#reasons to watch pgsm

[real-life-senshi]

10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 5: The captivating story!

Ultimately, I would say the live-action stayed true to the essence and intention of the original source material when concerning the Dark Kingdom arc.

I’m choosing to use the word “essence” though, because it is also factual that in multiple aspects, the story does diverge from its source material, but with the intention of further amping up the stakes and angst for drama, and possibly even pulling in elements from story arcs beyond the manga’s Dark Kingdom arc into the one season we (sadly) only have.

Sometimes those differences could be due to limitations of CGI and execution methods in real-life filming, while others could be due to updating the content to appeal to the newer generations of viewers in the early 2000s.

Regardless of what's faithful or not faithful to original source material, I think PGSM did really well striking a balance of making it a kid’s show, and also adding some complexities to appeal to viewers who were kids or teenagers that grew up reading the manga or watching the '90s anime, who would be in their late teens or adulthood or even parenthood by the time the live-action aired.

Warning: Going forward these series of posts will contain minor spoilers to introduce some live-action only elements. It will only be at the introductory level though!

Staying true and delving deeper into source materials

Personally, I can’t speak much to the ’90s anime, but I can confirm the live-action pulls many elements from the manga source material where possible. Here are just a few:

Introducing the Sailor Senshi!

The story of how Usagi and Ami discovered their Senshi power largely follows the same story, while Rei and Makoto's intro episodes heavily reference the original manga chapter and use the same theme behind the attacks that lead to them accessing their transformation. There's no magic bus to whisk victims away in Rei's case, and there's no wedding dress ghost story in Makoto's, probably due to the feasibility of recreating those scenes.

The Forbidden Love & the Past Life lore

The live-action definitely deep-dived into the 'forbidden love' concept when it came to Usagi and Mamoru, and further created a whole complexity of the storyline to justify WHY it's forbidden. In the manga/anime, it felt like the idea of their forbidden love was purely political and mostly glossed over since the past life kingdoms were dead, but in the live-action, there were actual stakes and consequences to consider even for the present.

And the ABSOLUTE MOST AMAZING THING and by far my favourite twist to the live-action storyline is they actually ventured into exploring the impact of making teenagers soldiers of war! There is actually ample screen time and dialogues AND monologues dedicated for us to see individual Senshi AND the team together grappling with the pros and cons and exploring both extreme sides of the need to follow the past life mission to avert tragedy regardless of the sacrifices made, versus the necessity of making one's choice and finding ways to live in the present in spite of the past life lore! Do they support Usagi's and Mamoru's love for each other or not???? Do they know for sure whether their love WILL cause misfortune again or not or can they trust Usagi to know what she's doing????? FASCINATING AND ANGSTY STUFF RIGHT THERE!

Rei’s Personality

More as an FYI, but Rei’s personality is much more similar to the manga Rei’s personality, instead of ‘90s anime Rei. More cool beauty and calm, less aggressively hotheaded and abrasive. And very importantly, NOT boy-crazy.

New, original dramatic elements

On the other hand, here are some live-action exclusive dramatic elements that I'd like to highlight:

Aino Minako the idol

Even many who haven't watched the series would have heard about how Minako's character is drastically changed in the live-action. Indeed, Minako is an acclaimed teenage idol and singer with best-selling songs in the show!

It's basically as if the live-action screenwriter pulled in the Outer Senshi elements from the Mugen arc into Minako's character: she's famous, experienced, and serious. Minako has full access to past life knowledge and is ultimately mission-driven like Haruka and Michiru are in the Mugen arc, which causes some of her decisions to maybe not be as morally white as we'd expect her to be (I think her costume style of white and black is a nice nod to the idea of her double life and her sense of moral).

Now, that's not to say live-action Minako is completely a new character, you can certainly see manga/anime Minako's character traits here and there if you pay attention - pun-loving, prank-loving, mischievous. For god's sake, the girl named her album Venus, and one of her most iconic songs is called C'est La Vie, which sounds exactly like "Sailor V" pronounced in Japanese. Just imagine this girl playing a vigilante life, and having a chuckle every time she sings her best-selling song that basically announces her identity to the world and no one realizes. lmao

Basically, Minako's character embodies the extreme result of what happens if a teenager is burdened with all the knowledge of the Past Life war and has the weight on her shoulders while working alone.

If you can get past Minako's changed character setting in the live-action, you'll find there are still plenty of Dark Kingdom arc manga/anime Minako elements in there, just some more exaggerated while others are more subtle. (Coz to be fair, Minako didn't start becoming Usagi's twin until after the Dark Kingdom arc.) And her relationship with Artemis is absolutely heartwarming to see in the live-action.

Who's in the wrong? Who's an ally, and who's not?

While our Senshi team is clearly the heroine, and the Dark Kingdom the villains, the live-action takes a more interesting take on what's considered "good" versus "evil", and more importantly, who's in the wrong on how things ended badly in the past life. Who is actually the person the Senshi needs to protect the world from? And that drives the story into a direction that is more complex than what you'll ever find in manga or anime, and certain characters react accordingly and act more grey than black or white - from both the heroine side and the villain side!

Shitennou & Endymion

Something we didn't really get to see as much in the manga and anime, while we know who the Shitennou are, we don't really see the Shitennou and Mamoru interacting until after they... became their name-sake rocks (okay, technically, GEMS). And we don't get many hints on what their past live relationships were, so for many years fans have taken to pen/paper/tablets/keyboard and filled the gaps with their amazing imagination and creative work instead.

