Bishôjo Senshi Sailor Moon

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.

I have seen the first six episodes of this live action version of Sailor Moon. I think that it's really fun and creative. The girl that they got to play Sailor Moon is Miyu Sawai. She's cute and has the meatball hair. Sailor Mercury is played by Chisaki Hama and she plays Amy with the kindness and intelligence that is so likable in the anime. Mars is Keiko Kitagawa and she plays the mysterious beauty perfectly. Although, she doesn't have the comical arguments with Usagi that are an anime treat. Jupiter is Myuu Azama who plays the strong and lonely Mako-chan. Ayaka Komatsu is the real life super hero as the series begins Sailor Venus. All in all, the action is very interesting, with a funny and mad energy that is reminiscent of The Banana Splits. The costumes and make up are excellent. And the youma's are really fantastic creatures with wild designs. The transformation and the attacks of the sailor soldiers are colorful and well done. This series of Sailor Pumpkins gets two thumbs up and I hope they have a long running series.

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.

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

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!