Toei Sailor Moon Review

Recently I completed re-watching the Toei Sailor Moon, this making it I believe the fifth time I watched the series completely. To mark this event I wanted to review the series. Toei Sailor Moon is a series that draws more polarizing feelings from me then any series: The only series who's best matches the Sailor Moon Manga, my favorite series of all series, yet who's worst is painful to me in a way few other series can match. As such I thought I'd make three blogs to express my feelings about this series: one to go over what I don't like about the series, one to go over what I like about this series, and then finally one to express my feelings towards the series as a whole.

I'll start by saying that no other series gets as polarizing feelings from me as Toei Sailor Moon. Toei Sailor Moon at its best is genuinely on par with the best of any other series I've ever seen. On the other hand while its worst is not on par with the worst I've ever seen, it is on par with the worst I've ever seen from series I actually LIKE. Part of this is just that it's a fairly lengthy series at 200 episodes long, however that's not all of it. Pretty Cure is several times larger but I definitely don't think has this level of variance. I definitely think my favorite episode of Sailor Moon is better then my favorite episode of Pretty Cure, though I also think at the same time that Pretty Cure's worst episode is better then Sailor Moon's worst episode. 

Overall though I would say that Sailor Moon is a great series. To try to give a decent idea of how much, I would say I have seen around 100 Magical Girl series, counting franchises like PreCure or Puella Magi as 1 each. Not counting other Sailor Moon series, if I were to rank all of them, Sailor Moon would easily be in my Top 10 and probably in my Top 5. My guess is it would be somewhere in the range of #6 to #3, with maybe a little wiggle room on either end. You could say this is nostalgia, and it is obviously true Toei Sailor Moon has had a huge influence on me. That said it certainly isn't entirely nostalgia, as I also rank very highly Magical Girl series that I saw as a late to adult and don't rate very highly some series that I have nostalgia for. I am obviously not claiming to be unbiased here, only that there is a reason Sailor Moon captured my interest and has remained an interest when other series failed to do so. 

If I was to describe what makes Toei Sailor Moon in one world it would probably be versatility. The Toei Sailor Moon series is a very broad series with a lot of tones and styles. It can vary a lot from comedic to serious, wholesome to edgy, slice of life to eldritch horror, sometimes within the same episode. More then that however it actually succeeds at least a good amount at all of these. Sailor Moon can be really funny or heartbreakingly sad, elegantly beautiful or a silly cartoon. Combined with the fact that it combines so many different interests and subject matters and it's not a surprise it got such a large fandom. There's a good chance regardless of what interests you, you'll find something to enjoy in Sailor Moon, and just anecdotally I've found there's a large variance in the kind of person who is a fan of Toei Sailor Moon, because why someone likes it can be radically different from person to person. My least favorite episode is one that a lot of people really love. Meanwhile one of my closest friends couldn't stand my second favorite episode in the series. There's a large swath of the fandom that watches the series as a slice of life anime, yet I who doesn't really like slice of life still finds plenty to enjoy in the series. There are plenty of other great Magical Girls but when you compare any of them to Toei Sailor Moon, they're more... specifically good, they're more good at doing a specific thing, and even if they do it better then Toei Sailor Moon, no series does as many things as Toei Sailor Moon. 

The flipside of this is the  series' inconsistency. Sailor Moon is as you might guess from the above description, not a very consistent series. I mean this both in a general quality sort of way as well as a more specific type of series type of way. To get to the stuff you want to see in this series, you're probably going to have get through at least some stuff that you find boring or distasteful. I for instance find the jokes poking at Usagi to be pretty unpleasant and I find a decent amount of the filler, monster/victim of the week type stuff to be rather dull. I am willing to get through that stuff to get to the material I like but it's certainly not my wish. I've said before that if you could somehow make the Top 120-150 episodes, somewhere in that range, of Toei Sailor Moon its own series, it would not only easily be my favorite Magical Girl Anime, but it would be my favorite anime of all time and one of Top 5 series. 

To get into more specific thoughts I am going to go over each arc of the series briefly and my thoughts on them. The Sailor Moon Manga has 5 arcs, on average 12 chapters each. The Toei Anime in comparison has at least 17 arcs on average ~9-12 episodes each. The count isn't quite exact because you could count the finale of each series as their own arc, or you could count them as part of the last arc, or something else entirely. I don't usually count them as arcs, but I will go over them as well.

