Usagi Tsukino and her friends have been living peacefully until they are called into action again as Sailor Guardians, planetary warriors fighting for the peace of the galaxy. Usagi, also known as Sailor Moon, leads their group into battle when a new threat from beyond the stars presents itself: two survivors of an alien race, An and Ail. In order to save the source of their life force, the Makai Tree, An and Ail begin harvesting energy from unsuspecting humans. The Sailor Guardians must stop their plot or face the annihilation of Earth.
But as one threat subsides, another follows—this time in the form of a little girl from the future who seeks the source of Sailor Moon's power to save her family. However, she is not the only one vying for it, as a group known as the Black Moon Clan also wishes to obtain the power and use it for nefarious purposes. In order to protect their destinies and the harmony of the universe, Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Guardians must fight to stop these forces from succeeding.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Skadi
After watching the original series for the first time in many years, I was very excited to start this series. Sailor Moon R proved itself to be a great continuation of the storyline. While it perhaps isn’t as strong as the original in whole, in parts it surpasses it. Story wise, Sailor Moon R is broken up into two story arcs. The first is filler not related to the source material, and the second is the Black Moon arc which was very good. The first arc isn’t bad but well you can tell its filler. The sailor warriors recover their memorieslost after the conclusion of the first season and gain new abilities. I think one of the things that make this storyline feel insignificant later on is that these new abilities are never used again later on.
The Black Moon arc though is where the series really gets interesting. We are immediately introduced to a new character, Chibi Usa who forces herself into Usagi's life. The story takes a darker tone than the previous season and the romance between Usagi and Mamoru is severely tested. I thought the villains were also very well written as they had much more complexity. This is not to say that it was perfect, there were some annoyances. Chibi Usa gets particularly irritating after a while. Much like season one, the action is a weak point. It’s boring and formulaic and not that interesting. Each episode the Sailors fight a new "droid" which have different powers, but are pretty much defeated in the same manner every time.
We get to see a lot more character growth out of all the girls. Each girl has at least two or three episodes devoted to them which was nice to see. Usagi continues to grow as a character and I found myself sharing her tears on occasion as she goes through rough times with Mamoru. Chibi Usa or Small Lady, I had a love hate relationship with. She did get on my nerves quite a bit and I found her to be very selfish and spoiled. I also got very annoyed with the constant fighting between her and Usagi. Much like I did in season 1 with Rei. She does change quite a lot by the end of the story, which was good to see. A lot of the supporting cast is noticeably absent from this season. Usagi's family rarely appears as well as other favorites such as Motoki and even Naru and Umino.
The animation felt like it was a little better compared to the first series. Perhaps I was watching a better copy or I had just gotten used to it. It’s still very dated looking though. The music is pretty much the same as well. The voice acting is strong all around.
Overall, if you enjoyed the first season of Sailor Moon then you are going to want to watch this as well. It is not quite as strong as its predecessor but it is still a rewarding experience. I recommend it highly.
3seren
I heard some pretty bad comments for this season, and how it's considered to be, if not the worst, the second worst to SuperS Sailor moon season. I honestly can't see it. For me this season is the best out of all 5 seasons and my reasons is that it's the "darkest" and "deepest" of them all. Story 9/10 The first arc with the doom tree is a filler, yet I really enjoyed it. Both the vilains were likeable and interesting and the story of it wasn't so bad either, also I liked that it ended positive for them. The second arc with the Black MoonClan and the future Crystal Tokyo is the best story arc in the whole series. They revealed some major plot in this arc, like Usagi becoming Neo Queen Serenity and Chibiusa being her daughter. The fact that Serenity was appearing often was a huge plus also for the season. Black Moon antagonists were also likeable (especially the Akayashi sisters and the birth of the Black Lady). Also Usagi's and Mamoru's relationship is at its peak in this season, which is another huge plus.
Art 8/10
I didn't notice any major changes in the animation, and I don't think it got worse or better. The anime is pretty old so if i'm going to complain about the animation I wouldn't start watching it in the first place
Sound 9/10
Nothing much to say about this. The background music of the transformations changed from the first season but it's still good.
Character 10/10
I gave the characters 10/10 because I love how we can see their future selves, especially the Neo Queen Serenity and the future Guardians. Also the appearance of Sailor Pluto and the Black Lady transformation.
Enjoyment-Overall 9/10
I really enjoyed this season, it was more fast paced than the first one and having watched the other seasons as well I can definitely say the plot and events on this one are my favourites.
kittycatbeck
To tell the truth, this wasn't my favorite season of Sailor Moon- I have mixed feelings about it... shows in my scores. I consider it the worst but most important. It was the season that brought back Sailor Moon, and was connected to the rest of the seasons in a special way because of that. That's why I give it 7 overall, otherwise, it would of been a 5. Story was pretty good. I like how there was a huge cliff hanger on the first season. And I also like the build up on the first arc-But it was a "filler". The story introduced a massof new characters and scenery. They explained things in greater detail, for that, I give it a 9.
Art was a joke. This is the only reason why I think this season was the worst. I think the creators could of done a bit better. I mean, this was made during the mid 90s, even Fushigi Yuugi was better. The art of Sailor Moon R was really meek and... disgusting to see on screen. 5.
Sound was the same as the first season. They just added a bit more to it. Theres not much to say about it but "Blunt". That's why I gave it a 6.
Character, the characters in the series were either new or old. As I said before, they introduced a lot of new characters such as (SPOILER!!)Chibiusa, Sailor Pluto, etc. I liked the unique personalities of the 5 senshi in the first season and many other characters, so I give it a 8.
Enjoyment is pretty medium. I mean, you get to have a repeat of gathering the 4 senshi and 2 parts of the season, a new villian, and so much more. I give it a 7 because the art was of low quality but the story and characters were at a all time high.
