Where would I start with "Sailor Moon"?

[The Borgified Corpse]

Given that Sailor Moon has been around for a long time and seems to be getting a bunch more DVD & BluRay releases lately, I figured that maybe I should give it a shot. What would be your suggestion as far as where I start? Is there any particular season or movie that portrays the show at its best? I'm decently good at picking up on stories in the middle, so I wouldn't mind not starting at the beginning if there's better quality stuff somewhere mid-run.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Right here?

 

[DigificWriter]

Sailor Moon Crystal.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Episode 1? Seriously though, I mainly know it from its original airing so that’s all I can suggest. I tried Crystal and it wasn’t for me but I don’t know if that was the redesign or the years talking. Season 1 is what I believe to be “classic” Moon and later series like S and SS are OK but not necessarily better. According to JustWatch both the original and Crystal are available on Hulu (Crystal is also on Crunchyroll).

 

[Takeru]

The Sailor Moon R Movie ist good as a standalone story and really shows what Sailor Moon is about.
It naturally spoils some story elements from the first arc but if you don't mind that give it a shot.

The first season of the original anime is also pretty good. 46 episodes might feel a bit long but the individual episodes are often hilarious. I loved the show's humor.
It's character driven, so don't expect huge plot developments all the time.

 

[CorporalClegg]

The original. DIC dub. Accept no substitutes.

 

[DigificWriter]

The original. DIC dub. Accept no substitutes.

No.

If you want to see the original Sailor Moon series in a dub, the best option is the new Viz Media dub that was done in 2014.

 

[CorporalClegg]

No.

 

[DigificWriter]

I prefer to watch Dubs over Subs, but the best way to experience a Dub, in my opinion, is if there haven't been changes made during the dubbing process. The Viz Media dub presents the "classic" Sailor Moon uncut and unaltered, whereas the DIC dub, despite being "iconic" very much does not.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

The Sailor Moon R Movie ist good as a standalone story and really shows what Sailor Moon is about.

Neat. I don't do streaming but the Blu-Ray of Sailor Moon R: The Movie is pretty cheap on Amazon right now. I'm also seeing a lot of suggestions on that site for Sailor Moon S. What do the letters mean?

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I prefer to watch Dubs over Subs, but the best way to experience a Dub, in my opinion, is if there haven't been changes made during the dubbing process. The Viz Media dub presents the "classic" Sailor Moon uncut and unaltered, whereas the DIC dub, despite being "iconic" very much does not.

The DiC dub had good music choices and also gave us, ahem, the "talent" line. I prefer Susan Roman as Jupiter and still love Terri Hawkes as Sailor Moon. I do very much like Cherami Leigh as Venus from the new dub, though.

 

[Awesome Possum]

There’s a new dub that’s really good. But Crystal is worth checking out, it’s a remake but it’s closer to the original manga and condenses the arcs down a good bit.

 

[DigificWriter]

There’s a new dub that’s really good.

That's the Viz Media dub that I mentioned.

I recommended Crystal because that's the version I've seen, but I wouldn't be averse to checking out the Viz Media dub if I had a way to stream it.

 

[Takeru]

Neat. I don't do streaming but the Blu-Ray of Sailor Moon R: The Movie is pretty cheap on Amazon right now. I'm also seeing a lot of suggestions on that site for Sailor Moon S. What do the letters mean?

They denote the season, the original anime had five:

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars

Or classic, R, S, SuperS and Sailor Stars for short. R, S and SuperS each had a movie.

For future reference, the five corresponding manga arcs are Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, Infinity, Dream and Stars but they are very different, while SuperS is a weak season many fans think the Dream arc is one of the atro gest.

Sailor Moon S the movie is ok, I prefer R though. If the suggestions are for the S season it is often seen as the best and most popular one and it is good but should you decide to start watching the series I recommend the first season because it's nit a show that needed time to

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

They denote the season, the original anime had five:

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars

Or classic, R, S, SuperS and Sailor Stars for short. R, S and SuperS each had a movie.

OK. But do the subtitles actually MEAN anything in the context of the series or are they just weird Japanese ways of making the seasons sound different?

Also, is Crystal actually a new series or is it just some kind of re-edit of the original series?

 

[JD]

Sailor Moon is one of the many animes I've been curious to check out, so this thread has been very helpful for me too. Anybody know if the live action version is available anywhere in the US and if it's any good?

 

[Mr. Adventure]

OK. But do the subtitles actually MEAN anything in the context of the series or are they just weird Japanese ways of making the seasons sound different?

More the latter but I believe specific to this series in particular.

Also, is Crystal actually a new series or is it just some kind of re-edit of the original series?

A new series but a remake/retelling of the original series or manga.

Anybody know if the live action version is available anywhere in the US and if it's any good?

Don't know it's availability but from what I remember it's pretty cheesy. I watched one or two out of curiosity but had no desire to pursue it farther.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Sailor Moon is one of the many animes I've been curious to check out, so this thread has been very helpful for me too. Anybody know if the live action version is available anywhere in the US and if it's any good?

You can find it if you look, but it was never officially released in the US. I think it's still on YouTube though. It's interesting.

 

[JD]

Hulu just has Sailor Moon Seasons 1 - 5, are 2 - 5 R, S, Super S, and Sailor Stars?

 

[Takeru]

Hulu just has Sailor Moon Seasons 1 - 5, are 2 - 5 R, S, Super S, and Sailor Stars?

Unless they divided the actual seasons, yes. 2-5 are R, S etc.
The seasons should have 46, 43, 38, 39 and 34 episodes respectively.

OK. But do the subtitles actually MEAN anything in the context of the series or are they just weird Japanese ways of making the seasons sound different?

Mostly the llatter. The S stands for Super and Sailor Moon powers up into Super Sailor Moon and Sailor Stars refers to some new characters but that's the entire extent of the titles having any meaning.

Also, is Crystal actually a new series or is it just some kind of re-edit of the original series?

It's completely new and way closer to the manga.

The manga was released monthly while the original anime aired weekly. That led to the anime being much more character focused, the supporting cast and the villains got WAY more development in the anime, the anime also added a lot comedic elements (which doesn't mean it's not dead serious when it has to be).
Crystal is significantly shorter and way more serious like the manga, it's not a 1:1 adaptation though, they still made a few changes.

There's also a live action series called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. It's really good in my opinion if you can look past the cheap wigs and crummy effects, they did some really interesting things and put their own spin on the story.