Ranked #1129

Sailor Moon

It is often true that things experienced in your childhood never seem to live up to the wonderful memories you had of them when experiencing them again as an adult. It was with this state of mind that I entered my viewing of Sailor Moon, mostly from a desire to relive some nostalgia from my youth. I can truly say that it exceeded my expectations and left all those fond memories intact. As with most anime fans my age, Sailor Moon was one of the first series that I watched. It is one of those titles that many people know outside the anime fan base. Though it’s probably not the first "magical girl" anime it does in my opinion define the entire genre.

The first thing that is going to come to many people’s attention is going to be the artwork and sound quality. When compared to today’s standards it looks primitive and plain. The music is particularly uninspired and I doubt it was all that interesting when this show was new. The background music and sound effects feel like they are drawn out of a 80s B action movie. This show could really use a complete remastering of the audio. The voice acting though is strong and I felt the actors did a good job in portraying their characters though some of the performances, particularly from the villains are pretty campy.

Animation wise, the colors and styles are typical of what you expect from this era. The colors feel plain and washed out a little and we don’t have a lot of the detail that many modern shows have. This is not to say it’s bad, because it’s really not fair to compare it to newer shows because the technology has changed so much, but I still think it is relevant. I gained an appreciation for it as the series unfolded and I think most people will as well.

The overall story is something Sailor Moon does exceptionally well. From the start we get a sampling of a bigger danger to come and it moves along fairly slowly in the beginning. We get introduced to Usagi right away who quickly becomes Sailor Moon and starts fighting the enemy. Over the course of the first half of the series the other Sailor Warriors start to appear as we learn more about them and their pasts and building the friendships amongst each other. The plot does a great job of telling the origins of the Sailor Warriors and the reasons for the villain’s attacks. The last half in particular was very interesting and exciting. As a romance there is a lot to like about Sailor Moon. It treats the viewer to a serious and realistic feeling relationship that really puts its modern counterparts to shame. I found it to be the most compelling and rewarding part of the show.

The action is something that just isn’t that interesting however. It feels to simplistic and formulaic. The enemies change but after a while they all seem like they are the same. They get defeated in the same ways and the action itself never gets to be that exciting. Most of the shows battles are very short as well and the Sailor Warriors various special abilities take up most of them. They got a little long and boring as well after the 20th time seeing them. Anyone who is expecting or desiring intense magical action and special effects will be disappointed.

It wouldn't be a magical girl show without the famous transformation cut scene. Sailor Moon has plenty of these, and they get to be a bit unwieldy at times as the cast grows. Sailor Moons is the longest but the other Sailor Warriors are pretty short, which is good. Plus while we have to watch Usagi transform every time we often don’t have to watch all of the others or we get a shortened version. This is good because it takes away from the story.

The real shining light of Sailor Moon is the characters. Usagi as the lead is one of my favorite characters in anime. She starts off as a bit annoying with her crying and silliness but she really shines as a comedic character. She manages to grow during the course of the series and become stronger and more courageous. She has several love interests, or crushes would be more accurate. Eventually this grows into a serious relationship which I found very satisfying. Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask is the main love interest and both are completely oblivious of each other’s alter egos. I always found it amusing that he couldn’t tell Usagi was Sailor Moon when they look and act exactly alike.

Of the Sailor Warriors, Ami and Rei get the most screen time since they are brought in pretty early in the series. The conflict between Usagi-Rei was pretty amusing most of the time though it did seem to wear on me over time. My personal favorite of the girls was Makoto/Sailor Jupiter. I liked her the most from my childhood and that continued to today. She is one of the funnier characters, especially when she finds someone new who reminds her of her sempai who broke her heart. Minako is the last of the girls to be brought in and was probably the least interesting. Since she was bought in near the end there wasn’t enough time to really bring out her personality or give us much information on her past. The cast has a number of supporting characters which are pretty fun. Usagi's school friends are constantly getting into danger and a nice little side romance develops there. Luna serves as the advisor to the group and serves as the resident cute animal that must accompany magic girls on their adventures.

