No, the name totally wasn't taken from SF Debris! Whatever gave you that idea?
I love Sailor Moon more than life itself. Well, not really; if I had to choose between living another day, and never getting to watch/ read anything SM-related ever again, I probably would choose the former, though how wide the margin is is uncertain. Of course, being a fairly big and massively popular franchise, there were moments that many fans would like to forget, or at the very least accept somewhat grudgingly.
Anyway, for those unfamiliar with Sailor Moon (though if you spend any amount of time on the Internet at all, you probably wouldn't be), it is a manga written by pharmacist turned manga artist, Naoko Takeuchi, as a spin-off of the manga Codename: Sailor V. The basic story consisted of clumsy schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino, who was given a brooch by a talking cat named Luna, which gave her the power to transform into Sailor Moon, a magical warrior who killed monsters through the power of tiara-throwing, among other things. From this basic premise, the story progressively got more complex, adding additional Sailor Senshi, and eventually exploring its mythology involving the past, the future, reincarnation, time travel, saving the galaxy (ie. Tokyo), etc.
Shortly after its creation, the manga was adapted into an anime series which is credited along with other big shots like Dragon Ball Z with contributing to anime's popularity in the West during the 90's. It had some neat animation and artwork, memorable characters, some nice comedic moments, and it set the trends for every magical girl show since. Well, the original version did, anyway. What we got in the States was...
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| Oh, fuck no! |
(Fun fact: Naoko Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, creator of YuYu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter. Make of that what you will.)
And that brings us to the universally looked down upon fourth season of the series, Sailor Moon Super S. The funny thing about that name is, in the last season, Sailor Moon S, the S stood for "Super". So the full name of this season would be Sailor Moon Super Super. Anyway, what do I think of the season? Well, I don't exactly dislike it, but yeah, it had flaws. Quite a few of them, actually. Enough that the amount of hate this season gets is pretty justified. Enough that ratings plummeted into a deep abyss from which the franchise would never recover. Just kidding, they picked up again fairly decently next season, but Super S is still generally seen as a dark spot in SM history.
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| Which of these people doesn't belong? |
And to "celebrate" the legacy that this season has brought to the fandom, I'm going to be recapping all 39 blissful episodes of this train wreck. Or at least, this train with a slightly faulty engine. Sit down, folks, because we're going to be doing this for a while. A good, long while.
Mainly so that I don't have to do this next week, here is a brief description of the main characters:
Usagi Tsukino/ Sailor Moon:
Usagi is the main character, and technically the leader of the Sailor Senshi, even though most of the time the others are are all completely capable without a leader and probably operate better without her guidance anyway. She is also the reincarnation of Moon Princess Serenity. That's technically a spoiler, but anyone who has read up to this point not expecting those is an idiot. Usagi is primarily known for being clumsy, a crybaby, kinda dumb, and a clingy jealous girl to her boyfriend Mamoru Chiba (though that last part is kinda justified). Nevertheless, her flaws are outshined by her endlessly loving and forgiving heart which allows her to make friends with just about anyone, including former enemies. Some find her to be annoying, and to be fair I do too at times, depending on the writer, but there's no denying that if one of her friends, loved ones, or even complete strangers are in danger, she will be there to punish whoever is responsible.
Ami Mizuno/ Sailor Mercury:
My favorite of the Inner Senshi, and the favorite of many other people as well, Ami is widely recognized by the fandom as the most popular Sailor Senshi, well, ever. And for good reason, too. Ami is a genius girl rumored to have an IQ of 300 (I call bullshit on that, but she is very smart). At the beginning of the series, Ami had kind of a Peter Parker-esque social life, with most mistaking her shyness for snobbery, and avoiding her as a result. She was the first Senshi to be recruited besides Sailor Moon, and generally acts as the brains of the team, being able to find out stuff using her deus ex computer thingy. She can also be seen as the "straight man" to everyone else, as she is usually the most level-headed of the Inner Senshi (emphasis on the word "usually"). Her dream is to become doctor like her mother, just like every smart person in the history of fiction.
Rei Hino/ Sailor Mars:
Of all the Sailor Senshi, Rei is the one who deviated from her manga persona the most. Whilst in comic form she is serious and stern, her cartoon self... isn't. The anime version of Rei Hino is mostly notable for being pissed off all the time, befitting her fire-themed attacks. Most of that anger is directed at Usagi, of course, with whom she bickers constantly. However, it has been established numerous times that Rei and Usagi are arguably the closest of all the Inner Senshi. Possesing mild psychic powers, Rei works as a shrine maiden at Hikawa Shrine under her perverted grandfather (also quite different from his manga self), and supervisor to apprentice Yuichiro Kumada (also different from his manga self in that his anime self actually exists), though if her dreams play out, that will change in the future.
