Anime Hajime Review: Sailor Moon (Part 6 of 6)

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Sailor Moon. Reader discretion is advised.***

Sailor Moon

We have finally reached the end. After looking at the strengths and weaknesses of each of this series’ five seasons, it’s finally time to answer that all-important question:

What was it that made Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon?

This show, without question, has served as a major influence for the entire anime medium since its release back in 1992. This influence has not just been restricted to the magical girl genre. Action, romance, coming of age, you name it, and this series did it.

Twenty years later, the impact of Sailor Moon can still be felt.

I cannot deny what this series has accomplished, or what it’s managed to become. However, I must ask:

Has this legacy been warranted?

Series Negatives

I want to change up my usual review structure for this one.

Holy crap, where do I even begin?

There was so much wrong with this series. Ignoring all the one-off mistakes and stumbles here and there, Sailor Moon was littered with blemishes and problems that lasted the entire 200-episode run.

If you’re going to sit through this series, you’re going to have to deal with a ton of issues. For example:

Obliviousness

For one last time, no one was able to figure out who the Sailor Scouts were the instant they saw them. Instead of using their eyes and thinking for more than five seconds, the lengths this series’ villains went to discover Usagi and her friends’ identities was baffling.

There was not a single villain in this show who could piece together this puzzle. The only way anyone ever realized the truth was when the Sailor Scouts transformed right in front of their eyes. Only then did everything click.

I would leave it at that, but it wasn’t just the villains who were this incompetent. The Sailor Scouts, all of them, did this too.

In the Scouts’ defense, them knowing the real identities of their foes wasn’t critical to their success. But when the original five could see that Haruka and Michiru were Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, despite the pair doing nothing to hide who they were, it was kind of hard to watch. Oh, and it wasn’t like Uranus and Neptune were any better a discovering who the original five were.

As a viewer, you will always know who everyone is. The only time this show tried to keep us in the dark was with Mamoru being Tuxedo Mask. And he at least wore a mask, so it made sense why the rest of the characters couldn’t tell who their mysterious savior was.

Why was this issue so maddening to me?

This whole problem was nothing more than blatant padding, and when this was in full effect, Sailor Moon was at its lowest. All five of these seasons could have hit their climaxes much earlier than they did, and some seasons needed to do this more than others.

A way around this would have been so that the Sailor Scouts didn’t have to fight in every episode.

These girls never got a break. Although many of the episodes focused on other things, the final act was always the Scouts versus the enemy-of-the-week -- rinse and repeat two hundred times. Only on special – a.k.a. rare – occasions did something meaningful happen.

To be fair though, Sailor Moon didn’t do the thing Dragon Ball Z did: have the characters just scream for twenty episodes and play it off like only five minutes had passed. Sailor Moon’s episodes didn’t always progress the story, but at least something was always going on.

That said:

All the Same

The thing that separated the five seasons was their presentation. It was clear what came from what season. Yet at their core, we got the exact same problem five times.

In season one the villains were stealing life energy. Season two the villains were stealing Crystal Points. Then they were stealing pure hearts. Then dreams. And then finally Star Seeds. Call them what you want, but do you see the problem?

Springboarding off that, the villains never tried anything different when collecting whatever item they needed. Some did recognize that they kept losing to the Sailor Scouts, but none of them ever deviated from the standard tactic of just throw something at the Scouts and hope for the best.

Not only that, it took until season four for this series built up a legitimate final boss. For season one, R, S, and Sailor Stars, the ultimate baddie only ever appeared at the end and always out of nowhere. And including SuperS in this, each climatic battle played out precisely the same way:

The big evil got the upper hand and started to plunge the Earth into darkness. Sailor Moon, through love and kindness, pushed back the growing malice.

All that notwithstanding, some seasons did manage to pull this premise off better than others. The Hell Tree Arc and the Queen Nehellenia Arc did their own spin on this theme, and they ended up being the best storylines of the series.

Characters Went Away

An element I loved about season one was all the non-Sailor Scouts characters that got introduced.

Most of these people managed to stick around until season three – if they were lucky. By the time we got to season five, though, they had all vanished. Their stories hadn’t ended, they just went away, and this series never referenced them again.

For example, Sailor Moon, at one point, hinted that Ami was interested in a boy. I don’t remember who this guy was because he disappeared somewhere in season two.

Then there were Usagi’s father and brother who were around quite a bit in the first two seasons. However, Usagi’s brother barely said a word in the later parts of this show, and I don’t think Usagi’s dad had a single line after season two. Incidentally, Usagi’s mother fared much better but ultimately saw the same fate.