Overall I can’t recommend this series enough. Every fan of anime should see this show at least once. I would love to give it a 10 rating but the lackluster action and sound bring it down from being perfect.
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Note: This review encompasses the entire series, rather than just the first season. Keep that in mind while reading. Thanks!!

When anime fans start talking about shows that began their interest in japanese animation, many people point to the fact that their first experience with anime (whether they knew it or not at the time) is Sailor Moon. It's one of those anime shows that people fondly remember as the basis of "how to do anime right" for future shows of its kind. Even when comparing it with today's new trends, plots, characters and animation, it is easy to notice why Sailor Moon is fondly accepted into the hearts of anime fans around the world.

In my eyes, you could not have picked a better anime to become immersed into the anime world than with Sailor Moon. And a big reason for that is the intricate and well-developed plot, arguably the strongest feature Sailor Moon presents. At the surface, you can say that it's your typical "children rising up to save the world" theme. However, this magic girl anime show presented unbelievable twists to the plot that included five different main story arcs with amazing depth to each of them and somehow, it always able to weave itself flawlessly back to the central theme that encompassed Sailor Moon. To top it all of, when you watched Sailor Moon, it was able to emotionally draw you into the show with ease, where you undoubtedly had your favorite sailor scouts and actually cared about each and every character and what happened to them. Very few anime shows back in the day (early 90's) were able to do that, and though we see it more often nowadays, its still a special skill that is needed.

Again, because of its 1992 creation, the art obviiously seems old-fashioned and not as crisp as what you watch nowadays. But if you really think about, each character was drawn well, each given different physical characteristics that separated each one from another and the backdrops used were well detailed to an extent. Sure, there were a ton of repeated frames (namely during transformation), but what anime nowadays doesn't have them? In all, it still holds up very well, even in today's times.

Depending on what version (English or Japanese) you are most familiar with and most vividly remember, the sound preference of the show could go either way. While I personally did not have a problem with the English cast, the Japanese cast also voiced each character pretty well. The voices of each character gave of enough feeling and emotion, which helped draw the viewer into the show even further. The music was so good that there have been hundreds of performances, many musicals and an ample amount of released soundtracks that have been much appreciated by the public.

Again, one can also argue that the strongest point in Sailor Moon was the plethora of characters they introduced, each one of them having a significant part in the grand scheme of things. As I stated before, everyone picks their favorite sailor scout, and to me, each scout's character personality seemed to fit their represented planet quite well. They took their time with introductions of characters and the development was amazing, with new powers, techniques and relationships acquired throughout the entire series. The one downside people may bring up is that they may have been *too* many characters and with that, the focus is turned away from the main ones. On rare occasions did that occur in Sailor Moon.

Weaving all of this together, Sailor Moon is easily one of the more enjoyable "old-school" anime shows out there. Almost every episode had some kind of meaning towards the overall plot and a lot of the battles can't be called anything short of epic. However, a big question mark on whether or not people enjoyed Sailor Moon was their views towards romance. Love was one of the bigger themes of this show, seen strongly epitomized between the characters of Usagi (Serena) and Mamoru (Damien). If that was something you loved, chances are you favored this series more so than people who didn't find that factor appealing.

All in all, Sailor Moon is one of the shows that started the anime trend outside of Japan and they could not have picked a better show to showcase than the Sailor Moon franchise. With a great cast of characters, a lengthy, emotional series involving epic clashes between good vs. evil and a highly well-developed plot, Sailor Moon is a show that if any younger anime fans out there haven't seen, or if the older ones thought was too "mushy," you should give it another try. Who knows, it just may be right up your alley. read more

In my opinion, Sailor Moon is one of the best anime in the 90s. Only because I grew up watching it and loving it in english.

Sailor Moon is the longest magical girl anime series. 200 episodes. If you want to watch this, be prepare. With a repetitive story line, gender confusion, too many catch phrases and puns, you just might be in for a show.

