I have finally managed to come to terms with my various addictions. In the past I was always one of the first to talk bad about one of the most popular anime series ever created; Sailor Moon. However, after having watched the Uncut Subtitled release, I can no longer deny that I love Sailor Moon. Don't get me wrong though, the hacked up American version of the show sucks, I only can recommend checking out the show the way it was meant to be seen, uncut and in Japanese. This leads me to a fairly recent release of Sailor Moon: Season One. It was released before I actually went into my Sailor Moon craze, but I purchased it as soon as I found it for a price that fit my budget. After having completed viewing every episode in this box set (episodes 1-47) I can't help but wonder how the people behind the English version of this series can live with themselves having robbed American audiences of the "real" Sailor Moon experience.

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As far as anime goes, certain series have earned a bad rep, but none as much as Sailor Moon has. This is becuase of the way that the show was marketed and edited, which led to the major fanbase of the show being very young girls. However you look at it, the show actually is marketed toward girls, yet the American version was toned down to an extreme in order to prevent anything slightly mature from being aired. For example, full episodes were cut out for the American release because some aspects were found not suitable for children. The editing job went so far that big portions of the plot were actually changed to fit a more children oriented theme. This includes the fact that a male character was changed to female in the editing process because this character was originally a homosexual, which the editors didn't think was "appropriate" for children. Give me a break guys.

Despite everything being toned down, the American version of the show went on to become one of the most popular and well known anime series of all time. At the same time, it is also one of the most hated animated series from Japan, and it even manages to rank on the same level of Pokemon on the "guilty pleasures" meter. I got into anime too late to start watching the English version, but after catching some of the American version I feel like I'm not missing much, since I own the much superior Japanese version. Any fans of the English version owe it to themselves to purchase/rent/borrow this collection, if for no other reason than to compare it to what they're accustomed to as far as Sailor Moon is concerned. You might be startled by some of the differences in the show.

Now I won't lie, this collection certainly ain't perfect, but it's as close to the real experience you can get without importing from Japan. The main problems I have with this collection are the fact that there are no extra features that I actually care about. When I purchased this I was hoping for creator interviews, maybe old ads, possibly even a preview of the next sailor moon season. None of these are included in this set. The second problem (the major one) is with the sound quality. It's severely muffled in this box set, and sometimes so bad that it can be extremely difficult to hear unless you have the volume up completely, though the muffled noises just get more intense. 

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### Storyline
Usagi is an ultra clumsy girl who is always late for school. She has other problems too, because she is too emotional and often breaks out into tears whenever someone is mean to her, even if it's for her own good. Her grades in school aren't the best either because she's too lazy to study. Usagi's life changes one day when she spots a group of children pestering a helpless cat. She rushes over, chases the kids away, and removes a curious bandage from the kitty's forehead which reveals a crescent moon shaped mark. This is just the start of things, as this cat forces Usagi to revive a power from the past. With the help of the speaking cat, Luna, Usagi soon learns that she has the power to transform into the all powerful Sailor Moon. With her all new powers (and help from Luna), Usagi begins fighting back against the forces of evil that threaten the planet.

Later in the series, Usagi is joined by four other Sailor Senshi who all used to be normal teenage girls just like her. Sailor Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus all join Usagi in her fight against the evil organization known as the Dark Kingdom, as the evil generals attempt to steal energy from humans, time and time again. Usagi tries to lead a normal life with her friends and family, with fighting evil on the side of things, while each Sailor must keep their super power identities a secret from everyone. As the series progresses, so does Usagi and the other Sailors. At the start she simply runs from enemies and cries, and is saved only by Luna's advice. Later on though, Usagi actually starts fighting like a real senshi should, and this level of slight character development is entertaining to realize.

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The first season of Sailor Moon is as formulaic as the Power Rangers show. This is no mere exaggeration, as both series features teenagers with hidden hero identities. The monsters are also very similar, and the structure for the episodes is nearly identical. Sailor Moon features a new monster nearly every episode. This gets a little repetitive though, as pretty much every monster is killed before the episode ends, so each episode feels contained within itself. This wouldn't be bad at all, if the characters didn't use the same special moves in every episode to fight the monsters. I can easily overlook this, as I find the repetition charming, but many others cannot look past this element of the show.

So is this show as cute as it looks? I actually found many parts of the show to be extremely dark, and violent at the same time. Characters die, secrets are found out, and a mysterious character named Tuxedo Mask continuously saves the girls from impending danger. For being simple, Sailor Moon features many big plot twists in the storyline, and you may find yourself surprised at a few turns of events about midway through this collection. The final two episodes of the series are among the most unexpected that you'll find.

The humor found in Sailor Moon might be a little difficult to get used to at first, but I found myself openly laughing at some of the quirky jokes after I got a feel for the comedic values. Much of the humor has to do with the Sailors themselves, and their weaknesses. Sailor Jupiter is a bit on the tall side of the spectrum, with strength and wide shoulders, Sailor Mercury thinks only about studying and exams, Sailor Venus is a little airheaded, and Sailor Mars always makes Usagi cry by making fun of her. Some of the humor may come off as immature, but for the most part I found it very enjoyable to watch, and was fun while waiting for the real action in the series to begin.

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The action in this series isn't very hardcore. It usually consists of the girls using special moves on monsters, and then Usagi finishing it off with her technique. This sets it up so that any variation in combat is stretched to be even more exciting than it would be if every episode were like it, but I found these moments to be the highlight of the series. The special moves feel very drawn out in this series, though most of them look fairly un-inspired for the most part. Still, these aren't really drawbacks because they build the Sailor Moon experience. I wouldn't have Sailor Moon any other way.

The music in this collection of the series varies. While I really dig the upbeat transformation song, a lot of the other music I enjoy sounds like very old songs. Every sailor shares the same transformation music, and it really fits the series well. The main theme to the series adds atmosphere, and the lyrics really seem to fit Sailor Moon's character well. As far as voices go, I see how they can get annoying after a while, but I found them to portray the characters very well. The only voice that seems blatantly annoying and whiny is that of Usagi, but as I said, it fits her character perfectly.

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### Final Recommendation
This is the perfect fix for any Sailor Moon fan out there. If you are a fan of the English version of the show, than you owe it to yourself to watch at least the first season how it was really intended to be seen. Sailor Moon: Season One is worth watching.

Images: [1](https://sm.mashable.com/t/mashable_sea/photo/default/sailormoon_zg5s.h720.jpg) [2](https://s2982.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/sailor-moon-screen-cap-1.jpg.optimal.jpg) [3](https://images2.9c9media.com/image_asset/2020_9_15_1f4fcfa1-72ed-4a9e-bf37-ce0cb23dcf24_png_2000x1125.jpg) [4](https://static3.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/sailor-moon-season-1-featured-1710x900-3-1.jpg) [5](http://static2.minitokyo.net/view/28/24/193728.jpg)