The Jadeite Arc (1-13) is a pretty good example of the series consistency problem. Of its 13 episodes I would say I enjoy 8 (1, 3, 6, 8-12), but on the other hand it has Episode 4, quite possibly the worst episode in the series, and the other 5 episodes (2, 5, 7, 13) I feel more neutral or mixed on. That's a a pretty good record and I really like the string of characters once Ami and Rei get introduced between Episodes 8 and 12, though the better episodes clustered later can make the start feel slow. The early eps with just Usagi and Luna are rather hit and miss, even if Episode 6 is a banger episode. Jadeite is a very generic Shojo villain, a misogynistic cold pretty boy, though as a starter villain works well enough. 

The Nephrite Arc (14-26) has a really good finale, though I don't know if I consider it an improvement over the Jadeite Arc. Nephrite is a more unique villain, especially near the end where he basically starts the Toei Anime's redemption theme. A lot of the eps prior to the finale I feel more neutral on then the high points of the prior arc. There are some better episodes here, but for comparison my second favorite ep this arc is the Masquerade Ball Ep, an adaption of one of my bottom two chapters of the manga, whereas my second favorite Jadeite Ep is probably the first episode which is an adaption of a chapter around the middle of my manga chapters ranking. 

The Zoisite Arc (27-34) has a similar level of consistency to the Nephrite Arc but a higher overall average and I think is a notable step up from the prior two arcs. Zoisite is a much more fun villain to me, the including of three sides trying ot get the Rainbow Crystals, allows for more momentum in the story even if marginal, and the episodes in general I think are of a higher average quality. I really like the first two episodes of the arc, which introduce Makoto and are about resolving Naru's grief at Nephrite's death respectively.  This Arc adds Makoto at the front end and Minako at the back end, and while I do love all the Senshi, I do have a preference for Makoto and Minako more then Ami and Rei, if not by a huge margin. The ending of the arc is also pretty iconic so that's nice. I'm not that big a fan of 29 (The episode of Usagi and Makoto chasing Motoki) or 32 (The Tuxedo Umino episode) but things like 27 (The first Urawa episode), and 32 (The Luna kitty chaos episode) make up for it pretty well in my mind.

The Kunzite Arc (35-44) is one of my top 3 arcs in the series, even if its consistency is not as high as the Nephrite or Zoisite Arc. This arc I think is really underappreciated. Having two competing villains in Kunzite and Dark Endymion is a fun dynamic, especially as Kunzite is my favorite of the Heavenly Kings, being somehow both super theatrical and over the top yet also kinda snarky and genre savy. This arc has Episode 44, one of my top 5 episodes in the entire series, as well as bunch of other episodes I really like. Of the ten episodes, I really enjoy about 7 of them (35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 43, 44) including one of my top 5 episodes, another honorable mention, the Lake Youma Episode, the episode the Senshi pretend to fight, the second Urawa ep, etc. Even 2 of the other 3 eps are pretty good. The only one I don't like is the Minako backstory ep that has both Usagi and Minako out of character and has a contrived plot, though even it is far from Classic's worst. 

The Season 1 Finale (45-46) are my favorite episodes of the series and some of my favorite episodes of any series, with 46 being outright my favorite episode of any show. They're also the heart and soul of not just the series but the entire genre in my opinion. So needless to say I am a fan. 

The Makaiju Arc (49-59) is a pretty massive step down. Granted almost anything would be after the amazing stretch of 12 episodes prior, but I think the Makaiju Arc is worse then any arc in Classic. There are some good parts of it usually having to do with the Inner Senshi. You've got Rei and Makoto fighting a Cardian before getting their powers back, Makoto beating up Falion despite being weak from blood loss, Rei's really good character exploration episode, the argument about who should be Snow White, etc. That said the overarching elements of the plot I think are just poor. I don't like the Alien Pair, I think they are vastly less sympathetic then the arc presents them as and they're not fun to see interact with others as their entire shtick is pining for Usagi and Mamoru and getting jealous about the other other doing so hypocritically. The Moonlight Knight thing just feels dumb and like an attempt to try and recapture the dynamic of Season 1, as well as outright lies to the viewer about him not being Mamoru, and Usagi losing her powers with her confidence before getting them back feels half-backed taking place over only 3 episodes and having a major unexplained deus ex machina with her going inside the Silver Crystal to get new powers from the ghost of Queen Serenity? 

