This summer, and among other anime old and new, I will be revisiting an oldie classic I haven't seen since childhood. Sailor Moon, in addition to being my first anime (dubbed, of course), she was also my first cartoon crush, right up there with Ariel of The Little Mermaid. I have wonderful memories of being babysitted by my older cousins and bugging them everyday to turn to Sailor Moon. She was so beautiful and majestic, conquering evil everytime, and still being a big crybaby (just like me!).
I loved the transformation sequences above all else. Back in the days of VHS, I was absolutely obsessed with the "pause" button, stopping every bit of animation or action I saw on my tapes, rewinding them, and then stepping through every single frame, studying how the actions occurred and, especially, how the transformations were possible. (My all-time favorite: the genie from Aladdin singing "Friend Like Me" while shapeshifting every second or so.) If only I had Sailor Moon on video, because those transformation sequences fixated me forever. How did those band-aids turn into a swimsuit, gloves, boots, and, finally, a princess dress?
After searching via google, I found a great website with the episodes in Japanese with English subtitles. I'd watched the English dub, but excepting Susan Roman (Sailor Jupiter), I don't distinctly remember any of the performancing. The only reason Roman stuck out was because of my obsessive with husky girl voices, an obsession that continues today (I've got my eye on you, Cricket Leigh). Sailor Moon, if I remember well, sounded like a stuck-up, conceited chick. Not cool, particularly since the innocence of the Japanese voice actress rings true to her personality. So far, I've watched the first two episodes. Not as glorious as I remember, and actually kind of corny. And I love it!
P.S. Now that I recall, Sailor Jupiter was my favorite Sailor Scout (and thus my real crush). I liked her voice, her hair, and, in one episode, after a boy tries to lift her in the air (failing), she succeeds in lifting him! Intimidating? Yes. And yet, even at that age, my kind of girl.
Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and robot anime series were very popular here in Manila when I was a kid. I pretty much rediscovered anime through Sailor Moon way back in 1992 - up to now I still love my anime. If you haven't already, I recommend you watch "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann" :) ~Rain
ReplyDeleteGurren Lagaan will be on my list of Must-See's this summer. I've heard many great things about it, particularly that the animation is fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteAwww Yeaaaaaah.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching re-runs after re-runs when I was a kid-never reallly watching a full episode. Now I actually understand what they're saying.....^^;
Sailor Saturn is my all-time favorite, but one from the innner senshi would be.....
VENUS!! ^_^ (Her death scene shook me up...)
Hey man, I still love Sailor Moon as of this day. I remember when it was first out in America back in early 1998 - about the same time Pokemon Craze was going on! Anyway; I still watch episodes online! Yes, you guys can re-live Sailor Moon! Just goto my page: http://www.sailormooneps.izihost.org We have all of them. Even the uncut Sailor Stars season! Questions? E-mail me moonjill@gmail.com My favorite Sailor scout is Serena, and I liked Mini Moon a lot.
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