Sailor Moon Blu-ray on the Rise

This week’s spate of anime Blu-ray classics precedes the release of one of the genre’s most anticipated titles on the format, Sailor Moon.

Madman Entertainment has “one of the most beloved and iconic anime series ever made” for distribution in Australia and New Zealand on DVD, Blu-ray and digital platforms.

The anime series was inspired by the bestselling manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi and tells the story of Usagi Tsukino, a clumsy but kind-hearted teenage girl who transforms into the powerful guardian of love and justice, Sailor Moon.

Meeting allies along the way who share similar fates, Usagi and her team of planetary Sailor Guardians fight to protect the universe from forces of evil and total annihilation.

The Madman deal sees the release of all 200 episodes of the original series, the three feature films and additional specials — plus the previously unavailable series Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon Super S and Sailor Moon Sailor Star.

The uncut and uncensored release of Sailor Moon will feature its original, un-cropped 4:3 aspect ratio, along with all original Japanese character names, story elements and relationships, as well as an all-new uncut English dub with a new voice cast.

The first 12 episodes of Sailor Moon (along with a new series, Sailor Moon Crystal) can be viewed on AnimeLab.com, with subsequent episodes from season one and other seasons to follow throughout 2015. 

Sailor Moon will also receive a deluxe DVD and Blu-Ray release in 2015. 

Meanwhile, out this week from Madman are:

• Grave of the Fireflies
• Lupin III: The Castle of Caglistro
• Howl’s Moving Castle
• Kiki’s Delivery Service – 25th Anniversary Limited Edition
• The Wind Rises (Limited Edition)
• Ghost in the Shell 25th Anniversary Edition.