Sailor Moon S season Review

Sailor Moon S was another purchase I made with the SSI back payments back in March and I just finished it today.  Like my memories of the first season back when I watched it in High School, the series rides a nice balance of humor and drama, having hilarious interactions between the characters and also serious moments where it’s clear they truly love each other.  This season introduced Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, who were a lesbian couple and were great additions to the cast.  Most of the humor in the first half of the season stems from people mistaken Haruka, Sailor Uranus’ civilian self, for a man due to her short hair and manner of dress.  Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune also have a “by any costs/sacrifices may be necessary” attitude during most of the season, which puts them at odds with Sailor Moon, who would rather no one die.  This becomes key during the last arc, when Hotaru Tomoe, the human form of Sailor Saturn appears.  She has a demon named Mistress 9 inside her who is seeking to bring a demonic force named Pharaoh 90 to Earth to destroy it, then the whole galaxy.  However, Hotaru is a sweet young girl who is friends with Sailor Moon’s future daughter, Chibi-Usa, and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.  Due to this, Sailor Moon actively tries to prevent the attempts to destroy Mistress 9.  This gambit works, and Hotaru overpowers Mistress 9 from within and becomes Sailor Saturn.  She decides to take on Pharaoh 90, stating that doing so will cost her her life.  It was heart-wrenching to watch Sailor Moon scream “Crisis, Make Up!” multiple times in vain, trying to transform without the necessary item in order to help Sailor Saturn.  Eventually, though, her will and the other Sailor Senshi’s faith in her does transform her and Sailor Saturn is just reduced to being a baby rather than dying and it’s hinted she still has all her good memories.  I thought it ended with Uranus and Neptune adopting her, but she actually goes back to her Dad, so maybe that happens at the end of the series finale in Sailor Stars.

I found this enjoyable and a good example of why I enjoy this show.  I seem to recall this was the last season that was easy to follow, so I doubt I’ll be picking up Super S or Sailor Stars.  I recommend it to anyone who’s wondering what this show was about.  There’s also some Christian imagery and Biblical terms used, such as “Messiah,” “Holy Grail” and one of the characters appears on a cross, Sailor Uranus wears a cross as a civilian and also comments “Adam and Eve were the first people to kiss,” which is nice to see in media, considering American media can be so crass when it comes to spiritual matters.  Also, Sailor Chibi-Moon was much less obnoxious than kid characters can be in these types of shows and was helpful to the plot without having the plot focus on her.