Title: Sailor Moon T Episode 1
Directed by: Vulpix22 Films
Genre: Anime
Guest Reviewer: Chris Palmer


For those not in the know, Sailor Moon was a hit manga (comic book) series that was published by Kodansha back in 1991.  It became so popular that Toei Animation approached the creator, Naoko Takeuchi, to make an anime series out of the stories.

The story was about a group of girls with special abilities, who have to defeat these beings called the Dark Kingdom.  When the series was dubbed into English in 1995, the Dark Kingdom was re-named the Negaverse, much of the series was edited (including two episodes which were skipped), the characters were given English names and the outcome was insulting to many anime fans who managed to get hold of the original.

Through the course of the series, the viewers learned that the girls were in fact Princesses from whatever planet they were named after (the reason there was no Sailor Earth is that Sailor Moon's lover Tuxedo Mask was really named Mamoru Chiba--Protector of Earth)

The series ran for 48 episodes and was a huge success, prompting the creation of a second series.  While Naoko was doing the manga for this second series, Toei made a bunch of filler episodes that revolved around two aliens trying to get energy from the people of Earth.  After the manga was done, Toei animated the second series of manga, and collectively these shows were known as Sailor Moon R.  The series introduced Sailor pluto, Soldier of time

The third series of this manga was then animated as Sailor Moon Super.  This show revolved around a professor trying to find the Sacred Cup (or holy grail).  The series had slightly less ratings than before.  It introduced lesbian sailors Uranus and Neptune.

The fourth series, Sailor Moon SuperS (no, there is no misprint there, and it's pronounced "Supers"), was the least popular of the lot, as Toei decided to break away from the original story.  The series focused more on Sailor Moon's daughter Chibiusa (who was renamed Rini for the dub) and her relationship with a priest named Helios (who spent most of his time as a pegasus named Pegasus).

The fifth and final series, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, was a lot closer to the manga, except it changed the new additions, the Sailor Starlights, to transexuals (in the manga, they were always female).  The series revolved around them trying to find their princess with the aid of everyone's favourite Sailor Soldiers.  Sailor Moon wrapped up in 1997, having completed a run of 200 episodes.

Which brings us to this movie.  Two episodes were in fact made, but I only downloaded this one before they both vanished off 3dmm.com forever

This episode, "Mirror Scouts" was met with some very high expectations.  Which it did not live up to.  Basically, this new episode was about the Sailor Scouts (or, for the more hardcore fans, "Sailor Senshi") discovering scouts that looked exactly like them.  However, "Serena" is off in Fairy Tale Land, some ridiculous theme park.  The first miss is scored when the dub name of Sailor Moon is used (her japanese name is Usagi Tsukino).  The second miss happens when Serena is not given any room to appear in this episode as Sailor Moon.  Then there is yet another miss when the director decides to mix in Original names with dub names, thereby destroying any professional look the director wanted.  The movie appears to want to redeem itself by using the Japanese transformation music and dialogue for the Super Sailor Scouts, but any hope of that happening is destroyed when an original attack line is mixed with dub attacks.  And then Uranus, Neptune and Pluto appear, stating that the scouts cannot in fact use their attacks against these mirror scouts, and they have to prove who they really are, giving a perfect opportunity to use lines recorded from an episode of the dub.  And then they end with the single lamest ending I have ever seen: the Mirror Scouts just turn around and go home.  Sheesh!  Even MY movies have better endings than that (better storylines too)!

The storyline is also rather un-Sailor Moon.  Usually the enemy attacks through an individual who will be focused on in the episode.  The Mirror Scouts should NOT have attacked directly.

All in all, this is a lame movie.


4/10

The Movie's Highs:
-It uses the original opening and make-up music
-Great special effects (when they come)

The movie's Lows:
-No Sailor Moon
-See above review


Bottom line
If you download this movie, you are in need of serious therapy