The Rubeus/Ayakashi Arc (60-74) is my most disliked arc in the series, and a major reason R is my most disliked season. The primary reason is the breakup arc which is my least favorite thing in the entire franchise for a LOT of reasons I go into my worst episodes ranking. Even outside that though I don't like this arc very much. Rubeus and the Ayakashi Sisters aren't very interesting to me seeing a group of four sisters being catty to me each other while fighting over a guy who is emotionally manipulating them. It's unpleasant and doesn't have much depth. Of the good eps this arc there's like four of fifteen, the two parter finale is pretty good, the Koan redemption ep (70) and the big Guardians vs Ayakashi fight (68). That said while some of the other eps are more in the middle this episode has 5 of the 20 episodes I don't like including the infamous dinosaur episode, the first Makoto/Minako fight episode both of which I really don't like, the grandpa wrestling ep where Grandpa Hino is a creep, the really boring curry shopping episode, and of course the breakup episode. Chibiusa being much more bratty then her Manga counterpart also doesn't help.

The Demande Arc (75-87) is pretty easily my favorite Arc in R. I still have problems with it usually in the form of missed potential as I think the Black Lady plotine where she turns evil due to a dumb misunderstanding and Usagi being kidnapped and rescued from being kissed by Demande are more missed potential then things I disliked, being substantially less interesting then their manga counterparts where Chibiusa turned to Black Lady as part of a frustration for not aging for 900 years and Demande forcing himself on Usagi, but her refusing to let that mean anything to her before rescuing herself. On the other hand this is the only R Arc I'd put on the same level as Classic's. The breakup arc ends right near the beginning and the villains are overall more engaging to me. Esmeraude is a fun villain from 75-81 with several really good eps like the ep they go into Chibiusa's mind, the Nurse Mina ep, and the Ami insecurity ep. Most of the eps after that this arc are pretty good but not amazing except 86, the Saphir ep which is one of the best episodes in R. 

The R Finale (88-89) is mixed. 88 is good. Of its three sections the Black Lady section is okay, and the other two are great including the final fight with Wiseman and the emotional Chibiusa returning to the future section. 89 however is a clipshow ep, and even for clipshow eps, it's pretty lazy. So you know. 

The Kaorinite Arc (90-102) is a massive step up. Immediately you can feel the difference with 90's tone and atmosphere with Rei's dark visions of the world ending in 90. This arc is primarily about introducing Haruka and Michiru, contrasting the Outer Senshi and their philosophy with the Inner Senshi and its absolutely excellent. Episodes 92 and 93 are devoted to introducing each individually and both are great. 96 and 97 are about a personal conflict Makoto and Ami are having, conflicting them with Haruka and Michiru respectively. All four are great, especially 92 and 97. Minako has her own really cool exploration ep in 100 that is also an allusion to one of Naoko's ol favorite series. 90 and 91 are a really good introduction to the season's themes an atmosphere an 102 is a fantastic climax that was on my best episodes list. Kaorinite is the most underrated villain in the series for me, I really like her design and her relationship with Professor Tomoe. The only ep this arc I don't really like that much is 101 which is the first part of the two-part finale as it feels like Usagi is out of character this ep. 

The Eudial Arc (103-111) is one of my top 3 arcs in the series. It has everything good about the Kaorinite Arc including one of the best villains in the series is Eudial, but also adds a much stronger sense forward momentum and plot as well as an even higher quality string of episodes. of the 9 episodes, 4 of them were in my top 30 episodes, of which 2 were top 10 including one in the top 5. The only ep that's even kinda meh 107 which is the Chibiusa art class episode. The first ep this arc brings back Chibiusa and has a ton of hilarious antics. The next two eps are both pretty fun too, 108 being the tea ceremony ep and 109 being the Makoto training episode, both of which have some pretty cool parts. 108 is another famously fun and funny ep with the party in English which has all the memes associated with it and is just a really fun time. This arc has 106, the Haruka/Michiru backstory, and then the super strong string of eps 109-111 which is one of the best strings of episodes in any magical girl series I've ever seen. Dramatic, Funny, Beautiful, Fast-Paced, Introspective, Shocking, it's got it all. 