Perhaps the most significant disappearance was Usagi’s friends, Naru Osaka (voiced by Shino Kakinuma) and Gurio Umino (voiced by Keiichi Nanba). These two characters had started a rather lengthy romance arc that was quite far along by the time this show simply stopped bringing them up.

When we got to season five, every character that wasn’t a Sailor Scout, Tuxedo Mask, or a cat was utterly irrelevant. Sure, none of these side characters’ story arcs were essential to this series, but they weren’t bad either.

It would have been interesting to see where some of these people ended up.

To Sum it Up

Take all these big-picture issues and mix them with everything I said was wrong with the individual seasons, and you’ll see there is an awful lot stacked against this series. In fact, quantity-wise, there are more negatives to Sailor Moon then there are positives.

Awkward pacing, glaring inconsistencies, the lack of communication, the existence of Sailor Uranus; I mean the list just goes on. This was two hundred episodes of nothing but problems.

And I loved every minute of it.

When this series was funny, it was hilarious. When this series was romantic, it was touching. When this series was serious, it was dark. When this series was tragic, it was enthralling. Sailor Moon was an incredibly fun show, and when the final credits of the last episode rolled, I was legitimately sad to see it end.

How is this possible? How is it that a series with so many problems can still suck you into its world, into its story, and make you look past all the clear-as-day BS?

There are five reasons for this.

Series Positives – The Sailor Scouts

Without any doubt or exaggeration, the Sailor Scouts were the best thing about Sailor Moon.

Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, these five made-up for and surpassed everything wrong with this show. Ever mistake, every misstep, ever frustrating moment was not only made bearable but enjoyable because of these five.

Why was this series funny: the Sailor Scouts. Why was this series tense: the Sailor Soldiers. Why was this series heartfelt: the Sailor Scouts. Why has this series remained a staple of anime for the past two decades: the Sailor Scouts.

These girls were the best of friends, the closest of companions, and the strongest force in this show. There is no denying this.

It wasn’t just everyone supporting Usagi. It was Usagi supporting Rei, who supported Makoto, who supported Ami, who supported Minako, and so on and so on. What happened to one happened to all.

By the end of this series, you will know these girls. And you will see that it was the Sailor Scouts that made Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon.

Usagi Tsukino

From the very beginning, she is with you. A middle school crybaby with a bright smile, childlike temper, and an unwavering ability to bring the best out of, no one could have filled the role of Sailor Moon better than Usagi.

Usagi never lost who she was, and she never compromised her beliefs. She always saw the good in everyone, and would, without hesitation, risk her own safety to protect the ones she cared about. This compassion was not only reserved for her friends, but her enemies as well.

Usagi was in the habit of saving, not fighting.

However, she was no angelic super person either. Usagi was selfish, rude, loud, and quite dense. She would throw a tantrum if she didn’t get her way; even over the simplest things. She wouldn’t back down from a challenge and fired back when made fun of. Some of this show's funniest moments were Usagi's arguments with Rei.

Usagi expected the world to treat her like a pampered princess long before she actually became a princess.

It wasn't until she became the Moon Princess did she begin to understand how important she was. From that point, she continued to use her uncompromising energy to grow into the famed warrior of love and justice.

The girl we see at the beginning of this show and the one we saw at the end were both the same person and someone completely different. It didn’t matter if she was the Moon Princess, Queen Serenity, or Sailor Moon, Usagi was always just Usagi.

Ami Mizuno

I LOVE AMI AND EVERYTHING SHE IS.

Ami was smart, beautiful, calm, sweet, adorable, resourceful, insightful, and nearly perfect in every conceivable way. From the moment she was introduced, she instantly became my favorite character. I have nothing bad to say about her.

Amongst all her never-ending list of positive traits, the one that shined the brightest was Ami’s ability to see through all the nonsense; all of it. When anybody, usually Usagi, was about to do something dumb, Ami pointed out how moronic that thing was.

However, Ami always did this in a compassionate, almost motherly, way. She always let the other person know that though she loved them, what they just said was idiotic. In fact, me saying it like that was way harsher than Ami ever was.

If it weren't for Sailor Moon, Ami would have been the embodiment of not resorting to unnecessary violence. That said, Ami never ran from a fight. She could go up against the toughest of enemies and win.

There was one moment in particular, which came in the Queen Nehellenia Arc, that demonstrated how great Ami was.

All of the Sailor Scouts got split up, and in the aftermath, Ami was paired up with none other than Sailor Uranus. Ami and Uranus had to face an illusion created by Queen Nehellenia, and Ami realized they could not meet this challenge head-on. Instead, they had to pinpoint a weakness. Uranus, of course, was entirely against this approach, but Ami, rightfully, tuned her out.