Overall, the art was bad... super bad, but the rest is fresh and new. It's good for any shojo fans and for children to enjoy. I think many people will enjoy it.
ktulu007
Hello everyone. We've got a bit of a special review today. That's right, it's number 200, although those of you reading this on Wordpress haven't gotten access to all of them yet, but it's only a matter of time until the last review of yesteryear gets uploaded so please be patient. We've been through a lot in that time and not just in terms of anime covered. The format has changed quite a bit and I think all those changes have been for the better. When I hit my hundredth review I looked at the first series of Sailor Moon, both the English and Japaneseversions. One of which was an abomination whereas the other was really good. Now, at that time I said I would never look at an English dub again and I'm not going to go back on that. That being said, it is appropriate for the 200th review to hearken back to that moment with a look at the second anime series, Sailor Moon R. Now, like Dragonball, I'm not going to worry about spoilers with this one. Keep that in mind. So grab your transforming pens, put on your planetary makeup and let's take a look at where the series goes from there.
Story:
Sailor Moon R has two story arcs. The first picks up where the previous series ended, with the sailor soldiers having lost their memories and gone back to their normal lives. The peace is interrupted when something otherworldy crashes into the Juban area in the dead of night. Two aliens named Ail and Ann, I know it's a cheesy pun but I love it, have come to Earth to take the energy from living things to feed their Doom tree. Usagi regains her powers when Naru is attacked by a monster that comes out of a card, it's nice to see her back in her usual role, and all without a duel disk system or expensive holograms. Usagi sorrowfully bids farewell to her normal life and gets to work. With Usagi on the case, it naturally doesn't take long before the rest of the soldiers have to have their powers and memories returned as well. So we have the five inner senshi fighting to stop Ail, Ann and their Cardians.
The second arc starts with a young pink-haired girl dropping from the sky and interrupting Usagi and Mamoru's date. She demands that Usagi hand over the silver crystal and hypnotises her family, making them think she's Usagi's cousin who is also called Usagi. While the sailor soldiers are planning what to do about her, I suggest lots of duct tape, an actual threat materialises. They call themselves the Black Moon clan and they want to capture Chibi-Usa and manipulate areas they refer to as future crystal points. The sailor soldiers have to protect Chibi-Usa, learn her purpose and stop the Black Moon clan. To save both the present and the future.
There are really only two story issues. The first is the ongoing problem of a change of clothes being enough to conceal someone's identity. Because Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako all look very different when they put on their sailor soldier uniforms versus when they're dressed normally. Who knows, maybe there's supposed to be some component of their transformation that hides their identities, but the art does nothing to illustrate that nor is anything of the sort ever mentioned. It's not like the Precure franchise where their hair changes in an obvious way. The other issue is the relationship between Usagi and Mamoru. Yes, I know that the age difference between the two is meant to provide some wish fulfillment for the target audience since many girls that age are interested in men, or women, who are much older. It's still really creepy when you have a college guy getting romantically involved with a middle school girl. This dude needs to be on a watch-list. Even putting that aside, the way they show relationship growth between them is just lazy. We're expected to believe they have a great relationship, not because of any actual substantial interaction between them, but because they're “destined lovers” reincarnated and because they're shown as being together in the future.
Putting that aside, there are significant improvements from the first anime. The gratuitous love interests for Ami, Rei, Minako and Makoto barely show up or get mentioned, if they are at all. In the case of Rei they even eliminate him as a love interest, explicitly stating that he's not her boyfriend nor does she love him. The story itself is also paced a bit better since the first series was padded out a bit with episodes that didn't really advance anything. Although, in all fairness, those episodes did almost always have good character moments to make up for it. The stories themselves are fun, optimistic and uplifting. I like that most Sailor Moon villains aren't actually evil but just being manipulated or lacking a good understanding of love and, therefore, not only can they find redemption but you want to see them redeemed. The series also has some good sources of tension, particularly if you look at it from the perspective of the target audience.
Characters:
Sailor Moon R takes strong characters and develops them into even better characters. Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako and Usagi all have episodes that focus on their characters and develop them. They all get their own story arcs as well, which gives them all their own chances to shine and heroic moments. Their relationships with each other also develop and improve over the course of the series. Even several of the side characters get some really strong moments. The antagonists have developed and sympathetic motivations, excluding Death Phantom. Most of them aren't even bad people just misguided. Which is an aspect I really liked. I also like that it portrays all manner of love, romantic, familial and friendly, as important and beautiful. It also makes the rare move of portraying one-sided love without demonising either of the parties involved. Which is sadly rare in media, especially media aimed at young girls.
If there's one weakness to the characters in this it's Chibi-Usa. I don't absolutely detest her in the way that so many fans do, I don't even know if I'd go so far as to say I dislike her, but she is a pretty annoying character. She whines a lot and makes really dumb mistakes due to selfishness or just a lack of basic thinking skills. Although I will give the anime credit, she is vastly improved in it when compared to the manga and there are two things that contribute to that. The first is her age. In the anime she's a small child and, as annoying as she can be, she acts like one. It's hard to hate a little kid for making the kinds of mistakes she makes. Even if the kid is a bit annoying. In the manga she's supposed to be over 900 and yet she still acts like a small child which is just inexcusable at that age. In the manga she also has a creepy incestuous thing going with her father, even snogging him while he's mind-controlled. In the anime she comes across as possessive of him certainly, but possessive in a pretty normal way for a little kid to act towards their parent and she most certainly doesn't do anything like that. So, in the anime she is kind of annoying but I wouldn't call her a bad character. She has some good emotional scenes and even the ways in which she's kind of obnoxious are understandable given her age.
Art:
The art is pretty dated with some choppy animation and, like the first series, it over-uses stock footage for attacks. While it certainly doesn't hold up to today's standards, it was really good for its time and it still has a nostalgic charm to it. A lot of the monsters have really interesting designs. The character designs themselves are well done and it manages to have some nice, intense action sequences in spite of the stock attacks. I actually really like that the soldiers' outfits are designed as school uniforms with personalised touches based on what girls actually like to wear when left to their own devices with the modifications being based on the characters' personalities. It's an interesting idea and well executed. I do have to give Takeuchi Naoko kudos for it.