The Mimete Arc (112-120) is a bit of a come down, more comparable to the Kaorinite Arc. Mimete is a more annoying villain then the either of the prior ones, things get a lot more episodic and slow paced, and the Outers' shtick starts getting a bit more repetitive. On the other hand this arc introduces Hotaru and her friendship with Chibiusa, both of which are fantastic developments for the series. Hotaru has been one of my favorite characters since childhood, and her friendship with Chibiusa is both adorable and gives Chibiusa a really good role in the series. The best episodes this arc are the ones that focus on Hotaru, 112, 113, 115, and 119. The Ikasaman ep, 118 is also pretty fun in a wacky what the hell kinda way. 

The Mistress 9 Arc (121-125) involves a few more episode Witch episodes. I like Tellu's a good amount actually mostly we get to see more Pluto and I want more Pluto. Viluy's is not that great tbh and Cyprine's is kinda in the middle. The actual climax of the season 124-125 is broadly good, though I have my problems with it. In particular I think a lot of the things they added that were from the manga were done substantially worse then the manga including the Pluto sacrifice, Hotaru giving Chibiusa's Soul back, and the fight with Pharaoh 90. On the other hand the things that were actually unique to the anime are really great. Everything between Moon and Haruka/Michiru and them angry at her for her idealism seemingly dooming the world before finally beginning to believe in her after seeing the strength of her conviction letting her create a miracle, that's all great. And the Tomoe/Hotaru stuff is also really sweet, even if it unfortunately causes a plot problem later. 

S also has two episodes at the end both of which are kinda mixed. With 126 I do appreciate the idea of the Moon vs Uranus/Neptune fight defeating them by not fighting though I think it could have been made stronger and the part where Pluto's ghost returns two episodes after she sacrificed herself to tell Chibiusa she'd see Hotaru again immediately before she sees Hotaru again... kinda dumb and time-wastey. 127 is them saying goodbye to Chibiusa again but they already played this card in Episode 88 plus they spend the entire ep focused on Chibiusa leaving and then she doesn't actually leave so it feels kinda pointless. 

The Amazon Trio Arc (128-149) is the longest arc in the anime and it really doesn't need to be. It's the least popular arc and I am inclined to agree it's broadly not very good. This is primarily a combination of the writing being made much more childish and meaner, making the Senshi especially Usagi look worse to try and make Chibiusa the protagonist of the season seem smarter by comparison. It also has the Helios romance which is substantially more troublesome then the manga, and a LOT of filler. Like this arc has 5 plot episodes in 22 total episodes. On the other hand this arc and season in general does definitely have a contingent of fans and I can kinda see it. This arc can be funny and if you're not as bothered by its weaknesses some pretty good emotional moments. 140 and 141, the Fashion Designer Ep and the Minako Two-Timing ep are both pretty funny, 132 is a pretty good about Usagi and Mamoru's relationship, 144 which is about Shingo's crush on Ami is pretty sweet, 147 has the famous Ami dancing with Makoto bit, and the two part finale is pretty good. On the other hand this arc has five of my Bottom 20 episodes (133, 139, 142, 143, and 145), 143 and 145 in particular  (The Shotacon Fish-Eye and the Ballet Ep) are both bottom 10 eps for me. Even a lot of the other eps have the overall problems of the arc such as 138 which would otherwise be a very normal Sailor Moon ep about Ami helping a car mechanic that randomly decides to add in jokes about Usagi being "fat."

The Amazoness Quartet Arc (150-160) is a pretty substantial step up from the prior arc. It does have another two bottom 10 eps for me in 154 (the second Makoto/Minako fight ep) and 157 (the ep that teaches children to try to fly on their bikes and to trust strangers who don't want people to tell on them), the latter of which is a bottom 3 for me which extra hurts as it's half the length of the prior arc. With that said, the average quality of the ep is substantially higher. 152, 156, 159, and 160 are all eps I like pretty clearly including a really good Rei ep, the Senshi/Quartet ep that is really important for the Quartet's characters and themes, a really interesting ep about a starving artist and appreciating authenticity and gratitude, and a funny ep of the Senshi trying to figure out Chibi-usa's crush. A lot of others are mostly good with one of SuperS problems like 153, the dentist ep which outside of Usagi being written as particularly childish is fun, or 151 which is a pretty good Ami exploration ep. The Quartet are pretty well deserved for being fan favorite villains.

