Sailor Moon

What I say about all three versions.

Japanese: There are five seasons, "Classic", "R", "S", "SuperS", and "Sailor Stars". Personally this is were the real Sailor Moon is at. I never liked this show until I saw the Japanese version. Not that I have anything against the dubbed versions, but I can say that this version is better than the dub version. If you want comedy, romance, a great soundtrack, really dramatic moments, and great voice acting they're here. I say if you haven't seen this series yet I recommend that you watch it subbed. I have had no problems with it. 9/10

English DiC: DiC was the first company to bring Sailor Moon over to the English speaking world mid-way through the run on Japanese TV and they dubbed the first 2 seasons of this series, "Classic" and "R". Most fans, including myself, don't like this version for various reasons. The characters are renamed into something American or English rather than using their original names and there is too much unnecessary censorship. Such as, usually entire scenes and sequences being rearranged because there was a Kanji sign in the far corner of the screen, "violent" sequences would be cut even if they were slapstick or for comedic value, pretty much all references that this show takes place in Japan were eliminated such as, various Asian specific religious elements, signs in Japanese, and cars were reversed to look like they drove "American" style. Entire episodes were cut, 5 total from season one and the final two from the same season was merged into one. The second season only had one episode cut. DiC rewrote nearly everything. I can't list everything they rewrote because this review would be like a novel, but they rewrote a lot of things. The main characters have their personalities changed, somewhat. The entire soundtrack is redone. The original soundtrack is much, much better than the dub's music. The dub's music just sounds like one continuous track that's playing throughout the entire episode and has no real redeeming value to it. This coming up next is the worst aspect of DiC's dub of Sailor Moon. There's a segment tacked on at the end called "Sailor Says" to make some sort of "moral of the story" type theme, for every episode. This segment is just stupid, no other words are needed. The voices are either love 'em or hate 'em type of voices. For me at least, I don't care for anybody's voices here but I hate, Luna's and Makoto's(Lita's) English voices. And the girls talk like valley girls too. Overall this dub, currently, is liked by people who like the nostalgia of this version of the series, or if they have something against "reading" subtitles. There's no reason to watch this dub unless you fall into those two groups. I say that if you're old enough to watch a PG movie, and have not watched Sailor Moon then you should watch the subtitled version. Because DiC's dub is on the same level as breaking something then poorly putting it back together. 4.5/10

English Cloverway: Cloverway was the second company after DiC to dub Sailor Moon and they dubbed two more seasons "S" and "SuperS". Now this dub is disappointing to fans of the first DiC dub and is still disappointing to fans of the Japanese version. Fans of the DiC dub do not like the replacement actors. This dub changes nearly all of the voice actors and it does not use the DiC soundtrack. Now I can understand the voice actors thing because it's a real pain to get used to voices then they all change and you have to get used to completely different ones. That's very annoying so I can live with that. The omission of the DiC soundtrack I don't see, because that music is just unlikable. I don't see how anyone can like it but oh well. Fans of the Japanese version were promised a more accurate and uncut/unedited dub. Well the only things accurate about that the original BGM is used, it is, in fact, uncut and unedited video wise, and the "Sailor Says" segment is done away with. But the name changes from the DiC dub are still present and some newly introduced characters get their names changed as well. This creates a lot of problems. Since the video is unedited, there are times when their original Japanese names are on things like doors, books, signs, etc. And they aren't in Japanese characters either, they're in plain English. So it's not hard to miss these. Two newly introduced characters are lesbians but they get changed into cousins. You decide if that's bad for yourself, but this was one dumb change. Since Cloverway did not cut anything and the video is unedited, there are still scenes were they act like lesbians. And this change is pretty much forced down your throat. Episodes are still rewritten. There are terrible added jokes and bad attempts to spice up things in the dialogue. There is still stereotypical "girl" talk. But it's even more stereotypical than DiC's dub. And there are too many inconsistencies with this dub, even more than there are in the DiC dub. These inconsistencies either change the story, create plot holes, or just make things plain confusing. Sometimes this dub is better than DiC's other times it's beyond anywhere near good and worse than DiC's. 5/10

"Sailor Stars", the final season, has not and possibly will never be officially dubbed into English. There are a number of rumored reasons why, but the true answer is just that Toei revoked the license from every country around the world. So in the end, Cloverway could have dubbed Sailor Stars but they just didn't.