Sound:
Fukami Rica, Tomizawa Michie, Shinohara Emi, Hisakawa Aya & Mitsuishi Kotono reprise their roles as the sailor soldiers and they all do a fantastic job. They put a lot of nuance into their performances, sometimes exaggerating for comedic effect and others being very subtle and down-played. The acting always suits the scene. Our not quite newcomer, Araki Kae, does a really good job as Chibi-Usa. The reason I call her a not quite newcomer is that she filled in for the voice of Usagi for a couple episodes in the first series, and did such a good job that you probably won't notice the difference even if you're listening for it. When Chibi-Usa is whining she doesn't make it exaggerated or ridiculous. Rather, she gives a performance that shows degrees. You can tell when Chibi-Usa is about to cry and when she's trying not to. So, as annoying as the character can be, I have to give the actress credit for voicing her really well.
The music is upbeat and a lot of fun to listen to. Both the music that they play during the episodes and the music from the opening and ending themes. It complements the tone of the series perfectly and is just a joy. I'm particularly fond of Otome no Policy, both the lyrics and Ishida Yoko's performance.
Ho-yay:
The les-yay is a bit toned down from the first series. There's still an under-current of homo-eroticism amongst the girls, but nowhere near the extent that it was in the first series. Maybe they figured that without the male love interests around they didn't need as much to compensate or maybe they were saving up all the yuri moments for Sailor Moon S when Haruka and Michiru show up & when Chibi Usa meets Hotaru. Someone really should have told them that there isn't a limited amount of yuri subtext, or even yuri text, that you can have in a franchise. In any case, the ho-yay factor for Sailor Moon R is going to be a 3/10.
Final Thoughts:
Sailor Moon R is a thoroughly enjoyable series with a lot of great moments and some really strong characters. It has some faults, but it's easy to see why the franchise as a whole had such a massive impact on the magical girl genre and why this season in particular contributed to that influence. But as fun and entertaining as it is, it isn't perfect. Several problems persist and they do affect the series adversely. Still, they are relatively minor issues when you consider how much it does right. As such my final rating is an 8.5/10. If you don't like magical girl anime you won't like it, but for quite literally anyone else I do recommend it.
Thanks to everyone who reads these every week and puts up with my various idiosyncrasies. It's because of all of you that I can keep doing this as a hobby in spite of how closely it resembles my actual job. Thanks for the comments, requests and all of that. You guys and gals are the best. Next week I'll go back to requests with Stand Alone Complex. I hope you'll look forward to it.
charmecia5
I can't believe that i used to like this season as a kid growing up. I can now see why though. seeing as i am a huge fan of romance and stuff, I listed this series as a favorite because i thought the sailor moon r series stands for romance, especially when it has mamoru and usagi kissing more in the r series than anywhere else. Boy was i ever wrong. don't get me wrong, i enjoyed this series, especially in the english dub (before cloverway owned the series and totally ruined the voices, although dic is no angel either.) But since i started watching it injapanese, especially now that i am older, i have changed my mind about this season.
This series was actually pretty bad. First you have alan and ann showing up to collect energy for their doom tree, who needs energy to sustain life for whatever. And then you have mamoru, who has just been revived, only to have his memory completely lost and basically being a brat to usagi. Not to mention each of the senshi's getting awesome attack powers, only to never show up again in future episodes, which suck because their attacks were awesome. The only one whose power remains is Sailor Moon's, but she's the main title character so it doesn't mean anything.
Then there is the real arc. Finally mamoru and usagi are together again, only for chibi usa to come along and kinda ruin the whole thing. And then there is the break-up, which if you ask me was stupid and pathetic. They made mamoru into a total jerk and made them break up, whereas in the manga, they never broke up. They just have a small fight, but they never really broke up. And Usagi was never that jealous of chibi usa, at least not in the manga part. Nor was chibi usa that annoying in the manga.
They pretty much remain alone till when Usagi started recieving that dream, which was part of the reason why they broke up. Then after that, they are a couple again, though mamoru should of never broke up with usagi to begin with.
The only things that were good about this series was the music. Mainly "La Soldier" and the minor characters and the villians. Out of all the villians i felt sorry for the most, it was Saphir and Diamond. They were actually alright and hot. When they died i kinda lost it. But i wanted to finish this up in time which i finally did.
anyways, if you love sailor moon and liked the first season i recommend this for you. But otherwise for the most part, I prefer the S , the first season, and the Stars series for major enjoyment. I prefer the manga too.
Firechick12012
Sequels tend to be not as good as the original source. This isn't to say all sequels to certain works are all bad. In fact, some may even be done well or even prove to improve upon or even be better than the original work. But those tend to be rather rare, as usually sequels are made to squeeze out more cash from fanbases. Some works don't even need sequels but wind up getting them anyway (Land Before Time and Secret of NIMH being egregious examples). Sailor Moon has five seasons total, Sailor Moon R being the second season. I've watched it and...eh, it hasits good points, but unfortunately there's just a bit too much bad stuff convoluting it and ruining it for me.
The first thirteen episodes are just a filler arc because Naoko Takeuchi didn't start on the manga version quite yet so they needed to pad it out somehow. Those thirteen episodes are about two aliens who suck energy out of things in order to bring their beloved tree back to life. I actually liked this arc and the story behind it, pointless as it is. From episode 14 onward, the story becomes about Usagi and Mamoru discovering a pink haired girl who comes from the future, who is actually their daughter. She is being pursued by the Black Moon Clan, who took over Crystal Tokyo, and Queen Serenity sent Chibiusa to find the sailor soldiers and save the future. But Mamoru begins having odd dreams that he can't seem to understand, and isn't sure what to do, driving a rift between him and Usagi.
Now before I get to anything, that last sentence of the previous paragraph is one of the biggest flaws of this second season. Mamoru gets bad dreams, and instead of telling Usagi about them and trying to find a reasonable solution, he spends about 70% of the entire series not only avoiding her, but degrading her and forcing her away from him, absolutely refusing to tell her anything and outright cutting her off to the point of bordering on psychological abuse. For nearly thirty whole episodes. He doesn't even give her a reason, and just angsts about it throughout most of the series. Not only that, nobody questions him about it nor do they call him out on it, and even when it's revealed who's responsible for giving him those dreams, they don't even be angry or call him out on it. Yeah, there's bad writing and just writing that's so stupid, contrived, and idiotic that it really puts a huge damper on both a show and the characters. From what I hear, the director from episode 14 onward, Kunihiko Ikuhara (Yes, the Utena guy) absolutely hated Mamoru (which is why he's hardly ever around in the above mentioned filler arc). Just because you hate a character doesn't mean you have to go against the original source material and turn him and other characters into complete idiots! Sailor Moon R isn't the worst season, but the idiocy of the whole Mamoru/Usagi break-up fiasco is a sore spot with fans.
