(Note: Because this article is largely about my initial experience with Sailor Moon DiC dub, I’ll be using those character names.. unless I’m talking about specifically the Japanese version (for maximum confusion!))
One night, after staying up so long it became morning, I caught my first episode of Sailor Moon. I had never heard of it before, and I wasn’t sure if it was real or a fever dream, but the stakes were high. A group of girls were on an impossible mission. One by one, their enemies picked them off. Only their leader remained, the least reliable, the most scared, the quickest to give up.
She lost her friends. Her love, brainwashed by the evil queen, was attacking her. She was alone. Her powers weren’t enough.
But… her friends wouldn’t let her give up. Even from the grave, they were there to support her. They combined their powers and sacrificed everything to save humanity, stopping the unstoppable at great personal cost. It was emotional, raw, and important.
I didn’t know what had come before this moment, but the resonance was undeniable. Those girls were there for each other, and I was there for them. I needed to see more.
Was Sailor Moon even good, though?
Unfortunately, the show as a whole wasn’t as solid as that season finale. You see, the first season of the anime was rushed into production to capitalize on the manga’s popularity, and there wasn’t enough source material to sustain a full season. As a result, the first season of Sailor Moon usually followed a “monster of the week” format: a villain would appear, create a monster to wreak havoc on Tokyo, and then Sailor Moon and her friends would step in to stop it. Many episodes felt formulaic and, honestly, a bit empty.
Furthermore, the initial US release, by DIC, was heavily edited, censored and condensed. Even the first episode I saw, the one that hooked me, was itself cobbled together from two Japanese episodes, with much of the emotional impact left on the cutting room floor.
Sailor Moon is about the characters
Still, I loved watching Sailor Moon, because I loved the characters. Serena was ditzy but compassionate, Amy brilliant and kind. Raye was fiery, Lita tough and prone to crushes, and Mina… well. Mina was also in the show.
And Tuxedo Mask? Even though his fit was sus and his only move was “throw rose, shout encouragement, disappear,” I still thought he was cool. Kinda wanted to be him.
The plot was often a mess, but the show was more about the characters and the relationships between them. I wanted Serena and Darien to get together, I wanted the Sailor Scouts to regain their memories, and I wanted the Moon Kingdom to rise again.
Does the finale of Sailor Moon season 1 hold up?
As part of writing this, I went back and watched episodes 45 and 46 of season one, in Japanese. Even though I haven’t actively lived with these characters for years, they still hit hard. I cried, more than once.
Each senshi giving their lives to protect Usagi, remembered in their perfect, pure forms. Pushing her forward, even though she was terrified and grief-stricken.
Endymion, brainwashed, attacking Usagi like he attacked so many of her enemies before.
Usagi striking him down, because she had no choice.
Endymion regaining his memories. And sacrificing himself as well.
The final confrontation with Queen Metallia, and the ghosts of Ami, Rei, Mako and Minako grabbing onto the wand, lending their power from beyond the grave.. I mean.
If you aren’t crying, maybe your eyes are broken.
The music is perfect, and moving. The animation is beautiful. The characters and story are treated with they respect they deserve.
So, yeah. Sailor Moon holds up. The season finale isn’t just a climax, it’s a masterclass in emotional storytelling.
We are all stronger together than we are alone
The friendships in Sailor Moon are particularly meaningful to me, not just because they are beautiful on screen, but because I longed for them in my own life: that sense of belonging, of knowing that you’d sacrifice everything for your friends, and they’d do the same for you.
It’s about the central idea that we all have strengths, and we can all accomplish greatness, but we are all stronger together than we are alone.
I’ve had friendships come and go, but I’ve never had that unwavering connection, that sense of loyalty that Sailor Moon depicts. And as I think about it, it makes me wonder: how many people actually experience that level of trust and sacrifice in their friendships? Or is it just something that only exists in fiction? It’s no wonder that magical girl anime like Sailor Moon resonates with so many people. It’s about growing up, facing your fears, leaning on your friends, and letting them lean on you, too.
Friendship like that might just be worth dying for.