In the live-action, we get a much more expansive and interesting take in seeing the Shitennou - technically still under the Dark Kingdom's influence, interact with Mamoru as they all grapple with what happened in the past life.

How would the prince's ex-guardians act seeing their master again? How would Mamoru react? Choosing to accept his responsibility for his past life or not? After all, they had such fond memories of arm-wrestling each other! (Spoiler alert: Nephrite won.) :P

I must once again emphasize that I love what they did with the Shitennou's characters and gave each of them a different story trajectory. They are written so well they pull at your heartstrings!

If you want some canon-material for writing the Shitennou in the age of Elysion Kingdom, definitely give the live-action a go!

Power up! The Senshi Needs Training

Because the live-action only gets one arc, there's no room for us to see the Senshi team (conveniently) get upgraded transformation like they do in each arc in manga or anime. Instead, the live-action takes a different, and I dare say, a more realistic approach, where the Senshi learns that their initial access to their transformation isn't the full access to their powers as they expected. They are put through some legit, and some questionable training of the body, mind and spirit, and each of them has to overcome something within themselves across the series to access their power!

This approach highlights and solidifies each Senshi's strengths AND ties in really well into the girls' character development throughout the series. As well, it makes it feel like the Senshi did have to put in work to get strong and gain access to their power, instead of relying on the plot to get them new powers at the right opportune time, seemingly out of the blue.

Remember: THEY ARE IN SCHOOL!

Yep, sometimes in the manga and in the anime, it's so easy for us to forget that the Senshi are kids in school when they are in the thick of a crisis or fighting evil. Somehow, it always seems quite clean and convenient that the Senshi could separate their school life and their heroine life, doesn't it? How the responsible adults in the world may wonder... "Gosh, where did that kid go in the middle of [insert context]????" Or for a fellow peer in school to wonder - "How the hell did this random group of girls come together like an odd band?"

The live-action takes time to make room for some reality checks in their episodic storylines to explore all the different repercussions our heroine's double (or triple) life has on their normal life, and with that ties in personable and relevant topics and themes into their episodic plots:

Family relationship

Peer relationship

Romantic relationships

Moments that remind everyone how awkward and tough it is to be a teenager.

The toll of lying through your teeth to keep a secret, etc

I cannot emphasize enough that the screenwriting is superb in the series! Not one thing is referenced only once and left out the window, everything that happened builds up into a moment of learning or lasting impact for our characters!

To people who've not watched the live-action, PLEASE GIVE IT A CHANCE! At least give it 6 episodes, and you'll probably be hooked!

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

6 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

[sailormoonsub]

Hey bestie how do you feel about the fact that Sailor Moon Crystal is almost 10 years old because I am coping badly

That's startling because the whole reason I started watching Sailor Moon in the first place was because Crystal brought it back into the zeitgeist. Now we're practically ready for a reboot of the reboot. Let's make it another season of PGSM this time.

[sakuracyanide]

pls know most my life i thought zoeisite was a woman & the lesbians were cousins b/c america is WEIRD but you bringing sailor moon on dash has unlocked precious core memories even if the english dub is.. a thing that happened [ legit their english names are cemented in my head to this day thanks to toonami. tell me their japanese names and i just cry confusion into my hands as a young fan who didn't know better b/c i was literally like 5-8 years old ]

softly go bleach your roots creep is like cemented in my brain the dub was so unhinged and i loved every fucked up second of it.

trust me trying to follow the changes between sailor moon adaptations is a nightmare. like classic & its og eng dub are basically different canons with totally different characters.

zoisite became zoycite, and now fandom forever spells zoisite (the actual rock) with a c and i'll die mad about it.

kunzite became malachite? for... reasons?? i don't think anyone has ever come out and said why.

and the manga is its own thing. like legit totally different vibe than the 90s anime - they were happening concurrently so the anime team was mostly just taking naoko's notes and then going feral??? like kunzite and zoisite are more or less an extended reference to patalliro. jadeite gets run over by a plane at one point. its fucking great. but like not that great if you want development for the main heroines. usagi does develop, but the rest of the girls stay very stagnant. the development in each season is given to whatever ragtag group of villains are being puppeted by the big bad. s1 had the shitennou, s2 had ali & an at the start bc the first season wrote itself into a corner by having usagi reset the timeline and they had to unfuck that before they could get started on the dark moon which you know what is a really upsetting plot i stan it. then it had the dark moon kingdom which ... if i remmeber right were people banished from the silver millennium for not wanting to be immortal and being concerned about all powerful monarchs? but they were corrupted. something something i would play saphir. s3 had the death busters and hotaru's hot dad. s4 had the amazon trio and the amazon quartet. and s5 had the sailor animates and i will die for lead crow & aluminium seiren's romance. so like if you care about the senshi as characters i don't really rec the 90s version on its own

and then there's sailor moon crystal which was supposed to be more faithful to the manga but was a ffffffffffucking mess. seriously i have never seen such ugly animation or bizarre animation choices for an ip that was lauded & is still upheld as having some of the most gorgeous backgrounds and animation in the genre. morimo clover z did the op and it slaps so like there's that but the rest of it is something else. it should be noted that the animation improves from season 3 onwards but they eventually just said fuck it and made movies out of the rest of it which is a bummer!

and then there's pretty guardian sailor moon (the live action drama which is THE BEST ADAPTATION I WILL GO TO WAR OVER THIS) which features all of the girls having an actual existential crisis over what it means to be reborn princesses from distant stars, it also gives them the spotlights they absolutely did not get in crystal or the og anime AND the shitennou get a lot of development.

and then theres the musicals.

i am happy to hold people at gunpoin - i mean, do a group watch of sailor moon! i really want to rewatch pgsm but i'm ngl its an early 00s live action jdrama so that........ that takes a strong mind to endure.

