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We’re trying out a new editorial column. It’s called “Ask the Editors.” We’ve always meant for the Soapbox to have regular editorial features, and this is a good way to get us to do just that. So send us your questions!
The first comes from reader Olajuwan Cobb who asks, “Do you think that there would be an American version of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM) or would it be too risky for any producer?”
 This is a perfect question to kick things off because I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Anyone who’s seen the recent “Transformers” movie might be doing the same. It was a real surprise- Hollywood did an amazing job of turning an 80’s cartoon into fun, engaging blockbuster. Its success bodes well for other cartoons to be revived. The question, however, asks about a PGSM series, and a television show is in a different realm from a theatrical release. They have to think about ongoing production, advertisers, and dealing with networks that are tight on purse strings when it comes to children’s programming.
When Power Rangers was brought here many years ago Saban saved money by using Japanese footage for the action sequences; apart from the strange mix of film reel and videotape, it worked fine since the Japanese actors were costumed. They can’t do that with PGSM; every scene will have to be filmed from scratch.
Of more concern is the potential for changes to storyline content: an Americanized PGSM would probably be so different from the PGSM we know and love so that the only thing that’s similar is character names and a transformation sequence. That’s not to say that it couldn’t be good, however- an American producer could still write a good, engaging storyline that would be enjoyable to watch. But I’d be more apt to call something like that an American live action “Sailor Moon” then Americanized PGSM.
 PGSM had good effects for its budget
Some television programs can get a good SFX budget, but children’s programming tends to be penny pinched. A producer would have to be able to convince a network not only to give the show a chance, but give him enough money to make the series as spectacular as it ought to be.
If we were to measure the success of a potential PGSM series by how entertaining it is, I think an American PGSM could be pretty successful, and I’d love to see it. If we were to measure it by the way programming executives look at shows- the ability of a show to make money- I’m not sure it could be as successful. First, there’s the issue of timeslot. When would an Americanized PGSM air? 20 years ago, after-school cartoons were still rare; Saturday morning was when kids got their animation fix. Then the Disney Afternoon came along, and a little later, many networks had dedicated “kids blocks” for both animated and live action programming. (UPN used to show Sailor Moon and VR Troopers back-to-back where I lived.)
Now that there are dedicated networks to kids programming, like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, the broadcast networks have to fight for profitable kids’ ratings. One of the reasons anime is popular on stations like Fox is that it doesn’t cost them much- they just have to license and dub, not pay for the animation. They make some original animated programming, but original live action programming aimed at kids is fairly rare in the Saturday-afternoon block.
If an Americanized PGSM was to be successful, it would have to move itself into an audience range which justified its budget. Rather then the 5-10 year old range that the show attracted in Japan, it would have to target the early teens, if not teens themselves.
 Here’s where things get interesting, and where once again the success of Transformers shows potential. If they retool the show so it’s something more akin to “Smallville” then the 7:30am kiddy hour PGSM had, a US television network could put it in an evening slot with a bigger audience and budget. The resulting show would have a different formula from PGSM, but a much greater chance of success at profitability.
I’m not suggesting any of this is likely to happen. Rather, I think the opposite: this is very, very unlikely to happen. But it is fun to speculate.
I think a Hollywood ‘blockbuster’ style flick would be more interesting to today’s producers then a TV series for this property. Even though the budget would have to be much larger, the rewards are far greater.
That’s an editorial for another week.
How do you feel about it? Let us know!
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Sailor Moon News 
Ask the Editors: An American PGSM? 