Right before our very eyes, the great Sailor Mercury stood like a rock, looking for that one vulnerable spot. The whole time this was happening, Nehellenia was throwing everything she could at Ami, but Ami did not flinch until the job was done.

This was one of many times when Ami showed how amazing she was.

Rei Hino

Where Ami gently corrected a person’s mistakes, Rei didn’t care. Rei had high standards and a low tolerance for idiocy; the latter of which Usagi triggered constantly.

Rei was the one Sailor Scout you did not want to piss off.

However, it was that ferocity that made Rei a loyal companion and an invaluable ally. Rei and Usagi may have often butted heads, but the two knew the other was going to be there for them.

If I had to say which of the Sailor Scouts Usagi was the closest with, Rei would be the clear winner.

To tell you the truth, Rei was what I think Sailor Uranus was trying to replicate. They were both hard-headed, they both liked to fight without thinking, and Usagi did a pretty good job of annoying both. Where they differed was how they grew to trust Sailor Moon.

For Uranus, Usagi just so happened to be the Moon Princess, and that was the only reason Uranus was able to tolerate and accept Usagi’s non-confrontational approach. Uranus watched out for Sailor Moon out of a sense of duty.

Rei, on the other hand, saw and felt the same struggles Usagi had to go through. At first, Rei had a view much like Uranus’.

However, as time went on and more things happened, Rei came to understand the good Usagi did for others.

Usagi may have sometimes been an idiot, but Usagi was Rei’s idiot. Whenever Rei was looking out for Usagi, she was looking out for her most important friend.

Makoto Kino

Of all the Sailor Scouts, for some reason, Makoto always seemed to get the least amount focus. I wish I knew why because she brought so much to the group.

With Usagi as the leader, Ami as the brains, and Rei as the motivator, Makoto was the sword. As both a Sailor Scout and her usual self, there was almost nothing Makoto couldn't do.

She was an ace at any sport, a marvelous chef, an impeccable tailor, and one the most respected, and in some cases, feared fighters in Tokyo. The only thing that always seemed out of Makoto’s reach was love. A romantic at heart, she was always on the lookout for that special someone.

Don't be fooled though, this never distracted her. Makoto always pushed herself to get stronger for the sake of the people she cared about the most.

Plus, Makoto was simply a badass.

Minako Aino

I am aware that Minako was unlike the other Sailor Scouts. She was the star of her own story before Sailor Moon was even a thing.

However, that story wasn’t touched on at all in the show. Therefore, I still say Minako’s introduction was botched.

I can look past this since Minako made up for that tenfold. Other than Ami being my clear favorite, I don't think it would be right to rank the Sailor Scouts because they were all great for their own reasons. Nevertheless, I think Minako might be my second favorite.

Minako was the quintessential wild card; you never know who you’re going to get. She had the calm demeanor of Ami, the terrifying fury of Rei, Makoto's unbreakable tenacity, and the ditzy charm of Usagi; the latter of which was usually her at her best when she was paired with Usagi.

I mean it, Makoto and Usagi could easily be mistaken for sisters; appearances aside – a trait the group surprisingly used to their advantage only once.

Minako was always an utter joy to watch.

The Sailor Scouts – Future Installments

In 2014 Sailor Moon Crystal was released as a modern adaptation of this story. I will watch it, mostly because I want to, but now I’m kind of obligated.

I have seen a few of the character designs, and some of them are impressive updates. Some, however, are going to take some getting used to, but that is not what concerns me.

Let’s assume Crystal fixes every mistake found Sailor Moon. But if this new series screws up the Sailor Scouts, every other bit of good will be pointless.

Crystal can do its own thing, and the girls do not have to be carbon copies of their predecessors. However, the Scouts much have five distinct personalities, and Crystal needs to ensure these five are the best of friends.

If this show fails to do this, it will have missed what Sailor Moon was.

I am excited to give this newest adaptation a watch. I want to see what this story will look like with newer, better animation. Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.

Final Thoughts

Two hundred episodes, five seasons, and we have now come to the end of this six-part look at the one and only Sailor Moon.

I had always wanted to watch this show; long before I even started reviewing anime. There was something about this series that seemed to resonate with people.

Now I can see why.

Sailor Moon was beyond fantastic. It was so much more than I expected. You want to follow this story. You want to keep watching. You want to find out what is going to happen next.

Yes, there are problems, lots of them. This show can get annoying, and even maddening. But you will keep coming back because of five of the most excellent characters in anime. To me, there could not have been a more fitting choice for my 100th review.

It may have taken a week for me to say this, but if you have not had the chance to see Sailor Moon, do it; you will not regret it.

But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? What would be your advice concerning Sailor Moon? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.