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So the talk of this week has been about the possibility of Naoko Takeuchi herself preventing any possible redubs in the global revival. Of course, this was started by Moon Chase, citing SOS Brazil, which makes me laugh. Here we have what is SOS 2.0 by all means, quoting an extension of the original SOS. Now, I don't speak the language, so I'll admit I can't really comment much on the article. I'll just say that I find it odd that someone working at a local (to Brazil) DVD production company to have such big global information such as that. I'm not denying the possibility that Brazil was not allowed to have a redub, as that appears to be the case for whatever the reason. Seeing that news of this magnitude is usually covered pretty well by other news sites. How is this a qualified source for international news? Also, and please correct me with proof if I am wrong, not one manga-ka has any licensing control of their animated works. So I find it odd that we're literally watching history unfold if Naoko suddenly got that sort of control over the anime, as she would be the first. Wouldn't this be making headlines all over if true? Not just your site?
So that's my opinion on the article, that it has no legs outside Brazil. In the comments on the blog, one of the staff members at Moon Chase decided to add some more comments, which is almost more noteworthy to me than the original article that was posted. Here's the comment with my section breakdown:
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I'm going to try to respond to fans' concerns (but it's been a long day and I'm tired)...
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Because you clearly are the only bridge between the fans and companies...
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We have been told by the companies themselves, that nothing can happen with Sailor Moon without Naoko Takeuchi's permission (be it anime or manga). You have all probably noticed that the revival didn't happen simultaneously, all at once everywhere. It's been happening gradually, one market after another. Because all the parties have to work together, and come to an agreement that satisfies Ms. Takeuchi first, this is why it has happened in "waves" rather than all at once. We have also been told that if something really bad happens and she isn't satisfied, at the snap of a finger we can lose Sailor Moon. This is why the companies don't like rumors, especially ones that name them or Naoko Takeuchi. Everyone has to be very careful.
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I doubt you had heard anything from companies themselves (you've already been proven to have failed on that claim with Funimation at the start of the month), but there is no way for me to prove or disprove that, so I'll go on. However, it's pretty obvious that with a global revival, it would be impossible for every market to launch a the same time. That's just pure logic. No one, single company directly controlled the franchise in every market. Of course it is going to be a gradual revival, it would be stupid to expect otherwise. Logic dictates that a revival would happening in waves. It's just not possible to approve every market at the same exact time. This is not news. And if companies really don't like the rumors, how about you guys stop pretending to speak for them? Companies have, and always will, be able to speak for themselves. Hell, it's so much easier for them to do that nowadays. You claiming to have such connections with them are the rumors, because any actual news that comes about has sources.
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With respect to the old dubs/music cues: we know the masters still exist. DiC has now been swallowed up into Cookie Jar, however Cookie Jar has many of DiC's old cartoons from the 80s and 90s. Some of them, like Inspector Gadget and the Legend of Zelda are here.They can be retrieved again, so this is not a matter to really worry about. It is also possible that Toei has their own copy of the masters. Sailor Moon is not online, because they probably do not have permission from Toei. We learned the music cues still have masters that exist as well, if they are not with Koch or Warner, the original producers still have their own copies. We learned this when we first began Operation Moonrise from one of the composers. We wanted to make sure that there were still copies of everything around.
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Of course the old remnants of the original dub still exist. People have questioned about if it's worth a potential new licensee to purchase the old materials or not, not so much if they're available. Companies don't just destroy their old work when they go out of business, or get bought, etc. Very few things are unrecoverable, something less than 20 years old has a near zero chance of disappearing.
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Again, if I could speak about the court battles that we learned about this would clear matters up for the entire fandom, but I am unable to. I have hinted at it slightly in this article (and one fan picked up on it). It is probably safe to say that Toei had a huge part in bringing the anime back for everyone when it was featured on their Anime BB service a few years ago. So don't blame Toei in these matters, they really aren't that bad. In our interactions with them we have come to know that they are trying everything they can to satisfy everyone, but everything has to go through her first. Everyone is also in constant communication with her as well. They actually liked how we had organized our report and the fan comments into categories as well and it made it easier for them to present them to management up in Japan and higher powers, so be assured that the companies are listening to you and trying to get a satisfying release. However, some things just aren't meant to be.
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So now you want to cite court battles? Maybe I'm crazy, but I have been reading a lot of articles in regards to legal battles in the anime industry worldwide. Not just the US, the entire world. And you expect people to believe that court battles have taken place over one of the biggest anime/manga IPs without any sort of mention anywhere else? What I find most funny is that you use the phrase "if we could speak about..." because you actually ARE! If you couldn't speak of something, assuming you have actual information to speak of that is, then YOU CAN'T MAKE ANY MENTION OF THAT INFORMATION. Hypothetically, if what you say is true and I worked in the legal department for one of these companies you are so in touch with, I would be coming after you for breach of contract confidentiality clauses of sorts for even hinting that you have information. Given your claims of having information and giving hints as to what it is even though you can't say, your site would have already been shut down.
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All I can tell you now is that there is a reason Naoko and PNP are plastered all over everything Sailor Moon. She wants to know exactly where the series is, and how it is being worked. She has control over everything when it comes to approving or disproving something, but the companies (Kodansha and Toei) have some freedom after that. For example... let's take a big one like the anime (and come up with a dumb scenario). Let's say Toei wants to revive SM in country X again, and it was a big hit in X when the series first experienced its heyday. Toei cannot revive Sailor Moon in X without Naoko's approval. If we bring in the new developments of the day, let's also suppose that Sailor Moon's dub in X was butchered cutting out all scenes with Luna and Artemis because talking cats were offensive to X's culture. But now talking cats aren't offensive, and Toei wants to redub Sailor Moon in X and have scenes with cats included. Naoko will give permission for the anime to return to X, but not for the cats to be reinstated. However, when it comes to figuring out what channel the series will be broadcast on, licensing and marketing strategy, Toei can do whatever they want. I think we can call this 55%-45% (60%-40%?) split in control between Naoko and the companies respectively. She has the majority of control, but after she approves something there is some flexibility on the companies' part. Make sense everyone?
Despite PNPs property ownership, they are a very small company. I don't believe there is any sort of PR department. I have a feeling that though Sailor Moon channel is directed by Naoko, she does not work on the website herself, nor does anyone at PNP. The site's development is done by someone outside of PNP. So don't expect to hear any sort of press release from PNP exclusively. Again, Naoko Takeuchi probably has some control over every press release that is released and nothing goes out without her say.
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I'm not going to argue about the level of control Naoko does or doesn't have, because it's moot, since she doesn't with the anime. If Naoko wishes to make a press release, she can, there's no need for a PR department for a company to make a press release.
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I hope this answers some of your questions. Also, please leave a comment on the entry on Moon Chase if you are able to. I am almost glad I haven't finished the last report yet, because I want to write up a section about how poorly received this video game was by the majority of fans, and as well as your thoughts on this development (I'd like to feature some of the comments on the site because they are well written and opinionated, I don't want to take any from here).
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The last time I left a comment stating an opinion that wasn't yours (that wasn't even heated I felt, especially compared to a lot of the other ones), you banned my IP. So I can't comment, and would rather use this section as my own personal comment page. At least I won't be in danger of my thoughts being altered and deleted on my own site. You've actually made me ask more questions, and failed to answer the one I did have about credible sources for your information on the original article. Maybe next time....
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