With the March release of Naitemo, it sure came as a surprise when it was announced that that the next single, the theme song for Sailor Moon Crystal, would be released in a mere 2 months, which is lightning fast compared to their last singles. Of course, for some it was an extremely long wait, especially when you consider that the announcement for this song came out in 2012.
Originally slated for release in 2013, it was delayed repeatedly and finally came out after 2 years.
Compared to Momoclo’s previous single, this one was different in that it was completely tied-in with Sailor Moon, with all three songs following the main theme. There’s the opening song MOON PRIDE, the ending song Gekkou, and finally a cover of an old Sailor Moon classic, Moon Revenge
Even the jackets were separated into Momoclo and Sailor Moon editions.
Speaking of which, Momoclo has had a long history of association with Sailor Moon…
Starting with the Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary event in France, Momoclo have cosplayed or sang Sailor Moon songs on at least 5 or 6 occasions, including sailor moon events, anime events, or their own concerts.
All things considered, both Momoclo management and Sailor Moon have extensively promoted the association and similarities between the two. Sailor Moon Crystal’s director Munehisa Sakai said he choose Momoclo because of “the similarities of their healthy, positive image which overlapped with Sailor Moon’s world.”
As for Momoclo’s side, from interviews it does appear that they watch Sailor Moon themselves.
……..though to be honest, the association between the two always amused me a little. After all, one doesn’t typically think of “Momoclo” when “Bishōjo” is brought up. (lol)
Not to mention they are nearly devoid of the romantic aspects which the anime has in spades.
All things considered though, the Sailor Moon tie-in definitely didn’t hurt Momoclo.
With the recent collab with KISS, the talks of Momoclo going global has become something of a rallying cry. In reality, Momoclo’s first step towards world domination(?) was probably thanks to Sailor Moon…it is an international franchise after all, with fans all over the world. I’m sure quite a sizable portion of Momoclo’s international fanbase came to know of Momoclo through this collaboration.
As an example, the MOON PRIDE PV on Youtube is one of the few Momoclo videos where there is a strong international presence.
Or consider these two short clips produced by MTV, which even have official subtitles! (as a bonus, we get to have a glimpse of Momoclo’s English….)
Momoiro Clover Z and 20 years of Sailor Moon – Segment 1
Momoiro Clover Z and 20 years of Sailor Moon – Segment 2
Shiorin telling it as it is….(lol)
12th Single-「MOON PRIDE」
I have no idea who made this design choice for Kanako….but just……no…..~_~
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