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AKA: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S
Genre: Magical girl fantasy romance drama
Length: Movie, 60 minutes
Distributor: Currently licensed by Viz Entertainment, available streaming on Youtube.
Content Rating: Y7 (fantasy violence)
Related Series: Sailor Moon original lineup (Sailor Moon, R, Super S, Stars - TV season and accompanying movie, plus the "Ami in Love" short), Sailor Moon Crystal lineup (Crystal - 3 TV seasons, Eternal - 2 movies, Cosmos - 2 movies)
Also Recommended: Ah My Goddess the Movie, Sailor Moon
Notes: Based on the manga by Takeuchi Naoko.
Rating:

Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice

Synopsis

A mysterious comet appears around the moon, and a young astronomer witnesses the event and obtains a fragment of the comet after it lands nearby. However, he is quickly discredited by the scientific community, including his girlfriend, an astronaut-in-training. The comet, however, is no normal comet - but the home of Snow Princess Kaguya, who wants to freeze the Earth to make it her own eternally icy paradise. And meanwhile, Luna, the feline advisor of the Scouts, must sort out her own feelings as she finds herself falling for the idealistic astronomer after he saves her life. As Kaguya's minions freeze the streets of Tokyo, the Sailor Soldiers must solve the mystery of the comet and defeat this latest threat to Earth's existence.


Review

You know, I'm a really big fan of Sailor Moon. Though I watched a whole lot of anime in my childhood, it was the wall scroll of Sailor Moon S on the wall of my cousin's room that finally got me intrigued into pursuing anime as a hobby. And while, yes, it's a silly little show, it does hold a very firm piece of my heart. And in the deepest, most treasured part of that place lies my feelings about the second Sailor Moon movie.

When I first heard about this, I wasn't expecting too terribly much. After all, Luna having a love affair? Neko-philia? It's gotta be a joke, right? And what, yet *another* round of Sailors-spank-the-bad-guys? Ho-hum, right?

Well, no. I found myself completely involved in this movie, like nothing since the whole Nephrite/Naru story arc. I completely bought into the rather bittersweet, one-sided crush that Luna goes through, and I really found myself cheering for her. After all, in the Japanese language, Luna is hardly the schoolmarm she is in the English dub - in fact, she's often just as ditzy and scatterbrained (and charming) as Usagi. Moreover, she doesn't even see herself as a true cat, and halfway through this movie, neither will you.

The animation is definitely a step above the TV series (which is definitely a good thing), though the music is pretty much the same, except for the lovely ending song. Overall, though Sailor Moon S the Movie is technically well done for the genre and time period, it's not quite Armitage III level good.

But I think it's the ending that gets me every time. No, not the almost too-predictable Usagi-dies-to-save-the-world aspect of the ending, which is melodramatic enough considering it's the third or fourth time by now. No, it's what happens with Luna. I won't spoil it, but it can be seen as either incredibly, hopelessly mawkish, or incredibly, hopelessly romantic depending on your outlook on life.

If I were more jaded and cynical, I'd say the former, and after all this time as an anime fan, I probably should be.

So why am I crying just thinking about it?

Oh, hell.

This is the absolute epitome of Sailor Moon. I don't think it *could* get any better than this. Less sentimental folk can probably drop a star or two.Carlos/Giancarla Ross

Recommended Audience: Some of the fight scenes might scare the under-sevens, but apart from that, there's really not much to deter anyone from watching this. No, nude transformation sequences don't count.



Version(s) Viewed: digital source; VHS, Japanese with English subtitles
Review Status: Full (1/1)
Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice © 1994 Takeuchi Naoko / Kodansha / TV Asahi / Toei
 
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