Sailor Moon
Genre - Magical Girls vs. Not-From-This-World Baddies. Much comedy & romance involved as well.
How Many Episodes? - 200 total. 46 in the first ("Sailor Moon") series, 43 in the 2nd ("R") series, 38 in the 3rd ("S") series,
39 in the 4th ("SuperS") series, and 34 in the 5th and final ("Sailor Stars") series. Plus 3 60minute movies. 18 manga volumes (3? available in English from MixxZine,
and all 18 available in French from Glenat)
Subject Matter? - Some violence, talk of lesbianism, although nothing (to my knowledge) was ever blatantly displayed.
Background Knowledge Required? - It helps to watch it from the beginning, but it's easy to follow if you watch from
the beginning of each series.
What's It About? - Basically, a klutzy 14-year-old named Usagi is told she's not from Earth and has magical powers with which she is needed
to fight the evil powers that threaten the Earth. She finds she has friends in Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako, and together they fight the baddies, with a few twists and
turns as the series progresses.
Rating - I'd have to give it 9 out of 10.
Why? - Well, it does get bonus points for initiating me into the world of anime. It's a heart-warming series,
that almost anyone can watch and understand. Although it does have a few filler episodes, it's still a very well
written series. I would recommend this series to anyone.
Where can I find it? - English dubbed (DiC'd) version was playing on YTV, but is now on hiatus because they've beaten it to death. A french-dubbed version plays on TVA
(channel 10 in Montreal, cable 7) at 11am on Saturdays. Original versions w/subtitles of the episodes yet to be DiC'd can be can be found in any fansub collector's collection.
And what about the manga? - Well I've read the Glenat (French) release of the manga up to volume 15, and it seems to follow the same storyline. The main
difference is that there is less filler and stories seem to flow much better in the manga (as there is less filler). Granted, it is sometimes difficult to follow action scenes. The French books are quite wide-spread throughout Montreal's larger bookstores. The release is done and Glenat has moved on to Sailor V.
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