Makoto Kino/ Sailor Jupiter:
My second favorite of the Inner Senshi. At first glance, Mako is the most masculine of the Sailor Senshi. Before befriending the others, she was known for getting into fights at school, and she is physically the strongest of the Senshi (though another major character would consistently show that in this show, physical strength means jack shit when fighting monsters). However, when one gets to know her, one would discover that she is, in fact, a great cook and can clean like nobody's business, giving her some feminine qualities to balance out. These assets are likely a result of her living by herself, the story behind which is never really revealed or explored. Back at her old school, she had a serious romantic relationship with an older guy which ended in a breakup, thus every guy she meets she compares to her ex in some way. It's rarely played for drama.
Minako Aino/ Sailor Venus:
The first Sailor Senshi to be revealed, Minako had already been fighting criminals for a year back in her days as Sailor V, (for details, see Codename: Sailor V). As such, she is the most combat experienced and most athletic of all the Inner Senshi. Aside from that, however, she is more or less another version of Usagi: clumsy, awkward, and goofy. She also completely botches any opportunity to quote a proverb, destroying any attempt to sound wise. She has big dreams of entering the entertainment industry as an idol singer, but unfortunately she probably has the worst case of Peter Parker Syndrome in the series, constantly having to put her duties as a Sailor Senshi over her personal life.
Chibiusa/ Sailor Chibi Moon:
My least favorite Sailor Senshi, and yes, that's largely due to this season. Chibiusa's real name is also Usagi Tsukino, but everyone calls her Chibiusa to distinguish her from the older Usagi. Chibiusa is from the future, when Tokyo is apparently made of crystal and is a bustling utopia ruled by Queen Serenity and King Endymion, who are her parents. Basically, this means that she is Usagi's daughter from the future sent back in time for "training". I guess you really can't train effectively in a boring ass future where there's eternal peace and everything. As she is Usagi's daughter, she inherited many of her personality traits, and her "dumpling" hair-style. Of course, while this includes the bad, like the clumsiness and the pettiness, it also includes the shining heart underneath it all. She clings to her father Mamoru a lot, leading to tensions with Usagi which is a scene we will see VERY frequently in Super S.
Mamoru Chiba/ Tuxedo Kamen:
Oh, hey, a male main character! Of course, he's Usagi's boyfriend. Mamoru's vigilante identity is Tuxedo Kamen, a guy in a suit and top hat who throws roses at monsters and has a cane that can change length. In a show where magic is essential to even scratch the monsters, this isn't much at all, and in fact the most Tuxedo Kamen can really do to any of the villains is mildly annoy them. Thus, his job is mostly to act as a distraction so that Sailor Moon can use whatever her stock footage attack of the season is. Sound lame? That's because it is. Despite being more than competent in a fight, he finds himself captured, brainwashed, or even killed (long story) the most often, making him the Japanese equivalent of Steve Trevor. As a result of all this, Mamoru tends to get treated like shit by the fandom, which I don't really condone because, well, I like the guy. Sure, he's not especially useful in battle, but he's a sensitive, kind guy who listens to Usagi and her friends' problems and does whatever he can to help, providing a nice male counterbalance to a primarily female-oriented show. He's the reincarnation of Prince Endymion of Earth, so he's basically destined to end up with Usagi the Moon Princess, and Chibiusa's continued existence alone is proof of that.
Luna:
Luna is the talking black cat who originally was sent to Earth from the Moon to awaken the Inner Sailor Senshi, starting with Sailor Moon. She is Usagi's adviser and companion, and the one who complains the most about her behavior, but she recognizes and appreciates Usagi's good qualities. Although a major figure throughout the first couple of seasons, gradually her importance waned, so at this point she was more or less another character to bounce jokes off of (at Usagi's expense). Luna's okay, I guess. I'm not too big a Luna fan, though. Not when we have another talking cat, speaking of which...
Artemis:
Artemis seriously has to be my favorite character in the series. Only Ami and possibly Mako can really compete in my eyes. He's just so adorable! Ahem... anyway, Artemis is the white male cat who was also sent from the Moon along with Luna to awaken the Senshi. He was the one who first awakened Minako back in Codename: Sailor V, and continues to act as her loyal adviser, mentor, and companion. Like Luna, he has to put up with a lot of crap from his main Senshi buddy, but he always does so with either a smile, or more often, a sarcastic comment. While Luna was pretty active in the early seasons, his days of being really important to the plot pretty much ended with the events of the Codename: Sailor V manga. Unless you count getting stepped on, yelled at, hit by flying objects, or generally suffering at the hands of the universe as important to the plot.
The Outer Senshi:
The Outer Senshi. Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn. They guard the outer Solar System (hence the name). They're insanely popular. So naturally, the writers, in their infinite wisdom, had them not make a single appearance, get a single mention, or have their existence acknowledged in any way for the Super S season. Good move, writers. You really know how to please your viewers.
So that's really about it for the major characters. Next time, we get introduced to new villains, a mysterious new figure arrives, and a girl worries about a guy not asking her out! You know, as per usual.
Next week: Episode 128 - Meeting of Fate! The Night Where a Pegasus Flies
P.S. No, I haven't read the Dream Arc of the manga, which Super S was (rather loosely) based on. I've heard it's really good. Sorry I can't make comparisons.
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