We Want Serena: Iscariot sporks in the name of the moon! - Part I

[lian_hua]

I was having a perfectly uneventful day when Iscariot burst through the doors of our astral castle, saying how we need to grab our sporks and stick them into something Sailor Moon related. I thought he meant we should look for a badfic to spork, but he had already found some interesting material scattered across... an entire website.

I had never heard of We Want Serena before he mentioned it to me, so I was a bit skeptical regarding its potential, if I can call it that. Remember guys, we've been to Sephirothslave hell - we've yet to see something worse than that, so finding material to spork is as easy as getting a natural tan in London. I grew up watching Sailor Moon and I was completely in love with the series - I knew all the Japanese songs by heart, I collected merchandise and I devoured every bit of trivia that came my way. However, my knowledge pales in comparison to that of Iscariot - one of the reasons our astral marriage is so happy is his extensive knowledge regarding every show and series that he likes. Iscariot always does his research and is a walking, talking pop culture history and trivia compendium. Which is why I will take the back seat in this, and leave the spotlight to him.

We Want Serena (hereby shortened to WWS) is a small website voicing (and providing some highly questionable arguments for) a single demand: that no other name other than Serena be used in any English dub of Sailor Moon. Why? Self entitlement, nostalgia and racism.


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We start off with the homepage of this lovely little corner of strangeness:

Home

Welcome to our Web site. As the title indicates, we have one goal and one message in creating this Web site.

Lian Hua: Who is this we? Have the Borg reached us?

We want "Serena" as Sailor Moon. We do not want any other name to refer to our favorite sailor-suited heroine when she isn't saving the world. We want to make this message clear to the world that we will accept no less than "Serena" as Sailor Moon, because Serena is Sailor Moon.

Iscariot: As you can probably tell by now, friends, this is going to be a long ride.

Lian Hua: Ok, I suppose people can deal with the fact that you won't accept any name other than Serena... but that wouldn't actually prompt anyone to do anything about it. In fact, since this is a matter depending entirely on personal preferences, it would seem you are the one with the problem.
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As you can tell, this site is in development. You are more than welcome to contact us if you would like to help us make it better.
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About "We Want Serena"

This site has been constructed by fans of Sailor Moon to advocate one goal: Give Sailor Moon the name Serena in her civilian form in any English-language version of the 1990's Sailor Moon televised animated series. This is not a petition for or against a re-release of the old Sailor Moon anime or re-recording its audio. All we want is to hear the name "Serena" if that animated series returns to television in an English-speaking market.

Iscariot: So here we are. The first thing that we learn about this endeavour is that its creators are clinging to the localization of the series made by DiC and continued by Cloverway.

Lian Hua: Just for the record, how many names does Usagi have in the English dub?

Iscariot: Now that ViZ has already begun redubbing the series, we have three: Usagi, Serena, and technically, Celeste.

Lian Hua: Serena and Celeste are pretty good names for Usagi, in my opinion. Serena comes from the Latin word serēnus, meaning "clear, tranquil" and is also very similar to Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, who fell in love with the beautiful Endymion. Celeste comes from Latin as well and it means "heavenly".
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Why did we need to create this Web site?

Lian Hua: I still want to know who this "we" is. At least with a petition you can see numbers.

My curiosity got the better of me and I visited the Facebook page of the website.
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Lian Hua: Doesn't seem like a lot of people care about this. The Lint In Your Belly Button group has more likes than this.
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Because we discovered that a vocal minority of English-speaking Sailor Moon fans had been driving the discussion of Sailor Moon across the Internet. They gave the impression that they wanted Sailor Moon to not be translated but to be brought forth as "Japanese" as possible. They do not want a product in English, but one that is a mixture of English and Japanese languages.

Lian Hua: And the problem with that kind of product would be...?

Click to view

And how do you prove it's a minority? Most anime fans I know prefer to watch the original Japanese version of their beloved series.

Iscariot: Or at least a dub translation that adheres to the character names and the original dialogue as much as possible. God forbid we acknowledge that Sailor Moon did not come from MMURICA and isn't a MURRICAN highschool girl, but in fact a Japanese teenager.

Contrary to the perception that has been shaped by the Internet, countless fans of Sailor Moon in North America prefer the existing adaptation, which included a localization of the names and music.

Iscariot: So just watch the existing adaptation.

Lian Hua: Problem solved, you're very welcome. Goodbye.
Sailor Moon fans who watched Sailor Moon on North American television do not want to see the same footage they watched as a child, with completely different music and names that do not match the characters they were previously shown. We do not want a new generation of Sailor Moon fans to be presented a completely different product from what we grew up with using the same footage of the show we watched and loved.

