This show also pretty much singlehandedly kickstarted the anime boom in the USA, as it got big ratings when it was shown on Toonami, which made CN realize that anime was worth big bucks and that led to them picking up DBZ which also got big ratings and both shows were then able to get new English dubs to continue…

It’s funny this posted this weekend because I just started re-watching Season 5 yesterday. I absolutely loved this show growing up and still do. It’s my favorite anime of all time. I own the full manga (both the original from the 90s when I initially collected it as well as the Viz release from a few years ago) and…

This was such an insightful piece! It really paints a picture of how far influence can spread and I absolutely love to see it. Reminds me of how elements of Shakespeare are found even today in a lot of different genres, so now I realize that Sailor Moon is actually modern-day Shakespeare.

Great article, however, regarding the transformation sequences, these were hardly innovations... They’re the magical girl equivalent of giant robots assembling (think Voltron). Those sequences are well-known to be made with the purpose of reusability throughout several episodes, with the intent of cutting down the…

I think Ms. Bose is selling SM short. The LGBT themes are strong and undeniable, but I think the feminine tones play a bigger part especially in the 90's. From main characters having flaws, to friends having fights and disagreements, Sailor Moon was refreshingly different to many shows at the time. Something emulated…

I was ten, but had much of the same experience. Sailor Moon was a massive hit here in Canada, airing on YTV (basically our Nickelodeon) right after school whereas in the US I believe it was syndicated and often would air in the early morning hours—if at all.

The only SM game I’ve ever seen was a beat-em-up a la Final Fight on the NES I think. Surprised there weren’t more of those. I get that maybe a 1v1 fighting game is probably against the spirit of the show, but for a while there, SM was very popular and I feel like so little was done to capitalize on that (at least in…

Sensational pick. That episode’s in my Top Five as well. Just as you say, it’s not just the arrival of Saturn, but the culmination of all the arcs and themes of Sailor Moon S hitting at once. Sailor Saturn being so resolute but somber, Sailor Moon breaking down hysterically, Uranus enraged at her for just giving over…

Yeah, I remember how the original Dragon Ball died after a single season in... ‘95? And then DBZ came out in something like ‘97 or ‘98 and just puttered out 2/3rds of the way through the Saiyin storyline. I don’t think it really picked-up again until ‘00 or so.

To this day, Utena remains my favorite anime of all time (and was why I started fencing). Juri ain’t taking anyone’s shit.

I’m a simple person, I see a random Puppycat, I click the link. Here’s to hoping Season 2 will get a full release (it’s currently leaked in full on a few sites) and a season 3 can start. Even though I’ve seen season 2, I’ll happily buy it on any physical format.

I know I probably shouldn’t root for disney to buy up properties but I kinda hope that they might try again to get the rights for it like they almost did back in the day. At some point some movie company is going to try and cash in on the 90s nostalgia and Disney could probably do alot with the characters. Plus…

> The tropes established by Sailor Moon soon became common features of the magical girl genre: cute, talking guide animals, everyday objects that secretly double as magical transformation amulets, and a tight-knit group of friends represented by different colors and elements.

I think it’s more that first season aired in syndication which was almost always a death sentence for cartoons in the 90's, even for critically acclaimed shows featuring pretty prolific voice actors (RIP Phantom 2040). The same with happened with Dragon Ball Z actually. Then Dragon Ball Z became this huge hit and…

This was a fantastic article. Thank you for this. ^^

I was watching the SAYU boss fight in the game “No Straight Roads” yesterday and the boss used the phrase “In the name of love, I’ll punish you!” referencing the Sailor Moon “In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you”. I was like, “Woah, how many players are going to get that reference?”

that’s amazing, love that each character really had traits that were often seen as negative and then humanized them until it was their strength. it’s awesome the show has such great resonance with queer people, especially probably with millennials since Sailor Moon showed all us baby queers that we could really be in…

That’s so awesome. Long live Mars and her fiery confidence.

It’s funny as Sailor Moon initially bombed. There was a long gap between the initial wave of episodes and the rest of the series. It really grew by word of mouth.

I remember being an 8 year old little gay boy and having so much anger because I knew I was different, then I met Sailor Mars in one of the early episodes who also was filled with so much rage and I remember feeling very seen and heard, and watched her overcome that anger with friends. It’s strange that recognition…