frami.jarret - 2015-03-27 19:23:06

Like many people, I watched Sailor Moon back in the days when we could multitask like crazy, playing with our toys and inventing doll roles as we absorbed something that was on TV. Okay, sometimes we simply stood there with eyes on screen for hours, and that was one of our greatest pleasures, aside from playing outside and our sacred video games.

Anyway, that's all in the past now. As a nostalgic series (that I remember too little for how much of it I've watched throughout my childhood) I decided to watch re-watch the Sailor Moon series.

Hence my humble review:

[7] Story

Above all I think that Sailor Moon has a good story. It takes something that we usually ignore about ourselves -- our energy, in the spiritual and psychological senses -- and show us how easy it is for a misanthrope to steal it away from us. Situations are realistic, but problem solving in the world of Sailor Moon is entirely fantastic, and extremely focused on love and other human feelings. It can be very repetitive and a slowpoke but I'd say that pattern is needed in order to allow the characteristics of its world to impenetrate in the watcher. At some point you are so accustomed to pink buildings and colorful skies that it becomes natural, somehow. In the end you get to live through the story with interest and curiosity.

However, there are various moments that are very cliché, but perhaps not for a child, though. This series really has much to do with the target audience... but pretty much anybody can relate to it, since there are so many different people showing up with completely different personalities, ambitions and hobbies. But well, I guess this has more to do with the characters than the story itself, but everything's related, so... to hell with that.

[7] Animation

An interesting part of Sailor Moon that goes very well with the story and everything else. You get that early 90s look, but even in 2015 you will see a world that exists independent of time and general setting. I'd say it's the ability to 'get inside' an invented world through pictures or animations that will let you see this better. Although technically issued sometimes, it's the sum of a culture that reflects the impact of globalization, but keeps close the traditional aesthetics and values.

[5] Sound

I do love the spirit of karaoke and I do respect how girls love romance, but to me there wasn't much more than that... There is potential and I amused myself many times, but in the end it didn't move me.

[7] Character

Although there are similarities between many characters, each of them remains itself as the story progresses. Sexuality is approached open-mindedly and I think that's kind of important in educating the young. Sailor Moon really acts as educator, except for a few relevant flaws, like Usagi and Mamoru's age difference, even though I go against that. If they were predestined to love each other, I really think an age difference like theirs (4, maybe 5 years?) would be no problem if you considered a different society. We don't know much about Moon Kingdom or when Usagi and Mamoru really began a relationship, it's not too bad that they are actually in love and going to start a relationship despite their age difference. I believe Mamoru can wait, he's a good lad.

[7] Enjoyment

Yeah, I did enjoy myself! Didn't actually expect as much as it turned out to be. I do acknowledge the clichés and flaws. Of course it's not a perfect series, and of course Shoujo anime tend to be extremely limited; but truth is, if you allow yourself into its world, you will see many beautiful and warming things that are missing in your life, and you will probably cherish them heavily from then on.

I was sad that the sailor with the same MBTI personality type as me wouldn't appear just yet, but I was really happy when she did! If you want to get a hold of what I'm saying, please wait for my review on Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: S.

[6] Overall

Although the odds pointed me to an overall score of 6.6, I lowered it to 6. The storyline gets better in the following seasons, and better characters show up. My standards on Sailor Moon kind of went up by then. I will defend this season by saying that it needed to introduce us to all sorts of new main characters, objects and villains, also the concept of it all needed time to get in for certain people. Even though I'd like it faster and smarter, I'm ok with what it turned out to be.

And, I really think there's a bigger message behind the story. I see many important but not-so-obvious issues being approached in a more fantastic approach, so that we can actually meet them at a distance. This most certainly hasn't been intended, but still, if that creates one effect in the end, it can be considered something valuable. I liked it because it made me feel okay, and because everything is so harder in reality, but it is our perception of things that allows the biggest deeds to happen.

daphne33 - 2014-11-30 18:25:08

Like many people, Sailor Moon is the very first anime I ever watched. I bought all the DVDs when I was 6, and I've loved it ever since. It will always hold a very special place in my heart. And because of Sailor Moon, I continued to love anime ever since. The story is very original and I love all of the characters. Although it has many tropes, what anime doesn't? If you have yet to watch Sailor Moon, I recommend you do so, especially before watching the newly remastered version.

schumm.terrence - 2014-10-30 03:18:16

[Old review is old.]

