Seasons 1 and 2
On July 6, 2012, Kodansha and Toei Animation announced that it would commence production of a new anime adaptation for a simultaneous worldwide release in 2013 as part of the series' 20th anniversary celebrations. The idol group Momoiro Clover Z would perform the opening and ending theme songs. In April 2013, it was announced the new anime had been delayed. On August 4, 2013, it was confirmed the new anime will be streamed late in the year.
On January 9, 2014, it was announced the anime would premiere in July, and on the same day, executive producer, Atsutoshi Umezawa announced that the new anime is not a remake of the previous anime, but a reboot by adapting Naoko Takeuchi's original manga from scratch. On March 13, 2014, the new anime's official website was updated to show a countdown beginning on March 14 for an announcement due to occur on March 21. That day, its official website showed an image displaying the key visual art, synopsis, and staff for the new anime. It also revealed the anime would be called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal (美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal（クリスタル）, Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Kurisutaru). The series was directed by Munehisa Sakai at Toei Animation, Yūji Kobayashi handled the series' scripts, Yukie Sakō handled the character designs, Takashi Kurahashi and Yumi Hosaka oversaw the background art and Yasuharu Takanashi composed the music.
In an interview with director Munehisa Sakai and character designer Yukie Sakō, Sakai also revealed that the series this time around was aimed at grown-ups who've either read the manga or watched the previous anime series, and wanted to portray the realistic girls' drama. Therefore, when Sakō was chosen, her approach for the art style for the series was a balance between creator Naoko Takeuchi's recent illustration style and modern anime style, with approval from Takeuchi herself.
In April 2014, new cast members were announced: Hisako Kanemoto was cast as Ami Mizuno / Sailor Mercury, Rina Satō as Rei Hino / Sailor Mars, Ami Koshimizu as Makoto Kino / Sailor Jupiter and Shizuka Itō as Minako Aino / Sailor Venus, with Kotono Mitsuishi reprising her role as the titular character. The same month, Kodansha and Toei Animation confirmed the series would run for 26 episodes and streamed worldwide on the video sharing Niconico website with subtitles in 12 languages on the first and third Saturdays of each month. In June 2014, the cast members for the Dark Kingdom were announced; Misa Watanabe was cast as Queen Beryl, and Daisuke Kishio, Kōsuke Toriumi, Masaya Matsukaze and Eiji Takemoto as Four Kings of Heaven: Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Kunzite respectively, and Ryō Hirohashi and Kenji Nojima was cast as Luna and Mamoru Chiba / Tuxedo Mask respectively the same month. It premiered on July 5, 2014, and ended on January 17, 2015.
On November 8, 2014, it was announced that the latter half of the 26 episode-run will be the second season, covering the Black Moon arc of the manga. During a special screening of the Dark Kingdom finale on December 27, 2014, the new cast for the second season were announced: Misato Fukuen was cast as Chibiusa, while Ai Maeda as Sailor Pluto. In January 2015, the cast for the Black Moon Clan was unveiled: Mamoru Miyano was cast as Prince Demand, Tsubasa Yonaga as Blue Saphir, Houko Kuwashima as Green Esmeraude and Hiroki Takahashi as Crimson Rubeus. In March 2015, Japanese talent Shoko Nakagawa was cast as Diana.
The second season debuted on February 7, 2015, and ended on July 18, 2015. The final episode ended with "À bientôt" message, with the official Sailor Moon website and twitter account thanking the fans for watching the online stream of the series, along with director Sakai and character designer Sakō announcing their departure. The Blu-ray updated version of the first and second season aired on Tokyo MX between April 6 and September 28, 2015.
