Bishôjo Senshi Sailor Moon

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.

I was a huge fan of sailor moon when I was little until I realized how disgustingly cheesy the US versions were when I was about 13. A few weeks ago I discovered PGSM and fell in love with it.

Yes, it does still have the cheese factors. The fighting is bad, the effects are bad. But this show has way more depth than the anime ever had. These girls seem REAL. They're dealing with broken hearts and jealousy and every day things while also battling the Dark Kingdom. I love the way this series seems focused half on the girls' lives as senshi and the other half on the girls just as (semi) normal teenagers trying to make it.

And I'd like to rebut the crappy music comment...it's true that not a lot of music is used in the series, but if you pick up the soundtrack or any of the character cd singles, the music is FANTASTIC for anyone who loves a little jpop/jrock I don't think you need to be a die-hard sailor moon fan to enjoy PGSM. In fact, I hated it for almost 9 years before I saw PGSM and now appreciate it in a new way... so just give it a try!

I recently purchased the box set part one and I must say WOW! It had me running around the house shouting, " MOON PRISIM POWER, MAKE UP!" I highly enjoyed the episodes...They were completely different from the Anime and seem to stick a little bit more to the manga in a few ways. One thing I seemed to dislike about the set was that the subtitles were not that great, most of the time they are filled with grammatical errors and well sometimes they make no sense. Friends and I noticed that we could understand the show without having to read the subtitles b/c everything seemed to flow and make sense. Sure its a Japanese show so it wont be perfect for us Americans, but for me, and and I'm sure most sailor moon fans, it was everything I wanted it to be. Truly a must have for any Sailor Moon fan!

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.

I've watched the entire season from episode/Act 00 through the Special DVD aka Act 50...including the two short mini dramas. In the beginning I thought that it was more on the cheesy side but decided to check out the original Manga before I made anymore thoughts and or comments unlike some people here who've pretty much ragged on it after seeing only 30 episodes. Let alone that this is originally a kid's show.

First of all someone said that the acting was horrible and that the girls are untalented. This is very SO not true. They are acting entirely to the Manga series. Usagi being all jumpy and funny, Ami being all monotone and serious about herself, Rei being serious on all levels and "bossy", Makoto being all protective over Usagi and kicking guy's asses across the blacktop, and Venus being extremely stern. If you actually check out the Manga you will see that though the characters are different from today's standards of Sailor Moon to the yesterday's standard of Sailor Senshi, the characters and acting is all the same. They did a GREAT job.

It's true that in the beginning that the special effects were less than "really cool"...but as a pilot the production crew wasn't entirely too sure if it was going to fly well when they made the first 5 episodes before it originally aired. But you will notice that the effects got better and again...the effects followed the Manga effects of boom, pow, and whoosh. And what do you want the kids to see??? BATTLE ROYALE EFFECTS??? I know I wouldn't want that.

I think that the puppets and CGI used to make Luna and Artemis was actually good from a kid's point of view. From an adult's point of view I think it was corny on a professional level. My reason of thought is this. If you make the cat look too real, who in their right mind is going to take the cat seriously...if you can with all the j-pop faces it makes. And I might add that towards the end the cats got better.

All in all, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a great show for kids and adults with open minds alike. For one thing there isn't any blood and believe me, my friends and I watch a lot of movies with someone getting their hands, head, arms, legs, and necks blown off. It's nice to see something that is refreshing as PGSM. And one more thing about the acting. It is clear to me that some people just don't get how hard it is to act like the Manga series. Kitagawa Keiko did an awesome performance when a particular incident happened in episode 47. Above all else before you watch PGSM, you need to have an open mind as well as an intelligent one.