As the first major directorial job of the famed director Junichi Satou of Ojamajo Doremi Princess Tutu and Aria fameas well as being one of the most influential magical girl anime of all time Sailor Moon has steep expectations to live up to. And while it might at some points stumble under the weight of its own production I believe that it ultimately sticks the landing. While the animation is nothing to write home about its style is one of its hallmarks. The show is constantly aglow with color bringing forward an innocent charm a richly lit Tokyo Tower always features prominently in the beautifully drawn streets of the Juban District where much of the show takes place. As the series goes on the Juban District becomes a close and familiar place for viewers with characters constantly interacting with their environmentwhether at the arcade or discussing team plans at Hikawa Shrinein a way that allows for the area to feel very lived in and serving to strongly increase the comfortability of the viewer. 420https://i.pin.com/originals/7b/a1/17/7ba1171c4877508235a51b25b979e3cf.png Bro vaporwave?????? The music of the show remains a highlight. While the soundtrack of Sailor Moon is not utilized very expansivelythe average episode will typically utilize at least 35 of the same songsit is nevertheless a joy to listen to. With a mix of orchestral instruments as well as those typically utilized in rock and jazz the show constantly has an energy lent to it by its sound an energy that constantly lends to both the fastpaced comedy and touching romance that the show loves to juxtapose itself by. https://youtu.be/MWxJgokMkAQ Ive heard this song at least 20 times and it still hasnt gotten old On a different note I must admit that the mainline story of Sailor Moon is not my favorite. That is not to say that it is bad or inadequate but I firmly believe that this is not a show where the greatest strengths lie in its main story. Of course this is not a universally agreed upon opinion Sailor Moon Crystal exists if only to appease the parts of the fanbase who complained about how the 1992 show strayed so far from the original visions of mangaka Naoko Takeuchi. I am not one such fan. While the overarching romance between Usagi and Mamoru could be compelling I found myself diverting my attention towards episodessuch as the episode where the gang goes to an anime studio or the episode about the boy who has a crush on Amithat according to some https://www.animefillerlist.com/shows/sailormoonare simply skippable filler. To put it in simpler terms this is very much a show that I feel shines in its filler over the essential episodes. Arguably my biggest complaint about Sailor Moon is rather asinine. The transformation sequences for the Sailor Senshi are incredible and rightly praised as such with concise and dramatic posing framed by beautiful fabric animation that make them a joy to watch on an episodetoepisode basis. However they are utilized inconsistently throughout the show. By Episode 33 all five Sailor Senshi are introduced into the show meaning that at most there are going to be five transformations within a given episode with some episodes not featuring all five transforming at once. One would think that the show would accommodate this and set a standard order and timing for every order of transformations as a modern magical girl such as Precure would do. Sailor Moon does not do this which means that in some episodes transformations will be sped up cut up and otherwise fragmented. This obviously does not make the show unwatchable but especially within the context of binging it makes watching segments of every episode somewhat jarring. https://youtu.be/o6HAHogcHFI Seriously that fabric animation is fantastic The Tokyo of the 1990s is a land of fads. While not strictly an intentional component of Sailor Moons ethos it is nevertheless worthwhile to examine how the anime functions as a representation of the waning years of Japans economic bubble. Much of the filler of Sailor Moon takes place in new buildings or experiences that crop up across Tokyo every other day whether that means an aerobics studio a love cruise or even a princess training camp places that offer no practical value and that are at times relatively absurd. This anime is able to capture the end of an era for Japan the closing of a time where people had more money than they knew what to do with who put it in all in unrealistic ventures that would mostly collapse. 420https://i.pin.com/originals/29/f4/06/29f4063e887a087667bb4e4d72384d0a.png Pictured: Usagi dreading the incoming Japanese economic crisis It is worth noting that the manner of action within Sailor Moon is fundamentally different from the modern magic girl anime i.e. Precure. The Sailor Senshi do not spar off with their opponents in any sort of active way. For the most part battles involve the girls running away from villains getting attacked by villains and then after enough time has passed utilizing their unique powers to take down the villain. This reactive manner of battle is very different from the modern proactive angle of magical girl which Precure animator Hisashi Kagawa described as pretty young girls like in Sailor Moon engaging in Dragon Balllike action wherein the girls will actively put their all into the fight and spar off against enemies on a level playing field. Obviously the two types of actions are of their respective eras and are built on top of even older trends but it is still fascinating to go back to an anime such as Sailor Moon and see how the genre looked before several drastic changes took place over time. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a lot of things. It is one of the most aesthetically pleasing shows I have ever watched. It is a show jampacked with charming characters and lovely music. It is a conceptual jumble that at times can be downright bewildering to view. But above all it is an anime that delivers on a promise of showcasing the Miracle of Romance and I truly do love it for that.