[tirorah]

But this, live action of sailor moon which seems a live action, but I'm not sure it is, does it cover only the first serie(s)..? We'll see the outer senshi, specifically a certain duo, too? I probably know the answer is negative but I'll hope...!

Hi Anon,

Yes, this is a fully live-action version of Sailor Moon. But it only covers the Dark Kingdom arc and thus we never get to see Chibi-Usa, Haruka & Michiru, etc.

PGSM does have the advantage of full hindsight though, and as such it's inspired by some concepts from later seasons too. Minako functions much like an Outer Senshi here, for example.

As for why there's only one series of this (I know you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway), it seems very much written to be one-and-done. All of the character arcs are concluded by the end. There are a few other reasons too, but those are finale spoilers.

Even if you're a Haruka and Michiru fan, I would still recommend this show to you. The character writing is great and the story has really neat ideas that it tends to pull off well.

I don't know how much you've been reading of this rewatch, but it does contain spoiler talk. If you were planning on reading more, I'd suggest watching the show to completion first. From what I've noticed thus far, I would personally suggest the Sea of Serenity or TV-Nihon fansubs. The Miss Dream version is soft-subbed and has the most consistent visual quality (crisp DVD all the way through), but the subtitles themselves have some odd choices at times.

[thatnerddave]

A PGSM “Black Moon” Act 2 Sneak Peak!

One of the most fun things that I’m working on right now is my fan fiction sequel to the live action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon television series. It’s been a fantastic writing exercise to attempt to adapt the manga’s Black Moon arc to the world of PGSM. The show took a lot of big swings and, ultimately, ended its Dark Kingdom story in a very different place.

I’ve just finished the rough draft of my second episode, Act 2-An Inner Light, and find myself neck-deep in revising and tightening the roughly 10,000 word manuscript.

One area that has proven particularly important to me is the dynamic between Usagi and her daughter from the future, Chibiusa.

In this version of Black Moon, Usagi and Mamoru are married, and Mamoru has expressed interest in starting a family. Usagi doesn’t feel ready. When Chibiusa is literally dropped into her lap, she has to contend with the personification of all those insecurities.

Chibiusa, on the other hand, doesn’t come from some utopian future like found in the manga. She has lived a relatively normal life, free from the knowledge of her mother’s past exploits as Sailor Moon. Coming face-to-face with this younger version of her mother stirs up complex emotions. She has to face the fact that her mother has kept many secrets from her.

I thought it might be fun to offer a small glimpse into my process. So, here’s the rough draft of one scene between Usagi and Chibiusa as they cook a meal together and dance around the secrets they are keeping from each other. I hope you like it!

——————————

The apartment door closed behind Usagi and Chibiusa with a click. Usagi dropped her bag by the door and exhaled. The awkwardness between mother and daughter filled the air like static.

Chibiusa wandered into the living room. She looked at the couch, considered sitting on it for a moment, then thought better of it. She had not forgotten the dripping mess of sewage that they had leaked all over it the night before.

“Well, you said you were hungry, right? I’ll whip something up for you!”

Usagi put some extra cheer into her voice as she dashed into the kitchen.

Chibiusa stared at her, eyes wide in horror.

“You’re going to cook?”

Usagi huffed with indignation.

“Yes. I can cook, you know.” 

She put on her pink apron and grinned at Chibiusa. The girl crossed her arms.

“No, you can’t. In the future, we almost never eat what you make. We order takeout most of the time. Daddy says it’s safer.”

Usagi gasped. She clutched her chest as if struck by an arrow. 

“Safer?! How dare you!”

Chibiusa stuck out her tongue at Usagi.

“It’s the truth.” 

Usagi grabbed a spatula from the counter and brandished it at her.

“Oh, you little…!” 

Chibiusa remained unbothered.

“Stop calling me ‘little’. I’m already eight years old…Usagi.”

Usagi glared at her. 

“You claim you’re my daughter, so why won’t you call me mama, huh? Why is it ‘Usagi’?”

Chibiusa shrugged. Her next words cut Usagi to the core. 

“You’re not my mama yet. You didn’t give birth to me or raise me. So, you’re just Usagi.” 

She stuck her tongue out again.

“That’s it! You’re getting drafted, you little brat!”

Before Chibiusa could protest, Usagi grabbed another apron from the cabinet, rolled it up to fit her tiny frame, and tied it around her. 

“If you think I’m such a disaster in the kitchen, you can help!”

Chibiusa sighed in resignation but didn’t resist. 

“Fine, but don’t blame me if you burn down the apartment. There’s a reason we have the fire department on speed dial.”

Usagi ruffled the girl’s hair.

“Hilarious! Now watch and learn from the master!” 

She dragged the girl to the counter with the energy of a mad scientist while Chibiusa tried to undo the damage to her hair.

They cooked together. Initially, at least, there was a lot more bickering than cooking. Usagi tried to chop vegetables. Her clumsy knife skills sent carrot pieces flying. Chibiusa groaned and picked the pieces out of her hair.

Gradually, however, the tone of their conversation shifted. Genuine laughter replaced their bickering. Usagi grinned as she watched Chibiusa stir the rice.

Am I enjoying myself? How is this possible?

Chibiusa seemed more at ease than she had been all day. Usagi seized the moment and asked her some questions as casually as possible.