There’s a mindset I get going into a show that I will not get the full package of what it has to offer if I don’t watch all of it starting from the beginning, then proceeding to the end. Shows are like novels in that sense. Even though the first few chapters may seem boring or dull, there may be something later on that will make the time reading the entire novel worthwhile.

With that said, I just finished all of Sailor Moon.

The only reason I ever started watching Sailor Moon was because this show appeared on a lot of “essential” anime lists (and having started it a year ago, I sadly believed them). So after awhile I caved in and watched it, because this was a really big thing for both audiences in the east and west, it’s one of the most influential anime to be produced in the magical girl genre, and it continues to be a fan favorite of fans everywhere.

The plot revolves around Usagi, a 14 year old clumsy crybaby who is visited by a cat named Luna. The cat starts talking to her and gives her a magic stick thing, telling Usagi that she is actually a soldier who fights for love and justice: Sailor Moon. It turns out there are a bunch of other Sailor Soldiers scattered around her city, so Usagi and Luna have to find them all while fighting off an evil entity who wants to steal people’s energy.

First thing’s first: Usagi is annoying. This is one of the anime truths, up there with Miyazaki is God, FLCL is weird, and One Piece is long. When I saw pictures of Sailor Moon before I watched the show, there was always one word that I would use above all others to describe her: confident. I saw someone who was prepped and ready to protect a bunch of people, who would stand up like a badass against the forces of evil while being a fantastic figure to all the young kids watching (And let’s be honset, you have to be pretty confident to fight evil in a skirt that small). Usagi herself is not confident, which was sort of my reason for her being so annoying. After seeing advertisements and posters for the anime showing off how “awesome” the lead character is, it’s a bit disappointing for her to turn out to be an annoying, whiney do-nothing. I wouldn’t mind so much, though, if she developed throughout the show, and at some points in the anime, it looks like she does. She goes through certain experiences that make her grow as a great hero figure, and every time they occur I was happy to finally see the kickass Sailor Moon I was expecting to see. But the very next episode she reverts right back to crying and complaining, resulting in her never gaining experience or growth. In a typical episode, she does her one liner entrance, proceeds to get beaten up by the monster of the week, and ends up getting saved by projectile roses out of all things. The best example of her incompetence is how she has the trump card move to defeat every villain, and it’s shown that she is perfectly capable of activating it. However, she never takes her own initiative to use it herself, someone else in the cast has to tell her to use it. Aside from these complaints, however, there were a few qualities that made her…less annoying. Even though it comes off as annoying, give credit to both the animators and the voice actor for getting really expressive with her. She does have her funny moments here and there, but it just wasn’t enough to carry the main protagonist role.

So the main character has been turned into the worst excuse for a hero in anime history, the other characters must be even worse, right? Wrong. Not only do these characters prove to carry the show most of the time, but these guys have become some of my favorite characters in anime, period. All of the other Sailor Soldiers are extremely likable protagonists and almost succeed in drowning out the annoying tumor that is Usagi. We’ve got the sweet and tough Sailor Jupiter, the loving and hilarious Sailor Venus, the fiery and radiant Sailor Mars, and the studious and friendly Sailor Mercury. There’s sort of an aura that appears when this group of people appear either to fight in battle or just to hang out. You can feel the genuine friendship they have for one another and the passion to help each other out with their problems. Even with Usagi in the mix, the group makes her extremely tolerable, their overall camaraderie just shines. They were all developed well, they’re very likable people, and I honestly have a very hard time picking favorites.

