Bishôjo Senshi Sailor Moon

In 1992 a very popular anime was released, "Sailor Moon". In 2003, as some sort of a 10 year anniversary, "PGSM", the live action version of the anime, was made. The story is probably known to everyone: Usagi, a normal teenage girl living in Tokyo, meets a talking cat named Luna ( in this version a stuffed puppet ) and gets a mission to transform into Sailor Moon and fight against evil forces of Queen Beryl...

Although the live action is weaker than the anime ( the flaws are plot holes, the lack of spectacle, the mild intensity and the range of the story ) it is much better than it seems. In some other director's hands this could have ended in an catastrophe, but in Ryuta Tazaki's hand "PGSM" turned out to be an excellent show. The wild enthusiasm of the authors and their weird special effects are incredible: Ami's transformation into evil Sailor Mercury is somehow cool. Actually, it's rather got „show-off" written all over it ( when she stomps her boot into the water, and then those dark purple „wings" on her dress ), but it's stylish. Or the Sailor Luna ( a 10 year old girl form of Luna )transformation: it was so hilarious and senseless! You see her shake her butt, then Luna shows up, then there are psychedelic colors in the background, the girl makes some moves as if she is licking her hands as a cat and … presto, she is a sailor senshi too. Rarely will you ever see more kitsch than you get to in that transformation scene. But the authors still did it without a blink of the eye, and you have to give them credit for such courage.

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Miyuu Sawai is absolutely fantastic as Usagi. It's almost impossible not to like her. She is wonderful in many of the comical situations ( when she has a huge fight with her mom a frightened Shingo is hiding under the table and eating his breakfast ) and later proves to be equally effective in drama ( her mourning all day long in bed after finding out Mamoru is already engaged ). The weird part of the story had Minako being a famous rock star, but even that worked. "PGSM" is a sight to behold. In their mix of camp and art, the authors bravely turned the impossible things of the anime into reality ( the costumes, demons, flashing rays )and got away with it. I counted all the grades of all the Act's and the show's average grade is 8.3/10, believe it or not. I don't know how they did it, but they did.

Grade: 8/10

If you're a fan of the Sailor Moon manga or anime you will love this television series. It was a bit cheesy at first and it still is at times but it's so much fun to watch. It really captures the mood of the manga. However, I don't like some of the things they changed. For instance, Luna is now a talking stuffed animal. Thankfully she's not around too much. Crown Arcade is now a karaoke center. Usagi doesn't seem to have a father. And Minako is a popular teen idol. What's with that?! Anyway, I highly recomend it despite those things. You can find fansubbed versions online.

My sister first told me about the Live Action series when she got back from visiting Japan over the summer. She brought me back a sketch book with Live Action Sailor Moon on it. I found it interesting cause I've loved the anime series since like 3rd or 4th grade, so i looked it up on the internet and read a few transcripts and looked at some of the pictures. Next thing I knew I bought all the ep. on DVD over Ebay!! I even got my sister into it!!! It IS addictive!! Like subliminal messages or something!! But it's totally awesome and I liked how it followed more to the manga, and I thought it was neat that their hair changed when they changed as well. Very cool I love it!! Wonder if they'll come out with a S or SuperS version? I want to see what Neptune Uranus, Pluto, Saturn and Chibi-Moon look like!!! I give it a 10 out of 10!!!!

Let's get one thing straight: this is by no means a masterwork. In fact, it's flawed in many ways: the special effects are bad, the production doesn't seem much more complicated than a DV home movie shot in various places in Tokyo, the costumes seem recycled from Power Rangers as does the action, and the acting needs a lot of polishing.

That having been said, it's an addictive show to watch, even for those far older than the target audience of... 4 to 7 year old girls?

The actresses, for better or worse, nail their characters. Usagi is a klutzy underachiever with no more ambition than going to the mall and singing karaoke. Ami is a super- genius who feels burdened by expectation. Rei is intense about her Shinto duties and wants nothing to do with anyone else. Makoto is a rough tomboy who hides her femininity and feels as if most people will eventually abandon her. The only one who seems different is Minako, a superstar, but for me I think it's only appropriate. For the most part, the charm of these first time actresses, picked from thousands in rehearsals, far outweighs their neophyte status.

I do understand there are many, many changes that upset some people but you have to understand that stuff that works in manga or anime form may not work in live action.

So, even though the show isn't great, why is it so fun to watch? I think it's mostly because of the charm and the heart of the show. Most people who are aghast about it haven't seen it and aren't interested in "getting it." But that's okay; it's not for everyone, certainly. If you do get it, however, it's a guilty pleasure and a very fun show.

This new version of Sailor Moon, as I comment, is only 13 episodes into the first season, and already, I can truthfully say, it has beaten the Anime version.

I have been a big fan of the Anime version of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon since 1995. I have watched the show go from strength to strength, and have grown up with the characters.

Now, the new version; Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon comes along. Granted, I watch the first episode, and find myself thinking it is quite bizarre, but is deffinately worth watching again. I watch the 2nd episode, the 3rd episode, the 4th episode...I'm addicted.

I found there is much more character development, and a cleaner cut on-going story line (there is yet to be a filler episode, it seems something important happens in every episode). I can associate with the characters in this version much more then I could with the Anime version. I look at the characters, and their personalities, and see my friends aswell.

This version also keeps me guessing. Just when I think 'Oh yeah, in the Anime, this happened next, it'll happen like that here too', I tend to discover they do the complete opposite, and totally change the story arcs. It's a good thing! I never really wanted to see something I've already seen in 2 languages rehashed again.

The actors are very talented, and really do give it their all. I especially love Minako and Rei in this version.

Another thing; this version makes far more sense!! How many school girls do you see walking around the street with their pet cat in their arms? None. But, how many school girls do you see walking around the street with their stuffed-animal toy cat in their arms? Quite a few.

And to add to the sense-making-o-meter: When the senshi morph in this version, their hair totally changes color and style! This will deffinately help to keep their identities secret, as it was painfully obvious in the Anime who their identities were, they had simply changed clothes. In this they look totally different!

Now this series does have 2 low points:

MUSIC - Yes, the music in this series is quite catchy, but not much compared to the back ground music used in the Anime version. Alot of fans are upset over the loss of the original opening theme. That didn't bother me; the fact that we have 1 tune for fighting, 1 for the villains, 1 for the girls at school, 1 for Usagi at home, etc. We only have like 10 tracks, constantly reused. The Anime seemed to have an endless selection of tracks for background music! The live-action version fizzles here.

ACTION - The first episode's action had me confused. It was somewhat slow, and surreal. I didn't know what to make of it. As the season has progressed, I've come to notice there is virtually no action. All the Senshi do is twirl and dance about, while the monster ducks and jumps a bit. :S It looks rather silly, and I was really hoping the Senshi would kick major ass in this series, going by the way alot of people compare it to Sentai/Power Rangers, which is much more action packed.

Overall, I will say though, that Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is my favourite show at the moment. I cant get enough of it, ad I hope it has many more seasons then the Anime, as it is outdoing it for plot and character development.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon has alot of potential. Enough to be Japan's answer to Buffy in fact. It needs alot of polishing before it can get here, but it does have this sort of potential! Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is fun and enjoyable, and is the ultimate source of entertainment at the moment, in my opinion!

Watch and enjoy!