Sailor Moon Available to Stream Free on Pluto TV

The nineties were a great time for anime. Featuring hand-drawn characters, cel animation, and stories on an epic scale, these shows changed kids and remain in the makeup of the entertainment they seek as adults. In the Western world, the nineties opened the floodgates, introducing anime like Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Dragon Ball Z. Kids had no idea cartoons could look like that.

While there were plenty of anime centered on boys fighting in intergalactic tournaments, traveling through space, or piloting giant robots, there was one major show for girls. Sailor Moon first aired in Japan in 1992 before making its way to the United States, Canada, and Latin America in 1995. It remains a groundbreaking story about girls and superheroes, and a source of inspiration for writers and animators working across genres and mediums.

The complete series is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.

In the name of the Moon

Created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi and adapted to television by a handful of beloved writers and animators, among them Kunihiko Ikuhara, Sailor Moon centers on Usagi Tsukino. She is a clumsy 14-year-old girl who discovers she is the magical warrior Sailor Moon, protector of Earth. After receiving a magical brooch, Usagi can transform into a princess from an ancient kingdom capable of wielding enormous power, manipulating energy, healing others, and creating celestial bodies. She is also just a girl dealing with everyday challenges, like her annoying little brother, her homework and school attendance, her friends, and larger-than-life crushes on boys.

Among the five seasons, the second season, Sailor Moon R, marks a pivotal moment. It introduces key characters and storylines that shape the rest of the show. It introduces Chibiusa, the time-traveling girl who is Usagi’s future daughter, and her evil alter ego, the Black Lady, her older and corrupted future form. The series is also the first season that Ikuhara co-directs, marking the beginning of a creative stretch that would determine much of the legacy of Sailor Moon and a clear buildup toward Sailor Moon S, arguably the most beloved entry in the series.

While Sailor Moon did not invent the magical girl genre, it shifted and expanded its lens, focusing on a team of heroes instead of a single protagonist. It is a formula that allowed viewers to form deep bonds with the characters. If Usagi was not your favorite, you had plenty of options to choose from in her teammates, from the cool and strong Sailor Mars, who manipulates fire and has premonitions, to the icy and brilliant Sailor Neptune, who has a magical command of the deep seas.

Ahead of its time, decades later

Sailor Moon is a key text in its depiction of queer storylines, complex villains, and gender fluidity. Through its 200-episode run, the series introduced Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, one of the most beloved queer couples in the history of animation, who were introduced as cousins when adapted to the West. It also featured Zoisite and Kunzite, a gay villain couple devoted to each other, and the Sailor Starlights, a trio of boys in a pop band who transform into magical girls when they activate their powers.

While the writing takes much of the glory, Sailor Moon is cinematic and surreal, breaking its sweet vibes with horror beats. This happens when the Sailor Guardians unexpectedly meet their deaths and leave Sailor Moon alone, or in the frightening reflection of light on Professor Tomoe’s glasses. The attention to detail paid to the villains also extends to their designs, resulting in foes that look just as great, if not better, than the heroes. The Black Lady is styled in outfits that look like they were ripped straight out of the boldness of runway shows of the era.

What is so great about the magical girl genre is that in it, girls can use otherworldly powers and take the spotlight in a similar vein to Superman. Nowadays, there is way more diversity in what kind of life path a girl can take on once she grows up, but in the sixties and seventies, when Sally the Witch and the magical girl genre started, I do not think that was entirely the case.

Kunihiko Ikuhara, who came aboard as co-director with Sailor Moon R, said this on the podcast Ikuni to Unmei no Cinema Snack last year.

The years have passed. Society has evolved. But Sailor Moon remains as relevant as ever. Similar to other television landmarks like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series showed viewers the possibilities of female protagonists and their relationships. While the franchise gets periodic reboots, like the anime Sailor Moon Crystal and the film Sailor Moon Cosmos, there is something special about the show in its original form, which relied on cel animation and paint. Now that the anime is streaming for free, there is no better time to jump in.

Source: Polygon