Sailor Moon R - Anime Review

Sailor Moon R - Anime Review

Duration: 43 Episodes

Supplied: Purchased Blu-rays via Rightstuf

Publisher: Viz Media
Released: September 14, 2015(part 1) and  October 27, 2015(part 2) locally

Sailor Moon is back at it again in this second installment of the classic re-release and re-dub of the original series! This set covers 2 arcs. The first arc, and probably the one I enjoyed more, despite its shorter duration, covers 2 aliens, Ail and An, who have come to steal energy from humanity to revive their twisted tree of life. The second arc, which covers the bulk of the episodes, follows the Black Moon Clan. These people come from the future and are trying to corrupt certain sections of the city in order to destroy the future. How will the Guardians deal with these baddies?

In the first arc, Ail and An, take on a human guise so that they can better fit in with the locals. While they fit in for the most part, they don't quite make the cut. They scout the areas for the best places to harvest energy for their life-giving tree and harbor no ill sentiments in performing the deeds. Most of the time they do this by proxy using Cardians. These monsters are extremely varied in form and function but exist only to carry out the will of their masters.

The second arc, regarding the Black Moon Clan could almost be split into two parts in its own right it's so long! This, however, does not make it bad. We start out with Crimson Rubius and the 4 Specter Sisters. Their aim is to destabilize their opponents in the future by disrupting certain places in the past. Their methods to do this vary and many foiled attempts make way for more varied ideas but the main concept remains the same.

The Guardians are mostly the same for the most part but they do manage to grow a bit as characters. We see: A stronger friendship between Usagi and Rei who are almost constantly at war with one another. Minako is almost as clumsy as Usagi but she tries her best to help everyone out when they need it. Ami is faced with tough decisions regarding her dreams and friendship. Makoto even finds ways to still compare things to her old boyfriend that broke up with her!

As the series progresses the Guardians gain more power which is a huge boon because the enemies grow ever stronger. The cats, Luna and Artemis, see plenty of action as well. Artemis even gets an episode to himself which was a fun diversion.

Conclusion
Sailor Moon R is a seasoned classic anime. The animation is ancient and sometimes the camera moves around on the cells, but that is just part of the charm. A lot of hard work was put into this series and it definitely shows. While it is not the most technically demanding thing you are likely to ever watch, even as far as anime goes, it is still a quality product.

Despite the shorter arc in the beginning, I preferred it. The villains are much more complex and relatable than anyone I found from the Black Moon Clan. I also think the shorter run in episodes worked in its favor since it had much less time to deviate into unnecessary side-plots. Not that those are unwelcome or bad, but I do prefer a more concise story if possible. The latter arc seems very long in comparison and, despite having a far larger cast, has fewer relatable characters.

Recommendation
If you are a veteran Sailor Moon viewer then you already know what you are getting. Mostly one-off stories with an overarching plot. It can seem pretty ridiculous at times but it's always fun. There is not much to hate about it unless you just cannot stand older animation. If you liked the first installment then do yourself a favor and definitely check this one out!