Ah, Sailor Moon. The show that got me into magical girls and into anime in general. I first watched it when I was 15 and recently rewatched it.
Story - Its the first season of Sailor Moon so its a good start. The story revolves around Usagi Tsukino and four other girls - Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, and Minako Aino - as they become Sailor Guardians and fight monsters to protect the Earth. They also have to search for the Moon Princess. Its a decent story. My one complaint is how they made it so obvious that the Moon Princess was Usagi. They have the same hairstyle and same voice, and no one put two and two together. So I give the story a 7/10
<b>Art - The art was so beautiful. This is honestly one of the most aesthetically pleasing anime I've ever seen. The backgrounds are just gorgeous. Its a 10/10 for me.
Sound - The sound was also good. Nothing much to say here, its a 7/10
Character - The characters were good too. Usagi was a relatable protagonist. A lot think she's annoying for her constant crying and running from battles, but I think it was realistic for a 14 year old who was just given superpowers and expected to fight monsters to be scared. Ami, Makoto, and Minako were nice. The two characters I really have to rant about are Rei and Mamoru
Okay, so I like Rei in the 90s anime, but my God they really butchered her. In the manga, she was a stoic girl with a distrust for men due to her father abandoning her. She may tease Usagi occasionally but never too much. In the anime... not only did they make her boy crazy, but they made her pick fights with Usagi over the pettiest things. Her bickering with Usagi could be funny at first but then it gets tiring real fast. Seeing it for five seasons is really tiring. And sometimes, it isn't just teasing, its just borderline bullying.
And Mamoru, in the manga was a bit of a jerk but we also saw his soft side. He genuinely cared for Usagi and wanted to help her. He was actually useful as Tuxedo Mask. Here, all he does is throw roses and give speeches. And his romance with Usagi is not convincing either. They hated each other for most of the season, then when they find out about each others' secret identities AND about their past life, they're suddenly in love? There's just no chemistry. And no, arguing is not chemistry.
Now for the villains. Queen Beryl didn't really do much until the finale so I didn't care too much for her. Jadeite was boring so I didn't care for him either. Nephrite's storyline was tragic but looking back at it as an adult, I can't help but feel concerned that he's like.... centuries old and reciprocates a 14 year old's crush on him. Zoisite and Kunzite were pretty good.
Overall, I give the characters a 7/10
Enjoyment - I did enjoy this show but I will admit it can get pretty boring with all the fillers. I give it a 7/10
Overall - This was my first ever magical girl anime. Even if its not the best, it still does hold a special place in my heart. Without this show, the magical girl genre would be really different. So I give this anime an 8/10
