We live in a time when streaming has almost eliminated the spontaneous discovery of new shows by flipping through TV channels, so it shouldn’t have surprised me that my niece and nephew had never seen Sailor Moon. When I was their age, TV was my escape from the harsh reality of being an outcast gay kid in the '90s. Toonami raised me after school while my parents were at work, my older sister’s obsession with MTV exposed me to adult animation like Æon Flux, and unsupervised Saturday mornings introduced me to Akira and Ninja Scroll during Syfy’s “Anime Saturday” timeslot.

Sailor Moon was, and still is, one of the most impactful and inspirational anime in my life. The 1992 series, based on Naoko Takeuchi’s manga, helped bring anime to the West and contributed to its global popularity as much as Sailor Moon episodes still air on modern iterations of Toonami and are available for streaming, new generations of kids would still be watching it today. But over the holidays, I discovered that couldn’t be further from the truth.

A New Generation of Sailor Moon Fans is Born

Sailor Moon S is the Perfect Anime Movie for the Holidays

My partner and I visited family to celebrate Christmas and spend quality time with our niece (9) and nephew (12). During our last visit, my nephew was eager for us to give his parents “kid-friendly” manga and anime suggestions so he could dive into the genre, and we gleefully started Naruto from the beginning. Two years later, he’s a full-fledged Hidden Leaf ninja, but his knowledge of foundational anime was still lacking. So, after burning through holiday staples like A Christmas Story and Elf, I took control of the remote and put on my favorite Christmas-adjacent movie: Sailor Moon S.

At first, they were skeptical, bombarding me with endless questions about everything on screen. They wondered why the cats could speak, who the little girl with pink hair was, why Ice Queen Kaguya wasn’t wearing a shirt, and whether this was really a Christmas movie (Tuxedo Mask as Santa?!). Those nitpicky questions soon gave way to quiet reverence. My niece was on her feet, spinning in circles and mimicking the glamorous transformation sequences just as I did as a child. My nephew asked which Sailor Guardian was my favorite and why.

Sailor Moon S: The Movie Celebrates its 30th Anniversary

The Themes of Love and Justice Are More Important than Ever

When I put on Sailor Moon S, I hadn’t realized the film was celebrating its 30th anniversary—having existed for two decades before these kids were even born. What surprised me even more was how well Sailor Moon S holds up and how effortlessly it captured their attention. The animation remains crisp, the action sequences are well-choreographed, and the variety of characters—with their distinctive hair and outfits—felt fresh and exciting to them. I also noticed that the mild violence between the Guardians and Kaguya’s Ice Dancers seemed more visceral than what they were used to.

Streaming has turned every opportunity to consume media into an intentional choice, and if I hadn’t taken control of the remote, they might never have been properly introduced to Sailor Moon. While some of the content I was exposed to at their age was ittedly inappropriate, (I’ll wait a few years to show them to Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion), I hoped Usagi’s mission statement of standing for love and justice would resonate with them. By the end of Sailor Moon S, my hunch was proven correct.

The Sailor Moon Trilogy Still Holds Up

A Testament to Takeuchi's Masterful Writing and World-building

As soon as the movie ended, they wanted more, so we backtracked to the first movie in the trilogy, less of the censorship that defined the versions of Sailor Moon I watched growing up. However, the kids didn’t need the Americanized Sailor Moon of the late '90s. They didn’t bat an eye at names like “Usagi” or “Mamoru,” nor did they question the queer love triangle central to the plot.

Beneath a GIF of Sailor Mercury’s “Shine Aqua Illusion” attack, she had written: “My uncle showed us Sailor Moon, and it’s actually cool.”

By the end of our visit, the kids asked if there was more Sailor Moon we could watch together. We moved on to Sailor Moon SuperS, and I was impressed by how much they had retained from the first two films. They were quoting iconic phrases, claiming their favorite Guardians, and giggling at the absurdity of the Bonbon Babies henchmen. They were sad when the movie ended, but I assured them they’d love the series just as much. I explained that the movies were only a crash course introduction to the expansive franchise.

Sailor Moon is Actually Cool

The Highest Compliment a Gen Alpha Kid Could Give

I suggested they start at the beginning of the Sailor Moon anime. The series does a better job of slowly introducing each character and explaining more abstract concepts, like Chibiusa traveling from the future and Usagi’s reincarnation. Still, I doubted modern kids would want to invest their limited TV time in a slower-paced serialized show once I left, especially one with 150 episodes. However, on our last night together, as we watched TV as a family, I peeked over my niece’s shoulder and saw her sending GIFs of Sailor Moon to her friends.

Beneath a GIF of Sailor Mercury’s “Shine Aqua Illusion” attack, she had written: “My uncle showed us Sailor Moon, and it’s actually cool.” My heart fluttered—not just because we now shared a common interest in such a foundational part of my development, but because her initial assumptions about the series had been proven wrong. Perhaps she and her friends will not only explore Sailor Moon further but also break out of the limitations of on-demand viewing. I’m looking forward to our next visit to see if Sailor Moon has impacted their lives as it did mine.