“Hey, what was that all about with Rei and Minako today? They were acting so weird when you asked to have a sleepover.”

Chibiusa hesitated. Her cheeks turned a little pink. 

“Aunt Rei and Aunt Mina are great. They’re just... close in the future.”

Usagi caught the girl’s hesitation and raised an eyebrow.

“Close? How close?”

Chibiusa snapped back.

“Just... close!”

Usagi let it slide.

“Fine, fine.” She switched gears. “What about Makoto? You said very little to her.”

Chibiusa’s expression dimmed. 

“She’s... going through something in the future. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Usagi frowned but didn’t press. 

“And Ami…why do you keep calling her Miss Mizuno? She’s one of my best friends. Don’t you spend any time with her at all? I thought you two would be closer.”

Chibiusa dropped her cooking spoon on the floor. Her face had gone ashen. Usagi bent down to pick up the cooking spoon and washed it off in the sink before handing it back to Chibiusa. Her heart ached at how guarded the girl now seemed. 

She grabbed a handful of flour and tossed it into the air with exaggerated clumsiness. 

“Oops! Guess I’m making a mess again!”

Chibiusa groaned. 

“You’re impossible.” She hesitated. “Why is there flour on the counter, anyway? We’re making curry rice!”

Usagi grinned. She had no idea.

They focused on finishing the meal, and Chibiusa’s mood lifted again. Usagi enjoyed their banter, but deep down, she was worried. What was going on with Ami that Chibiusa was too terrified to discuss?

As they put generous helpings of curry rice on their plates, Chibiusa cleared her throat.

“Why did we meet all of your friends at Crown Karaoke today, anyway? Shouldn’t we focus on finding the Guardians and helping them reawaken their powers?”

Usagi stiffened. Her future self had never told Chibiusa about her life as Sailor Moon. The girl had grown up in the belief that her mother had made up those tales, first as bedtime stories, then for a manga. That the Guardians were real was still new to her; that Usagi and her friends, in fact, were the Guardians, was a well-kept secret.

She stammered.

“I... uh... thought it would be nice to, you know, catch up.”

Chibiusa’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

“Catch up on what?”

Before Usagi could dig herself a deeper hole, the door opened. Mamoru entered the apartment with two shopping bags. He spotted Usagi and Chibiusa across the small apartment and smiled.

“Something smells good.”

Chibiusa sprinted to her future father and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Mamo!”

Usagi pouted. 

“She never greets me like that.”

Mamoru chuckled. 

“What’s for lunch?”

Chibiusa’s eyes took on an evil twinkle as she looked up at Mamoru.

“If you call now, we can still have some okonomiyaki delivered.”

Usagi tossed a kitchen towel across the room at Chibiusa. It landed dramatically on her head.

“I heard that, small fry! Now go wash up for lunch!”

Chibiusa stuck out her tongue one last time, then dashed off.

———————————————

You can check out Act 1-A Certain Future right now at the links below!

And be sure to keep an eye out for Act 2-An Inner Light, launching in early December!

Archive of Our Own

Wattpad

FanFiction.Net

[cosmama]

✧ lets gooooooooo !

summer talks about sm ( some more ).

so one thing that kind of makes me head tilt is how the fandom kind of constantly needs to take sides on what 'version' of the character is the right one - and this usually really only happening with anime and manga fans. *abby lee miller vc* boring. yawning.

and it's like, my guys...one of my favorite usagi's i've seen is played by mizuki yamashita in team moon's nogizaka46 musical ( you can watch it here ). she made me genuinely laugh so many times - she perfectly captured usagi's innocent dumb girl-failure energy. look at her reacting to minako talking about going to get food - pics don't do the over the top gasp justice ( and mamoru and makoto's faces made it even funnier ).

you know what version of usagi i don't really care for? 90s anime. not my cup of tea really - i feel like she's a victim of a lot of characters of her type where they make them flanderized versions of themselves. it's one of the reasons i can't watch the original urusei yatsura - ataru is made just...a straight up loser instead of an endearing one. there's a balance to that. but do i think she's trash? nah, just not for me. and there's still good stuff too. just like there there's good stuff in pgsm!usagi, or any of the musical!usagi's, or crystal!usagi, and hopefully a new version even after this. there's something good and worthwhile in them.

everyone dunks on 90s anime but honestly? manga mamoru doesn't do much either in the grand scheme of things and i like mamo-chan having some spice like in the 90s anime. i hate how it goes away in most versions once they fall in **love**. they can still be supportive and adore each other while stiiiill making fun of each other!

minako's the leader - the manga and most versions completely fail at doing anything meaningful with that. pgsm did though - but i also love that minako and usagi have similar personalities because of the history of sailor moon being kind of a spinoff of sailor v more than the other way around. so i just...combine the two in my head. no version of these characters are perfect and we're honestly kind of spoiled for choice (at least for the main senshi). we appreciate all aspects of sailor moon basically.

[pigtailedgirl]

PGSM USAGI/MAMORU IS MY FAV

Brought over from dreamwidth. Spoilers.

I love lots of things about PGSM and surprisingly Usagi/Mamoru is one of the biggest. I've watched the anime dubbed and subbed and the Usako/Mamo relationship didn't do it for me. The reason is that relationship was rarely about either of them as their present selves. It always felt mired in past or future ideas that implied who they were now was not as important, and when we are following and falling in love with Usagi as she is now that's an odd disconnect. PGSM changes that and the relationship comes alive.

Ridiculously simple changes which I will now list.