Tuxedo Mask is another character who I thought would get dragged down by being bland or annoying, but he’s actually a pretty funny guy. He’s got this great charisma to him, how he’s this friendly, mysterious companion who never fails to back the soldiers up, and that stupid tune that introduces him is one of the funniest and best soundtrack bits in the show. The magical cats get some good personalities, there are a few one-shot characters who get some good arcs, and the villains actually get some good development, too. Some of the resolutions these guys come to actually leave some big emotional impacts. With that said, there’s still a lot of one-episode characters that aren’t as good, and the main villain doesn’t really do anything until the final episode, but when the show is carried by a cast this good, it’s hard to forget what these great characters go through on their merry misadventures.

Unfortunately, the story of the show takes forever to develop, and that was a huge problem for me. There are so many filler episodes where the villain selects yet another target for energy stealing, the soldiers stop them, rinse and repeat for next week’s episode. There are only a select few that actually provide progression of the plot. Some of the episodic ones get some emotion, but for the most part it ends up being a bore to watch. Let’s just say the story they come up with in 50 episodes could have easily be done in 10.

I also hate the fact that nobody can seem to recognize that Usagi is Sailor Moon. Even though its a kid’s show and you can probably get away with characters not being able to put two extremely similar hairstyles together, I still feel kids would call bullshit on it. The soldiers change clothes, and somehow that completely prevents other people from identifying them. Give Tuxedo some credit, at least he wears a mask.

A lot of fans talk about the overall “girl power” of the show, and even the show’s characters are completely on board with that message. However, as much as I like these characters, they keep on getting captures or trapped or caught in tight spaces when they go off to battle, and once again, Tuxedo Mask has to rescue them by throwing a rose and telling Usagi to fire her lazer. If I’m not mistaken, I don’t think that’s the right way to show the audience the power of women. Maybe some could argue that the main villain was a woman and she was trying to get a lot of power, but it doesn’t really demonstrate girl power if she does absolutely nothing until the last ten minutes of the show. Maybe some could argue that the show wanted to get across the notion that girls can be themselves and still have the power to fight, but that doesn’t really work because…they don’t have the power to fight most of the time. Even though the cast was still likable, I wouldn’t exactly choose them as examples of the “strong superhero female”.

Without any spoilers, the last thing I’ll say is that the ending to this show is the factor that tipped this show a tiny bit towards a recommendation. Even though they still find a way to completely botch it up in the very last minute, the final two episodes are an extremely shocking contrast to what the show itself presented, and I envy anyone who goes into it without knowing what happens (at least in the original version, not the old dub).

(This review continues on to Sailor Moon R. My final score will be given at the review of Sailor Moon Sailor Stars.)

