Netflix 90s Magical Anime Reboot Is Better Than The Original
When anime was first breaking through into America thanks to the Toonami block on Cartoon Network, there were a few clear successes, from Dragon Ball Z to Gundam Wing, but one series went beyond the typical Shonen audience and reached a group that was underserved in anime at the time: young girls. Of course, I’m talking about the one, Sailor Moon, which would become a massive franchise around the world, and for good reason, as the original anime was incredible. Now, the already decade-old reboot series Sailor Moon Crystal is available on Netflix.
But for those who grew up on the original, is it worth watching a reboot? And the answer is absolutely, as Sailor Moon Crystal decided to be more faithful to the manga, and fans of the Sailor Scouts already know what that means.
The Return Of Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon Crystal follows the basic plot beats of the original, but with significantly fewer filler episodes, it’s essentially the manga story on fast forward. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but then again, I’ve seen over 1000 episodes of One Piece and can’t handle that level of commitment with every anime. Season 1 covers the entire “Dark Kingdom” arc, Season 2 is the “Black Moon” arc, while Season 3, the best of them all, covers “Death Busters.”
Bigger Budget, Better Battles
The original 1990s Sailor Moon was only the “Dark Kingdom” arc, while later series covered the other arcs, but you’d be forgiven for not realizing it, as the sheer amount of filler was egregious. Every Sailor Scout received stand-alone episodes, and the overarching plot against Queen Beryl moved at a snail’s place, which isn’t to say that it wasn’t a fun show; it was, but by being true to the manga, Sailor Moon Crystal improves on greatness. With a bigger budget, the battle scenes are far more dynamic in the reboot series, and you’ll catch less recycled footage, but they also fixed Tuxedo Mask.
Tuxedo Mask Does Something
Tuxedo Mask, the amazingly ineffectual hero that was memed to death for showing up after the Scouts already won every time, is in Sailor Moon Crystal; not only age-appropriate for Sailor Moon to date but their relationship is remarkably improved. While I enjoyed him in the original, I have to admit, I can’t ever remember him actually doing anything (seriously, who throws a rose at people?), which is a problem that the reboot managed to solve. While the Sailor Scouts’ characterization suffers due to the hectic speed of the story, Tuxedo Mask benefits from it.
Justice For Neptune And Uranus
Of course, Sailor Moon Crystal had to correct the worst sin of the original anime, and that’s finally, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are shown on-screen as a couple. As a young anime fan in the 90s, one of the first things you learned as a rite of passage is that Sven in Voltron was brutally killed in the original anime, and not “sent to a hospital upstate to recover,” but the second thing we all learned, is that Uranus and Neptune were sanitized to be “close friends” instead of a couple.
To say that the reboot is an improvement is an understatement. Their relationship wasn’t just for attention at the time; it was a major part of the story, and now it can be shown as originally intended without artistic compromises. Oh, and Venus gets her sword in Sailor Moon Crystal.
The Greatest Magical Girl Anime In History
REVIEW SCORE
Sailor Moon Crystal is a little old at this point, but it holds up and finally does the manga justice by giving fans a great story with fun battles. The animation studio changed between Season 2 and Season 3, so you’ll notice a dramatic improvement in the fluidity of the action, but honestly, I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the saga of Usagi and her friends against the forces of evil all over again, and for a moment, it felt like watching anime after school again.
Sailor Moon Crystal is currently streaming on Netflix, and you can catch the original Sailor Moon on Disney+, Hulu, or, for free, Pluto TV.
