If you're into Sailor Moon you're going to love this.
There. Easy review. Now I can go back to watching Castlevania.
Okay, let me clarify.
The Appeal of Sailor Moon
It's hard to clarify the appeal of Sailor Moon. To call it "girly" would imply that something being feminine is a bad thing, but when the main character is told by a Pegasus that the best way to defeat the darkness is to believe in your heart's true dreams and also she's a princess I can't think of a better term. That being said, I personally am a Sailor Moon fan, and that the appeal to me is in the unapologetic cheesiness in the whole affair.
Interestingly enough, Sailor Moon is an interesting hero as she's not a perfect hero. She's best compared to Buffy who just wants a normal life but due to circumstance has to be a hero. These are not weak women, but women who just want a normal life, one where the biggest thing they have to worry about is who they have a crush on. Instead, with the fate of the world on their shoulders, they have to learn to bare the burden despite being young and completely inexperienced. The inspiration comes from when they stand up against the bad guys, which is a fantastic allegory of early childhood trauma, having to grow up before one is ready and finding the strength to take on additional burdens.
Anyway, About the Movie
So Sailor Moon Eternal on Netflix is less of a movie and more of a season cut together to make a movie. Following from Sailor Moon Crystal season three, the story follows the dream story arc from the manga.
Okay, let's try this:
So the Outer Guardians are semi-retired and raising Sailor Saturn who was turned back into a child while living normal lives. Chibi Moon is getting ready to return to the future but first wants to spend some time with her future parents Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. When going back to where the time key will work, they see that it's become a meeting place for people to watch the lunar eclipse, which the trio join. During the eclipse a spaceship is spotted and invites to the Dark Moon Circus appear mysteriously around town, and the Sailor Guardians find that they are unable to transform. Chibi Moon starts dreaming about a pegasus in her dreams telling her that he needs her help.
Okay, I can't go on because it is a whole season that lasts six hours and that was barely the first episode, but TLDR there's some bad guys who want the Silver Crystal (as always) and draw power from people's suffering (as always) and the Guardians need to stop them (as always).
It's a standard season of Sailor Moon but it's condensed and on Netflix. The plot and characters are all that we've always loved, but the real treat is the Crystal level animation. Old Sailor Moon fans will enjoy the visuals if they haven't had access to Crystal before now, which is on Hulu's premium subscription, and the experience was a treat despite being hard to describe.
Worth It?
Sailor Moon Eternal is great for old and new fans alike, but just for context it is made for fans. The film doesn't explain who the Sailor Guardians are, what their powers are, or establish relationships. Not every film needs to be open to new fans, and sometimes it's nice to see something that jumps right into the action.
If you love Sailor Moon and want to try Crystal's style but don't have access to it, check Sailor Moon Eternal out on Netflix.
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