kassulke.grace - 2013-07-16 09:56:55

When I heard that Kodansha USA was going to not only re-license Sailor Moon but Sailor V too, I said to myself:"Okay, this is a sign; I'm going to see if, how, and why Sailor Moon is the most popular shojo on the planet!"That was my goal, however...Another sign saying "Might help to have some preexisting nostalgia", would've been nice...First taking some time to familiarize with the franchise, I quickly came to the conclusion that, at best, the 1st season would only set ground rules, flesh out core characters, and maybe have a handful of inspirational moments.Once I finished the series, I came to a shocking realization that I was 50/50 correct!Tsukino Usagi is bestowed powers that enable her to transform into a sailor suit-clad fighter named Sailor Moon.At the very least, every anime fan has heard that much.Her "mission"(it's never properly established in concrete wording), is to protect the world from the dreaded Dark Kingdom... and still make it home in time for dinner!How? Uh... by fighting the enemies!Who're the enemies? Uh.... the bad guys they send from the D. Kingdom!Why are we fighting? Uh..... the cat didn't tell me that...Can't we talk this over? Uh.... the cat didn't give me a power for that...Clearly, this is Saturday morning-class writing; Who hasn't seen something along these lines?That's what this series lacks substantially in; having a passable exposition. A friend of mine showed me an ep from the 70's, and I blinked twice over how much story was covered. Equally unbelievable, but the points were brought across with more sensibilities than a talking cat!Usagi, over time, develops her signature sentai squad, comprising of 4 that complement her, as much as she does them.And lets not forget one of the most ambiguous, most least attention stealing male character of all time: Tuxedo Mask!Man... wouldn't we love him coaching Naruto and Black Star on how to be calm, composed, and, keyword here, "patient!"And so, in a nutshell, the entire first season has them ward off the evils. Quite typical of magical girl shows in every way, really.Out of the nutshell, we appreciate how Sailor Moon treats the formula.A commonality is using the monster-of-the-week structure. The problem is that it's painfully obvious of what it's used forr: filler.The majority of time we see it being used for.... battling monsters. And not very creatively either...But, in a secondhand manner, we see some form of progression. Be it character bonding, memory recollecting, and plot/universe expanding.Just as you pile on your practice with learning languages, by the time Sailor Moon "means business", the effect couldn't demand any more rewarding applause.Themes of friendship and love are brought across, but mostly in name only. Too much patterns of1. See badguys create another monster2. See monster do something to random character thats conveniently related to a main character3. See typical character banter4. See monster die5. Rinse.In very few rare cases does it feel as good as it wishes it could be.The ending becoming one of them.It lets the major theme of the first season officially be friendship, and the power of it.Final moments will have varying mileage but it's hopeful which just might be the most realistic decision Junichi Sato chooses.I'll be honest, fellas, the art here is dated! Severely dated.I swear that Yu Yu Hakusho, which was made in the same timeframe, looks like it was made 5+ years later!I can't believe that Japan hadn't taken the time to remake, or put out an OVA adaption, because no other series needs it more than this one.Not to sound too narrow-minded, since it does have flair and tone setting BG designs.Mostly, nothing stands out as being gross-out atrocious or a complete eyesore.The best parts are the character rendering. The energy of the show relies on our femme warriors, and if they'd look ugly.... then we might as well imagine squeaky voiced brutes cross-dressing!This applies to animation too; the transformations, the individual movements, and the subtleties are properly allocated, and provide extra effect for the narrative.But, this only applies to the sailors, and seldom anyone else. Forget about boys other than Tuxedo Mask too.Toei Animation, known for reducing standard rendering in exchange for longevity without sacrificing any enjoyment, means that if you want to visit Sailor Moon for the first time, and you love post-2000 art.... brace yourself and pace yourself.Strangely enough, the music doesn't have much other than a couple of stand out BGM songs and a legendary OP.Substandard fighting music, some very simple folksy music, and just a few spickets of early Aria-sounding themes(remember, it's Junichi Sato!).The stand outs are Tuxedo Mask's theme which fits him to a T, also contains notes of authentic tango in it.The transformation theme is a perfect song for doing away enemies, and the timing for it is smooth.I honestly expected a lot more from this category. With the subsequent series also composed from Takanori Arisawa(R.I.P.), I can't foresee much change unless equal change is done overall.After all, an artist can only reflect what he or she has been given. No better example is Yoko Kanno.The score of Darker than BLACK is easily her least memorable score.I don't usually mention vocal work because language preference is subjective to me, but I must commend Kotono Mitsuishi for going beyond the call of duty by