Sailor Moon meets Sanrio in a new collaboration.
As reported by Crunchyroll, the new team-up sees each of the five original Sailor Scouts teamed up with a different member of Sanrio's mascot lineup -- Sailor Moon is of course teamed up with Sanrio's flagship character, Hello Kitty, while her daughter, Sailor Chibi Moon, is paired with My Melody. Sailor Mercury forms a pair with Cinnamoroll, while Sailor Mars gets partnered with Kuromi. Sailor Jupiter is shown with Marron Cream, and last but not least, Sailor Venus and her cat Artemis are teamed up with the golden retriever, Pompompurin.
While the collaboration has so far only released illustrations of the characters, a new line of apparel and merchandise for the team-up is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2022. This is the second time Sanrio has teamed up Sailor Moon; My Melody previously worked with the Sailor Scouts in a similar collaboration in 2017 and 2018.
That previous partnership was done to mark the 25th anniversary of the original publication of the Sailor Moon manga series. Similarly, this latest crossover is part of the celebration surrounding the 30th anniversary of the premiere of the original Sailor Moon anime. The series has announced a number of other collaborations to mark its latest anniversary as well, including a new line of clothing from Japanese apparel company UNIQLO, as well as a team-up with watch company Citizen. A limited time exhibition, showcasing art from the series' 30 year history, as well as a new Universal Studios VR-movie experience are scheduled to be released in Japan sometime this year as well.
Sailor Moon was created by artist and writer Naoko Takeuchi and was first published in Japan in 1991. The original anime adaptation, which was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Junichi Sato (Princess Tutu), was one of the first shojo shows to be localized and broadcast outside of Japan. Future seasons of the show would be directed by industry luminaries such as Revolutionary Girl Utena co-creator Kunihiko Ikuhara and Bungo Stray Dogs director Takuya Igarashi. A rebooted anime adaptation, entitled Sailor Moon Crystal, premiered in 2014. The series is regarded as one of the most influential shojo and magical girl series of all time and has managed to remain popular to this day. The most recent animated adaptation of Takeuchi's manga, Sailor Moon Eternal, was released as a Netflix streaming exclusive in 2021.
Source: YouTube, Crunchyroll