1) Mamoru actually knows he's Tuxedo Karmen. There's no waiting til ep. 26 of 46, the latter half where he's brainwashed and doesn't know himself again, for his character to discover his own influence and motives. He doesn't start out only as Sailor Moon's hero to worship and focus on, but as an equally developing character. Being conscious of battling Sailor V, helping Sailor Moon, and stealing jewels in an effort to solve really effed up dreams means PGSM Mamoru has something to do. He gets to react to his own alter ego, not just become him. We, the audience, then get more info to determine his compatibility with Usagi.

2) Mamoru discovers Usagi is Sailormoon by Act 7. Act 7 out of a 49 Act series and over 11 Acts before the Princess/Endymion reveal. This allows their relationship so much more development because Mamoru gets to admire both Usagi and Sailor Moon and contrast and compare them as two halves of the same person. We gain insight into his growing affection for her and how he sees her, which leads to a greater understanding of their choice to be a couple. We can only infer what Mamoru thinks of Usagi and Sailor Moon in the anime, and indeed can't really know because he doesn't know either of them, or himself, or the struggles of that duality Usagi faces. Which makes their being in love a mystery or just a relation to their past selves. 3) There is no obligation required in saving Sailor Moon or showing up in Usagi's life. It happens organically through plot. Thank Motoki's friendship. Thank the downplaying of the I know when Sailor Moon is in trouble ping and instead having reasons for Mamoru being around in both fight scenes and daily life things. Thank the development of Mamoru actually wanting to hang around Usagi, and her then doing the same. Thank Usagi's early crush on Tuxedo Karmen. It all means they choose to interact with each other and that we cannot argue that purely external forces are behind their connection.

4) Hina. OH NOES HE HAS A GF! Hina, not Rei. Thank goodness not Rei, cause I didn't want to be crying for her like I did when she found out Mamoru was Tuxedo Karmen in the anime. Right in the Princess reveal episode their dating was shoved aside, implying anything in Mamoru's life, or Usagi's even, that didnt align with a Princess Serenity/Endymion destiny did not matter. Instead in PGSM we get Hina; the relationship of niceness but the one of obligation based on past affection and promises. The one that makes Usagi jealous and sad and shows the longing of Usagi and Mamoru for each other. The one that highlights Usagi's growth in herself, as we see her explore her feelings on love and jealousy and how she battles them as Usagi and Sailor Moon and her choices. As we see her thoughts of interest in Mamoru versus Tuxedo Mask.

5) The Princess is a persona that is questioned and separate. This allows the past lives to be questioned and explored. Thinking Sailor V is the Princess? Still not wanting to pick her. Finding out Usagi's the Princess? Still both not sure if doomed is a good relationship setting. Coming back to try the relationship in Endymion outfit or Usagi possessed by the ghost of Serenity? Notice how they never address each other by past names in their right mental states EVER. Their past lives influence their relationship sure, but it is not the basis. They have a destiny and a past love but they are active as the people they are now in building and maintaining their current one. In making it a healthy non-doomed romance, in choosing to continue it, in wanting one another above obstacles or past influences. We don't see this reflective outlook on their identities as Serenity and Endymion in the anime. 6) I shall throw in the bonus of Mamoru not going evil until the last episode. He's goes to work for Beryl willingly because DRAMA but it means that once again the relationship of Usagi/Mamoru can continue to develop because they are both still active participants, even when they conflict.

It's simple. The relationship they have is something forged in the present. They have happiness, angst, conflict and triumph all built into their current actions and character's arcs. It's truly about Usagi and Mamoru as they develop into a couple. It's what they define and what they use to rally against unknowns and past lives. Hell, when it all falls down and he goes evil and she destroys the world she brings him back and he does her and that is how they win out; By being Usagi and Mamoru and being there for each other. A tragic past love or a destined love is cool. A love in front of me, that I see explored and created, is EPIC. I ship them, yes I do.

[nangbaby]

PART ONE: Hi Nang, I spoke with you a few times on some Sailor Moon forums just a few years ago and even though I never really agreed with you on lots of things, I always tried to stick up for you. It seemed that a lot of other fans liked to jump on you for your opinions--which, hey, sometimes could have been worded a bit better, but it still wasn't very fair of them. We have not kept in touch and you probably don't remember me, but after the news of the re-licensing of the old anime and the

redub, I felt the need to reach out to you and see how you were doing. I know you're a huge fan of the old DiC dub. Even though I totally prefer the original Japanese, I still have fond memories of the DiC dub and sometimes even watch it just for fun. I feel bad that you're taking this very harshly, but I really do need to politely defend the choice of Viz Media to re-dub the old anime. Sailor Moon was dubbed at a time when most anime titles weren't fairly dubbed. Although you clearly prefer the DiC dub, it was still dubbed differently from how anime is dubbed nowadays. I have always felt that the old Sailor Moon anime deserves a more accurate English dub. It deserves the respect that it didn't get when it was first dubbed in English. Yes, I already viewed my previous Japanese version with subtitles, but even though I have nostalgic love for the DiC dub and certain aspects of it, overall I've always felt that English speakers deserved a second dub as well. I know that you feel strongly about this. I know that you feel like the old dub is being erased, both culturally and in terms of physical/digital media. It seems to me that the DiC dub of Sailor Moon made a very strong impression on you--as it did for many of us--but whereas myself and others learned of the original version and became enchanted by it, you instead saw it as an attack on what you've already come to know and love. Sometimes I wish you could just open your mind and heart a bit more, so that you can learn to love Sailor Moon in ALL of its forms. The same goes to people who absolutely HATE the DiC dub, or people who dislike Sera Myu or the live PGSM show. We all have our likes and dislikes, but I love every form of Sailor Moon, though I have my preferences within that love. At the same time, I think you're unique, intelligent, and someone with an iron will. You always stand up for what you believe in and I think that's awesome. You have overcome adversity. I just hope one day you'll stop looking at a new dub as something to overcome. No one can ever take away your memories of the DiC dub, your DVDs, your downloads, etc. It's okay. You're angry, but I really hope one day you won't be angry anymore.

