LX: "Sailor Moon" franchise

Yeah, I know: a guy talking about a series like this seems kinda... odd. But Sailor Moon was one of my childhood memories, and it still is. In fact, manga is coming back out this year, so it only feels right that I must do this, though it's a few months early. Now then, Sailor Moon is a name you MUST have heard of at least once. It's also quite a long series, so it's nearly impossible to watch the ENTIRE thing for a whole day.

Before I get into the many titles it has, lets focus on what it's about. Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English Dub) seems to be your normal middle school girl, in addition to being a bit of a crybaby. Of course, this all changes after meeting a cat she saved. This cat has a moon crescent embedded on her head, which surprises Usagi. Later, when trouble rears its ugly head, this feline, named Luna, approaches Usagi and reveal that she is the chosen warrior to save the world. From that moment onward, klutzy Usagi becomes the world's savior: Sailor Moon. Along the way, other Sailor Scouts awaken, namely those that interact with Usagi, more or less. Originally their mission was to find the whereabouts of the Moon Princess, unaware that she was closer than they thought. Along the way, they encounter various enemies, each being more powerful than the last. Despite her initial reluctance, Usagi has her work cut out for her.

The anime series bear a total of 200 episodes, which counts as a really long series (though titles like Bleach surpass even this!) There are also 3 films affiliated with the franchise, as well as video games. Accompanying all of these are stage musicals of Sailor Moon, and a 49 episode live-action series, which is a retelling of the first anime. Each anime title represents a certain ark in the story overall:

• Sailor Moon: Dark Kingdom Ark
• Sailor Moon R: Black Moon Ark
• Sailor Moon S:Mugen/Infinity Ark
• Sailor Moon Super S: Dream Ark
• Sailor Stars: Stars Ark

Differences between localization is clearly shown in Sailor Moon. For starters, the character change up. Like how it is for Usagi, certain characters had name changes, some minor, some entirely altered. An example of the entire change is the character Mamoru Chiba, whose name after localization became Darien Shields (though Tuxedo Kamen was properly transitioned to Tuxedo Mask.) It even got down into personalities, as Sailors Uranus and Neptune of Sailor Moon S were made to be cousins, though the show originally had them as lesbians, something not CLEARLY revealed until later. Next would be the theme. The show's original theme was called Moonlight Densetsu, while in the US, it was altered to become the Sailor Moon Theme. Simply put, the lyrics differed from one another, and a few instruments were heard in one song and omitted from the other, but they generally sounded remotely similar. Lastly, there was censorship. To keep the kid-friendly air about the show, certain episodes were cut, and some were even altered.

Speaking of localizing, the franchise went through different licensing, though not all of the series made it to US shores. DiC Entertainment (owned by the Walt Disney Company at the time) licensed and localized both Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R, while Cloverway and Optimus Productions localized Sailor Moon S and Super S. Sailor Stars, due to certain elements, did not see a US release. In fact, anime wise, the metaseries creator herself, Naoko Takeuchi, expressed disappointment about Stars. Among other things, the Sailor Starlights, meant to be minor characters, became a major role in the anime, and worse yet, their transformations bore a gender-bender trait, which broke her rule about only girls being the Sailor Senshi.

Even so, the series has its run. The show, as of now, isn't aired anymore, perhaps due to lack of licensing, and the manga, once stopped, is being re-released this year. Sailor Moon gains an 8.5 overall. I initially didn't like it, but it more or less grew on me. Still, I won't be going back to the DiC dubbing anytime soon...