We’d assume there’s a few Sailor Moon fans out there who are still on the fence about seeing Sailor Moon R: The Movie in theaters. Could be fun, but it’ll be out on Blu-ray/DVD and digital at some point, right? You couldn’t be more wrong. Moonies, this is money well spent. Go alone. Go with a friend. Go with your mom. Just go.
Sailor Moon R: The Movie begins by taking us back in time, showing fans the brief but profoundly affecting friendship forged between a grieving young Mamoru and a young wanderer from a faraway world, Fiore. Back in the present day, Fiore makes good on his promise to eventually return and pay back Mamoru’s kindnesses. There’s only one problem: Fiore has fallen under the sway of a predatory alien force and wants Mamoru all to himself. Usagi and the four Inner Senshi (Mercury, Mars, Venus and Jupiter) embark on a dramatic adventure as they seek to save Mamoru and the Earth itself.
Sailor Moon R: The Movie was available on VHS and DVD around 2000 before going out of print, but it definitely didn’t look this good. The film’s enjoyable, snappily paced story also makes it well worth revisiting. Fiore is a scenery-chewing antagonist and the relationship between him and Mamoru is delightfully ambiguous. Usagi really shines here too, not as the jealous crybaby who can’t let Mamo-chan out of her sight for two seconds, but as the generous-hearted, inspirational leader adored by those around her. It’s got all the affecting moments of friendship, romance and excitement of a season-ending cluster of episodes, but feels more directional and tightly edited. It’s all killer, no filler, in other words.
The remastered visuals are crisp, vibrant and stunning. Longtime fans of the series will delight in seeing their favorite Sailor Senshi on the big screen. It all looks simply gorgeous, and you’ll have a tough time sitting still in your seat watching all your favorite attacks and transformation sequences. There’s also a lot to be said for experiencing the movie in theaters with other fans, and hearing their reactions can definitely make certain moments in the film feel more affecting, funny or exciting.
Clocking in at just over an hour, the film itself isn’t very long, but fans should plan to be in the theater for around an hour and a half. The film is preceded by a brief interview segment with three of the English voice actors -- Stephanie Sheh (Usagi Tsukino / Sailor Moon), Robbie Daymond (Mamoru Chiba / Tuxedo Mask), and newcomer Ben Diskin (Fiore) -- in which they share some insights about their characters and the experience of working on the film. (I can’t really speak to the quality of the dub in the film, however, as I went to a subtitled screening.) Screenings of Sailor Moon R: The Movie also include the North American debut of the short, Make Up! Sailor Guardians. It’s a bit of lighthearted fun and reintroduces the five senshi and Tuxedo Mask for casual fans, but it’s nothing earthshattering.
It’s not clear if we’ll see the Sailor Moon S and SuperS movies in theaters at some point in the future as well, but fingers crossed it comes to pass. At the very least, fans should be excited for the eventual home video releases of all three remastered Sailor Moon movies, and trust that they’re in capable hands at Viz.
Sailor Moon R: The Movie ’s limited theatrical run is nearly over, but there are plenty of locations doing screenings at the tail-end of January and early February. Click here for locations and showtimes.
