When you’re the savior of the galaxy, it is hard to get bogged down by haters, but Sailor Moon did get some flack when it first came to the U.S. The popular anime was subjected to some intense censorship practices before it could ever reach Toonami, and that is why many otakus still don’t know about one of Sailor Moon‘s biggest couples.
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Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were a couple. Yes, really.
When Sailor Moon S was brought to America, censors were unsure of how to react to Amara and Michelle at first. The anime itself never made reference to their tender moments, but the originalmanga heavily implied the scouts were lesbians and in a romantic relationship with one another.
For U.S. fans, they were led to believe Amara and Michelle were simply close cousins. Some of Sailor Uranus’ flirting was kept intact if it was directed towards a male character like Tuxedo Mask, and her tomboyish looks were left untouched. However, Sailor Moon S had for more intrusive censorship placed on it in other countries.
If you watched Russia’s dub of the anime, then you grew up with one very skewed take of Amara. Russia and Hungary edited the anime so that Amara was a man who simply transforms into a woman when Sailor Neptune is needed. The edit was a major one to make, but Sailor Moon S at least got aired. Albania simply chose to skip over the anime’s third and fifth seasons thanks to the LGBTQ+ couple’s presence.
A few countries did choose to keep Amara and Michelle’s romance public, but the decision was not made without controversy. The anime’s Mexican dub kept the two’s relationship as is, but parental groups rallied for the series to be boycotted. Brazil also kept the romance alive, and Japan did with its own brand of controversy. Fans might have assumed Sailor Moon S‘ target audience would be fine with the adaptation, but Japanese fans did heavily protest the decision.
Technology has since helped educate dub fans about Sailor Moon‘s inconsistencies, and the show’s treatment of LGBTQ+ issues continues to be a hot topic amongst fans. Did you ever suspect Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were more than friends even when watching your country’s dub? Hit us up on Twitter @Comicbook or @MeganPetersCB to let us know!
