SAILOR MOON: EVERY MOVIE EXPLAINED

Sailor Moon is one of anime's most popular and instantly recognizable franchises. The adventures of Usagi Tsukino and her friends have delighted audiences ever since the manga debuted in the pages of Nakayoshi magazine in 1991. As is the norm for popular manga series, it wouldn't be long until the franchise jumped to anime, with Toei Animation launching its adaptation the following year.

This anime made the franchise even more popular. As is the norm for the industry, Sailor Moon's popularity led to Usagi and her friends making their way to the silver screen several times during the show's run. Today, seven different Sailor Moon movies exist. These films cover everything from high-budget manga adaptions to bonus side stories. But what do new fans need to know about them?

Sailor Moon R: The Movie

Usagi's First Cinema Outing Introduces Tuxedo Mask's Old Friend

Sailor Moon R: The Movie was the first film based on Sailor Moon. Like all the movies linked to the original Sailor Moon anime, Sailor Moon R: The Movie would launch in Japanese theaters in December, right around the school winter vacation. The start of Sailor Moon R: The Movie introduces Fiore, a mysterious young man who keeps approaching Mamoru, much to Usagi's dismay. However, before she can do anything about it, a mysterious asteroid with signs of plant life begins approaching Earth.

After a new Youma attacks the city, Fiore reappears and claims credit for the attack before taking down four of the inner Senshi. But, as he prepares to attack Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask steps in and tries to talk Fiore down. Alas, this doesn't work, and Fiore tries to attack anyway, leading to Tuxedo Mask blocking the attacks with his own body. As Tuxedo Mask falls, Fiore grabs his body and teleports away, leaving Sailor Moon devastated.

As the scouts plan their attack, Luna explains that the flower Fiore wears is a Xenian Flower. This parasitic bloom preys on its host's emotions and grows in evil power until it destroys the host's planet. At the same time, Fiore explains that he spent years wandering the universe alone. Eventually, he found himself on Earth, only to collapse outside a hospital due to his lack of energy. However, a young Mamoru, who was in the hospital recovering from the car crash that killed his parents, found him. The pair quickly became friends, but due to Earth's atmosphere, Fiore had to return to space. Fiore promised that one day he would return and give Mamoru a flower.

However, while wandering the universe to find a flower of Mamoru, Fiore discovered the Xenian Flower. Alas, the bloom's dark influence has convinced him that the best way to repay the gift is to drain Earth's energy, forcing the Sailor Scouts to find a way to take down Fiore before he can put his evil plan into action. During its theatrical run, the short film Make Up! Sailor Senshi was shown alongside Sailor Moon R: The Movie. This short film sees the Sailor Scouts arguing over which of them is best, with various clips from the anime series being shown to back up their arguments. The film has been dubbed twice. Sailor Moon R: The Promise of the Rose, the first dub, was produced by Pioneer Entertainment and released on home media in 2000. In 2017, Viz Media released its dub of the film, which, unlike the previous one, was much closer to the original Japanese version.

Sailor Moon S: The Movie

The Only Original Movie To Be Based On The Manga See's Luna Discover Love

Sailor Moon S: The Movie is the only original Sailor Moon movie to be based on a manga story, as the plot is an expanded adaption of the manga side-story Kaguya-hime no Koibito. This movie starts with Kakeru Ōzora, a young astronomer, picking up a fragment of a comet that fell to Earth, not realizing that the evil Princess Snow Kaguya requires it for her plan to freeze the world. A few days later, Kakeru sees Luna collapse in the middle of the road and takes her to his house, hoping to nurse her back to health. However, this takes an unfortunate turn as Luna develops a crush on Kakeru, causing her plenty of emotional confusion.

Even worse, Kakeru is going through turmoil himself as he and his astronaut girlfriend, Himeko Nayotake, have been having issues due to Kakeru's belief that Princess Kaguya is real and lives on the Moon. These issues only get worse when Himeko leaves to take part in a space mission. At the same time, the crystal Kakeru found starts to drain his life energy, leaving him hanging onto life by a thread. So, when Princess Snow Kaguya puts her plan into motion by freezing Tokyo, the scouts must act quickly to defeat the monster and save the life of Luna's new love. This movie would get two different English dubs. The first, produced by Pioneer Entertainment, would be released on home media in 2000 as Sailor Moon S Movie: Hearts in Ice. In 2018, Viz Media released their dub of the film. Like the Viz dub of the previous movie, this one was much closer to the original Japanese film.

Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie

Usagi Takes A Trip Into The Black Dream Hole

Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie is the third and final movie based on the original Sailor Moon anime franchise. This movie starts with Chibiusa meeting and befriending Perle, a mysterious boy with butterfly-like wings. At the same time, news begins to spread that children across the globe have been disappearing without a trace, putting everyone on edge. A few nights later, a mysterious flute song hypnotizes the children of Tokyo and causes them to all walk towards a massive flying ship piloted by the flute-playing Poupelin. The scouts try to save Chibiusa but fail, and the girl is whisked away with the other children.