For some reason SuperS and Stars have really long endings compared to the first 3 seasons and could well be counted as arcs themselves. The SuperS Finale (161-166) is actually really good with 166 being probably my favorite SuperS being thematically really rich and reflecting Ikuhara's style well in his final ep. There's also in general a lot of fun in the SuperS finale from the mirrors part meant to reflect the Senshi's insecurities or the Quartet's redemption. On the other hand the writing can be quite childish much like a lot of SuperS with things like characters just stating the moral or Nehelenia betraying the Quartet and loudly declaring it to them so that they know it wasn't just Zirconia. 

The Nehelenia Arc at the start of Stars (167-172) is my favorite arc in the Toei anime. Despite being one of the two "filler" arcs, it's actually the one I feel is closest to the manga as there are no monsters of the week, it's fast paced without any ep being "filler", it's got a darker more atmosphere feel and so on. Every ep is at least good and the last three episodes are all top 30 eps for me, with the penultimate being top 10 and the final being top 3. I love the overarching themes about love and isolation which are my favorite themes in fiction, I love that they played around with the Senshi putting them in different pairs then usual and seeing what happened. And the last ep means so much to me as it expresses the Anime's theme in a way that clicked with me better then anything else in the entire series. This arc really pushes back on the faults of the prior season, immediately showing that this is going to be avoid the childishness and random meanness of the last season, and while Stars has its own problems, it does stick to that. Also while again Stars does have its own problems... it's not really in this arc. This arc is the pinnacle of Toei Sailor Moon, and it's what I would want from this series.

The Iron Mouse Arc (173-181) really shows why Stars in particular is so polarizing for me. Stars to me has three parts. I do love the writing on the Inner Senshi this season a lot, it's maybe my favorite season for their characterization, and for the most part I also really love the writing on the Outer Senshi. This arc really shows both those. The Inner Senshi are a lot of fun this arc and yet also really supportive of each other. I love the gag in 181 where Minako tries and fails to invite one of the Starlights to an adult movie making Usagi all shocked and Makoto innocently say she'd go with Minako instead. I also really love the villains this season. Iron Mouse is a lot of fun and Galaxia makes for a really cool final villain for the series. With that said, I don't like the Starlights. I felt pretty neutral on them as a child and my opinion has only really soured with time. They're also at their absolute worst this arc, or at least Seiya and Taiki are. Seiya repeatedly ignores Usagi's boundaries in a way that's supposed to be funny, and I find super distasteful. Meanwhile Taiki is a cartoon caricature of cold "logic" that A: doesn't belong in this series and B: only ever causes problems. The rest of the arc is great, I love the Inners this season, Mamoru basically proposes to Usagi 173 in a scene that always makes me tear up, Iron Mouse is really funny like in 178 where she is super impatient during Usagi's pre-battle speech and is mad she's not listening to her before just leaving. It's just that the Starlights are such a large part of this arc and season and I don't like them.

The Aluminum Seiren Arc (182-188) I think is a step up from the Iron Mouse Arc. Seiren and Lead Crow are both good villains, probably on par with Iron Mouse and they have a fun dynamic where Lead Crow thinks they're rivals but Aluminem Seiren is too spacy to notice, with Crow doing all her work for her. Chibi-Chibi is also a nice addition, being sweet and fun. 182, 184, and 186 (The Moon and Pluto vs Seiren and Lead Crow ep, the ep where everyone crashes at Usagi's house, and the ep they follow Chibi-Chibi around) are all fun episodes with the middle being on my top 10 list. The other 4 are mostly kinda middle of the road eps. The Starlights temper down a lot and I dislike them a lot less, however they also get even more screentime relatively speaking meaning we get less fun stuff from the Sol Senshi. Things like the ep with the Monster Movie or the Sports Ep are things I found entertaining enough as a child but now as an adult who's seen a million things like that I just feel kinda numb to them. 