In the English dub, their voices are alright in the first 2 seasons, but in the third and fourth, Serena (Usagi) and Amy's (Ami) voices are horrible. Not to mention that the English dubbing doesn't even stick to its original dialogue.The importance of it being uncut and subtitled is lost, and you wind up having to appreciate the show simply for what it is, on its own merits, minus the ocean of hype.

There's good character development in Sailor moon. Like Usagi for example. Who knew that such a selfish crybaby would end up wanting to help other people. Or Rei, who had such a problem with Usagi and couldn't stand her, end up being her closests friend. Anyway,the character changes a lot in the five seasons.Though, some of the characters, are like gender confuse. I say this because while watching this in english, one character (*who is a "girl"*) loves this guy and we accept it, whatever, but when we see it in jap we're like "0.0!? that girl's not a girl. its a guy. In love with a guy?!" Or maybe that's just me.

The opening theme song in Jap, is great, it gets you dancing. English, can be the same thing. But, after hearing it for about the 15th time, you just want to skip through it and the design of this anime is alright. Can't say much about it.

So, even though I made a few negative comments on this anime, its still pretty good. It can be a tear jerker from time to time, and it will make you laugh. Especially in English. So, if you're looking for an anime that has a lot girl power, then you found it.
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The first part of the legendary series, Sailor Moon season one, is what many of us anime lovers watched that sparked our interest in Japanese animation... it definitely sparked mine. To those who love Shoujo series or Shounen series; it didn't matter with Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon is the basis to anime today, along with many other popular series like Dragonball, Astro Boy, Tenchi Muyo, etc. But anyway, back to reviewing the series.

Story - Naoko Takeuchi couldn't have done any more of a better job. This gets a ten out of ten. Why? If you notice that many other Mahou Shoujo series are EXACTLY alike Sailor Moon, then you find yourself always comparing the story to being "unoriginal." Why? Because Sailor Moon stole most of the good points first. :D

SPOILERS AHEAD. STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON'T WANNA SPOIL IT.

Also, we all feel for Usagi when the story draws to a close and she loses every one of her friends; and we feel drawn in to her whenever she's in pain, we also believe in her when she's fighting Beryl on her own. <3

SPOILERS OVER, YOU MAY CONTINUE.

Art - I only gave this an eight because it wasn't the best animation of the series, considering it was only 1992, not much about any animation was amazing compared to now.

Sound - Could have been just my DVD's, but the sound was pretty low and not so good... but once you got used to it you could ignore the quality.

Character - Who couldn't love the characters of this saga? If you watched this, or plan on watching this, you find yourself relating to someone... all the time.

Enjoyment - If you love Mahou Shoujo, just plain old Shoujo, or hate Shoujo and like Shounen; either way, you'll love this series. I did, and since 1998 this series has remained close to my heart as one of the best series of all time.

Overall - Pretty much perfect. I recommend this to anyone who loves the Sailor Moon series... especially if you're a fan of Ami-chan/Sailor Mercury; since you get to see her in more action than usual! :o read more

Oh Sailor Moon, wherever shall I start?

This anime was fantastic for its time period and should be rediscovered by all its fans of yester-year, even if we twenty-somethings admit to watching it with shame. There's just something about this series that makes it amazing. Even with its spliced-in cutscenes and repetitive plot and catchphrases, the characters stick with you and evolve just enough to make them interesting. The Sailor Moon series may not have been a work of artistic genius, but it's incredibly enjoyable, a pioneer of its time, and an anime cultural icon. Some day when you're sitting around the house and need some cheering up, check this old favorite out. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
As a side note, if you can stand the subbed japanese version, by all means watch that. The depth of the dialogue is much better and the english version cuts a great deal out. (Also I felt the japanese voice actors are much better on the whole, but I'll leave that up to you.) read more

