The final two-part film in the Sailor Moon Cosmos is now available on Netflix and its high-quality production and storytelling beg for more Sailor Moon adaptations. The purpose of the Sailor Moon Crystal series is to provide a modernized anime adaptation that is truer to Naoko Takeuchi's manga. While the original trilogy of Sailor Moon films are not all adaptations of storylines from the manga, they are an easy avenue to continue creating within the Crystal universe.
Debuting in 2015, Sailor Moon Crystal tells the story of Usagi Tsukino, an immature schoolgirl by day, and the titular hero fighting for love and justice by night. The first three seasons of Crystal vary in quality, but the two-part films, Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos, are polished, well-paced, and faithful to the source material.
Now that Cosmos' production studio, Toei Animation, has nailed the formula with its finale to Takeuchi's original story, they should continue the momentum by remaking the original trilogy of Sailor Moon films as side stories.
Sailor Moon R: The Movie Is One of the Most Romantic Sailor Moon Stories
Fans Old and New Would Surely Appreciate a Remake of This Movie
The original Sailor Moon anime's comedic tone is much lighter than the manga's, and relies on a monster-of-the-week format to tell the bulk of each arc. The accompanying trilogy of films exists as an opportunity for the Sailor Guardians to have a more serious adventure in a limited timeframe, which means the formula established with Eternal and Cosmos would work well for the material.
10 Best Sailor Moon Manga Covers
Naoko Takeuchi's airy, ethereal, and bright manga covers bring the Sailor Moon series to life, making some incredibly striking shojo manga covers.
Remaking Sailor Moon R: The Movie would be the perfect chance to revisit the beautiful love story between Usagi and Mamoru after they were separated for most of Cosmos. In Sailor Moon R: The Movie, the Sailor Guardians face an alien man named Fiore, who wants to drain humanity's life force to feed an otherworldly plant known as the Kisenian flower.
The plot, characters, and evil flora bear a striking resemblance to the Makai Tree Arc created specifically for the 1993 anime series, which Crystal omits during its run. Therefore, the story would feel quite fresh for Crystal's audience, and Fiore's story could be expanded to connect to Ail, An, and the Makai Tree, since neither alien story is considered canon.
Sailor Moon S: The Movie Is the Franchise's Holiday Movie
A Different Story That Doesn't Put Usagi and Mamoru at the Center
Sailor Moon S: The Movie adapts "The Lover of Princess Kaguya", a side story from the manga, which makes it the most logical choice for a Crystal remake. While the film already boasts some of the original Sailor Moon's most beautiful animation and well-choreographed action scenes, it would still benefit from today's innovations in animation and Crystal's gorgeous character models. Sailor Moon S is also one of the few instances where Usagi and Mamoru are not at the center of the love story, allowing side characters to shine.
The 1994 film takes place over Winter break, as an asteroid carrying Princess Kaguya is on a collision course with Earth, where it will trigger a second Ice Age. Sailor Moon and the other Guardians must find a way to stop the ice princess' plan, while Luna falls in love with a handsome astronomer tracking the asteroid's path. Here, Luna is seen in her human form for the first time, which was one of the most fun elements of Sailor Moon Cosmos as well.
Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie Continues the Theme of Dreams from the SuperS Anime
An Original Story Inspired by a Classic Folk Tale
Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie is the third and final of the original Sailor Moon film trilogy, and it is also the most original story of the three. Whereas the previous two films have similar plots revolving around villains threatening to destroy the Earth with an asteroid, SuperS tells an original story inspired by "The Pied Piper of Hamelin". Evil Queen Badiane sends her henchmen to hypnotize and lure young children to her castle, where she harvests their sweet dreams to power her Black Dream Hole.
Even though the animation of SuperS still looks great to this day, the same cannot be said for the CGI used to depict the Black Dream Hole itself, something easily remedied by modern technology. The 1995 film, as well as its two predecessors, would also benefit from an extended runtime, as SuperS wastes much of its potential to explore the cast's hopes and dreams for the future. Whether the three original films are remade, or new stories are written to continue Crystal, it's clear that there's a strong appetite for more Sailor Moon content.
Sailor Moon Cosmos is available now on Netflix.
Sailor Moon
- Release Date
- 1992 - 1997-00-00
- Directors
- Junichi Sato, Kunihiko Ikuhara
- Writers
- Sukehiro Tomita
Cast
Kotono Mitsuishi-
Aya Hisakawa
WHERE TO WATCH
Teenager Usagi Tsukino is an ordinary clumsy schoolgirl until she meets a talking cat named Luna, who transforms her into Sailor Moon, a soldier destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Usagi must find the moon princess and protect Earth with other girls awakened as Sailor Soldiers. Together, they fight to prevent otherworldly and mystical forces from wreaking havoc, all while balancing the everyday challenges of being a teenager in school.
- Franchise(s)
- Sailor Moon
- Seasons
- 5
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu, Pluto TV
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
- Creator(s)
- Naoko Takeuchi
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