Anyway, the animation and music haven't changed much since the first season, but I actually like the new music for Usagi's Sailor Moon transformation. That's about it for that part. The main characters haven't changed much over the series. They're still typical anime archetypes of the time, but they do have their moments. The aliens from the first arc actually have a good back story. But the villains in the second part of the anime range between bland and very good, with Rubeus being bland and Prince Saphir being the best villain (and he's not even a villain. He's my favorite). The four sisters have their moments, and they're the few villains who don't die in the entire series. One character, however, has fans heavily divided: Chibiusa, Usagi's future daughter. Some fans of the anime absolutely HATE her for the fact that she's an annoying little brat who's always getting her way, always getting Usagi in trouble, and never admitting her own mistakes. While I can see where the hate comes from, I'm not one of those people who absolutely loathe her. I thought she was just kinda there, and I actually thought her brattiness was rather realistic. She's like, five years old in this season, and really, what five year old DOESN'T act the way she does? Plus, I thought it was cool that her flaws and brattiness actually bit her in the butt near the end where she gets captured by the main villain and turned evil for a while.
While I like R for what it adds to the Sailor Moon universe, it has far too many dark spots on it to be considered a good season. I liked parts of it, especially Saphir and Chibiusa's crowning moment of awesome in one episode (it was the episode where the sailor soldiers except Usagi get kidnapped by Rubeus), but the Usagi/Mamoru break up fiasco killed it for me, and I think it did for a lot of other people too. I don't hate Chibiusa like other people do. I actually didn't mind her in this season, but I've warmed up to Usagi when she appeared. I even felt sorry for Usagi when Chibiusa kept doing bad things and Usagi wound up having to take the blame for it when she didn't do it.
Not the best season, but it has its good points.
Galactic_Kitten
After the first season of Sailor Moon, I was hoping for something of the same calibre, which I didn't get. The first arc was a filler, and while the senshi develop new powers, they are never used again outside of the filler arc. The introduction of Chibi-usa made me want to give up on the series entirely. Especially when she goes through her crying phases. While she does, unfortunately, become important in future series, R made me hate her all the way through. She also brings out an annoying side of Usagi, who constantly gets jealous, and annoys me. Although, introducing Sailor Pluto almost makesup for it. I like having her introduced, for those that don't know the rest of the story, it would create a curiosity about if there are other senshi.
The R (black moon) arc is much stronger in the manga (and you can't hear Chibiusa's annoying voice), although it is the weakest arc in the manga. (That being said, Sailor Pluto kicks ass in the R arc of the manga!).
It would also be the weakest in the anime, but that title belongs to SuperS. It seems Sailor Moon is great on the odd arcs, and bad on the even...
Animelover875
Sailor Moon R is the second season of the Sailor Moon anime and has many significant changes over the first season, many of which are improvements. While the first season focused heavily on themes like past lives, romance, and reincarnation, the second season moves forward with a new story that seems to constantly test the ideals set out by the first season, such as different types of love, which is divided into two story arcs that correspond with different aspects of the season. The first of these is the story arc focusing on aliens Ail and An, lovers in a tumultuously unstable relationship that arrive onEarth temporarily. I think their story arc is actually the better of the two despite my own dissonance on how I would have felt on past watches; this is because Ail and An are respectively in love with Usagi and Mamoru, weaving a complex web of irony, hypocrisy and love, which serves to do a few things. First and foremost, this story arc tests the recently memory-lost Mamoru and Usagi's compatibility by placing Usagi in a position where her romantic life is in genuine threat of being taken (at least on a superficial level) as well as giving her a rival, which helps motivate her to win back Mamoru even more. Ail is the same with Usagi, albeit this is less shown; however, the main reason this is enjoyable is that it provides a lot of really interesting situations for the girls to experience and broaden as characters throughout, and the comedy in this aspect (as there is no plot to focus on) does particularly well. This also aids the alien's characters, who discover true love and realize that how they perceived things may have been incorrect. The lore of aliens existing in Sailor Moon is also a good development, as it continues Sailor Moon's theme of extraterrestrial life and provides some good backstory for the couple, explaining how and why they interact the way they do, so they don't come off as one-dimensional.
The second half of Sailor Moon R, and the more prominent half, is the Black Moon Clan arc, which famously (or infamously) introduces Chibiusa, a character whose existence is the cause for much debate, as well as her role in the series itself being debatable. Chibiusa being a small child lends itself for her to be placed in situations where it would normally be difficult to place the Sailor Senshi in; that is, in the form of protecting an actual individual child that's associated with them closely as opposed to simply another person whose live they save. In particular, Usagi gets a lot of development and matures heavily as a character as she grows into her role to care for a younger life and becomes an even better person in doing so. This is different than in season one, where even though she did the exact same thing for Mamoru, here, she does it out of a genuine platonic interest in saving human life, which is a remarkable amount of character development in such a brief time (even Usagi herself comments on how her past self would have acted in such a scenario).
The series from Chibiusa's perspective is also highly interesting and somewhat of an emotional one; nothing really sells the idea of trauma and childhood innocence with some nostalgia being blended into a single package like being from a different time period and chased by murderers. Chibiusa also matures heavily, growing from a distrustful, manipulative, somewhat cold and self-centered girl, into one who truly trusts the Sailor Senshi with her life. This is particularly notable when contrasted with some of her earlier scenes, including her own introductory scene featuring a use of firearms that would make most censors blush.