In my opinion, this anime is the best one out there for a person of my interests. There's tons to learn from it, and the characters blend really well. Usagi and Rei have their own little conflict, Ami is the brain who bails Usagi out of everything, Matoko is the brilliant chef who brings goodies for everyone, and Minako is the one who dreams of being a star. These five best friends, along with Mamoru, Usagi's boyfriend, transform into super soldiers here to save the world. Usagi, who is also the Moon Princess, is the leader as Sailor Moon. Ami, the second sailor soldier found, has control of ice and water and is Sailor Mercury. Rei, the third, uses her own charms and curses as well as the power of fire as Sailor Mars. Matoko, The fourth, uses rage and electricity as Sailor Jupiter. Minako, the fifth, uses love and light as Sailor Venus. And Mamoru, who is the Prince of Earth, transforms into the sensual Tuxedo Mask, who often saves the Sailor Soldiers from the clutches of evil. Later on in the series, mose Sailor Soldiers appear! Haruka, who is Sailor Uranus, uses the power of the earth. Michiru, who is Sailor Neptune, uses the power of water. Setsuna, who is Sailor Pluto, uses the power of time with her Time Staff. And then there is Hotaru. Hotaru is initially a threat, but soon she proves her worth as Sailor Saturn. Hotaru uses the power of Silence with her Silence Scythe. Of course, there's one more person worth mentioning. Chibi-usa! Usagi and Mamoru's future child is aslo a Sailor Soldier, she is Sailor Mini-Moon. While these eleven have their problems, they all love and support each other. I suggest thet you check it out! read more

This anime is absolutly amazing! It's is definitly fun to watch and even one of the most recognizable animes of all! It's full of comedy,romance,and my personal favorite, Lots of sailor senshi magic! Sailor moon was always an anime that kept me laughing! It makes you want to watch all the episodes! The characters are so unique in their own special way and they each have a style and personality all of their own! Each character also has their own special powers too! I have to say that it is probably the most amazing anime I've watched and it really is awesome! Any fan of magic,comedy, and romance will have a heck of a time watching Sailor moon! read more

Sailor Moon was the first anime I watched as a kid, and then it was what actually made me a fan of animes when I was older.That being said, if you're a seasoned anime viewer, you have to keep in mind that while Sailor Moon seems to have a lot of Shojo cliches, it was what actually created a lot of them. It has a pretty standard story: girl receives magical powers to fight evil queen trying to destroy the earth. There's the typical "monster of the day," which makes the show tedious at times, but what makes Sailor Moon entertaining are the characters, and the heartfelt way in which the main story is told. If you can make it past the filler episodes, Sailor Moon has a very epic story underneath. Even as a college student, I was drawn in to the story, which of course will mainly appeal to girls but has merit for everyone. The music is interesting, kind of corny at times, but the theme song will continually get stuck in your head. I would also recommend watching the show in Japanese, not the dub, because this season especially changed a lot of story elements so that it would appeal to elementary school kids in America, and a lot of content was deemed inappropriate for American audiences. So definitely give this show a try. It's better and has surprising depth compared to shows that tried to copy it later on like Tokyo Mew Mew, etc. read more

This should be a recommendation because it's kind of a wonderful anime/manga. The characters, the summary, and everything else about it. What I enjoyed the most is the very first episode. But I'm not writing anthing about it. Overall, enjoy the show ! ;)

Sailor Moon, first made as a manga by Naoko Takeuchi, is one of the first anime to come to America that was actually recognized for what it was, all previous dubs of Japanese anime flying completely under the radar for the ignorant masses. Essentially Dragon Ball Z for girls, and coming to America around the exact same time, it was laughed at as a younger girls' anime. This was partially true, especially in the first season, but as the series grew and more seasons were added, many themes were added that are definitely for an older audience. As it is, this review is for just the first season. I will be reviewing the other seasons as well, and all reviews are based on the Japanese anime, not the dub.

