I wrote a while back about my hopes and thoughts about the new Sailor Moon reboot. Well, I was able to watch the first episode on its debut day. It was definitely full of fun surprises and just a few disappointments. I’ve never heard of an anime going through a complete reboot like this. Of course, there might be some out there but I am not much in the anime universe anymore. Anyway, the long wait for Sailor Moon paid off and here are my thoughts.
Of course the first thing I thought is that the opening theme, “Moon Pride”, was awful. It just doesn’t have the same ring as “Moonlight Densetsu” did. “Moon Pride” instantly sent me back to Japan where I was bombarded by Japanese idol bands day in and day out. I didn’t like pop idol music there and I don’t like it here. Momoiro Z is up there with AKB48 on my loathing scale. The song was just not fun to listen to. However, the animation sequence to the song was amazing.
Speaking of good animation, I love the smooth and high quality of the animation. The style was exactly like Naoko Takeuchi’s drawings. There were some backgrounds that almost looked like watercolor paintings. Most of my thoughts on the animation were positive. I do have a few negatives. The transformation sequence made Sailor Moon’s legs and arms horribly elongated and it lasted forever. I am still on the fence about Tuxedo Mask’s character design. Maybe it will grow on me. He just looked totally odd to me. And what was the deal of him wearing his tuxedo in broad daylight on the streets of Tokyo?
The best thing about this anime so far is the cutting back on filler material. The old anime was littered with episodes that had nothing to do with the storyline at all. It was a repeat of the same old scenario for long stretches until a plot twist occured. I was able to view a preview of episode two. Sailor Mercury will make her debut in the next episode. It took eight episodes for her to appear in the old anime. The preceding episodes were filler junk. The quick pace will be more consistent with manga story arcs. This season is going to be 26 episodes long. I am very much looking forward to watching more of the series.
Moon Prism Power, everyone!
