Sailor Moon (Versus): Old vs. Crystal

Watching anime by moonlight

Writing reviews by daylight

Not sure how to end this rhyme

She is the one called Hanime on Anime!

And this week, she’s back with the third installment of Flashback February!  This week, it’ll be old Sailor Moon versus new as I compare the original series with its reboot Sailor Moon Crystal to celebrate the series’ 20^th Anniversary-although I am a little late on the festivities.  And despite my beliefs that the release of Crystal was a great hats off to the franchise, it still doesn’t hurt to size it up.  So without any more delays, let’s get going with this Versus Post between the original Sailor Moon series and Sailor Moon Crystal.

  

Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Crystal in a Nutshell

So because both shows are pretty much the same, I decided it would be easier to give the plots of both shows at the same time. 

Usagi Tsukino was what many people would consider to be your average schoolgirl-sort of.  Kind-hearted, clumsy, and maybe a bit of a crybaby, she lived a completely normal life.  However, that all changed when she met a mysterious talking cat named Luna.  And after Luna gives her the ability to transform, Usagi adopts the alter ego Sailor Moon and fights an array of strange monsters sent out by the evil Queen Beryl.  However, Usagi gains some help along the as other school girls reveal themselves to have similar powers and join her.  It is later revealed that these girls are reincarnations of a group of elite alien warriors tasked with protecting a certain princess named Serenity.  The girls, or Sailor Scouts, are then tasked with not only combating Queen Beryl’s evil forces and those of her dark master, but also with finding Princess Serenity.

Now the battle can commence! 

First Up: Sailor Moon(Original)

The original Sailor Moon is the one of the two series that most people will remember.  Why?  Because this was the version that most people remembered.  To give a little history, the original Japanese show was released in 1992 and ended 1997 with nearly 200 episodes.  The series was dubbed in English in the mid nineties as well. One significant difference between the original plot and the 90’s dubs was that Usagi’s name was changed to Serena.  Many people who’ve seen the original dubs will remember this.  Then in 2014, VIZ Media bought the rights to re-dub the series.  In this rendition, Usagi’s name was changed back.  Plus, many famous anime voice-over actors like Stephanie Sheh, Michelle Ruff, and Johnny Yong Bosch were featured.

What the Original Has

All I can really say is that this is the orginal.  Ask anyone who grew up with this series.  They will tell you that this is the Sailor Moon they remember.

What the Original Doesn’t Have

The name change in the dub was definitely a big change from the manga’s original plot (yes, Sailor Moon is based off of a manga).  However, when I watched the original, I found that the plot is incredibly drawn out.  Seriously, it isn’t until about twenty episodes or so (I could be wrong here) until Sailors Jupiter and Venus come along.  Although, you do have to keep in mind that the series is 187 long, so that’s to be expected.

Next Up: Sailor Moon Crystal

This reboot of the original series was initially created as a tribute to the franchise’s 20^th Anniversary.  Though announced in 2012, the series was not released until the summer of 2014.  Along with buying the rights to the original series, VIZ Media also bought the rights to Crystal as well.  A dub staring the cast of the company’s 2014 re-dub of the original series has been in constant production and has already been releasing episodes.

What Crystal Has

One big aspect to Crystal is that it supposedly follows more closely to the manga that the series is based on.  Not to mention, the show’s shojo features are polished nicely with some modern animation.  And in some parts, CGI is used.

What Crystal Doesn’t Have

Speaking of CGI, the one thing about the reboot that really bugged me was the transformation scenes, which is where a large part of the CGI is used.  Now don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with these scenes by any means.  But personally, when it comes to anime, I feel like CGI ruins it a little bit.  Granted, CGI has most certainly been used in anime before -some series are completely animated using CGI-, but there is some authenticity that gets taken away when it’s used.  Anime is probably one of the few animation styles that has stayed away from CGI for a while, and I like it like that.  So in the case of Crystal it seems like the hand-drawn effort that was put into the original series’ transformation scenes is thrown out the window.

And the Winner is…

Sailor Moon, the Original!

This was a tough call to make, but given the fact that this was the series that most people are sure to remember, I had to give it to the original.  Plus, the dub redeemed itself when VIZ Media began the re-dub (and changed Usagi’s name).  However, that’s not to say Sailor Moon Crystal was not any good.  Crystal does get brownie points because it’s supposed to follow the original manga series.  And let’s not forget, Crystal was made as in light of the franchise’s 20^th anniversary.

Well, that ends this week’s battle between Old vs. New.  But what do you think?  Did you think Crystal was better? Were there some other differences that I missed?  I want to hear what you have to say, people!  Please feel free to leave your comments.  And with that, I’m off!  Next week will end Flashback February with Character of the Month!

-Hanime on Anime