Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS

This might be biased, but this is my favorite season of the show. For some odd reason, this season is the most memorable season from this anime to me. I remember Pegasus so much. The humor and the characters was what made me love this season so much.

If you want to rewatch a season, I would suggest this one. The whole dream mirror arc was interesting to me. Each episode had such a powerful meaning and impact on me as a child, that I think I still take it to heart to this day for these meanings. The character development between rini and serena/usagi really ... shows a lot throughout this season, so I would suggest watching this season.

This won't be as long as my Sailor Moon first season review, and for good reason. This series pretty much follows the Pretty Guardian blueprint as every other season has, meaning there's not more to say other than: if you liked previous seasons, you'll probably like this one too. There's definitely a lot of filler and its not particularly revolutionary for the series as a whole, but, for me, it was certainly worth the watch. Keep in mind, however, that a lot of issues are in fact present, particularly from the few changes they did make.

I'm going to skip past any summary of ... the series with the assumption you've already read one elsewhere or have already seen this season. This season in particular starts out in one of the more unique ways that I've seen. The eclipse that our protagonists gather for is a fun concept that I enjoyed as a starter. An eclipse is the perfect metaphor for something both exciting and foreboding. It's something we all look forward to but is still an event that turns everything dark and used to scare ancient civilizations to death, like the Mayans.

The Pretty Guardians are up to their usual riff raff, which is nice in it's own way. Last season was full of incessant discussions regarding the end of the world and prophecies, so it was nice to see a return to a more slice of life theme.

The villains arrival during the eclipse was interesting for me to see and gave off an eerie vibe. However, the fact the ship the enemy arrives in is a circus tent was a bit of a let down, nothing says nonthreatening as a circus tent (assuming you're not afraid of clowns). Still, I liked how Usagi is the only one to notice their arrival but still brushes it off. Circus theme aside, the ship looming over the city is wonderful imagery and I liked the sheer scale of it all. Regarding the occupants within the ship, the villain trio, were unique as well. They were dressed pretty goofy and don't have any particularly threatening presence, but are fun and entertaining in their own way. We haven't seen anyone quite like them before, particularly their upbeat/positive attitudes. Either way, for what they sacrifice in intimidation they gain in likability. By the end of the series I actually was rooting for the 3 main baddies and even the girls that take their place.

One of my biggest annoyances this season was Chibiusa's overwhelming presence the entire season. First of all, they bait and switched us last season with a false farewell...I still don't understand why she came back to their timeline so quickly. Chibiusa, as important as she is to the series overall, is the character I dislike most, but ends up sharing the role of main protagonist with Usagi unfortunately. She was especially annoying in the second season when she first arrives...running away, stealing things, and putting everyone in danger (not to mention being the sole cause of her mother getting sealed away and the city being unable to defend itself). She's almost worse this season though, since she's more involved. I didn't have any issues for season 3, with her storyline and friendship with Sailor Saturn/Hotaru, but for some reason I really got tired of her voice by this season's finale. She's not a strong enough personality to carry this season and it ends up bringing this season as a whole down. What's more depressing is that the other guardians are put on the backburner so she gets more screen time. Personally I would rather more focal episodes with Rei or Ami than another episode where Chibiusa learns a valuable lesson and discusses it with Pegasus. One scen in particular really annoyed me: Usagi comes home to Chibiusa eating lemon pie. Of course the lemon pie ends up being Usagi's and yet Usagi is the one who ends up in trouble for getting mad she didn;t get a piece of pie...I would've been mad too! Later on in the series Chibiusa even makes a joke about eating the Dad and brothers piece of dessert then will blame it on Usagi...like really? What an awful child...she even laughs about it. Also, am I the only one who thought it strange for her to be attracted to a horse in essence? I like Pegasus and the mystery is interesting enough, but it was just strange and I didn't understand why they took it in that direction. Everything with her was time better spent with a more interesting/less annoying character. Again, why does Sailor Moon need her, a trainee, more than her own guardians...it was such a let down. Had she not had such a big role, I wouldn't have minded her presence, because the other elements of the series are so well done.

Pegasus is obviously the main focus of this series. I'm not sure why he is but it was interesting enough for me to keep watching. I really liked the abilities Pegasus gives Sailor Moon and the other Guardians. Sailor Moon's "wand gun" is a great concept and I enjoyed this ability more than any other in the series. On a personal note for this season, I was glad to see the other guardians switching back and forth between all of their abilities they've learned throughout the series rather than just using the one they learned that particular season only. The outfits don't change much but end up looking pretty cool when Sailor Moon acquires Pegasus' power, but I hated that they only changed temporarily! Why can't they at least keep the design regardless of the Pegasus powers being temporary, which also doesn't make sense. Either way I liked the design so much, I intend to purchase a figure with that exact design.

It may appear the things I mentioned liking and disliking this series were of little importance, but at this point in the series we, the viewers, have seen a lot...so it's the little things that make the biggest difference at this point. The change in formula to Chibi Moon playing a larger role rather than the Guardians, felt significant, as well as obnoxious. Same goes for outfit design or personality changes, by season 4 you have a rough idea of what you expect from the series so any change should be met with caution, otherwise you have a whole season plagued by the most annoying character and not enough involvement from the most beloved characters, bringing the series' overall enjoyment down. This is my lowest rated season so far, which is a shame because there was so much potential. I honestly enjoyed a lot of the concepts, but the few items I mentioned were enough to shift my perspective altogether. I've ordered season 5 with the VIZ dub so hopefully there are higher stakes and a better use of the characters and screen time.

i did something i typically hate to do during shows. skipped episodes. i usually even hate skipping fillers most the time. but god most the episodes were so,,, irritating to watch. usually i like seeing the bonding with the girls or usagi/mamo but this whole damn season revolves around chibusa. it was so frustrating to watch her basically replace usagi as the main character and see practically everything focused on her. and that weird romance thing with pegasus/helios. who the hell thought that was a good idea 😭 anyways as much as i enjoyed the rest of the show this made me want to throw ... my phone against the wall