In addition to that, the future was a great choice for the main arc of Sailor Moon R; it not only serves as an effective contrast to the first season's focus on destiny and the past, but also blends the Sailor Senshi's dreams and hopes for the future into a tangible outcome with the ability to actually see their dreams come into fruition firsthand (i.e., Chibiusa herself). However, Chibiusa does contribute to some recurring issues in the series. Namely, when Chibiusa tends to cause trouble in the series, the formula set up has a tendency to see Usagi as being in the wrong, even when she hasn't particularly done anything to screw up a particular moment. This isn't too jarring so as to be a constant recurring distraction, but it does pop up semi-frequently and heavily detracts from the series' enjoyment when it does appear, especially because at some of these times Chibiusa or another character either needs to apologize instead or it was unnecessary. However, this and the fact that some filler episodes are less than tolerable tends to be a minor nitpick, as the series still upholds a very consistently high-quality plot.
Despite that, I do somewhat personally that the episodic formula may have been a blessing and a curse. While it was very enjoyable to give both arcs their own time to breathe and flesh out, the formula did somewhat hinder Sailor Moon R by mandating it stick to a consistent formula, which caused some inconsistencies in how good the episodes were on a formulaic basis. This means that while Sailor Moon did perfectly fine when they actually had a story they wanted to right (and chose the correct direction to take it), we got amazing episodes, such as an all-out brawl between the Sailor Senshi and Spectre Sisters, and the introduction of some new characters or foreshadowing of the circumstances surrounding Chibiusa's mother. However, this also means that when the plot didn't necessarily have the correct footing for its story, we got unfortunate episodes or moments such as Chibiusa meeting a baby dinosaur with no context whatsoever, Artemis being mocked and bullied for no real reason, and others such as Chibiusa getting all of the Sailor Senshi into grave danger.
The emotional development that the entire cast underwent this season cannot be understated: they have warped into much different and better versions of themselves as characters by the end of Sailor Moon R, in particular Usagi, who went from having a rough unsteady relationshhip with Chibiusa, a girl who Usagi seemed destined to hate at the beginning of the series, to one she found such a strong attachment to at the end of it all that she was unable to say goodbye without tearing up. Overall, Sailor Moon R is a massive step up from Sailor Moon's first season, not simply in terms of animation or even new characters or perhaps not even plot, but characterization, emotional investment and really understanding that when they get a plot element correct, they get it VERY correct, and this season is just as, if not more enjoyable than the first. This is a wholehearted recommendation. 9/10.
Yu-kari
When I was a child I totally loved sailor moon, who didn't try to transform to sailor moon, sailor mars etc? It was fabulous, five friends, five warriors of justice and super cool! So I tried to watch it again because I forgot many things, I didn't like this season to tell the truth, I found it boring, especially Chibiusa, it's a very annoying character and she always interfers between Usagi and Mamoru, the other thing I didn't enjoy was Mamoru behaviour, I mean he could tell Usagi about his dreams (nightmares) and as every couple does, try to solve the problems together, exceptfor this, I like the sailors' transformations, attacks and I would have liked to see more of the others sailors but Usagi always has the spotlight. Opening and ending are nothing special, the music is the same of the previous season. But I see in this season a development of Usagi's character, she is growing up a little and yes, she is always a klutz and a crybaby but when it comes to rescue her friends she gives her all. The art is very good, to think it was created in 90th years, the characters are not flat and they have their own personality, I prefer sailor moon S to tell the truth but this season is not that bad.
Ilieas
So after writing a review of the first season it seem reasonable to write one for the second season as well. So here it goes.~~ This review is, like the one of the first season, focused on the structure, aesthetics and characters of the show, if you just want to now how I rate this season jump to the conclusion at the end. (but for real, don´t do that) As always, this review is highly subjective, so feel free to disagree. Also I tried to write as spoiler-free as possible. (for an again nearly thirty years old anime, but whatever) Structure: Before I gointo the nitty-gritty stuff, I have to address that this season is divided into two story-arcs. The first one is about thirteen episodes long and considered filler. Whereas the second arc is an adaptation of the Sailor Moon manga. (like the first series) So I will start with looking into the filler-arc.
The filler-arc has a episodic monster of the week structure. This structure is pretty much the same as season ones. So expect these episodes to be dividable into to halves. Where the first half consists mainly of a a mixture of slice of life elements and some scenes with the main antagonists of the arc. The second halves are where the action scenes come into play. (so pretty much like season one) The main catch of this arc is that the antagonists interact a lot with the main characters during the slice of life parts, which consist pretty much exclusively of comedy and very, very slight elements of drama. So after looking on how individual episodes are structured, let´s take a look on the arc as a whole. The first few episodes are basically reintroduction the main cast while simultaneously dealing with the effects of season ones ending. Whereas the final episodes of the arc are more focused on the main plot of the arc. Speaking of plot. It´s super simplistic and suffers from being filler so it can´t do anything important with the main cast. So yeah. don´t expect to much. And with that being said, I will go to the second and main story-arc of this season.
The main-arc is structured like the first season, for the most part that is. So expect these episodes to start with slice of life parts, but this time with actual drama elements (and pretty well written dramatic moments imo) on top of the usual comedy. Also a lot of character interactions. The second half is like before reserved for the action scenes. This pretty strict episodic structure is present for roundabout the first half of the season. Part of the reason for this are the minor antagonists, who get thrown into the spotlight and dealt with for around one to three episodes each. But more about them later. After this first half and when the main plot also becomes the main focus. And most of the slice of life elements get consequently abandoned together with the strict episodic structure for the sake of the story. Another important note is that this season does mirror a lot of plot elements used in season one. (has anybody addressed this tough? I feel like it should have been talked about. Message me if you should know anything about this or feel like it. I mean I could research on my own but nah.) So that’s it as far as structure goes.