personifying Usagi in ways only Megumi Hayashibara could do.Although the story(at this point anyway), are all about the characters and their actions, pasts, and bonds, they convey them simplistically.Usagi has to be one of the most wastefully energetic girls I've ever seen! She's a few short steps away from the levels of Sana Kurata from Kodocha, but doesn't even come CLOSE to how OTT Excel is in Excel Saga(same seiryu though!)But her spirited nature is given with a natural feel, and her charm to make anyone, on both sides of the screen, generate positivity can't be denied or ignored.I've always wondered what made Usagi one of the most famous anime characters ever. And the answer is... nothing much. She's just a good ordinary person! Who'da thunk it?Ironically, no other character comes close to being as lovable or appreciable as Usagi. Probably because they we can't feel as connected with them.Sadly, this means her crew.Sailor Mercury has the least amount of energy, and doesn't have much of a personality.Perfect for those who like quiet, and like their people to look before they leap.They underuse her, which, although logical, probably makes her out to be the least important character.Sailor Mars is, essentially, a tsundere. Pretty, proud, and resistant. Good news though: she isn't a loli, violent, or stupid!(Seriously.... where the hell did they come up with those ideas in the first flippin' place!!!).To those who don't care for tsunderes, you simply will like this one! Why? Simple: She's a person FIRST, and a tsundere SECOND. Don't know what that's like? See for yourself then.Unlike Mercury, Mars is used more, to the point where I'd say she's the 2nd/3rd most important character in the show.Sailor Jupiter is another rationally portrayed character. Tall, trained, and well-rounded, she is the masculine"big sister" of the group, but instead of making her a "I only eat MEAT!!!" character, they show she's a girl too, that she wants love, has many skills that not even the other girls have(including ballroom dancing!), all of which furthers the notion that if you wanted a cast that cries out femininity, Sailor Moon is THE pitch-perfect example.Lastly, but unexpectedly, not least is Sailor Venus.Venus is the role model that Usagi looks up to as a champion of justice. In a sense, they are both very similar, being that they're the silliest. Openly, they are the most girliest, matched with parallel impulses.But, where Usagi fails at being clumsy, and dim-witted, Venus is... less so.Highest compliment to her is that she becomes a likable character regardless of her late entry.Tuxedo Mask serves the deus ex machina "last minute save" device on the surface, but has a duality that strips him away from that superficiality in due time.We all know that he loves Sailor Moon and vice versa, but the real thrill is how we come to learn "how much?". One of the few parts that comes across as good as it sounds.But don't even bother asking me how the villains are, because all I'll say is if you took a bottle of glitter, poured it all out, and find that one last speckle of shine that sticks...Well, that speckle is named Nephrite; one of the best moments of the show has him involved. Do not miss it.Still, the characters, like the story, are just good in name only and hardly ever bring out their potential with real conviction. To me, the monster-of-the-week formula couldn't have been used worse; It cheapens everything. Even if you know how to handle cheap moments, doubtless you can prevent the headbanging that's yet to come.Character chemistry never goes too far down Novelty Road. Several gags or jokes are cracked(mostly end with Usagi's incompetence), we get to know who the target is, then it's tracking it down and do the umpteenth transformation, followed by the umpteenth character battle move animation.And lemmee tell you, IT GETS OLD...... QUICKLY!No matter how much drugs you snort, or how many 4-shot Starbucks you drink, you'll want to spend that energy on something that pushes you to the edge of your seat.... not have you slink back further!As I've mentioned previously though, the few glimmers of "true quality" do happen, and if nothing else, the trip there, will just make you a patient person... or kill you.Either way, you're at peace. XDUltimately, the 1st season does succeed but just barely.It serves as an example in a multitude of areas, some positive and noteworthy, others negative and needless. Like it's prime one: How to make an adaption boring.Granted, its the genre's fault for having monster of the week fights over... say DBZ-style laser battles.But consider how Toei, the master of filler, still made Sailor Moon feel hackneyed..The show perseveres on delivering heart with soul when it matters, and successfully creates stalwart characters that are admittedly more memorable than any loli-girl you've watched.But you MUST have, keyword, patience.I'm sure the best is yet to come for Sailor Moon, but what a first impression.Letter Grading Time(LGT)Story: BArt: CSound: C+Animation: D+Character: B-Enjoyment: C-Overall: C++ Lovable cast of the most feminine characters in history. Succeeds at doing what it sets out to do(a rarity nowadays!). When it has an opportunity to shine, it doesn't pass it up. Timeless OP.- Characters aside from "the important ones", aren't anything worth mentioning. The art is crying out "remake me!". Ultimately more simplistic, boring, and underachieving.