Sailor Moon

Bishôjo Senshi Sailormoon is my favorite Japanese Anime of all times. The only way I will watch it is in the original with English sub-titles, because I can't stand what DIC did to it. If you want to see people with pure hearts, and who do what they have to do to save the world then Sailor Moon is the anime for you.

Usagi may be everything that people (heroines) shouldn't be; a glutton, crybaby, boy chaser, who only wants to eat sweets, do things for free, and read manga but she is the purest in the group. She would give her life time and time again to protect her friends, family, and the world. The rest of the Senshi have their flaws and good points as well.

Really those who complain that it's a bad anime should watch it closer and read through the unwritten lines. There are things here that are barely seen in the real world anymore; loyalty, unconditional love, and doing the right thing for the right reason.

Try and see that even though these girls aren't perfect, they are the perfect heroines. They are very real, with human flaws. You see people like them everyday. Even though you can't see the hero in them it's there for those perceptive enough.

I've first seen this season around the year 1998-1999. I was so desperate that I downloaded it off the internet with my 56k slow modem every night.

Then last year, I finally bought the VCD which isn't that bad in quality. It was simply the best. The opening song is of course different compared to the last other seasons. There are more actions and side stories. It's not just "one day, Sailormoon fights evil and wins, period."

Also, you've got to love the new characters. Seiya Kou is a hot-tie. =) When compare to the other seasons, this is obviously the best next to Sailor Moon S (the Saturn saga). ^_^

By far, this was the best season. The animation was far superior than the rest of the series, and the story and emotion are far more intense. It contains the usual-type Sailor Moon plot, but makes light of itself often (Sailor Iron-Mouse is absolutely hilarious) and this deals with issues that the girls run into in highschool. Makes for a good watch, especially for seasoned Sailor Moon fans that want to find out what will happen.

Obviously, if you've never enjoyed Shoujo before, you may not enjoy this one. Sailor Moon is, after all, one of the animes that pioneered the genre.

Now I know just about everyone to ever watch an anime has seen Sailor Moon. In fact, it started the vast majority of Gen Y on their first true anime series. But how many are actually true fans of this show? I for one, am. And I'm far from alone. After giving it some serious thought and thinking about the absolute tons of anime I've seen over the years, I can honestly say Sailor Moon is my favorite anime. And it wasn't the first one I saw.

The characters are just simply so easy to adore and admire. There's a personality for everyone to relate to, and each character has their own nuances. The show is an excellent comedy, yet manages to maintain plenty of action. What really makes it unique is the romantic story though and that no matter how silly things get, the story never fails to really hit home.

From Usagi's daily life to the trials between the scouts, from the newest threat to the romance between various characters... it always stays completely believable no matter how many sci-fi elements are mixed in. It's never dull, and it's always very touching.

I truly believe Sailor Moon is a absolute gem of an anime series that no one should miss. The character designs are so detailed it's amazing. From the transformations to the outfits and even the attacks, it's really so very unique that it's never been truly duplicated and certainly never surpassed. Sailor Moon sets many standards in anime and should be held in high regard.

The music is forever etched into my skull, and rightfully so. It moves so effortlessly from romantic to all out action beats. You won't forget this shows music, and the stories and animation wouldn't be half as heart felt without it. It really completes the experience.

The character and story development is nearly unmatched, you literally get a birds eye view of nearly the entire lives of the characters. By the end of the series I had literally grown up with them. As the team grows in power, new members arrive, new threats appear the wow factor only gets stronger and stronger. Unlike so many long term animes that get the first season right then go downhill, Sailor Moon only gets better and better with each passing episode and the story only becomes stronger.

It's really ashame how many people pass this off as some second rate anime to be shunned. It's a true work of art and many, many people have fought to help bring it to the US shores. Who can forget the S.O.S. campaigns... Pop-tarts, anyone? And for the most part, we won. With all three movies and most of the series, it wasn't a bad break.

As for Sailor Stars, I've read the saga and I've seen some of the important events and can honestly say that it's a darn shame that it'll probably never see the light of day in the US.

I'm not going to even get into the Sub VS Dub debate, just about every early translated anime has the same argument over and over again. Suffice to say that the early Dubs have a lot of hacks done to them to make them perfect in every way for the parents to allow their kids to watch them. Yes, it sucks... but it was the times back then. If you don't like the dubs, don't buy them. But the story is still there and the VA's are actually quite good despite some funny quirks over the seasons like new VA's taking over. Some folks can deal, some can't. I personally enjoy both.

I'm also not really trying to convert anyone who dislikes or only barely acknowledges how good this series is. As usual, it's purely their loss. If you've heard about the show, or maybe have only seen a few episodes... give it a shot. You may just find an anime worthy of the highest praise sitting right under your nose the whole time.

If ever there was an anime for the whole family, this is it. And please don't buy in to that ridiculous nonsense about it being a girls only anime... believe me, I've seen that type and this isn't it. If you honestly can't enjoy the romance, stick around for the action, the story, and the cutest anime characters ever drawn.

• Rirath.com

The first season of Sailor Moon starts with the crybaby Usagi meeting a mysterious talking cat, Luna. Luna senses that the 14 year-old girl is the soldier of love and justice and offers Usagi a special broach that allows her to transform into Sailor Moon! The storyline may seem a bit repetitive at times (with the Dark Kingdom's main goal is to steal energy at first, then get their hands on the elusive Ginzuishou), but get rid of the filler episodes, and you get an amazing epic of the moon princess and her soldiers being reborn on Earth after a disaster had befallen on the Moon Kingdom over a millenium ago.

Besides Sailor Moon, the other four sailor senshi make their grand entrances as well as Tuxedo Kamen, a rather two-dimensional character who saves Sailor Moon in times of crises by throwing his trademark rose at his enemies.

The music is certainly worth listening to as it captures the clumsiness of Usagi at first to its seriousness and beauty of her becoming a soldier of love.

The animation may seem a bit subpar at times but that has improved in later seasons. One of the many trademarks of this series is its impressive attack and transformation sequences that are really just pleasureable to watch and admire.

If you have only seen the dubbed version of this series, I suggest you find a way of getting the original episodes, subtitled. You get the sense of the deeper romance, emotion, as well as the great battles and a more mature dialogue of these young girls who attempt to balance their own wacky teenage lives with their duties as soldiers. The final two episodes of the first season of Sailor Moon are by far the best episodes of all the five seasons.

-Highly recommended- 8/10