In 1991, manga artist/wrtier, Naoko Takeuchi published a manga series for Japanese manga magazine Nakayoshi titled, “Sailor Moon.” The series follows a schoolgirl named, Usagi Tsukino who learns she’s destined to fulfill her role as a Sailor Guardian under her codename, “Sailor Moon.” Her goal is to find a silver crystal. Under the guidance of black cat, Luna, Usagi befriends four teenaged girls, Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno, Sailor Mars/Rei Hino, Sailor Jupiter/Makoto Kino & Sailor Vinus/Minako Aino who also become Sailor Guardians. Basically, a female version of “Power Rangers.” Together, they work as a team to combat Queen Beryl from obtaining the silver crystal from destroying the Moon Kingdom and take over the world. Meanwhile, Usagi frequently encounters a mysterious teenaged boy named, Tuxedo Mask.
Sailor Moon’s manga became a big hit selling a total of 46 million copies. It spawned merchandise, video games, toys, costumes and an anime adaptation aired in 1998 on Cartoon Network’s block, Toonami. After leaving the school bus, used to watch this in the late ‘90s and early 2000s along with “Dragon Ball Z” and “Gundam Wing.” Personally, I’m more of a DBZ guy than Sailor Moon.
Anyway, an anime reboot of the latter titled, Sailor Moon Crystal” began steaming in 2015 (same year Logic’s second album The Incredible True Story came out) on Hulu. It received praise for bringing a much faithful adaptation of the manga. The reboot contain three seasons. A total of 39 episodes altogether. I have one good reason why I wanna share my opinion on Sailor Moon Crystal. My favorite anime voice actress, Stephanie Sheh will attend Fan Expo Dallas 2026 signing autographs, taking pics with fans and partake in Q&A sessions. As I prep up for the three-day event coming in September 11-13, I’m gonna watch and review all three reviews of Sailor Moon Crystal as well as the films, “Sailor Moon Eternal” & “Sailor Moon Cosmos.”
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS. I’m giving newcomers a chance to watch Season 1.
Light & Dark Aspects
Light: Stephanie Sheh did a superb job for her voiceover performance as the titular character.
Other Cast Members such as Kate Higgins, Christina Vee, Amanda C. Miller, Cherami Leigh, Michelle Ruff & Johnny Yong Bosch all did a decent job for their respective voiceover performances.
Animation’s Class A.
Action Sequences are pretty good.
Funny Moments in between.
Random Thoughts
- I’m gonna come clean lads. I never watched the reboot. I only watched the OG series on Toonami back in my early years in elementary school.
- I didn’t want to look back at every single episode from the OG series. My time’s limited. I got a lotta shows on my plate including “The Boys,” “Invincible” & “Daredevil: Born Again.”
Usagi’s chemistry with Tuxedo Mask and her new allies serve as the main highlight.
Sailor Guardians were interesting. Like the Power Rangers franchise, each member wears a color coded outfit to help you identify a specific character. Same thing goes with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by telling the turtles apart via masks, personalities and weapons.
We learn about crucial info surrounding Princess Serenity. I can’t tell you all about her. You’ll have to see for yourself.
Pacing felt stable trimming the OG series filler episodes.
Character Development involving Usagi. As the season progresses, she accepts her role as a Sailor Guardian and a capable leader to her fellows Sailor Guardians.
A few twist and turns will make you gasp.
Act 14’s last scene sets up Season 2.
Dark: Like the OG series, the transformation scenes are notorious for being lengthy. I counted 60 seconds for every character transforming in one scene. Could’ve been better if their scenes were trimmed less than 5 seconds. Like the fast montage sequence from “Requiem for a Dream.”
Without giving too much away, the 12th episode’s boss battle felt anticlimactic. As if an Elden Ring boss fight felt easy instead of a hard one.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BRIGHT EYES!
Despite two gripes, I really enjoyed Sailor Moon Crystal’s first season. It’s way better than the OG series. If you’re new to the Sailor Moon franchise, I highly recommend watching the reboot on Hulu or Netflix. Which anime series featuring Stephanie Sheh should I review next? Please leave a comment.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 