Story 10/10: The concept of a shoujo series isn't new in the least, but for its time, Sailor Moon was unique as it got. A girl that is horrible at school, is completely lazy and cowardly, and is an utter crybaby is suddenly told she's a fighter for justice. On top of this, she later learns that she was once the princess of a kingdom that existed a millenia ago and was destroyed by her current nemesis. It didn't get much crazier than that back then. (Though I will say that over-muscled men that turn into giant monkeys kinda ranks up there, too.)

The characters were rather unique. Rather than do the typical main character thing and rise to the call of justice, Usagi/Serena is quick to want to back out. She just wants to be a normal teenager. She effectively has had her life stolen right from under her because the world is in trouble. When she's starting to get into it, she thinks of it almost as a video game. She fails to truly see the fighting for what it is. However, once the people she cares about start getting hurt and in danger, she starts to see the repercussions and seriously questions if she's even up to the task.

If this were a review on the dub, I would drop it to a 9 over one thing: the final episode. Rather, the final two episodes that were consolidated into one English episode. Yes, the fight against the five sisters and Beryl... that was spread over two episodes. There was no banishment to the negaverse, only death. The fight against Mamoru/Darien was a lot longer near the end. There was a full episode's worth of scenes cut out. In the final sequence, Usagi/Serena actually dies after using the Ginzuishou/Silver Crystal. She makes a dying wish on the crystal, wishing that none of those things had ever happened, wishing she could have just continued to live like a normal human girl. The wish is granted and the senshi are returned to earth with their memories removed, the whole event having 'never happened'. However, since Luna and Artemis didn't die, they retain their memories, thus explaining the unexplainable fact in Sailor Moon's dub as to why "no one died", yet the senshi and Mamoru lose their memories and the cats magically don't.

The only thing that could possibly drag this anime down is that it feels like a monster grind after a while. The monster-of-the-week thing drones on a bit longer than you want it to, but so many anime do that same thing, so it's hard to mark it down for that.

Art 7/10: Okay... I loved Naoko's art in the manga, so Sailor Moon disappoints me slightly, but the animation is wonderful for its time. I will say that the animation gets steadily better as the seasons progress, but Sailor Moon definitely shows itself to be the draft for the other seasons of Sailor Moon. The transformation sequences were beautiful, but save for a few pose differences and hue changes, they were basically the same thing, rise and repeat. Mamoru's one, single transformation sequence, while thankfully short, was a severe disappointment (and the ending pose of it sent me into tears of laughter for a good five minutes).

Sound 7/10: Once again, the grade in this case really is in retrospect of the entire series, encompassing all seasons. While it was rather good for its time, nowadays it sounds like you're listening to it through a phone. Even on DVD the sound quality is just... bad. The music itself is outdated and really shows you just how old this anime is, but back then it was fine.

Character 10/10: I already went over this earlier with the story aspect, but I was pleased with the diversity of the characters. You have a hero who is lazy and a crybaby, you have a high-tempered shrine priestess, a school nerd with nearly zero offense, a tomboy who could easily bench press a truck but is boy crazy, a glam girl who wants to be an idol and has the leadership skills the hero lacks, two talking cats, a dude in a tuxedo with an extending cane who throws roses, a lust-crazy witch that wants to bring back some crazy dark being, four very confused generals who follow the witch but serve the prince, a princess with amnesia as to her true identity.... yeah, it gets crazy. But you truly learn to love these characters and connect with them. They each have well-crafted backstories and are just very well developed. Well... I will say that the four generals aren't really made a big deal of in the anime. In the manga, you learn they were the generals for Prince Endymion/Prince Darien and their minds were ensnared by Queen Beryl. In the anime, they're just her thugs, basically.

Enjoyment 8/10: I enjoy the series a lot, though the first season really has too much filler for me to enjoy it too thoroughly. There are really only key episodes you have to watch to understand the plot. While I know the series inside and out and know what to watch, someone just entering the series will have to watch through everything. Overall I loved it, though. Even after all this time, this remains my favorite series. read more