Sailor Moon has obviously been successful in 2D: the manga is a perennial best-seller all over the world and now on its fifth or sixth re-release, the '90s anime is/was an iconic smash hit that's probably the reason most of us are fans in the first place, and Crystal is a great way of reminding us how great the '90s anime was.
And then there's the live action series. Most fans who have seen it agree it's the best version of the series (or at least of the Dark Kingdom arc). Naoko herself was heavily involved with the production, which was praised for its wonderful characterization and original take on the story, daring to take lots of creative risks.
The most successful iteration of Sailor Moon, however, is arguably the musicals: they have a devoted fanbase, and their original run outlasted the anime and the live action series both. Naoko is probably not as hands-on with them, but she's definitely a big fan, attending, I believe, both opening and closing performances of each show. The pre-hiatus musicals featured original stories and original takes on the established arcs and characters, taking huge creative risks. Post-hiatus, the musicals have innovated in other ways: using all-female casts, collaborating with idols, etc. A restaurant show and the upcoming ice show are extensions of the musicals.
So my question is: does the franchise work better in 2D or live action? Naoko seems fairly partial to the live action adaptations (though she refused to let Hollywood do a live action film, and we have no clue how she felt about the Toon Maker project) which seem to be the most reliable source of the innovation fans want (even if they're in a bit of a Dark Kingdom Groundhog Day at the moment). On the other hand, the live action iterations are perhaps a bit more camp than some fans are willing to tolerate, and many of the iconic elements of the series perhaps don't translate well into live action, and need to be drawn or animated to work.
What do you guys think?
And then there's the live action series. Most fans who have seen it agree it's the best version of the series (or at least of the Dark Kingdom arc). Naoko herself was heavily involved with the production, which was praised for its wonderful characterization and original take on the story, daring to take lots of creative risks.
The most successful iteration of Sailor Moon, however, is arguably the musicals: they have a devoted fanbase, and their original run outlasted the anime and the live action series both. Naoko is probably not as hands-on with them, but she's definitely a big fan, attending, I believe, both opening and closing performances of each show. The pre-hiatus musicals featured original stories and original takes on the established arcs and characters, taking huge creative risks. Post-hiatus, the musicals have innovated in other ways: using all-female casts, collaborating with idols, etc. A restaurant show and the upcoming ice show are extensions of the musicals.
So my question is: does the franchise work better in 2D or live action? Naoko seems fairly partial to the live action adaptations (though she refused to let Hollywood do a live action film, and we have no clue how she felt about the Toon Maker project) which seem to be the most reliable source of the innovation fans want (even if they're in a bit of a Dark Kingdom Groundhog Day at the moment). On the other hand, the live action iterations are perhaps a bit more camp than some fans are willing to tolerate, and many of the iconic elements of the series perhaps don't translate well into live action, and need to be drawn or animated to work.
What do you guys think?