Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon

I figured it only made sense to start with my favorite series as my first review/rant! Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is undoubtedly one of the most popular and well done anime in history and it is very close to my heart! I fell in love with the series back in 1998 when I was in 5th grade. Me and my neighbor/best friend Monica would watch it at her house every day when it aired on Toonami on Cartoon Network. My favorite senshi was Sailor Mercury at the time. I loved how smart she was and her shy personality was similar to mine, so I was naturally drawn to her. Monica and I would pretend to transform into Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury and would use sticks as our wands. I also remember being up all night watching the 3 Sailor Moon films on VHS. So, basically concluding that these are my best childhood memories. ( I owe it to Monica and Sailor Moon!)

My love for this series has not died out at all, only matured. I have now had the experience of providing the voice of Sailor Moon in English for 2 episodes of a series developed by an organization known as J-Paul District. (It was a lot of fun!) I have cosplayed Sailor Jupiter and Michiru (Sailor Neptune's civilian name). I have developed life long friendships with other fans of the series, and have expanded my knowledge of the Sailormoon universe.

Sailormoon has many different forms of being portrayed; the most famous being the anime which ran from March 7, 1992- February 8, 1997 in Japan and September 11,1995- November 16, 2000 in the U.S..

The series began with Usagi Tsukino (or Serena Tsukino in the English), a clumsy crybaby who gets bad grades in school, plays video games rather than studying, and eats a lot. She encounters a strange cat with a crescent moon mark on her forehead. The cat's name is Luna. Luna informs Usagi that she is a Champion of Justice sworn to fight the evil forces of the Dark Kingdom. Usagi's idol is Sailor V, another heroine, so she is excited about the idea, but not so much the actual task. Luna gives Usagi a magic compact and tells her to shout "Moon Prism Power Make-Up!". Usagi goes through a transformation and becomes Sailormoon.....the rest is pretty much history. 
Along the way Usagi meets:
                                    Mamoru Chiba (Darien Shields)/Tuxedo Mask/ Prince Endymion
                                    Ami Mizuno (Amy Mizuno)/Sailor Mercury
                                    Rei Hino (Raye Hino)/Sailor Mars
                                    Makoto Kino (Lita Kino)/Sailor Jupiter
                                    Artemis (the white cat)
                                    Minako Aino (Mina Aino)/Sailor V/Sailor Venus
                                    ChibiUsa Tsukino (Rini Tsukino)/Sailor ChibiMoon (Sailor MiniMoon)
                                    Setsuna Meioh (Trista Meioh)/Sailor Pluto
                                    Haruka Tenoh (Amara Tenoh)/Sailor Uranus
                                    Michiru Kaioh (Michelle Kaioh)/Sailor Neptune
                                    Hotaru Tomoe (same name in English..wow!)/Sailor Saturn/Mistress Nine

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is divided into 5 seasons all with different enemies and new powers

Sailormoon Classic: The Dark Kingdom lead by Queen Beryl

                                  Gold Compact and Moon Stick (Sailormoon)

                                Transformation Pens (Sailor Senshi)

Sailormoon R: Black Moon Clan lead by Wiseman/Death Phantom

                         Pink Locket and Scepter (Sailormoon)

                       Star Wands (Sailor Senshi)

Sailormoon S: Death Busters lead by Dr. Tomoe

                      Cosmic Brooch and Moon Rod (Sailormoon)

                     Outer Senshi Wands (used only by Uranus, Neptune and Pluto)

                   Holy Grail (Sailormoon transforms into Super Sailormoon with this)

Sailormoon SuperS: Dead Moon Circus lead by Queen Nehelenia

                              Crisis Brooch and Kaleidescope (Sailormoon)

                            Crisis Brooch and Crystal Carillon (Sailor Chibimoon)

                           Super Wands (Sailor Senshi)

SailorStars: Sailor Galaxia

                   Eternal Brooch and Moon Tier (Sailormoon)

The 2nd most popular form of Sailormoon is the original manga written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi!

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon inspired a live stage musical. There have been 13 different shows running from 1993- early 2005. Due to the recent 20th anniversary, they brought Sailormoon back to the stage for 2 weeks in September of 2013.

Sailormoon even had her own live action TV drama that aired from late 2003-2005. This is where the title switched from saying "Pretty Soldier" to "Pretty Guardian". The TV show is referred to as "PGSM".

So as you can see, there is a LOT of Sailormoon to cover. This was merely a quick glimpse of what it is. There is so much story and heart in this series. My husband has tried to just pop in on random episodes and gets completely lost. (And he reads really complex stories!) I think that every person should give Sailormoon a try. I don't say that about a lot of shows. This series has something that anyone can identify with. Everyone has their trials in life, but if you have the right friends and are equipped, you can conquer anything. I give Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon a perfect 10/10!!! If you are ever wanting to learn more about it, there is plenty on YouTube. There is also a HUGE fan community that will be glad to guide you through. We are called Moonies, and we are pretty hard-core, but a lot of fun! Three of the best places I can direct you is http://missdream.org, http://moonkitty.net, and http://www.sailormoon-obsession.com. Check them out and donate!

Well, now that I have exhausted you guys with my super long love rant! I shall say goodnight! Subscribe to get more updates on the awesome anime I watch!

Hugs and Kisses!
~Jewely