The Anime Otaku Reviews: Review | Anime

SAILOR MOON : 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino (or Serena Tsukino in the English
dub) is an ordinary schoolgirl who hates school and longs to hang out with
friends and play at the arcade rather than study. One day on the way to
school, she saves a cat from being bullied by a group of boys. The cat,
named Luna, who can also talk, approaches Usagi at her house and reveals
that Usagi is a "Sailor Scout", a powerful warrior capable of defeating
supernatural enemies that terrorize her city searching for powers that will
enable them to overtake the planet.

Sailor Moon is the anime that many say, myself included, paved the way for shojo animes. Creators of anime all over try to harness the audience in the way Sailor Moon did and have even tried to indistinctly mimick the Sailor Senshi (Tokyo Mew Mew and Wedding Peach are looking all too suspicious) but naturally aren't able to grasp the same magic that Sailor Moon brought the Japanese Film industries. Because of its wide popularity, the Sailor Moon manga was made into a multi-season anime and even into a number of musicals, and made hundreds of different products from very common to extremely rare. The dolls, once sold in major toy stores, are now expensive collector's items that are hardly even seen on eBay.

Sailor Moon was the reason I first began to experiment with anime. It's not hard for adults and children alike to wrap themselves around the anime, and a person can never worry about the lack of originality in the show. The transformation sequences for each of the Sailor Scouts are different and unique depending on which element a Scout has under their control. Even each attack made by the Scouts have their own special sequences and physical activations that keep the viewers in tune with the battles.

Even though it gets very tiring and nearly impossible to watch the entire series season by season without missing an episode, it still keeps its same humor and never runs dry of abilities, or enemies for that matter. One thing it does run dry of, however, are motives and results. The further the show goes, especially when it moves into the Diamond Heart Snatchers and the Dead Moon Circus, the more we begin to realize that the battles between the Scouts and the enemies are all too familiar. The enemies continue to be defeated the same old way, and it becomes way too predictable. It becomes quite obviously that the producers are running out of ideas.

Nevertheless, this is a excellent show for anyone. If you intend to let children view this, definitely look into the American dub. Because Japan is not disturbed by sensitive issues like homosexuality and nudity as America is, it is not at all uncommon to be faced with these in any original Japanese dub. Sailor Moon was widely edited for its content before being released to the American public, eliminating homosexuality and even the smallest amounts of violence. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, a lesbian couple in the original dub, are changed to cousins in which they are on close terms. Zoycite, a male character, is made female to in order to make his relationship with Kunzite (Malachite) male-female. A small slap from Sailor Mars to Sailor Moon is removed from an episode, and even some scenes of the characters sticking their tongues out at each other are removed. I find it really interesting, however, that when the series introduces the Diamond Heart Snatchers, Dr. Tomoe's assistant Kaorinite remains unaltered, and I feel the most concerned with her. I've never seen a cleavage like the one found on Kaorinite. For that reason, if you're introducing Sailor Moon to a child, these are episodes I suggest you avoid.

Sailor Moon widely altered the anime universe and continues to bring people into the world of anime. If you want to broaden your anime horizons, this is one you won't want to miss.

Overall Rating:
/ 5