Chibiusa soon learns that Poupelin serves Queen Badiane. Badiane reveals that she is putting the children into Dream Coffins and using their sleeping energy to fuel the Black Dream Hole at the center of her castle. This energy is causing the Black Dream Hole to grow, and soon, it will absorb the Earth, forcing all humans into Dream Coffins. Because of this, the remaining Sailor Scouts and Perle are forced into a race against time to stop Queen Badiane before her sinister plan can take shape.

Like the first Sailor Moon movie, Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie was bundled with a short. This short, titled Ami's First Love, was based on the second chapter of the Exam Battle stories and follows Ami as she tries to track down a mysterious student who keeps matching her grades. Like all previous Sailor Moon movies, Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie was dubbed twice. The first dub, produced by Pioneer Entertainment, was released on home media in 2000 as Sailor Moon SuperS Movie: Black Dream Hole. In 2018, Viz Media released a new dub of the movie.

Sailor Moon Eternal [Part 1 and Part 2]

Sailor Moon Crystal's First Movie Picks Up Where The Show Left Off

Sailor Moon Eternal marked the franchise's return to the big screen after several years away. However, Eternal differs from the earlier films in several massive ways. Firstly, this film isn't based on the original Sailor Moon anime franchise. Instead, it's part of the Sailor Moon Crystal reboot project that aimed to make a new Sailor Moon anime closer to the original manga. Secondly, unlike the earlier Sailor Moon films, this film directly adapts the manga's Dream arc. Because of this, they are not standalone stories, and fans hoping to dive into them should watch the earlier seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal before watching Sailor Moon Eternal. Finally, this is the first Sailor Moon film to be split into two parts.

Picking up six months after the Mugen Academy incident, this movie sees Helios visit Chibiusa and ask for her help. Helios says he needs the Golden Crystal to save his home realm of Elysion. At the same time, the Dead Moon Circus, led by Queen Nehelenia, arrives on Earth and starts using the power of nightmares to weaken the Sailor Scouts. Even worse, Mamoru falls ill due to an ancient curse, making the battle an even greater struggle. But, as they try to overcome these odds, the girls will learn about a place called Elysion and the history of the Golden Crystal and Queen Serenity. Netflix purchased the international rights to these movies and released them exclusively via their streaming service. The firm also produced an English dub of the film.

Sailor Moon Cosmos [Part 1 and Part 2]

The Epic Ending To The Saga Pushes Usagi To Her Limits

Another two-part movie, Sailor Moon Cosmos, is the second and final entry in the Sailor Moon Crystal series. This pair of films adapts the Stars arc, the fifth and final manga arc. Because of this, Sailor Moon Cosmos picks up where Sailor Moon Eternal left off, with Usagi and her friends trying to return to their regular lives after defeating the Dead Moon Circus. Alas, this peace is short-lived when Sailor Galaxia appears and kills Mamoru before absconding with his Golden Crystal.

This quickly becomes the first salvo in an all-out war between the Sailor Scouts and the Shadow Galactica organization. This war sees the Sailor Scouts take heavy and tragic losses, pushing Usagi to the edge of despair. Thankfully, she gains several new allies during this war, including the Sailor Starlights, a group of mysterious guardians from another solar system who have come to Earth to search for their princess, and Chibi-Chibi, a strange child who appears and starts following Usagi around one day.

Like Sailor Moon Eternal, Netflix acquired the international distribution rights to the films and distributed them exclusively via its streaming platform.

The Sailor Moon movie franchise is as fascinating as it is varied. As was the norm for many 1990s anime franchises, the earliest Sailor Moon movies were non-canon extra stories. However, as time passed, the films grew in scope and started to take in elements from the mainline franchise. This would reach its peak with Sailor Moon Crystal, where the movies became big-budget events that are a core part of the story.

• Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie

  Usagi and her allies must save Chibi-Usa from the Evil Madame Vadiane

• Sailor Moon Cosmos

  The Sailor Senshi team up with the Sailor Starlights to stop Sailor Galaxia from conquering the galaxy.

• Sailor Moon S: The Movie

  An unusual snow storm hits the town and the Sailor Scouts discover that an evil snow queen Kaguya, wants to freeze the entire earth. It's up to the Inner Sailor Scouts along with the Outers, to defeat the Queen. Meanwhile, Luna falls in love with a human astronomer named Kakeru whose girlfriend is an astronaut about to take a space shuttle mission. Kakeru becomes ill and Luna wishes she could be a human to help him.

• Sailor Moon R: The Promise of the Rose

  A Mamoru's friend from the past arrives on Earth to wreak havoc and the heroes must stop them.

• Sailor Moon Eternal

  When a dark power enshrouds the Earth after a total solar eclipse, the scattered Sailor Guardians must reunite to bring light back into the world.

2024-09-16T08:13:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd