Even today Sailor Moon is still a very enjoyable anime. Though not without flaws, it’s a classic still worth viewing. Sailor moon is the story of Usagi Tsukino, a normal, clutzy, fourteen year old middle schooler with awful grades. One day she saves a cat from being harassed by some kids. The cat, named Luna, later gives her a magical artifact which gives her the power to turn into the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. She is later joined by other girls, Makoto, Rei, Ami, and Minako, who all band together to fight the Dark Kingdom, evil supernatural entities who seek to suck the energy from humans. At first, the premise sounds a little typical, maybe even a little silly.
The “teenagers saving the world with superpowers” premise should be a very familiar concept to any anime fan, new or old. The story itself isn’t really much to write home about, though it’s not terrible either. It walks a funny line between shounen and shojo, showcasing intense fight scenes and drama while also having light hearted moments and romance. A lot of the episodes also contain little messages and lessons in them, akin to something we’d see in your typical Saturday morning cartoons for kids.
Each episode focuses on the girls fighting a different Youma, so the anime is mostly episodic. Each episode pits the girls against a new Youma, requiring them to transform and defeat the enemy. The battle scenes follow a specific pattern: Youma appears, girls transform, dodge Youma’s attack a little, and then defeats Youma with their powers. Sometimes Tuxedo Mask will appear to give the girls a hand. Only in the last few episodes is the pattern broken, showcasing the best fight scene in the entire show. It’s understandable that they would save the best for last but one has to wonder why they couldn’t give the earlier fights even a fraction of the last fight’s pizazz. The individual episode’s villains aren’t very memorable and they usually go down pretty quickly. The recurring villains aren’t much better, being cartoonishly evil and hardly memorable as well.
However, the main characters are where this anime really shines. The main girls are all unique individuals with distinct personalities. There’s the clumsy and silly Usagi, the shy but intelligent Rei, the brawny tomboy Makoto, the bold and beautiful Rei, and the responsible and cool Minako. You’re going to end up loving at least one of the girls. Although they fight evil in tiny miniskirts at night, the anime also puts a spot light on their personal lives, including their love lives, crushes, pasts, personal struggles, and relationships. They’re all feminine and girly in their own little way, but they’re also strong, cooperative, and compassionate. These characters exemplify girl power.
There are also some fun side characters that include Usagi’s classmates, an arcade employee named Motoki, and Mamoru who is forever teasing Usagi. Seeing the character’s interact is always fun too, especially the hilarious bickering between Usagi and Rei. Other characters like Makoto do silly things as well, like falling for any guy who even remotely resembles the upperclassmen that rejected her. Or Mamoru’s constant teasing of Usagi by calling her “dumpling head.” They are all fun and likeable characters.
The character designs are excellent, with each of the sailor soldiers having a distinct look that suits their personalities. Even the lesser characters have some pretty unique designs. While the animation is great, it uses a ridiculous amount of repeating footage. The footage used for their transformations, attacks, and Sailor Moon’s catchphrase are used again and again in all 46 episodes. The transformations are very cool, with Sailor Moon’s being the longest and flashiest. But it’s the same exact thing every time. It would have been nice to have some variety, maybe changing up the look of the girl’s transformations. It also would have been nice to give the girls more attacks. The best we get is a mix and match when the girls all transform or attack together. As stated before, the setup of each fight is basically the same as well. The anime uses a little too much repetition, and would have benefited from some more variety in its action and story.
The soundtrack has a number of catchy tunes, but once again, a few tracks are used over and over again. The same song is used when the girls transform and attack. On the bright side, there are some good insert songs that don’t get overused.
Overall, Sailor Moon is a very enjoyable anime. It’s a fun, cute, and generally lighthearted watch. Not everyone is going to enjoy it; some will find it repetitive and others may be turned off by the shojo aspects of the show. But Sailor Moon is still a great show and a classic. The first season ends on a pretty high note, setting the stage for a wonderful second season with room for improvements.
