ANIME REVIEW: Sailor Moon Crystal Episode 1

Sailor Moon. Oh boy, how will I start without getting nostalgic and excited at the same time?

If you were a girl who grew up in the 90’s and has a knack of anything animated in the television, whether it’s after school or after the TV news, Sailor Moon was definitely in your list. During these times, Sailor Moon became one of the shoujo animes that represented girls in a different way. There was no such thing as damsel in distress in the vocabulary of this anime. (Though, there were moments where you want to help Usagi out of the obvious that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask.) Sailor Moon became the representation of how a girl should be – beautiful, elegant, smart and righteous. (Sounds like Wonder Woman to me, which was a different topic.) I knew this kind of perspective because I grew up reading the manga and watching the anime. Somewhat in my boyish childhood, I wanted to become Sailor Moon. Every girl wants to become Sailor Moon. Every girl wants to transform into that sparkling heroine and defend the injustice. So, hearing the official announcement and getting updates about this remake and improved Sailor Moon was giving me nothing but happiness and delight.

The first episode was released last July 5, 2014. It was the first thing that popped up in my mind the second I remembered the date. Social media in all forms and sorts were trending about the much anticipated comeback. I prompted myself to download it and let’s see what my two cents about it are.  Nostalgia suddenly crept into my skin as I heard Usagi Tsukino’s voice much to my pleasure. I was so glad that the 1992 voice actors reprised their role as Usagi and Mamoru. (Kotono Mitsuishi and Toru Furuya)

Yes. Little hints of Love. As what they say in Japanese — My kokoro goes doki-doki.

I was amazed on how the animation improved. Well, comparing about today’s technology and the one used on 1992, it was expected. If you will noticed, the angles of the face from the 1992 version and today were so much different. If we will look it in the perspective of manga artwork, the new version was closer than the 1992 version, which showed simplicity. And, how can I ever forget the transformation? From the 1992 to the present, there were noticeable slight changes. Plus, additional detailing were added to give more flair and elegance.

From Right: 1992 Anime, Manga Artwork and 2014 Anime

From 1992 sequence to the 2014 sequence. Hmm.

And of course, the story of the first episode was still quite the same, though there were some added shots to add more maturity to the story. Also, the nostalgic aura of the anime was subtracted by changing the opening and ending songs and some of the background music that we all grew up and familiar with. And to everyone’s delight, even our Mamoru has graced the screen with so manliness and gorgeousness.

There is so much hype around this remake that I myself am also into it. Looks like more Sailor Moon fans and fans to be will submerge themselves every Saturday to wait for it’s episode release. Tune in every Sunday as I highlight its finest episodes, plots and what’s new with Sailor Moon, or else I’ll punish you in the name of the Moon.