Iscariot: Oh really? That's strange, because while I loved Sailor Moon growing up, once I'd found out that they had cut, edited, censored, rewritten and butchered the show and inserted all new music, I was dying to see it unedited, uncut, and given the translation and writing it deserved.

However, the re-released manga from Kodansha USA reflected the demands of the vocal Internet fans and for those of  us who disagreed, this was the last straw.

Lian Hua: Maybe they're bringing in the Japanese terms because fans have broadened their horizons and expressed interest in the original product?

Iscariot: Not only that, why are we talking about the manga? What happened to the argument regarding this being only about the TV Series?

All across the Internet, fans of Sailor Moon have criticized the error-filled volumes. In spite of what certain industry insiders have commented, fans of Sailor Moon do not want a product with unnaturally constructed English words that mimic Japanese grammar to the point of incomprehensibility.

Lian Hua: Iscariot, did you have some comprehension difficulties when reading the manga?

Iscariot: Not at all. We seem to have an unknown number of fans struggling with it, though.

Lian Hua: And author, don't speak in the name of the Sailor Moon fanbase. You can't speak in the name of an entire fanbase, especially one as big as Sailor Moon's.

In fact, many fans do not want stereotypical Japanese names.
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Iscariot: Not only does that sound racist, but it's also completely inaccurate! VERY FEW characters in Sailor Moon actually have common (or even REAL) Japanese names.

One name that's common is Rei.

Usagi doesn't exist as a name.

Makoto is a unisex name but rarely used for girls.

Ami isn't a common name.

Minako isn't a common name.
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Umino and Naru are not common names.

They're made even rarer by the manner in which they are spelled.
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Lian Hua: Maybe if you hadn't been so adverse to an inter-cultural product, you wouldn't have made this embarassing and ignorant comment.
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The re-released volumes of Sailor Moon have sold well in spite of this mistreatment, not because of it.

Lian Hua: Any proof? Do you have anything to back yourself up other than your clearly biased opinions? Maybe the volumes sold well because people who love Sailor Moon aren't bothered by the usage of her original name?

Iscariot: Mistreatment? Wow, that's a loaded comment coming from someone who wants the series to harken back to the version that was heavily censored, Americanized and butchered, where characters' genders or relationships were changed to avoid references to homosexuality, where the girls were made to talk with whatever the writers thought was "cool lingo" at the time so the original DiC dub sounds horribly dated, and where entire episodes were cut for no particular reason.

Lian Hua: I remember how shocked I was to find out that Haruka and Michiru were a couple. I felt betrayed and lied to by the dub. I didn't love them any less because they were gay and I was furious at the censorship. The people who dubbed the version I watched even got the names wrong, mispronouncing many of them. But I got back up in the saddle. The sun still rose from the east and I still loved Sailor Moon.
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Iscariot: As Tuxedo Mask would say, a rose by any other name...
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We want to add our collective voice

Lian Hua: All fifteen of you, apparently....

to those who are displeased with the direction the manga has taken

Lian Hua: I thought this was only about the TV series?

and to make it known that to us, Serena is Sailor Moon, and that Sailor Moon is Serena.
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We want Serena as Sailor Moon.
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This is how you look like right now.
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Iscariot: Well I want a jelly-filled donut.
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Iscariot: That's it! My beloved wife, I shall create a website and community based around the desire to see the classic Japanese snack onigiri referred to as nothing BUT a "jelly-filled donut" in every apperance in anime!

Lian Hua: Let's see if we can get more likes than the belly button lint group!

"Why would her name NOT be Serena?" -- Kieben

The author gives two answers to this one, the first being on her LiveJournal:

That is precisely the question I've intended to raise.
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The short answer is that certain vocal Sailor Moon fans don't like the name Serena and don't want Sailor Moon fans who do like the name Serena to retain her name.

Lian Hua: As opposed to you, a certain group of Sailor Moon fans who don't like the name Usagi and don't want Sailor Moon fans who do like the name Usagi to retain it.

Instead, they want to give her an untranslated, more "authentic" Japanese name, instead of letting the standard names stay. They advocate retconning Sailor Moon, which means to keep the same animation, but to throw everything about the audio of the version of Sailor Moon that aired on TV and want to replace it with bad music.

Lian Hua: I don't agree. The original music in Sailor Moon is awesome. But since you seem to reject and look down on anything Japanese, your dislike of the music does not surprise me.
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They're purists. They want to ruin Sailor Moon for everybody. That's not right.

Iscariot: Everything she says and argues seems to be said with the impression that somehow, the DiC dub is like the holy grail of Sailor Moon continuity.

Lian Hua: Funny she should call them purists, seeing how she's the one advocating to keep anything non-American out of the series and making disparaging comments about the "stereotypical" Japanese names.

This is the second answer, found on the website:
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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.

