What does Michelle think of the Sailor Moon reboot. Find out here and now!
Just like many other young girls in the '90s, I grew up
watching Sailor Moon in the early
mornings before heading off to school. There is just something alluring about
seeing girls who change into cool outfits and fight monsters with bad ass
special attacks. I cannot be the only girl who had a crush on Tuxedo Mask; he
was just so dreamy! Much later I found out that DIC Entertainment, the company
who first localized the series for America, censored the story (Sailor Uranus
and Sailor Neptune became “cousins” instead of lovers) and made other changes
to the original anime. This led me to seek out the original Japanese release,
as I was full swing into my obsession with anime by that point. I was able to
watch the first four seasons of the original Japanese version through DVD
releases but had to turn to fan subs for the controversial fifth season: Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars.
When I heard that Sailor
Moon was getting a reboot this year I could hardly contain my excitement. Even
better, they were doing a worldwide release so we could actually see the
episodes as soon as they aired! Say what you will, but streaming media really
is the future of entertainment. No more waiting months or even years to get an
anime localized. Initially, I was worried that the new series wouldn’t measure
up to my nostalgic love of the original. I re-watched all five seasons in
anticipation and was happy to discover that I loved the show just as much at
thirty-three as I did when I was twelve. So having seen the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, I can safely say
that my fears were unfounded and they have done a wonderful job of revamping
the series for a new audience.
The first thing you'll notice is a new opening song has
replaced the iconic Moonlight Densetsu. To
be honest, the new song MOON PRIDE isn’t
bad; it just isn’t as catchy as the original song. However, all the incidental and background
music is exceptional; it’s very lush and orchestral sounding and much better
than the soap opera style musical cues of the 1990's version. The animation is
much improved as well; it appears they had a fairly high budget for the
production. It’s all presented in widescreen and HD and everything looks crisp
and smooth. The backgrounds still have a pastel, hand drawn look to them and
the character designs have been streamlined and slimmed down to look closer to
the original manga. One nit-pick I have is the use of CG in the transformation
sequence. The new sequence is more dynamic and exciting, but I just can’t stand
the way CG and 2D look when mixed together as it has a jarring effect. Luckily,
that was the only place I saw CG being utilized.
Kotono Mitsuishi has returned to voice Usagi/Sailor Moon but
all the other cast members have new voice actors. I don’t think anyone other
than Mitsuishi can do Usagi justice.I'm glad she was able to reprise the
role. The story is almost identical to the original anime as I'm sure they
didn’t want to upset the fans by changing any of the continuity. Everything seems
to move at a quicker pace though and it does feel slightly rushed. The “Monster
of the Day” concept is still in full effect but that comes with the territory
of Sailor Moon. They did veer away
from it in later seasons but there were always filler episodes with the Sailor
Senshi fighting various silly enemies; it’s part of the charm. Since Sailor Moon redefined the “magical girl”
genre it can seem a bit cliché now, however, that is because every anime in
that style since then has used elements from it.
Overall, I am very pleased with this reboot and I am excited
to see what the rest of the series has to offer. Any fans of Sailor Moon shouldn’t miss watching this
new show as they have taken what was awesome from the original series and given
it a shiny new coat of paint for the newer generation.
Ai to seigi no serafuku Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon! Tsuki ni kawatte, oshioki yo!
Ai to seigi no serafuku Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon! Tsuki ni kawatte, oshioki yo!
-Michelle Kisner