The Tin Nyanko Arc (189-194) I feel pretty similarly about. I don't like Tin Nyanko as much as Alumium Seiren and she doesn't have nearly as a fun as dynamic with her as Seiren didn't but for the most part the eps are kinda middle of the road, mostly cause of how much they focus on the Starlights. I will say once again I love the Guardian Senshi this arc and how much faith they constantly show in Usagi and her ideals. Episode 194 is definitely my favorite episode of this arc and has a lot of great stuff from the Inners like Minako accidentally suspecting Tin Nyanko in disguise exactly right several times, or Rei running across the city in a cartoon dust cloud to get to Usagi when Usagi blows the danger whistle. That episode is also good thematically, as it starts showing how Usagi has tried to take all the burden on herself which obviously mirrors Toei Galaxia. 

The Stars Finale (195-200) is interesting to talk about. Because I think it has really great plot and themes but is let down by the pacing. This is 3 amazing episodes stretched into like 6 episodes. I can tell how there's a lot of great scenes in the Stars finale and there are from the contrast of the Inners and Outers pre-battle talk before going to face Galaxia, Uranus and Neptune's death mirror their hands scene from 110 an a ton of stuff from 200 which is great thematic stuff and very emotionally resonating. On the hand the Uranus and Neptune false betrayal goes on for an entire episode and almost nothing happens in 199. Episode 200 is still wonderful and top 10 episodes for me, but still.

Going into a more general overarching analysis Toei Sailor Moon is a series that I think has a lot of highs an a lot of lows. If you're someone like me you'll probably find the repetitive slice of life angle to be a bit tedious though the emotional and atmospheric richness of the good episodes to more then make up for it. You'll also probably find at least a few things that bother you about it, as it is a long series and by this point 30-35 years old, but if you don't find at least a few things in it emotionally stirring I have to imagine you have a heart of stone. 

From the way I describe it, you may be wondering if there is any consistent across the entire series outside a few specific characters. If we're talking about literally all 200 episodes then probably not, including things like the clipshow episode, the only thing consistent thing is Usagi Tsukino herself. That said if we're talking about in terms of vast majority of the episodes then there are some things I think are very distinctively the 90s anime.

Sailor Moon is an adolescent fantasy, a fantasy for the younger girls about what being older would be like, for teen girls to imagine actually being the girl they would want to be. It is a fantasy of being able to transform into an idealized feminine figure who is beautiful and strong, who has intense and world changing romances, a community of friends and companions all distinctly awesome in their own way, of one's responsibilities mattering to the cosmic extent and being able to achieve them. How one relates to this series can sometimes be a picture of how one relates to that time in their life. In my own life, my teenage years brought me a series of physical and emotional challenges that were relatively harder then any other period and I had to rise to meet them. It was a bitter pleasure and in some ways I think that is what I see reflected in Toei Sailor Moon most. I see all the challenges and emotions I had growing up, I remember both the pains and unfairness and I see the ways and emotional catharsis of having overcome them.

Toei Sailor Moon is by far the most popular Magical Girl series to ever be made and I don't think it's even really close. I see a lot of similarities in the success of Toei Sailor Moon and the success of something like Spider-Man. Spider-Man took the superhero fantasy of being a nigh-perfect masculine ideal of the superhero and asked "what if the superhero was just a normal teen?" Sailor Moon took the Magical Girl fantasy of being something like what society wants girls to be and asked "What if the Magical Girl was just a normal teen?" Both series emphasize to a large part a civilian cast, are criticized for being hard on their protagonist (Spider-Man much more so admittingly), and one of the most centers of appeal it seems to me is just the idea of "what if you were the hero?"

I hope it's clear that I really do care about this series and this franchise. I both love and hate Toei Sailor Moon depending on when in the series it is, but more then anything I care about it. It is a series that pulls a lot of emotions from me. If I have to explain why and why it does to so many people, it is the first series I was able to see myself in, see both who I was and wanted to be. The things about it that hurt, hurt because it feels like it's targeting me, and the things that are beautiful feel like it's reflecting part of my personal story. 

Similarly on a meta level Toei Sailor Moon was the first series to show me what I wanted out of fiction as I felt both the things I liked and didn't like in its vast expansive. It is a series of paradoxes that form a single complex expanse that is like the Moon that has many faces, some of which will feel warm and touching, some of which will feel cold and distant. Because ultimately even for its genre or the other versions of the same story, Toei Sailor Moon is a series about the Human Heart in all its complexities which can be joyful, painful, or peaceful, but I will always find it beautiful.