The best Sailor Moon overall is the subbed version. If you want to watch this show watch it subbed.

"Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" was a hugely popular anime based on the Manga by Naoko Takeuchi. It's 200 episodes are a hermetic fantasy that many don't like and never will. But I like it and I can't help myself!

I remember how it was the first time I saw it. I was in trans, completely overwhelmed by its magic. I loved all characters, especially the clumsy Minako and Usagi, whom are sometimes almost acting as twins. There was one very funny episode in which Usagi and Makoto were both in love with Motoki but Makoto found out that he already has a girlfriend, Reika. But Usagi didn't know that and started asking Makoto questions: "You look so sad! Do you need an advice in love?"-"Yes."-"Tell me whom have you fallen in love with?"-"...with...Motoki."-"Noooooo!( Scene of Usagi falling into a dark pit)"-"Calm down! I thought you liked Tuxedo Kamen!"-"...well, I like them both!"-"Unfortunately, Motoki already has a girlfriend."-"...He has?! That must be...me!"-"NO!!!!Its Reika!" The thing that everyone is complaining the most are the demons. Many regard them as a completely abstract thing in this other vise realistic drama/comedy about adolescence . But you can also make that complain for "Shin Seiki Evangelion's" angels that Shinji is fighting against. You just have to regard them as a metaphor, maybe as a symbol for Usagi's low self esteem. That's why the more demons she beats, the more mature she gets. Also, they sometimes work like a Greek chorus, progressing the story and changing Usagi from a clumsy child to a grown and mature woman.

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Some episodes are hilarious. For example, the 5 girls are fighting over who should play Snow White in a stage show. Makoto, whom has the biggest breast, just simply brags with them and says "I should get that role. I have the biggest...talents." In another episode in season 4, Minako is trying to seduce a kindergarten teacher with these words: "Mr. Honyo...How many children would you like to have? I would like 2, but if you want so many to fill a whole soccer team...I wouldn't mind!"

The directors Junichi Sato, Takuya Igarashi and Kunihiko Ikuhara made a wonderful job, especially in the last season 5. There the wonderful pop group Three lights( Taiki, Yaten, Seiya )appears and almost steals the show. I just loved the idea that they were transfered to Usagi's class where all the girls fell in love with them. Even Minako wanted to seduce one of them, Seiya; she pretended that she had something in her eye and asked Seiya if he can bend towards her face, so that looking from the profile it looked as if he was going to kiss her! At the same time Usagi was hiding and ready to make a photo of them and publish a false story in the newspaper that they are a love couple. Also very interesting characters: Michiru and Haruka, whom are lesbians, but that is always only subtle hinted. Haruka looks like lady Oscar from the anime "Versailles No Bara". The story only gets better from season to season, and has a lot of emotions, imagination and humor. For some reason, that mix worked, unlike some other anime like "Wedding Peach" ( 6/10 ), "Card captor Sakura" ( 6/10 )and "Cutey Honey" ( 6/10 ).

An evil alter ego inside me, the one that always found the bad side at everything, waited for one false move in this anime that could cause the whole story to collapse. But that didn't happen. "Sailor Moon" created its very own world, and in it made itself comfortable. It's guilty pleasure and high art in one. Genius.

Grade: 10/10

Gosh darn it all, DiC!! Do you HAVE to destroy everything you touch?!!! See, this series is very good (though sappy at times, a bit annoying when the episodes are badly animated)... but with bad voice-overs and horrid editing (thanks to those narrow-minded, bigoted people who think homosexual undertones and other religions are "occult" and "perverse") this series bites... no wonder so many people hate Sailormoon. It's too bad, though, because the Japanese version is incredibly better. It's funny, sweet, and intriguing at key points in the series. And yeah, the girls are scantily clad... but hey, it's anime. Everybody's scantily clad in most anime. And it takes nothing away from the series unless you are a) a puritan idiot, or b) a perverted idiot who is too busy trying to look up their skirts that you take no time to appreciate the series. This is a good cartoon. Don't knock it till you've seen it... in Japanese.