Aesthetics: So this is where the least things changed compared to season one. The music and the use of it is still great. Still a lot of reused sequences. Still beautifully drawn backgrounds. Even though I would argue that season one has the upper hand in this regard, if I look for example at the overall aesthetics surround the villains. But on the hand, there are some improvements on the technical side in season 2. The character and demon designs are as expressive as season ones. Probably even a more colorful. Literally and figuratively. Speaking of characters~
Characters: I´ll start with the antagonists of the filler arc. They are, if one does consider the simplistic plot, not that bad as antagonists. They do have clear defined needs and act accordingly. For the most part at least. They do have a major I´ll call it character convenience, which doesn’t really make sense. But yeah. Enough with the filler. In the main story, a new character joins the main cast. A child. One can argue that this child can be quite annoying, but the behavior of this child does make sense all things considered. At least this is what I think. And this child does create new and very interesting character dynamics. Which I see as one of the if not the most fun and interesting parts of Sailor Moon. Another important part of Sailor Moon are of course the minor antagonists. These are just like in the first season well written characters and not just steppingstones, evil for the sake of being evil. (with some exceptions of course) This season also does a good job in keeping some of the minor antagonists around and creating interesting character dynamics between them. Nothing really exceptional, but a really nice touch. Looking at the main cast the only thing I want to highlight is the way the relationship between Usagi and Mamoru is handled. This is the in my opinion most interesting part of this season, as it adds a good portion of drama to the series. I think I have said everything I wanted to, so here comes the conclusion.
Conclusion:
Story: Decent 6/10
This was a pretty tough one. I think the story was over all a bit weaker than season one as far as build up, intensity and to some degree the weight of some scenes go. I think this becomes clear when comparing one of the many mirrored plot elements with the OG one. (compare Endymion/Black Lady) But to name a positive development this season has less episodes where nothing happens and isn’t as repetitive as season one. All in all I think this season lacks some exceptional moments season one had, to be on par with or maybe even better than season one.
Art: Mediocre 5/10
Same as season one. Better production makes up for the more appealing backgrounds and some of the iconic animations season one had.
Sound: Great 9/10
Same as season one. Iconic soundtracks, great use of them and a great opening song.
Characters Good 7/10
As in season one great character designs. The main characters still have their sometimes over the top personality quirks and can be quite annoying at times. The main cast didn’t really change. And the one change that was made really created a lot of good character interactions. The antagonists where actual characters, even if I think season ones antagonists where overall more enjoyable and handled in a more mature way. And even the filler antagonists are at least somewhat interesting. So that’s always appreciated. The relationship between Usagi and Mamoru becomes even more important and is pretty well written overall.
Sooo~~
27/40--->
rounded up Total Score 7/10
I would say Sailor Moon R is a slightly worse but still good second Season of an good anime. But as always feel free to disagree. Feedback is appreciated. As a reward attentive readers can keep any orthographical and grammatical error they find. And don’t take these scores to serious, they are the least important part of this review.
Greetings,
Ilieas
KrenZane
*Entertainment brainwash pizzazz were insufficient and lackluster to cover its blemishes, simply put* ~~ !! SPOILER-FILLED !! ~~ With Sailor Moon R, the franchise has split itself into a sibling of younger age who, although shares characteristics with the elder we're familiar with, fails to fix her problem traits or dress it up with fresher blooms. Watching in an already worn out state (keyword: uni) wore me down further like wear and tear from its stagnant gait when hopes naturally lie on self-improvement in sequels. Instead, hackneyed performances beam glaringly in the eye as I look upon this tree branch so distant to its purpose of birth that thesheer sameness it has with its prequel became a disconnect to the forest of the Sailor Moon series, apart from the disconnect per se that comes from the feeling of this installment not necessarily linking with the expansion of the foundation of its universe. There does not seem to be an overarching narrative because of that; it's like they're slapping on a sibling show rather than evolving its own self. The only new things gathered are the advancement of Usagi and Mamoru's relationship, truly the biggest deal out of all, some additional abilities from the Sailor Soldiers which are still not used to their full potential, and knowledge of the future world which I sorely hope will be utilized in the following sequels for much-needed character development and worldbuilding intrigue. Within 43 long episodes, the positive impacts from what the anime is doing to itself can scarcely be felt, and the episodic runs of recyclable progressions weren't handled with enough entertainment brainwash pizzazz for the deficiencies of its framework to hide under the modern lens.
It could be argued that the cast, specifically the Sailor Soldiers apart from Usagi, have had their time for glory early on as they gain new special moves during the Makai Tree and the Ayakashi Sisters arcs, signifying a pivotal point, as well as during the final confrontation with the Sisters. However, how do these new colors of strength even manifest after that? Contrary to the tight dependence of Crystal Tokyo on the events of the present, the influence of these specific episodes doesn't really lead anywhere.
One major issue I had is how the other Senshi were more of a collection of background supports instead of outstanding characters of their own. Their personalities pretty much only stick out during banter and casual scenes. During the many conflicts, each person does not really play a "role" in battle, making the fighting elements much less interesting because of how they're melded into this one unit who have to fail to do their job and find out that nothing works against the enemy in order for the scenes to progress--for a while on Season 1 they did, such as Mercury acting as the brain, Venus being more of a precise fighter, Mars with identifying the enemies and contributing to firepower, and Jupiter being a powerhouse. Meanwhile, in R, all of that was lost, and they all simply used their forces in random succession to throw at enemies instead of being strategic about it, ultimately making it the job of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask to wrap it all up.
Why couldn't Ami figure out the opponents' weaknesses? Why couldn't Minako use her extensive experience to navigate the situation on the spot? Why do Rei and Mako not deal as much damage to the stronger enemies anymore? Mamoru's rose has done so much more than literal thunder, fire, beams, and a surge of water combined. And I love Usagi a large deal. Elevating her position does me better than the opposite. But in seeing the bigger picture, the gulf is astounding. When the gap is not as wide as it normally is, their shine is a mere glimmer. I sound like a Battle Shounen meathead by focusing on this aspect, but I I believe these are elements that constitute a significant portion of the salient qualities that make combat series naturally entertaining--plus, this season is laden with a ton of combat. And about the Talk no Jutsu strewn all over, it does not really cause this season any further ruin. Although Usagi's final face-off with Prince Dimande and his death by Wiseman were a hot mess, like many other things, the fact that the Prince's mind was changed through (brief) dialogue about love and trust from Usagi's lips shows how the author did not forget to associate this integral moment to the division of ideals of the societal factions in the Neo era--there is justifiable meaning to the chosen conflict resolution method. With this, the clash between love and life and darkness and nothingness as children of humanity is progressed.