Lian Hua: You are making a very broad statement, implying that the "multitudes" who loved Sailor Moon never took the time to research the series. One can research the series without actually getting involved in the fandom.

Iscariot: There is a reason why the ENTIRE SERIES was fansubbed using the Japanese names: because people did not like the DiC dub! They wanted the original material to be treated with the respect they felt it deserved. Nobody got paid for that, it was a labour of love. Not to mention the DOZENS of sites dedicated to the Japanese series!

Lian Hua: But nooo, the Moonazis want it their way only!
*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.

Lian Hua: Whether she's called Serena, Celeste or Usagi, she's still the same person. Or perhaps if she's called Usagi it means she is no longer American and therefore you reject her? Doesn't that sound a bit racist to you?

Also, these aren't even particularly good examples, since both Batman and Superman are American.

Iscariot: Yeah, we didn't have issues with translating Clark Kent's name over here because he's American. But hey, let us talk about cultural identity for a minute. America is a hodgepodge of ethnicity and culture, so when foreigners or people with foreign names try to make a living, they often give themsleves an "americanized" name because most people don't have the knowledge or just don't care enough to try and learn how to pronounce their real name. This happens a lot with Chinese and Japanese people - a notable example is Takei Hosato, aka George Takei. People find that they have an easier time getting jobs, making friends and getting recognition if they change their name but this is a problem, and it has been documented that it promotes a culture of racism and bias.

People have called out the fact they must "americanize" their name to fit in, so the fact that you want to westernize the name of a Japanese character is sad.

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.

Lian Hua: This makes no sense.

Iscariot: Before I forget, I want to mention one thing the We Want Serena page never bothers to take into account: the people who a). never watched Sailor Moon before and will thus be unaffected by the "change" made to her name and b). the people whose only exposure to Sailor Moon comprised of fansubs and scanlations, and as a result only know the name Usagi.

Clark Kent as Superman or Bruce Wayne as Batman in a standard adaption of the comic mythos.

Iscariot: So I guess Terry Mcginnis and Miles Morales are abominations then? Like seriously, comic books are actually one of the most fluid mediums when it comes to throwing out story continuity and reimagining characters entirely, whether it be their name, race or even gender so trying to compare keeping Usagi's name as Usagi instead of continuing to use DiC's localized Serena to not having Clark Kent as Superman... hah.
*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.

Lian Hua: Usagi or Celeste are not new secret identities! They're just different names for the SAME CHARACTER. The character acts exactly the same regardless of what she's called.

Iscariot: The same personality and voice actor as the DiC dub? If that's where the indentity is at, and if that's the case, JUST GO WATCH THE DIC DUB. Otherwise it's a matter of names. That's it.

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,

Iscariot: HAH. IRONY.

Lian Hua: Instead, it should be the way YOU want it, right?

Iscariot: This is exactly what this website is all about.

Lian Hua: Trying to convince... I don't know, let's say some higher powers, that Sailor Moon should be exactly the way you want it to be. Solely based on your nostalgia!

Iscariot: I find it hilarious that they say it has "shaped control" of the fandom. Sorry, but no. Fandoms are fluid and chaotic, there is no "control."

Lian Hua: The Illumoonati!

Iscariot: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

Lian Hua: So there's a cabbal of Illumoonati fighting against the moonazis.

Iscariot: Where is this idea coming from that somehow the fans are magically forcing ViZ and Kodansha to translate Sailor Moon using the original Japanese names? Fan voices may be heard but they don't have some sort of council seat at the monthly meetings of the Bureau of Sailor Moon Affairs. Do you honestly think that Kodansha is reading your bickering?

Using another name is a gamble, and a needless one.

Lian Hua: Judging by your logic, they should have stuck with Usagi from the very start. And please don't assume that the entirety of the fandom is so incredibly opposed to Japanese elements and as incapable of adjustment as you.

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.

Iscariot: Um. Because we already got the latter. THE DIC. DUB. It was edited HEAVILY and changed to try and appeal to an American market with slang and 90s references galore. "Go bleach your roots, creep!" Meanwhile, the fans that have wanted to see the series with a translation and dub more accurate to the Japanese version are now getting that wish, and your issue is... what, exactly?

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

Iscariot: Hey am I ever going to get an answer on why you're not talking about the names of other characters and are so intensely focused on just Usagi? No? Oookay then!

Lian Hua: Almost everything in a franchise will be divisive with the fandom. Fandoms are impossible to please entirely.

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.

Iscariot: How is this clashing against prior entries? I don't know what the issues in the Star Wars or the Castlevania fandoms have to do with anything. Care to provide some examples so I have context or are you just going to keep automatically assuming that the reader has omnisicent knowledge of these fanbases??