OK. Sailor Moon... WOW! I first got into this when I was 8 years old (when it was shown on Fox Kids). This was the American Dub. I waited 2 years after they cancelled the show until I finally decided that it wasn't going to come back. From then until 24/08/05 (around then anyway) I wanted it on DVD. After spending, wait for it... nearly 100 quid on all 200 episodes and the 3 films I WAS NOT disappointed. It's true what everyone says - Japanese version is sooo much better. The jokes are funnier, it's not as babyish, there's a lot of real-life stuff (boyfriends, friends, school etc) that is also really interesting. I bought Sailor Moon S and Super S as the ones with an English audio option (Japanese also though) but when it came to it, the dub was so terrible, the voices also, that I just carried on watching in Japanese with English subtitles. Seriously - the voices are great (they are so believable and fitting the person that I can't even express it in words) and on the American dub they are terrible (sooooo terrible)!!! I have to recommend watching all of the episodes because the best season by far, in my opinion, is Sailor Stars (the 5th and final) so you kind of need to have seen the others. But this season has so much good stuff - the introduction of Seiya, Yaten and Taiki etc just make you watch episode after episode. Also Galaxia comes and the whole plot of Sailor Moon becomes clear. Why everything happened in the first place... It's just BRILLIANT. I'm not saying anymore because it would be spoiling it but the battles between everyone and Galaxia are so intense. And I love the idea that 'everyone shines' but you won't get that unless you've seen it.

So if you are interest... buy the Japanese version and watch all episodes! They may be a bit babyish at first but just wait and you'll be hooked without even realising it! I rate it 10/10 for ideas, plot, comedy, picture, tension, voices... but remember that this rating is for the Japanese NOT the American Dub!!!

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon...one of the greatest animes I have ever seen,but DiC butchered it,and I mean seriously. In the original japanese version, Sailor Moon was made for all ages,but the target audience was mostly teens. why? because SailorMoon features things such as : scantily clad fourteen year olds, transsexuality, gender changes (in the Stars season the starlights changed into males when they came to earth then turn female again when they transform) mushy romance, violence, death of the main characters, reincarnation, etc. But in the DiC dub version, many of these things were taken out.

First rant : In the dub,the names were screwed altogether. for those who dont know any of the japanese names,here is what we are looking at : Haruka to Amara (Sailor Uranus) Michiru to Michelle (Sailor Neptune) Usagi to Serena (Bunny in the manga)(Sailor Moon) Setsuna to Trista (Sailor Pluto) Ami to Amy (If I remember correctly,they are said differently) (Sailor Mercury) Rei to Raye (Same as before) (Sailor Mars) Makato to Lita (Sailor Jupiter) Minako to Mina (Sailor V & Sailor Venus) Mamoru to Darien (Tuxedo Kamen/Mask) Chibi-Usa to Rini (Chibi/Mini-Moon ALSO Sailor Senshi (soldier) was changed to Sailor Scout The title,'Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon' (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon), is now just 'Sailor Moon' Note that Hotaru(Sailor Saturn)'s name stayed the same,I guess it was because she was in the anime for such a short period of time. I don't know wether or not the cats names were changed,from what I know they havent been.

Second Rant : Haruka and Michiru are what?!?! COUSINS? DiC has sunk to an ultimate low,taking the best relationship of the series and making the two of them cousins just because they are both female.That was pretty stupid considering they left in such parts that showed that they in fact aren't cousins! ie: The two holding hands and gazing lovingly at each other at the pool, The way Uranus freaked out when Neptune's Heart Crystal was stolen,no way would cousins be THAT close! That is ridiculous, they also changed zoicite's sexuality completely. Talk about stupid...and Fisheye..eww...that sickens me,Fisheye used to be a crossdressing gay guy but hey,it was still a stupid move to change him into a girl.

Third Rant : The death of the Sailor Soldiers. Why oh why did they take the death of the Sailor Soldiers out? And when Sailor Saturn died,did she not become a baby version of herself whom Pluto,Uranus,and Neptune took in and took care of? I know for a fact this happened in the manga,but did it also not happen in the anime? And IF it did,did it for some stupid reason not survive the dub? And what about that one time Ruby (I geuss thats his name) killed all the Senshi on those crosses? I'll admit that was a little morbid that played a big part in that episode!

OKAY,I'm getting ahead of myself so I'll just shut-up,but I promise you this..I will be back for more ranting once I've slept a full three hours at the least!