Well, thank you, anon, for being reasonable. But if you've been following my blog, you know how I feel about...everything.

[keyofjetwolf]

I’m just renaming this plotline “Everybody Loves Hina”.

[rin-the-shadow]

Kunzite’s smirk when Jadeite shows up to assist/tell him off like, ah, yes, please do. After the time he’s had trying and failing to get Zoisite to listen to him, someone whose skin he can actually get under and get a visibly annoyed reaction out of is a welcome change of pace.

[real-life-senshi]

10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

There are many things worth unpacking and appreciating in the live-action series, as long as one can overlook the tackiness of the action scenes and repeated use of questionable CGI sequences. (The real-time CGI isn't bad though, and the action scenes get better as the series runs!) Context to remember: the live-action is a low-budget Tokusatsu series, and it was the debut work of most of the cast in the acting industry! As we approach the show's 20th anniversary, I hope to spread some love and get more people exposed to watching the series!

Reason 1: Ongoing character & dynamic development for EVERYONE!

It is without question that Tsukino Usagi deserves all the love fans of the overall Sailor Moon franchise have for her! However, for those whose favourite character may not necessarily be the titular character, many may find there's just not much space in most iterations of Sailor Moon for their favourite character to shine with the depth of their character well explored, and most character development does not contribute long-lastingly to the plot of the story. It can almost feel like Usagi/Moon seems to often hog all the attention (besides side story chapters in the manga)!

The live-action series solved that issue beautifully, by focusing only on the Dark Kingdom arc in a 49-episode series, the screenwriter Kobayashi Yasuko with Takeuichi Naoko-sensei's input, did a stunning job of building a multi-faceted, linear storyline filled with colourful character development for each Senshi AND Shitennou characters. The Shitennou each have their own defined personality, depths and motivation that are all different from each other's.

Each main heroine character and villain character has their own thematic focus to their story, and they all actually converge and contribute to the storytelling of the series!

The most amazing thing? It dares to render Usagi/Moon into the ensemble cast on episodes when it doesn't make sense for Usagi to hog the screen time. Sometimes, our beloved princess is simply the comic relief in an episode! That's not to say that Usagi's character is disrespected, but Usagi is shown to be as flaw-filled as any other character in the series, and sometimes she herself needs to do some growing up and reflection, so she isn't always the sensible choice to be catalyst for her fellow Senshi' needed growth.

Usagi is undoubtedly loved and cherished and the definite lynchpin of the team, but each Senshi is allowed to have their own dynamics with each other, and let their personality shine... or clash with each other's.

Frankly, I've always been amazed at how much said dynamics were explored between each pair of Senshi. The only one I felt was underdeveloped was Ami and Minako. :(

Here is my rough table of how the character focus is spread across the series. (Many episodes actually have an A plot, B plot and C plot, but I'm not expert enough to parse them all down. This is by memory. lol)

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

10 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

[lenreli]

[docholligay]

PGSM and Parents--Motivation

(I had Ami and then Rei but so much of it was contrasting that I did TOPICS instead of just Ami, then Rei) 

Something that always makes me squeal with delight in these episodes is the way it sets up the idea that these things Ami and Rei are known for may not be their own motivations, but instead born from the circumstances of their lives. We almost take it for granted at this point: Ami wants to be a doctor. Rei is a shrine maiden. 

But PGSM doesn’t allow for things to exist in those easy spaces. In these episodes, when we deal with Ami and her mother about her future, it’s AMi’s mother badgering her about having missed cram school, and it’s not so much that she’s worried about Ami’s emotions or feelings as she is that AMi’s grades are going to slip. She’s so out of touch with AMi that she didn’t even realize Ami has FRIENDS now (More on this in another post.) 

Not only does she suggest that AMi switch school,s but it comes out that it’s not even really a suggestion. She’s already made the interview appointment, and all AMi has to do is come along and her mother will guide more of her life. 

When we go back to Ami, writing on the message board, so small she has to use a stepladder to reach the board*, we see her promising her mother that she will study hard and become a doctor. She’s a tiny thing, and much is made of the watershed moment in Rei’s life at that age, seeing her mother die but I think more than one grand event, a thousand tiny events can add up. Throughout the episodes, Ami talks about how she has never disobeyed or argued with her mother, ever. Her mother is a doctor, her motivation for that role comes out of little more than a life long reaching for her mother.** 

If medicine, if doctoring, is what her mother has time for, and truly loves, than AMi will become that, and that to me is so much more interesting than “I am smart and smart people become doctors” 

And Rei, God do I love this with Rei, because with Ami I don’t want to say I expected it, but I wasn’t as surprised. PGSM did so much for Ami in my eyes that I was already thinking of her with different frameworks, which though I love PGSm Rei, it wasn’t as different from the concept I already had of her in my head, so I wasn’t looking. 

