Continued from part 2
Q: So are you saying the English-dubbed version of "Sailor Moon" is perfect??

Tom: *SOS guy* No, close, though. It would be perfect if they let us do a lot of those major edits. That's why we started to edit things in our "What are we Missing" page.

A: No, not at all. As a rule, the English-dubbed versions of most anime shows are inferior to the Japanese originals, because in the process of adapting the dialogue to a different language, some finer details are destined to be lost.

Crow: Lost?! Try thrown out the window and completely rewritten.
Tom: Yeah. They just use the same pretty pictures and write new scripts. It's barely recognizable as Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon.
Joel: Hey the show's not too bad, if you take three shots of whiskey and spin around a couple times.

In addition, due to different cultural standards between Japan and the west, production companies like DiC are likely to edit the content of the show so as to "play it safe" and avoid being cancelled for content issues. "Sailor Moon" is no exception.

Tom: *SOS guy* Like in Japan, they're fine with homosexuality. Where as here in America, we have play it safe and pretend it doesn't exist.
Joel: Maybe we should stop the "SOS guy" thing.
Tom: But it's just so much fun, Joel. They make such asses out of themselves that way.

But at the same time, one should not succumb to elitism and claim that all English-dubbed anime is necessarily bad. In our opinion, the English version of "Sailor Moon", while far from perfect, does have merits of its own, and it does allow the flavor of the original show to be preserved to a large extent.

Joel: Okay, I'd like to say something here. I don't think we should succumb to elitism either. I like dubs, for example Tenchi Muyou and Ranma1/2, and for T.V., DragonballZ. But Sailor Moon is not a conventional dub. They barely keep the original plot. DiC edits way more than is even legally necessary. DiC didn't make an anime dub, they made a cartoon out of a great anime.
Tom: *Clapping* That was beautiful, Joel.
Crow:*Wipes a tear from his eye* Yeah, Joel.

The voice acting in the English-dubbed version of "Sailor Moon" is in general above average, and the voice actors/editors of the show should be credited for injecting some original humor into the show. And of course, all of us love the background music and English songs written for the English version.

Tom: Yeah, but Serena yodels and it scares the shit out of me.
Crow: And Darien got three different voice actors, Raye got two, and Serena got two. Rini sounds like a forty year old lady on crack. Luna sounds like a fatass british lady. Molly's from Brooklyn. *Starts shaking Joel* What did they do to ChibiUsa-chan?? Why, Joel??? WHy????
Joel: It's okay, Crow. They just made Renie a bitch like Raye and got her a really bad voice actress.
Tom: Anyway, the theme song is sung by gradeschoolers in the opening and it grates on your nerves like salt on an open wound.
Joel and Crow:*Staring at Tom*
Crow: Ummm... yeah, man. Sure.
Joel: Right on. Groovey.

This said, we do think that much unnecessary editing has been done in the English-dubbed version of the show. We have already engaged some of the parties involved in this issue and will contact more (in a planned sequence), in the hope of making clear how fan support is dependent upon less editing.

Crow: The fans should refuse to watch it if Haruka and Michiru are either friends or sisters.
Tom: Too much editing? Damn right. They didn't even keep the scripts anywhere near similar to the Japanese. Me and Crow could do better.
Joel: You guys don't even know japanese.
Crow: Neither do the guys at DiC.

Q: So what does the SOS say to die-hard anime fans who think that any dubbed anime is evil?

Joel: Again we don't think that dubbed anime is evil. I like hearing Tenchi in english. It's turning anime into kiddie cartoons that piss us off.
Tom: Why does SOS think that everyone who hates the dub hates all dubs?
Crow: Morons.

A: Simple: If you don't like it, don't watch it! But at the same time, nobody should prevent anybody from watching the dub if they enjoy it and if that's the only version they can watch. After all, watching a slightly inferior version of a great anime show is much better than not being able to watch it at all.

Tom: So riding on the Titanic, an inferior boat, is better than not riding on a boat at all.
Joel: Basically.
Crow: Slightly inferior!? Try horrendously inferior. The dub was made by the same people who dubbed Inspector Gadget. DiC works with cartoons, not anime.
Tom: I liked Inspector Gadget.
Crow: So did I but thats not the point.

We know this might offend the sensitive taste of a few self-proclaimed "otaku" ("anime addict" in Japanese). But if we're to choose between the feelings of a few otaku and the joys and needs of the rest of us, the choice is clear.

Joel: *Hillbilly accent* Smucker's brand jelly is the choice of SOS.

The choice is clear because we know first-hand how important "Sailor Moon", dubbed no less, is to the thousands and thousands of fans who are glued in front of their TV everyday feasting on every minute detail of the show; fans who cried for days when the show went off the air in their area; fans who wrote us telling us how their life had been changed for the better because of watching "Sailor Moon", and fans who were ecstatic when they learned of the return of the show.

