Why We Want Serena
"Why would her name NOT be Serena?" -- Kieben
The question raised above should have been unnecessary. To the multitudes who liked the English-language version of Sailor Moon and purchased Sailor Moon products but never entered into the Sailor Moon fandom on the Internet, Sailor Moon is Serena. She has always been Serena to these Sailor Moon fans without question or reservation. To even think of another name for her would be no different than thinking of anyone but Clark Kent as Superman or Bruce Wayne as Batman in a standard adaption of the comic mythos. A superhero and his or her secret identity are two halves of the same coin from a continuity perspective. To break this connection by creating a new secret identity -- while pretending the new identity is the same person, no less -- would be near unfathomable, since entries in franchises that turn sharply against the established precedents are often met with rejection.
However, for the past several years, an intensely opinionated base of fans has shaped control of the Sailor Moon fandom, convincing people that Sailor Moon should be the way they want it, without translation or localization of any kind. They want the Japanese version of the series to be broadcast with English dialogue instead of an adaptation of the material for an English-speaking market, where Sailor Moon is Serena.
Using another name is a gamble, and a needless one. While there are some fans that prefer Sailor Moon's Japanese name, the fact is undeniable that changing a franchise staple -- Serena as Sailor Moon -- is divisive. In every franchise, from Star Wars to Castlevania, there are camps of fans who argue for or against the new material when it clashes against prior entries. Yet, in cases such as video games and movies, where new material is produced in these franchises, there is at least an excuse for this. The audience does change, and the same product that sold well at that time may not sell well years later. For instance, in the newly announced Sailor Moon animated series, for instance, we are accepting (albeit not advocating) of different names for our heroes, as they will be visibly different characters.
However, for re-releases of existing films and games, the games are usually presented exactly as they were released. If a game is remade, it will usually be advertised as such, but no one will pretend that the Super Mario Bros. 2. from the SNES Super Mario All Stars is the exact clone of NES Super Mario Bros. 2, and Nintendo did not release the SNES version of Super Mario Bros 2 as the NES version of the game for the Wii Virtual Console. Likewise, Disney may enhance much of the footage from its animated films, but generally releases the home video as similarly as possible to the theatrical version as it can. In fact, it is usually when creators tamper with the previously released material to add or alter content in which fans become vociferous and disapproving. It is natural for an audience, which was introduced to a product, to receive that same product when produced. For the fans of the English version of the 1990's Sailor Moon anime, they expect the re-introduced product to be the same they enjoyed previously.
The 1990's Sailor Moon anime is an old show. It is old material. Even the fanbase that prefers the original version of the anime is substantially older than that of modern anime. While it would be prudent to keep new fans in mind for a new show, there is no escape from the fact that the 1990's Sailor Moon is an old show and to alienate a good portion of the old audience is both bad storytelling and bad business. After all, not every fan of Sailor Moon is an anime fan, and while there are some who like both the Japanese-language version of Sailor Moon and English-language version of the 1990's animated series, there are many people who watched and liked the English version of Sailor Moon who dislike other anime. The formula used to localize the series previously was and still can be successful, to draw in both old and new fans who like and expect the tone of the English animated series in a re-release. To deny the tradition of the largest English-speaking market for the sake of in an attempt to curry the favor of vocal fans is not only dishonest from a creative perspective, but risky in terms of profitability. For good or for ill, Sailor Moon was released in the English-speaking North American market in the manner that it was. That is how it should remain, no matter how the old anime is redistributed.
The question raised above should have been unnecessary. To the multitudes who liked the English-language version of Sailor Moon and purchased Sailor Moon products but never entered into the Sailor Moon fandom on the Internet, Sailor Moon is Serena. She has always been Serena to these Sailor Moon fans without question or reservation. To even think of another name for her would be no different than thinking of anyone but Clark Kent as Superman or Bruce Wayne as Batman in a standard adaption of the comic mythos. A superhero and his or her secret identity are two halves of the same coin from a continuity perspective. To break this connection by creating a new secret identity -- while pretending the new identity is the same person, no less -- would be near unfathomable, since entries in franchises that turn sharply against the established precedents are often met with rejection.
However, for the past several years, an intensely opinionated base of fans has shaped control of the Sailor Moon fandom, convincing people that Sailor Moon should be the way they want it, without translation or localization of any kind. They want the Japanese version of the series to be broadcast with English dialogue instead of an adaptation of the material for an English-speaking market, where Sailor Moon is Serena.
Using another name is a gamble, and a needless one. While there are some fans that prefer Sailor Moon's Japanese name, the fact is undeniable that changing a franchise staple -- Serena as Sailor Moon -- is divisive. In every franchise, from Star Wars to Castlevania, there are camps of fans who argue for or against the new material when it clashes against prior entries. Yet, in cases such as video games and movies, where new material is produced in these franchises, there is at least an excuse for this. The audience does change, and the same product that sold well at that time may not sell well years later. For instance, in the newly announced Sailor Moon animated series, for instance, we are accepting (albeit not advocating) of different names for our heroes, as they will be visibly different characters.
However, for re-releases of existing films and games, the games are usually presented exactly as they were released. If a game is remade, it will usually be advertised as such, but no one will pretend that the Super Mario Bros. 2. from the SNES Super Mario All Stars is the exact clone of NES Super Mario Bros. 2, and Nintendo did not release the SNES version of Super Mario Bros 2 as the NES version of the game for the Wii Virtual Console. Likewise, Disney may enhance much of the footage from its animated films, but generally releases the home video as similarly as possible to the theatrical version as it can. In fact, it is usually when creators tamper with the previously released material to add or alter content in which fans become vociferous and disapproving. It is natural for an audience, which was introduced to a product, to receive that same product when produced. For the fans of the English version of the 1990's Sailor Moon anime, they expect the re-introduced product to be the same they enjoyed previously.
The 1990's Sailor Moon anime is an old show. It is old material. Even the fanbase that prefers the original version of the anime is substantially older than that of modern anime. While it would be prudent to keep new fans in mind for a new show, there is no escape from the fact that the 1990's Sailor Moon is an old show and to alienate a good portion of the old audience is both bad storytelling and bad business. After all, not every fan of Sailor Moon is an anime fan, and while there are some who like both the Japanese-language version of Sailor Moon and English-language version of the 1990's animated series, there are many people who watched and liked the English version of Sailor Moon who dislike other anime. The formula used to localize the series previously was and still can be successful, to draw in both old and new fans who like and expect the tone of the English animated series in a re-release. To deny the tradition of the largest English-speaking market for the sake of in an attempt to curry the favor of vocal fans is not only dishonest from a creative perspective, but risky in terms of profitability. For good or for ill, Sailor Moon was released in the English-speaking North American market in the manner that it was. That is how it should remain, no matter how the old anime is redistributed.