This moment: 

Rocked me in the best way possible. The idea that Rei had no intrinsic motivation for the shrine, that it’s simply that she was GIVEN to it, is the thing I had no idea that I wanted but absolutely did. The shrine, then, is a just another one of the complex relationships that she’s learned to live with, instead of something she sought out. It’s her relationship with Minako, with the other, with being a sneshi in general. It’s the memory of her mother, it’s her hatred of her father, even this thing, this being a shrine maiden, is not allowed to be simple for Rei. In many ways, Rei is Usagi’s foil, and for me this is just another way. Usagi’s home life is easy, her relationship with her duty, her relationship with Mamaoru, all of it is, minus tiny hiccups very easy for her to engage with and come to to terms with, adn Rei doesn’t get that. Nothing gets to be easy for Rei, ever. 

*Let’s just say for a moment that you have communicate with your kid this way--how fucking terrible a parent do you have to be not to put it on THEIR level? Like YOU are reaching THEM? I would say that PGSM is making that exact point here, that Ami has always reached FOR her mother, and not the other way around, but I don’t know that it’s accurate to say that or if I’m just bringing that TO the text

**This whole THING is why I utterly reject the canon-but-terrible fact that Mercy became doctor because both her parents were doctors it’s so boring and disrespectful to Mercy’s own character, INTO THE CANON REFUSE PILE WITH YOU ALONG WITH SO MANY OTHER DUMBASS FACTS AND ASSPULLS.

[biomic]

rob what show do i start next. the one my friend picked randomly from the krdl misc page turned out to be a real miss so i need smth new to put on my board....

hmmm, miscellaneous toku... i haven't seen a lot (and some of the ones i've seen like cutie honey or bima are a bit tricky to recommend for aggressively horny or low budget reasons, respectively) but the first one that comes to mind is pretty guardian sailor moon? i was never a sailor moon fan outside of that but it's written by toku queen yasuko kobayashi and it was a super charming show. some of the romances they focus on are a bit dull but the main girls are all great and there's lots of iconic moments. also with you being a big ryusoul fan the three masters are all main pgsm actors so that'd probably be an extra bit of fun

as for other shows... i haven't seen it myself but i've heard nothing but good things about tomica hero rescue force, if you're in the mood for something goofy with a lot of heart

also, have you seen tokusatsu gagaga? it's more of a drama about tokusatsu than actual toku but it's a must watch

[beautifulsnake2162020]

So I just finished binge watching the main PGSM series:

AND NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY A LOT OF MOONIES LOVE IT. It keeps the spirit of Sailor Moon while making all the substantial deviations from the manga work. I love that whether intentional or not it doesn't take itself seriously and maybe that's why its a good adaptation of Sailpr Moon.

A few thoughts on this:

1.) I'm sad that it only covered the Dark Kingdom Arc (Is it due to budgeting reasons or was it only meant to cover the first arc?);

2.) Related to number 1, I'm really interested what would happen if at least Haruka and Michiru were introduced. Though maybe the reason it wasn't covered because of their queer relationship? But then again they never kissed in either anime and they are still the best couple. I really want to see how the live action Sailor Moon and Inner Senshi would react to a butch lesbian flirting with them (or make that Haruka flirting also with Naru). But I guess because they placed Venus in the position of an outer senshi instead of her joining the inner senshi group, it may seem redundant to have Outer Senshis in the world of PGSM;

3.) Rest in peace to Kubodera Akira the actor of Kunzite. Why is it that its only in 2021 that I discover this gem? PGSM Kunzite is the Shitennou I would most likely sleep with (though Zoicite would be the one I want to marry). For real though, whenever he showed up half of my mind was in the story and the other half was sexually fantasizing about him;

4.) I'll be honest though - I'm not the biggest fan of PGSM Minako/Venus, but it works in the world of PGSM. I still prefer Crystal Minako/Venus and anime Minako as a close second (nostalgic reasons). I haven't read the manga yet so I don't want to comment on that version of Minako although some say that Crystal is faithful to the manga;

5.) Having said that I LOVE THE CAST: Near perfect Usagi, Mamoru, etc. I also love how it was written overall and though it was low budget, they made it work in a live action setting. My only major complaint in terms of deviations and how it relates to the world of PGSM is why Luna's human form had to be a kid? I know that it was probably a kid's show and they needed a kid avatar within the world but I think it would be better if Luna's human form was the same age as the girls physically;

6.) And so far on things beyond the main 49 episodes I've only watched youtube clips of the Shitennou part of Kikari Super Live and the wedding of Usagi and Mamoru. I laughed so much at their part in the concert (which further deepened my crush for Kunzite) and laughed so hard when Motoki caught the bouquet of flowers in the wedding.

Fellow moonies, could you please direct me to a site that has the english subtitles or the english transcript of the Tuxedo Mask + Shitennou interview from Kikari? I could only find the Portuguese or Spanish subtitles on youtube. Also if there are any good fanfics involving PGSM Inner Senshi, the Shitennou and MamUsa meeting Haruka and Michiru please also place the links.

[ffamranxii]

Sailor Moon is the only series where I have different ships depending on the adaption. For the most part, manga and anime have the same ships, but the absolute curveball that was PGSM (my favorite adaption, hands down) gave me a TON of new ships I’d have never considered otherwise, who I DON’T ship in the manga/anime.

1. Usagi/Mamoru. Across all adaptions, I ship these two, and the reason is actually funny. I never used to like either of them, so I just shoved them together. It wasn’t until PGSM that I ever liked Usagi at all. I found her to be whiney and annoying in the anime, and once I got my hands on the manga, my dislike of anime Usagi had permeated too deep for me to like manga Usagi. PGSM Usagi is a much more expanded concept of Usagi as a whole, and Mamoru (while still embodying Sailor Moon’s very own Princess Peach) has a whole arc of development and backstory himself. PGSM is the only adaption in which I like Mamoru, even now.