It is so lovely how, after the ordeal between the present and the future, Usagi's love for the world evolves because of her knowing Chibiusa, her own daughter. I've heard that her mere existence is divisive, but I found this little running ball of conflict to pose such an important reminder to Usagi about her own growth as a person. As a future all-powerful queen, as a future wife to a king, as a future creator of new life: as a mother, teenage Usagi needs to have a lot to go through all things considered. Throughout the season her patience and maturity are challenged. She is destined for perilous trials, and her breaking down from it, much like how she lost her will to fight back in Season 1 upon learning that she is Princess Serenity, is an honest portrayal of a realistic human, something which still gives me pleasant sentiments. While Neo-Queen Serenity exudes grace and self-togetherness, we are still stuck with a Serenity that cannot be as reliable yet. Presenting the journey of a protagonist as they did--placing destiny upon her chest and consequently subjecting her to the grueling path towards the eventual ascension of strength she rightfully deserves to be a figure of while falling here and there on the way--is a magic I find special in the Sailor Moon series, and a magic I could not help but cry out to be harmonized by its many other spells.
Sailor Moon R, for the most part, fundamentally does not feel as different as its prequel, which, in essence, turns itself into something significantly worse. Although it presented another facet of love, introduced Chibiusa into the picture, made villains who are a tad bit better, and made the main story conflict peer over timelines and dimensions on the sky's ceiling and walls with a piercing look, effecting as a true battle against hopelessness, the framework from which found not much improvement made Sailor Moon R appear to stand on an unsteady, crumbling structure. Only right now can I phrase the experience of watching older anime which have evident issues made clearer due to time: it is like arriving at a spot laden with nostalgia (though one you've never been to prior, i.e., armed with anemoia) and finding out overtime that that place is more of a relic than an antique treasure, and the mere wistful existence of the past in and of itself cannot always carry everything, cannot always make rosy the differences in conditions.
GarlandReese
The Toei Animation Super franchise that is "Sailor Moon" returned for a second season and another 40+ episodes in "Sailor Moon R". While very similar to the first season, it did have some differences that improved upon the franchise as a whole. This season started with one plot line but then shifted to another after about a dozen episodes. While somewhat awkward, I think it helped this season because it gave a resolution fairly quickly to one conflict and allowed the next and primary conflict to be shortened in the process making this season less of a grind. The primary antagonists themselves are nothing special, butdo have some unique motivations (which I won't spoil here) that make their conclusion a more worthwhile payoff.
The rest of the season suffers from the same flaws as the first, re-used art, a formulaic episodic formula, and mediocre voice acting. Even some of the new characters, while crucial, are a bit of a letdown. "Sailor Moon R" does fine in expanding the franchise and the universe it takes place in, but hardly feels like a massive improvement. Not bad, but not good either. A small step in the right direction for the franchise. 6/10. Check it out. Cheers!
PokeFan2112
Like the last one, this was a great season. The storylines were once again very interesting. It started off pretty slow with the Ail and Ann arc being pretty formulaic Monster of the Week (not bad, though) but once the Black Moon clan arc began, it was almost always good. The science fiction elements in parts like the future arc especially were really good. The other positives of the first season remained. The comedy, action scenes, emotion, and animation were all just as good as ever. And it hit several jaw-dropping high points, especially the finale. Overall, a great season, i'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likedthe first.
mahoutoons
WARNING: This review may contain spoilers Sailor Moon R, the sequel to the original Sailor Moon anime. And I'm not going to lie to you, the first half of this season was a chore to watch. But luckily, it gets good in the second half. Story - The story for this is decent. The first 13 episodes are a filler arc involving two aliens named Ail and An who want to collect energy for their home, the Doom Tree. Because of their threat, the Sailor Soldiers are revived. The second half is the real story. A child falls from the sky and demands the Silver Crystalfrom Usagi, claiming that her name IS Usagi Tsukino, which later leads to everyone simply calling her Chibiusa. Later she brainwashes Usagi's family so she can stay with them. An evil organisation called the Black Moon clan is after her because if they get rid of her, the future will be destroyed. Its decent and all. Though one of my complaints lies with Black Lady, who's a good villain but for some reason, they made her have a thing for her father and that's..... not the best. And need I mention the break up arc. Oh God the break up arc. This is the most unnecessary thing in the anime and they made Mamoru such a dickhead for this arc. All communication skills get thrown out of the window. But barring that it is a decent story. Story gets a 7/10.
Art - Its Sailor Moon so of course the art is beautiful. 10/10
Sound - Nothing much to say but the sound was good. I loved the use of La Soldier in the final battle. 8/10.
Character - In the filler arc, we're introduced to Ail and An, two aliens who landed on earth with the Doom Tree, where they live, and they need energy for the tree. Now I would've liked these two if it wasn't for their romantic subplots with Usagi and Mamoru respectively. It was unnecessary and just served to create drama.
In the actual story, we're introduced to Chibiusa, a new main character. I'm not gonna lie, I really disliked her at first. She was bratty and got away with everything she did. In fact, the reason I say this season is a chore to watch was because of her brattiness. And what's even more frustrating is that she got away with everything because she's a child. Like yes, I get it, she's a child who's away from her parents and she's scared. But that doesn't mean all of her actions should be excused. I'm not saying she should be abused or anything, but she should learn that her behavior is wrong. Now I said I disliked her AT FIRST. I do like her now. Also she's MUCH better in the manga.
And once again I need to rant on Mamoru here. So in this season, Mamoru gets dreams that he should stay away with Usagi or something bad will happen to her. So he breaks up with her in the most mean spirited way. He acts like a complete dickhead throughout the break up arc. And later its revealed that MAMORU'S FUTURE SELF gave him those nightmares to test his and Usagi's love which.... you could've done it in other ways than telling your past self to stay away from his girlfriend or she will die.
