So I figured I just take some time to talk about the series and the impact it’s had on my life. Actually to start, I wanted to talk about before Sailor Moon appeared. Growing up for the first years of my life the shows I remember the most are The Simpsons, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and Batman: The Animated Series. These shows had a major impact in molding my sense of humor, with the last one pretty much becoming the definitive Batman cartoon for me. These were basically what I consumed the most when it came to watching tv.
Not a bad list to start watching cartoons if I say so myself.
I can say that I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for these two.
If you’re wondering about the other, it’s Dragon Ball Z. Before this I was used to seeing Power Rangers having a couple of girls on a team, but the only other all girls team I remember at the time were The Powerpuff Girls, which while it was cool, was another episodic western cartoon full of crazy things happening but ultimately going back to the status quo. Even Simpsons and BTAS with their plot important episodes eventually reverted back to status quo somewhat.
Powerpuffs save the day indeed.
Sailor Moon was a breath of fresh air compared to the other cartoons that were on at the time. A cartoon with a progressing story? Besides The Simpsons and BTAS this was unheard of to me. I mean half of the episodes are filler, but that’s fine because they’re so good. Not to mention having an entire team full of girls was a big change compared to the Power Rangers or Justice League where there were only two girls on the team. An entire superhero team full of girls kicking ass was something I didn’t know I wanted to see back then.
Being relatable made the senshi feel much closer to you than most characters.
So over the next several years I watched Sailor Moon constantly on Toonami whenever it came on. However once I became a teenager, Sailor Moon ended up going into the back of my mind, mainly because I was getting into other things and the final season never aired at the time. My teen and young adult years were focused on life and all the crazy shit it threw at me, and Sailor Moon simply just didn’t have a place while I was dealing with everything life was throwing at me. That was until one day I ended up seeing videos of the anime on youtube of episodes I never saw, not knowing this was the season that didn’t air at the time. And from there I went to rewatch the anime, read the manga, and it has stuck with me ever since. For now I don’t know what the future has in store for Sailor Moon, but I do know that I will be along for the ride.
I'd be interested in hearing more about your thoughts regarding SM, especially the manga, if you are interested at some point. Your favorite character, arc, and what continues to draw you to it. I know you said that when you were younger that a cartoon having progression was a big thing but that's fairly normal for anime and even for Western Cartoons these days. You also mentioned liking all female teams of fighters. Do you like other MG or is there something special about Sailor Moon?
ReplyDeleteMy thing with the manga is that I didn't get into it until I was in my 20's, I didn't like the art as a kid and teen. Favorite character is Usagi, Stars is my favorite arc, I consider it the Namek Saga of Sailor Moon where the main character is pushed past their breaking points. What keeps me coming back is the girls themselves, they've always been relatable, especially in the anime, and that connection runs deep. Also the manga goes all in on the horror aspect which I really like, and I wished Crystal matched that.
DeleteThe thing about Magical Girls is that while I do like others, I'm a 33 year old guy, and it can be uncomfortable if the girls are really young, like Madoka is probably the limit for me, any younger is probably gonna make me cringe.
I always find it interesting the amount of focus people whose primary focus is the 90s Anime have for the Guardian Senshi. In the Manga the primary characters are Usagi, Mamoru, Chibiusa, with the Guardian Senshi being Characters while in the 90s Anime I feel like that's inverted outside of Usagi with Usagi and the Guardian Senshi being the primary characters and Mamoru and Chibiusa being Secondary Characters (outside SuperS for Chibiusa)
DeleteIt's interesting to hear your favorites. Those are also mine, with Usagi my favorite character in fiction and the Stars Arc of the Manga being my favorite story.
Don't let me tell you how to live or anything, but I find that limiting what content you consume based on the protagonists age/gender may limit cool series you get into. The girls from Madoka are also pretty normally aged for MG. They're 14, which is pretty much the age most Magical Girls are.