2. Ami/Nephrite, PGSM only. PGSM has a whole side story for many of its minor characters and expands on the girls outside of the concept of senshi. Tbh PGSM is a slice of life show disguised as a tokusatsu, and it’s super apparent in how they treat the characters. Ami has an entire arc of her own where she ends up brainwashed and has several scenes with Nephrite, who is sort of the black sheep of the Shitennou for reasons that are never explained. This fledging relationship continues after Nephrite is reincarnated as human and it’s really cute to see Ami develop outside of her relationship with Usagi (her strongest relationship in this series) and the girls. Nephrite is hotheaded and angry at the world and Ami makes him just so soft.

3. Ami/Zoisite, manga and Crystal. While I very much detest the first two seasons of Crystal for their abominable animation (through no fault of the animators, I blame Toei and their complete disregard of their fans and employees), I DO like that they tried to work in the senshi/Shitennou romance that Naoko hinted at in the art books. It was stupid rushed but it’s the only incarnation that really attempts it. I wish it had had time to develop.

4. Rei/Minako, PGSM only. PGSM only deals with the Dark Kingdom (sadly) and Rei/Minako are its Haruka/Michiru. I actually ship them harder than I ship PGSM Usagi/Mamoru. Several episodes are given over to the development of their relationship, which is not easy to do given the way they took Minako in this series, and Rei is the only one of the girls to even have a real relationship with Minako, even over Usagi. They trust each other on a deep level, and fight with each others’ weapons at two critical points in the series.

5. Minako/Zoisite, PGSM only. Zoisite in this series, like most of the Shitennou, differs drastically from his manga and anime component, and I actually really like this one more than I like him in the anime and manga. Beryl’s hold on Zoisite is the weakest of all the Shitennou, and he spends his time doing exactly three things: playing piano, pining over Mamoru Endymion, and stalking Minako. (Truth be told, I enjoy his relationship with Endymion more, but the one with Minako leads into my next point.)

6. Minako/Kunzite, anime and manga. Minako managed to bag not one but two Shitennou with her love powers and that is a FEAT. You get it, girl. I really like the dynamic of two leaders together, and really enjoy Silver Millennium Minako/Kunzite fics.

7. Makoto/Motoki, PGSM only. This was another fun little thing PGSM did, and Makoto is the only other senshi to have a confirmed relationship in the series. Motoki himself is pretty fleshed out for a minor character, with his own little quirks (turtles!), and he is over the moon for Makoto. By the end of the series they’re engaged.

8. Haruka/Michiru, anime and manga. Who DOESN’T ship HaruMichi? I actually shipped HaruMichi way before I ever shipped anyone else on this list. Along with Touya/Yukito from Cardcaptor Sakura, they were THE definition of LGBTQ+ relationships (for me) for much of my childhood. They have an extremely adult relationship, possibly even an open relationship (or at least Michiru seems to have no problem with Haruka’s flirting hobby), which isn’t really something you see often in anime. I love them, they are goals.

9. Haruka/Michiru/Setsuna, anime and manga. Very specifically during the time they are raising Hotaru. Sometimes a family can be three moms and their child the incarnation of death and destruction and that’s beautiful. They’re just such a cohesive unit that I have a hard time believing that they live together and HaruMichi HAVEN’T invited Setsuna to join them from time to time. They’re also the first OT3 I ever shipped.

10. Helios/Chibiusa, anime and manga. I think the Helios/Chibiusa shippers are as numerous as the Usagi/Mamoru shippers tbh. Like Mamoru, Helios also is a damsel in distress for much of his arc (I guess the Tsukinos have a type, which raises some interesting questions about Ikuko and Kenji), and what I really liked was that, despite the single kiss they shared, it was never really pushed on us? I think Chibiusa/Helios is the first thing I ever shipped without the source material directly telling me to do so, because I wanted them together SO BAD and was SO PISSED they weren’t. 

11. Chibiusa/Hotaru, anime and manga. Another ship I put together on my own with no direction from the source material, and the first lesbian ship I ever did that with. They are just too close and love each other too much, and Chibiusa shares more pictures with Hotaru in official media (art books, stills, promo art) than her supposed future love interest Helios! They’re just a very sweet ship, two girls trying to figure out love and stuff. 

12. Setsuna/Endymion, anime and manga. Setsuna has a thing for Endymion, but never really seems to transfer that to Mamoru. I do like unrequited ships, and this one is my favorite.

HONORABLE MENTION

1. Ami/Usagi, PGSM. Ami has a huge lesbian crush on Usagi in this version. I’m not even making this up. She ends up brainwashed due to her insecurity and depression that Usagi is replacing her by making more friends and getting a boyfriend. Usagi, of course, is oblivious.

2. Kunzite/Zoisite, classic anime. Classic anime gave us (female) Zoisite and Kunzite (named Malachite in the dub I watched) as a couple, which I actually really enjoyed. I remember being disappointed when I read the manga and Zoisite was not only not female but also not banging Malachite. They were another adult relationship, way before HaruMichi existed, that I looked forward to seeing onscreen. I’m cool now with Zoisite not being female, and Malachite’s real name being Kunzite, but I still really like their relationship in classic. Plus, they’re the only ship that can crossover the adaptions in my brain to form the ultimate ot3 Minako/Zoisite/Kunzite. You get it, Minako.