As for the villains, the Ayakashi sisters were really enjoyable. Rubeus was a dick and I didn't feel sympathy when we was defeated. Esmeraude was pretty but dear lord she could be annoying. Saphir is probably my favourite of the villains simply because of his relationship with Petz in that one episode (btw Saphir and Petz deserved SO MUCH BETTER). Demande is a douchebag, I hate him so much and I can't fathom why people would actually ship him with Usagi after what he did to her. 6/10
Enjoyment - This season can be such a chore to watch sometimes, but the final few episodes are amazing. 6/10
Overall - This is probably my least favourite season of the 90s anime. The only reason I'm not rating it lower is because of the final few episodes. It would've been MUCH better if Chibiusa's brattiness was toned down and the break up arc never existed at all. 7/10
BBQHell
Sailor Moon gives me a sense of nostalgia that I never had before. I never saw the show when I was younger, but it has a certain charm to it. I enjoyed the original Sailor Moon (1st season) overall, and I also enjoyed Sailor Moon R (2nd season). R picks up almost right after the first season. Usagi and Co. are living normal lives and everything is peaceful until it isn't anymore. Story: Without any spoilers, the story uses the same formula as the previous season, but is darker and has more world-building elements. It's way more memorable in my opinion. There are two overall arcs featuring inSMR. The first arc is fine, but is often labelled as filler. That is kind of true as it has no real impact on the second arc. But it shouldn't be skipped. This arc focuses more on Mamoru and Usagi, rather than the villains. If you skip the first arc, you will most likely be confused. The second arc introduced a new set of villains and some world-building. The villains are fairly good, they don't have a lot of depth but they do have their motivations. It's understandable what they do and why they do it.
Art: There are new attacks and moves for the guardians, so new animations that you have to watch at least once in every episode. However, I am glad the art direction stays the same. It's still visually enjoyable to watch.
Sound: It's quite clear that this show was quickly in the works after the first season ended. They reuse a lot of sound effects, and the music is mostly the same. It's not a bad thing, but it isn't a huge jump in quality as one might expect. The final episode has a pretty banging song.
I watch the Viz dub version of the show. I think the actors are phenomenal and (as far as I know) the writing is pretty close to the Japanese one. So, no censoring or huge story changes.
Character: The main cast is all here and we are introduced to a bunch of new villains and monsters. Usagi is definitely more confident in her abilities than the previous season, she also shows more interest in protecting earth and her friends. The rest of the girls are still pretty much the same. Though there are numerous episodes where Minako is shown to be just as clumsy as Usagi, which might count as crucial character development.
We are also introduced to a new character, Chibi-usa, which isn't her real name but whatever. I can imagine this character pisses some people off. She acts like a brat and is quite annoying for a large portion of the show. But she is supposed to be annoying, as we learn more about her backstory in the series.
Overall enjoyment: This show is just super chill man. 7/10
Junior95
Big improvement over Season 1! The first thing that i noticed is the improved art direction and animation, the music is also good though I prefer some of the original soundtrack. Clearly, Sailor Moon R has a higher budget and is being taken more seriously than its first season. While season 1 lacked any real character development outside of its fillers, in R Sailor Venus is shown to be, in some ways, more like Usagi as in clumsy, sometimes dumb but with a big heart and good intentions. I actually prefer her as the "boring" most mature girl of the group of the first season even thoughmany don't like this, why would you want to have two Usagi's in the group? But I still like her anyways. It's a shame the other Soldiers didn't get as much development other than new powers which are all cool.
Chibi-Usa is the best and worst part of Season 2 she adds so much to the lore and world of Sailor Moon and is actually funny and cute most of the time. But she's also the reason for dumbing down the show even more than before. Whenever you get a Chibi-Usa centric episode it's pretty much about her mission to save her parents and the future, which yeah is the whole theme of this season, but in order to do that she needs to find Sailor Moon to help her save the future. Obviously, she doesn't make the connection between the Sailor Soldiers and Usagi and her friends until much later... When she finally finds out she is so shocked and crying and my reaction was literally, Really? Now you noticed?
Yeah, I know she's a kid and too young to see the obvious, and i know that the immediate connection would spoil the whole story but it's quite unbelievable at times. Chibi-Usa is also the reason for the filler Beach episode, which many consider to be the worst Sailor Moon episode ever. I really didn't mind it, like what can you expect from fillers anyways? Speaking of fillers, the first mini arc in this season is all filler but it's surprisingly short and a nice watch! I can't say that for the other fillers though.
Mamoru (and his future self) also annoy me quite a bit here, Mamoru decides to distance himself from Usagi in order to protect her from his nightmares becoming reality. I get that he doesn't understand what's going to happen to Usagi, but couldn't he just be more direct about it instead of causing all kinds of confusion and then later giving up because his alter ego Tuxedo can't stop saving Sailor Moon. Also the explanation his future self gives for the nightmares is also pretty stupid.
However, this does up the romance and drama in Sailor Moon overall which is why I really liked R. It has better action scenes, the villains are so much more interesting this time and both Usagi and Mamoru actually get to express their love for each other quite a few times instead of just hinting at it.
Sailor Moon R is almost perfect and a big improvement over Season 1. I would give it a 9 if it weren't for the high number of fillers but anyways it's definitely recommended!
moonkingdomify
The second season of Sailor Moon, though it isn't my favorite season, this was definitely worth the watch. And with the new Sailor Moon Crystal coming up it seems like it is a good time to make this review. The bad. I wasn't a huge fan of the doom tree arc, I'm gonna out right say that. It seemed too much like they just wanted to rush the show along while fitting in more and more episodes to fill up the episode quota for this season. This arc could have been done without, but it wasn't horrible and it did serve a very small purpose. Thesoundtrack was pretty much the same, which is to say it was lacking during the actual show itself but it had amazing opening themes in both English and Japanese. The art style was Toei animation, that is to say it was a bit lacking back then, even during the fight scenes some times. And like the whole of the doom tree arc, the Arabian Knight was unneeded. They really could have saved time and money by skipping to the Black Moon arc, introducing Chibi Usa right off the bat.
The good. I did like the relationship development in the doom tree arc, so that arc isn't without its virtues either. The fact that Usagi had to win Momoru back instead of them all just having their memories back and Chibiusa literally falling out of the sky and into the plot. So it had that, and adding in An to be a sort of rival to Usagi was a good idea as well. And keeping with the kid's show idea, even in Japan they cut out some of the more morbid things from the manga. We don't see nuns spontaneously combusting in this version.
Final Verdict:
The first half is kind of rocky if you a huge fan of the manga, but it's still a good watch, and a time waister. So watch it.
7.4/10