Crow: That's strange. I thanked all that is holy when they took the Sailor Moon cartoon show off the air.
Tom: Yeah. I roasted cattle to appease the evil DiC executives.
Crow and Joel: *Staring at Tom*

It is these fans who convinced us that we're doing the right thing, and it is for them alone that we spare no effort to try >and make sure their favorite show will stay on the air (with new episodes plus video releases).

Q: Did SOS spread rumors or lies to fans?

Tom: *Smoking Man* No. We have never spread any lies about the existence of UFO's.
Crow: Yes they spread rumors and lies. They said that Haruka was a Prince in her past life and that hasn't been confirmed anywhere. And they lie to fans by telling them that Haruka and Michiru are just friends when on their page it says that Naoko told an interviewer that they were homosexual and furthermore ......
Joel: *Whacks Crow upside the head* Dude, calm down! We're just here to MiST the FAQ.
Tom: Oh stop it, Crow. You're starting to sound like an obsessed fanboy.
Joel and Crow: *Staring at Tom, who happens to be a fanboy of the Japanese Sailor Moon*

A: We're not the people to answer such a question. We'd have to be fools to answer "yes." But we have never knowingly spread a rumor or a lie. We merely report what we have been told, with confirmation from a second reliable source for more important news.

Q: How successful was the "poptart procott"?

Joel: It depends on wht you consider sucessfull. It was if they were trying stock everyone up on poptarts. Otherwise not very successfull at all.

A: It is our firm

Crow: Delusion?
Tom: Obsession?
Joel: Calf-Muscles?
Crow and Tom: What the hell was that?!

belief that the Procott was responsible for alerting the packaged goods industry [specifically breakfast foods] that there was an audience for this series. Saatchi & Saatchi [the agency of record for General Mills] had its television distribution company, The Program Exchange, pick-up the show after our Procott.

Joel: Okay all you kiddies out there, buying all the poptarts you can doesn't generally get you everything you want.
Tom: Yeah, but, it saves your show from cancellation.
Crow: When it came back on is when I cried for days.....

We believe that General Mills became intensely interested in the program once it found out about the Procott (especially after learning they lost out to their number one competitor, Kellogg). (What critics of the Procott can't seem to grasp is that it doesn't matter if the number of purchases were large or small--it was the ability to send a clear message of the future to media sponsors. Saatchi & Saatchi now knows and fears that the public may soon be dictating their media buys. Agencies can either develop a relationship and understanding of how this new dynamic is going to work or they can fight it until they are extinct.) Had there not been any Procott, the series would probably have remained off-the-air.

Joel: It shows the amazing power of buying boxed goods...

DiC was unsuccessful in placing the show with any U.S. network [broadcast or cable] as well with any distributor and could not attract ANY advertisers. The program had been cancelled for months until our actions began to take affect. (We might have even influenced Irwin's decision to dub 17 more episodes.)

Tom: *SOS Guy* We also think that our procott kept Bill Clinton as President.
Crow: *SOS Guy* Got more people to go to Titanic the movie.
Joel: *SOS Guy* The procott might even be the foundation for World Peace.

The Program Exchange has been very supportive of the show and has gone out of its way to get it placed on U.S. local TV stations, the USA Cable Network and most recently, The Cartoon Network. Further, it is extremely rare for a distributor like The Program Exchange to syndicate a separate 17 episode package. Most animation packages are 65 episodes, some are 52, very few are 17.

Tom: *SOS Guy* *Sounds Proud* We got the crappy small number...
Joel: *Confused* So, they're happy they got the smallest amount of episodes they could get??
Crow: Umm.. yeah. Basically.

They will probably not make any money on them. And remember, all of this is from a company which represents General Mills and places its ads on the series. What has been a problem is proving to some of the fans that the Procott and some of our other actions, were successful. Companies do not like admitting that they are susceptible to public pressure. To date, not a single company has publicly credited us for influencing them in their decision and we would not expect them to.

Crow: Maybe you didn't influence them. Ever think of that??
Tom: *SOS Guy* What we do expect is more Sailor Moon episodes.
Joel and Crow: *SOS worshippers* Yeah!!!!
Tom: *SOS Guy* More shoddy editing...
Joel and Crow: *SOS worshippers* Yeah!!!!
Tom: And those little crullers from the Bakery on 5th and Main...
Joel and Crow: *SOS worshippers* Yeah.... Hey??? What the hell?!

All we want is what we have gotten: To keep "Sailor Moon" on-the-air and to get more episodes dubbed. (The features would be nice too!)

On to Part 4