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Sailor Moon Crystal Season III Videos Preview Animation, Theme Songs

The official Sailor Moon YouTube channel began streaming three videos on Saturday for the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III television anime series. The first video previews the show's animation, while the second video previews Etsuko Yakushimaru's opening theme song "New Moon ni Aishite" (Fall In Love With The New Moon), and the third video previews Sailor Uranus (Junko Minagawa) and Sailor Neptune's (Sayaka Ohara) first ending theme song "eternal eternity."

Additionally, Toei Animation confirmed with ANN on Saturday that the third season will have 13 episodes.

The stage event at AnimeJapan on Saturday additionally confirmed the following cast members:

Misato Fukuen as Chibiusa/Sailor Chibi Moon
Youhei Oobayashi as Artemis
Shoko Nakagawa as Diana

In addition to the first ending theme song, Chibiusa (as voiced by Misato Fukuen) sings the second ending theme song "Otome no Susume" (Maiden's Advice), while Tuxedo Kamen (Kenji Nojima) sings the third ending theme song "Eien Dake ga Futari o Kakeru" (Only Eternity Brings the Two Together). Mitsuko Horie and Momoiro Clover Z will also sing additional versions of the opening theme song.

The third season will focus on the Death Busters arc (also called the Infinity arc), adapting the arc from the fifth and sixth volumes of the complete edition of Naoko Takeuchi's original Sailor Moon manga.

Kotono Mitsuishi continues to reprise the starring title role for the third season. Other returning cast members for the third season include:

• Hisako Kanemoto as Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury
• Rina Satou as Rei Hino/Sailor Mars
• Ami Koshimizu as Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter
• Shizuka Itou as Minako Aino/Sailor Venus
• Ryou Hirohashi as Luna
• Kenji Nojima as Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru Chiba

New cast members include:

• Junko Minagawa as Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus
• Sayaka Ohara as Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune
• Yukiyo Fujii as Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn
• Hikari Yono as Kaolinite
• Takuya Kirimoto as Professor Tomoe
• Takaya Hashi as Pharaoh 90
• Yuki Nagaku as Mimete
• Chiaki Takahashi as Eudial
• Rina Hon'izumi as Viluy
• Naomi Ozora as Tellu
• Umeka Shouji as Cyprine

The third season will feature new staff. Chiaki Kon (Nodame Cantabile: Paris, Junjō Romantica, Golden Time) will take over from Munehisa Sakai in directing the anime. Akira Takahashi (Dokidoki! Precure, Suite Precure character design, Sailor Moon Crystal episode animation director) will take over from Yukie Sako in drawing the character designs. Yūji Kobayashi is still in charge of the series' scripts. Takashi Kurahashi is returning as art director, and Yasuharu Takanashi is returning to compose the music. King Records will once again produce the music, and Toei Animation will again animate the series.

The show will premiere on Tokyo MX on April 4 at 11:00 p.m., and will then air on Sun TV, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, TV Hokkaido, TV Aichi, and BS11.

Crunchyroll, Niconico, Hulu, and other services streamed the first two Sailor Moon Crystal seasons overseas as they debuted online in Japan. Viz Media licensed both seasons for release in North America.