasons. They intended to release an English dub in North America. Optimum Productions, hired by DiC Entertainment for the initial dubbing edits, received most of the blame for the notorious changes made to the show.

In order to meet the minimum requirement for syndication in America, which was 65 episodes, DiC had to restructure the original Sailor Moon to fit their own format for Season 1. They removed episodes 2, 5, 6, 20, and 42 of the first season, combining episodes 45 and 46. However, they only cut one episode from Sailor Moon R, which was episode 67. The reason for these edits was the perceived unsuitability of violent or sexually themed content for children. Naturally, these alterations affected the overall storytelling, leaving North American fans eager to uncover the missing episodes.

In 1998, DiC Entertainment handed over the final 17 episodes of Season 2 to Cartoon Network, but their involvement with Sailor Moon continued. A few years later, Cloverway took over the dubbing responsibilities and received praise from fans for staying true to the original scripts. Despite some inconsistencies caused by rushed production, Cloverway partnered with Pioneer Entertainment to release uncut DVDs of Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon Super S. However, fans were disappointed that the uncut versions of the first and second seasons were not being released due to a frustrating situation.

Around the early 2000s, ADV Films entered the scene and reached out to Toei Animation, Sailor Moon's partner company, in an attempt to release the uncut versions of Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R. ADV already had a legal agreement with DiC to release the edited versions of the anime, which gave them access to all the master tapes of the original Japanese episodes. This meant that international fans would finally have the opportunity to watch the subtitled episodes, including the ones that were skipped, on DVD. However, the nightmare did not end there.

DiC Entertainment lost the original tape for episode 67, and Toei Animation refused to provide a new copy due to the need for a new license agreement. Speculation arose that Toei Animation had ulterior motives and wanted Sailor Moon to fail overseas, as they were focused on creating a live-action adaptation in Japan called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. The intention was to sell both the live-action and original anime as a package to international companies, but this plan never came to fruition.

Fans were disappointed with the result when ADV released subtitled DVD sets. The DVDs were of poor quality and did not include the controversial 67th episode. A loyal fan shared her experience on a Sailor Moon Forum, expressing dissatisfaction with the English version that was heavily edited and incomplete for almost a decade. When a subtitled version was finally released, it had low video quality, omitted episode 67, did not include episode previews, and had numerous video and audio errors. The Pioneer release was an improvement but still had missing episode previews and incorrect opening credits. Despite the challenges in obtaining licenses, the iconic anime ceased production in the U.S. in 2005 and remained unavailable in the market for over a decade.

Viz Media Saves the Day, but Did Censorship Ruin the 'Sailor Moon' Experience?

The international distribution of Sailor Moon faced extensive censorship, primarily attributed to DiC Entertainment. However, various animation companies also contributed to altering elements of the show, resulting in a diluted version of the beloved "Pretty Guardian." In order to cater to the American audience, the dubbed version frequently eliminated Japanese cultural references. For instance, Mamoru Chiba, also known as Tuxedo Man, referred to Usagi as "odango," a Japanese dumpling. However, the dubbed version changed this nickname to "meatball head." Alongside this, Looper reported that billboard signs written in Japanese were replaced with blank screens, while main character names were Americanized for easier pronunciation. Usagi became Serena, Ami was transformed into Amy, and Mamoru was called Darien.

Furthermore, the American edits of Sailor Moon often involved coloring in the bathwater during brief bathing scenes, removing violent sequences involving children, and erasing any traces of gender fluidity and LGBTQIA+ characters. Offering insights into these bizarre alterations, Sara Roncero-Menendez from The Huffington Post sheds light on the reasoning behind these identity changes.

In the version that aired on American screens courtesy of DiC, Amara and Michelle, who transformed into Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune respectively, were introduced in 2000 as "cousins," but their behavior did not resemble that of normal cousins. They were constantly together, affectionate towards each other, and were even willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. Although I loved my cousins, I wondered if my love for them would be enough to endanger the entire world. This feeling of unease lingered, despite my young age and lack of experience with romantic relationships.

Nevertheless, despite the ongoing censorship, fans all over the world remained dedicated to the anime and even took it upon themselves to create fan subs of Sailor Moon that circulated on the internet. Their perseverance was eventually rewarded on May 16, 2014. Viz Media, a North American distributor of anime and manga, acquired the rights to Sailor Moon, completely revolutionizing the series. Viz Media had plans to restore the 89 missing episodes of Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R, release the final season, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, in America (including the three films and specials with an English-language dub), and make all seasons accessible for digital streaming. This meant that fans would be able to enjoy every episode of Sailor Moon without any edits or omissions. And the most exciting part of it all? The long-awaited and controversial 67th episode was finally available for the world to watch.

Was the 67th Episode of 'Sailor Moon' Worth the 19-Year Ban?