Tag: Sailor Moon Super S

Anime Review: ‘Sailor Moon Super S’

The heartwarming tale of the original Brony.

Sailor Moon Super S, written by Yoji Enokido et al. Directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. Starring Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, and Michie Tomizawa. Toei Animation (–). 39 episodes of 24 minutes (approx. 936 minutes).

Available from Viz Media.

Sailor Moon Super S, the fourth series of the Sailor Moon anime from the Nineties, is probably the weakest entry in the popular franchise. Built loosely on the “Infinity” arc of the manga, it focuses on Sailor Moon’s daughter from the future, Chibi-Usa. A microcosmic coming-of-age story, this arc is arguably important to Sailor Moon’s overall themes, but that doesn’t prevent it from being uneven—the primary reason for which is probably Chibi-Usa herself, whose presence in Sailor Moon is, even at the best of times, redundant.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon finish their transformation sequences.
Chibi-Usa prepares to punish you, redundantly.

Chibi-Usa earned a lot of hate from American viewers back in the Nineties due to the DiC dub. She is more popular in Japan, which is unsurprising given that country’s obsession with cuteness, mascot characters, and little girls. She is simultaneously a sidekick to Sailor Moon and a miniature version of her (she is actually called Sailor Chibi Moon), but although she appears best suited to a peripheral role, she has a habit of upstaging the rest of the cast—and in Super S, she takes over.

This is her arc, like it or not.

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Preliminaries on ‘Sailor Moon Super S’

As Viz Media has released the uncensored Japanese version of the ’90s anime version of Sailor Moon with an English sub, I’ve been purchasing it on iTunes.

I previously reviewed the first half of Sailor Moon S, the third arc, but never reviewed the second half partly because I got busy with other things, partly because I lost the ability to take screenshots from iTunes, and partly because I had little to add to my review of the first part: the series takes some of the most questionable decisions of the manga, makes yet more questionable decisions in adapting them, and somehow spins gold out of what by rights should be a complete mess. It might be the best chapter in the saga.

Anyway, Viz has released both halves of Sailor Moon Super S, the penultimate series, as well as two of the movies, Sailor Moon R and Sailor Moon S. Both films had limited runs in theaters, but I only had the chance to see the first one.

I started out by purchasing this series on iTunes, and am still doing so. I’m currently puzzling out what to do about the screenshot issue, because I’d like to review them. I have the Japanese version of Sailor Moon Super S, but the movies I haven’t bought yet, mostly because iTunes appears to indicate that they’re only available in English, which makes me think that maybe I should shell out for the Blu-Ray so I can have them in Japanese. Stephanie Sheh, who plays Sailor Moon in the dub, does a passable job, but she’s also another minor celebrity who’s made a habit of making a fool of herself on social media, so I’m frankly uninterested in listening to her voice.

Anyway, what I’m saying is … Sailor Moon Super S is out, if you didn’t know that already. This particular series has historically been unpopular with American fans because it centers on Chibi Moon, who is not as well-liked in the U.S. as in Japan. I’ve only just begun it, but I’m so far enjoying it. I feel the need to revisit this section of the manga, since it didn’t make much of an impression on my memory and I’m unsure how utterly the anime has changed it.

 

‘Sailor Moon Super S’ Part 1 Now Available

I know I’ve not kept up with things around here. I just finished my degree and I’m starting a new career in a couple of weeks, I’m currently preparing to move. I’ll probably be out of contact for the better part of next week as I’ll first be sending my computer in for service and will then hit the road.

And of course I should have a novel out soon, except we keep hitting unexpected delays. Everything is together except the cover art, and I can tell you that the manuscript looks really, really good. If you’ve read some or all of the web version of Jake and the Dynamo and enjoyed it, you will want to get this book. If you haven’t read it, but like action-adventure or laughing really hard, you will want to get this book.

On another note, because I haven’t been keeping up with news in the genre like I should, this is late—but better late than never. The first half of Sailor Moon Super S, the fourth animated series in the Sailor Moon saga, is out in the uncensored release from Viz. The rest of the series I previous purchased on iTunes, and I will be doing the same again.

I intended to review the second half of Sailor Moon S, though as it turned out, there were few substantial additional comments I wanted to make after I reviewed the first half. By this time, having reviewed the third season of Sailor Moon Crystal, the third arc of Sailor Moon is a horse I’ve beaten half to death anyway. I will probably put up a short review to reiterate a few points and add a few new ones before I move into Super S.

Also worth noting is that Viz has promised to release the S and Super S movies to theaters, just as they did with Sailor Moon R. I will try to see them if possible, but my upcoming move and new job will likely make it impractical if not impossible for me to get to a theater that’s showing them. I’ll keep you posted on that front.