Anime fans could be led to believe that shōnen is the face of the medium. However, many genres have evolved alongside the classic zero-to-hero, fist-fighting clash of ideals and friendships, with none other thanSailor Moonserving as a peak introduction into theworld of magical girls and shoujo. The Sailor Senshi are some of the most recognizable figures in anime, alongside classic heroes like Goku, Naruto, and Luffy. Despite being geared towards young women, you may’t discount that Sailor Moon made major waves through anime communities with its debut and nostalgic greatness that define it today.
In 2014,Sailor Moonunderwent a rebootto adapt Naoko Takeuchi’s manga faithfully. The anime that aired in 1992 took greater liberties in expanding on the franchise by creating episodic villains for the Sailor Senshi to battle against. While a common characteristic of its era, this formula went against the original source material, and the anime would go on to alter many more events and characters in Sailor Moon’s story that were not in the original manga.
The remake would go on to not only bring back an iconic franchise to a new generation of anime viewers, but it would stick closely to the source that had started it all. While Takeuchi’s vision would be brought to life, there is something thatSailor Moon Crystaljust failed to capture from its predecessor, and that was the iconic nostalgic animation style that gave both credence to the story and the characters’ personalities.
Sailor Moon Crystal’s Animation Left Something to be Desired in Seasons 1 and 2
The Anime Would Vastly Improve Later, But Takeuchi’s Style Was Still Captured Best in the 90s Version
At the time of its conception,Sailor Moon Crystalset out with a noble goal: to recreate Naoko Takeuchi’s manga to a tee without deviating from the source material. Toei Animation would go on to do just that, though the changes in the narrative and pacing would present their own challenges for the anime. Moreso than that, the studios and artists' vision for the remake would attempt to capture more of the appeal that was generated in the manga; however, I believe thatthose unique 90s era aesthetics were already perfectly replicated in the original.
Sailor Moon Crystalhad to start from the ground up, remaking entire scenes both through traditional methods and 3D transitions, such as for the transformations. Seasons 1 and 2 were outsourced to other subsections of Toei Animation’s studios, and due to having a lower budget, the disconnect between the classic Sailor Moon story and the animation results in a lack of charm.
Don’t get me wrong,Sailor Moon Crystalfollowed the manga beat for beat, page for page. But the colors of the new anime lacked saturation and contrast, which are pretty vital in establishing depth. This results in the animation looking flat and unfinished. The backgrounds are done in a hand-drawn style that is soft and pastel, with pencil details that add to the fact that it’s very manga-esque, yet the palette of its characters often stands out against it, disrupting the whole scene.
These issues are mostly present within its first few seasons, as Toei Animation would go on to better fund and outsource theCrystalseries to give it the treatment it deserved, which would lead to the phenomenal successSailor Moon Cosmoswould receive. And while the visuals would go on to look a lot better, there werestill a few minor changes that just didn’t sit quite as rightas the original version from the 90s, and that largely had to do with the direction behind the scenes.
Direction is Pivotal to an Anime’s Pacing and Storytelling
Sailor Moon (1992) Excelled at Using Filler to Build Characters and its Narrative
While it may not have been entirely faithful to the manga Takeuchi wrote, the 90s version was able to make use of its limited time slot to its advantage by packing the story with small anecdotes that further expand on the manga to make it a superior, engaging television show. The studio’s direction went deeper into explaining the formula that would make up the following episodes by introducing a threat, gathering the courage to confront it, and saving the day.
Sailor Moon Crystallacked the spunk that the first adaptation had created, even if the 90s version took creative liberties in expanding the story to episodic levels.
In the first episode alone, viewers come to understand that Usagi is a cowardly crybaby, but also has a profound sense of justice by immediately stepping in to save Luna at the start of the episode. The gags between her and her family show how close their bond is, despite how they treat her as a hopeless cause. This stark difference between her everyday life and her new persona as a Sailor Guardian better separates her identity as Sailor Moon.Crystallacks that childish nature and anticsthat make the audience doubt her resolve as the leader of the Guardians, yet makes her endearing as an evolving character.
As wonderful as it was to seeSailor Moon Crystalreturn to the screen in Takeuchi’s vision, the remake just didn’t have the same spark or personality that the 90s version excelled at. Despite reading the same as the manga, it lacked the spunk that the first adaptation had created, even if it took creative liberties in expanding the story to episodic levels. It may not have been the perfect creation, but it did inspire many people’s creativity and love of the shōjo genre, making Sailor Moon an iconic figure to this day.
Sailor Moon Crystal
Cast
Sailor Moon Crystal follows Usagi Tsukino as she becomes a guardian of justice tasked with finding the Silver Crystal to prevent Earth’s invasion by the Dark Kingdom. Released in 2014, this adaptation revisits the beloved characters and storyline of the original Sailor Moon series.
