Tell me about Sailor Moon

[Ponyfan]

Thanks Kazzellin. I know I'm really late to Sailor Moon but I've heard that DIC cut out of lot of episodes and changed a lot of the scenes in their version that takes away from the original intent of Sailor Moon. I'm almost halfway through Sailor Moon R season and picked up the first DVD of Sailor Moon Crystal today.


Ponyfan

[Stormness_1]

I wasn't sure I'd like Crystal, because I loved the DiC dub (I know...  ) and the remake of the classic anime, even with all it's filler. (I love filler, love it I tell you, and that goes for MLP and DB/Z/S too!! And while I'm getting fakies thrown at me for anime opinions, I love DB:GT and SSJ4, too!)
 

But I've been watching it online to see if I like it before going and buying the DVDs, and while there are things the classic anime just does better because of the build-up in relationships, and the fact that I love funny anime, I still loved it, so I'm going to get the DVDs (someday when I can afford them!). I do adore the manga though, so it makes sense, but I do feel a little of the manga's charm was lost in translation again, because cramming every issue into an episode isn't ever going to work perfectly.

Honestly don't feel bad about getting the fan release of the DiC dub, especially secondhand! The only official release in English I think was in Australia, and it's all hacked up, just like MLP was here. I had the Aussie DVD's, but bought the fan release to free up space (only 5 cases as opposed to dozens) and sold my official DVDs. No official revenue stream was lost, I still got the official ones, even if I didn't particularly like the format, but my DVD shelf is much tidier now. I'm also collecting the Limited Edition box sets of the remake, hopefully Madman don't lose the contract like they did with MLP, it would be annoying to have that disjointed look on my Sailor Moon shelf too!

[Lhianneth]

I think everyone has already covered this, but I actually do recommend watching Crystal first if you've not seen the 90s anime. The original didn't age well compared to a lot of series (too much filler, weird choices of dubbing, even weirder choices of editing; the new DVDs fix the latter two things, but can't do anything about the filler) and can be really slow and difficult to watch as an adult. Even as a fan, I have a hard time getting through it, and prefer to just have it on as background noise now. Each season's "arc" picks up about mid-way, so you can really kind of skim the first half to get to the actual story. The biggest bonus of the seasons being so long is that you get to really know the characters better than in the manga or in Crystal. They have more room to flesh out their likes, dislikes, and quirks. But. That also means that their characters change slightly, and not always for the better (they make Raye/Rei into a really unpleasant character on several occasions, and Darien/Mamoru is kind of a misogynist's daydream for a lot of the show, whereas he was charmingly low-power in the manga).

I think the best seasons were the first season (Sailor Moon vs. the Dark Kingdom/Negaverse; establishing the lore and giving everybody their start), third season (Sailor Moon S, introduces the outer senshi and focuses on their roles), and final season (Stars, all kinds of wacky antics because the director for Utena took over and they'd nearly caught up to the manga; the Sailor Animamates are hilarious villains and the interactions between the main cast and the Starlights are charmingly goofy). I also have a soft spot for Nehellenia from the fourth season/SuperS, but there was some weird stuff going on in that one...

And honestly, you can entirely skip the Doom Tree arc. It had some nice moments, but the majority of that half-season made me really, really angry at the writers, even as a kid. hahaha

[Ponyfan]

I watched the first episode of Crystal earlier and thought it was pretty good although it does feel like a shot for shot remake of the 90's anime episode.


Ponyfan

[Lhianneth]

There's definitely that feel for the first episode, because even the 90s one stuck pretty close to the manga on that episode. It's later on that things deviate.

Crystal has some serious quality control issues through the first seasons that weren't well-managed, but the third season really picked up its game and improved a lot! There are some plot issues I still have with it (the romantic chemistry between Usagi and Mamoru isn't great, and it's rushed compared to both the manga and 90s anime, as well as even the Live Action version from years ago. Some weird things they tried to fit into the plot to make it more unique from the other incarnations, too...), but overall it's an easier watch for a first-time viewer than the 90s anime which sometimes really suffers from its 90s roots.

[Ponyfan]

I actually just finished the Doom Tree arc last week. I had to laugh at An's costume choices for Usagi and the others so she and Mamorou would shine when they doing Snow White. I'm somewhere in the black Moon arc on the 90's anime. I thought the episode with Chibiusa and the dinosaur was cute.



Ponyfan

[Foxtale]

Welcome to the world of Sailor Moon! Big moonie  here... >.>

I love Crystal and the original. The DIC dub has a place in my heart from my childhood but it is so impossible to watch as an adult.

Look forward to your updates about your Sailor Moon journey. My favorite moon is Manga. ;p Coming up to my favorite part, the second half of R (Season 2).

[Ponyfan]

Thanks Foxtale. I just picked up Sailor Moon Crystal volume 2 I didn't notice the DVD case was cracked until I was on the way and I wanted to check the DVDs to make sure they played okay. When I put the first disc in for a moment I thought my set was mixed up with a 90's anime set since it was so similar to the 90's anime episode where Chibiusa first appears.


Ponyfan

[Ponyfan]

Here's a pic of my Sailor Moon DVD collection

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Sailor Moon 2 by LovesBarbie, on Flickr


Ponyfan