Lian Hua: This isn't even a good example because it talks about new material, not a name change.

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.

Iscariot: What does "new material" have to do with anything? The ViZ dub isn't creating "new material." It's the same anime, just edited and translated differently with a different cast of actors - which is completely different from a sequel. The DiC dub has its own canon so it's impossible for a new translated script and dub to be a retcon. Not only that, what's their opinion on subtitles? Why aren't they talking about that?

However, for re-releases of existing films and games, the games are usually presented exactly as they were released.

Iscariot: First of all, AHAHAHAHAH you have just stepped into the territory of You Know Nothing About. Second of all, WHAT DO GAMES HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING???

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.
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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.

Iscariot: What does that have to do with wanting to keep the name from the fucking DiC dub?????

Since you can't seem to form a coherent connection, I'll do it for  you. Regardless of what you think you know about video games, many game companies HAVE remade or re-released games with updated translations, names and script. The text-heavy Final Fantasy series comes to mind, especially the eponymous Final Fantasy VI, a fan favorite which underwent a number of remakes and ports where the script, translations and names were changed because of the inadequicies in the initial translation of the original game.

Lian Hua: You know, this lady reminds me of Fukiko Ichinomiya of Onii-sama e... and her room of crazy. Fukiko's wealthy family has a summer house and she has kept her room intact for six years, not allowing anyone to change the position of anything, not even a single item. She can tell immediately if anything's been moved an inch and freaks out if the maid placed the watch slightly to the left, for example. All because she wants the room to remain exactly as it was the day she met her first love. She was twelve at that time, by the way.

This is Fukiko right here.

(In the end, someone does find out about her crush, and she destroys the room in a tantrum).
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Iscariot: These things always end in tantrums.
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It is natural for an audience, which was introduced to a product, to receive that same product when produced.
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Lian Hua: What about censored or forbidden books and art? Sailor Moon was censored by the DiC dub, and you presume that the modern American audience will prefer the censored version.

I have a feeling you're wrong.

Iscariot: Again, if this is about receiving the same product, then WHY IS THIS SUCH A HUGE DEAL?? JUST. GO. WATCH. THE. FUCKING. DIC. DUB. Unless you're somehow insinuating that once this new dub comes out the DiC dub will spontanteously cease to exist?

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.

Lian Hua:  But you just said that " The audience does change, and the same product that sold well at that time may not sell well years later. "

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.

Iscariot: What do you define as the original version? The actual original Japanese production or the heavily edited North American production by DiC which, by the way, was only one of MANY instances of Sailor Moon being adapted for a non-Japanese audience? Tossing these terms around doesnt mean a thing if you wont explain them.

Lian Hua:There's nothing wrong with enjoying the dub, but insisting that nothing else BUT that particular dub reach the American audiences is ridiculous.

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

Iscariot: And what about making a good portion of the fans who have wanted to see their beloved Sailor Moon unedited, uncesnored and dubbed properly in English without horribly dated slang dialogue and 90s pop culture references? What DiC did to the series was the modern day equivalent of having the girls spout internet memes everywhere.

After all, not every fan of Sailor Moon is an anime fan,

Iscariot: ...um what.

Lian Hua: Hmmm. I'll try to get behind the logic of this.

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Wait, I can't.

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.

Lian Hua: YEAH, teach those losers at Kodansha how to do business!

Iscariot: Again, define "formula" or your argument means nothing. Are you talking about trying to give the characters Americanized names? Or the rampant censorship? The systematic erasure of the original cultural undertones? The heavy editing and reworked opening and closing sequences? The completely new musical score? WHAT ARE YOU REFERING TO??

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.

Lian Hua: Got it. No improvements will be allowed, so you can preserve your childhood nostalgia.
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Lian Hua: Speaking of which, Grow up.

Sailor Moon fans who watched Sailor Moon on North American television do not want to see the same footage they watched as a child, with completely different music and names that do not match the characters they were previously shown.

Iscariot: That reminds me, what the hell does the music have to do with "we want Serena?" This is more proof that the owner of this site is clinging to nostalgia - why should the music matter?

Can we talk about copyright? Lets talk about copyright!

Guess what, VIZ DOESN'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO USE THE MUSIC THAT DIC PRODUCED BECAUSE DIC WROTE A COMPLETELY NEW SCORE FOR THE SHOW. Even if they had WANTED to use DiC's music they couldn't, because ViZ's acquirement of the license to distribute and translate Sailor Moon in North America does not automatically give them some sort of retroactive ownership over other versions of Sailor Moon licensed by other companies. They might not even have the RIGHTS to use the name Serena - because, once again, her name is Usagi. In Japan. Where the company Toei produced the show. And Toei is the company that gave ViZ the license.

NOT. DIC.