Big Changes in the Old Sailor Moon Dub

In helping with today’s article on the Zora Queen in A Link Between Worlds, I watched a bit of the old dub of Sailor Moon where she became obsessed with losing weight. I remember the PSA they put at the end where it says how dangerous it is to stop eating, so I wanted to see what the rest of the episode was like. I also checked out some of the original Japanese version with subtitles from Viz, and wow, what a difference! Usagi’s family says she didn’t need to lose weight in the dub, but her family makes fun of her weight in the original. And the chubby girl says her mom told her that dieting is bad for girls their age in the dub, but in the original she talks about fasting and eating pineapples.

I know this is a huge cultural difference between Japan and NA, but it was still a bit shocking. See the differences for yourself if you’re interested:

• English Dub
• Original Japanese w/ subtitles (turn the captions on if you don’t see the subs)

After-school specials, TV movies, and all sorts of other media aimed at kids and teens about the dangers of anorexia and bulimia were a normal part of my life growing up. Eating disorders are a pretty big problem, so I’m glad they made the changes they did in the dub.