“Why The Stars’ Film Adaptation Of -‘Sailor Moon’ Is Worth Exciting”
Despite a shaky start in 2014, Sailor Moon Crystal weathered the storm and re-adapted the original Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon manga into a more authentic anime, following in the footsteps of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. However, Sailor Moon Crystal only translated four of the series’ five arcs – and we’re here to explain why the film adaptation of Stars, the manga’s final arc, is so important.
The manga star arc spanned the last 11 chapters and concluded Usagi and her friends’ epic quest. Stars was a 34-episode anime from the 1990s that felt like a hasty climax aimed at snatching the last crumbs of revenue from a franchise that had already gone too far. Not that the manga wasn’t a cash grab – mangaka Naoko Takeuchi admits the whole series was supposed to end after the first arc – but at least it was more secretive about it.
Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars
The Sailor Starlights anime was by far the least faithful adaptation of the original, adding a repeat arc with Nehellenia and elevating the Sailor Starlights to prominent characters while excluding Chibiusa, among other issues. This is precisely why the upcoming movie duology dubbed Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos the Movie, which covers Stars, is such a fantastic idea.
Sailor Moon’: some characters removed
Sailor Cosmos, Sailors Lethe, Mnemosyne, and Chi and Phi were among the characters removed from the anime. Sailor Cosmos, as the final version of Sailor Moon, was worth spotlighting, but the diversification of Galaxia’s legion of Sailor Animamates also provided Usagi with new challenges to complete, rather than too many episodes of Tin Nyanko, Iron Mouse and Aluminum Siren. demonstrating their incompetence.
Sailor Moon’: existing characters have been changed
Existing characters were also changed or their stories were condensed for the anime. In the interest of helping Princess Kakyuu, Sailor ChibiChibi is transformed into a version of Galaxia, Galaxia is given a noble past and redemption, and the Sailor Starlights are given annoying personalities where they function as blatant antagonists. As if that weren’t enough, Kakyuu turns around and tells them to help Sailor Moon as soon as she arrives. Additionally, Usagi laments Mamoru’s departure for America and the ensuing radio silence for several months of doing nothing, despite the manga’s much more plausible timeline of a few weeks.
Sailor Moon’: Synopsis
Also, Sailor Kakyuu gets more attention in the manga. Rather than being murdered relatively instantly, she can fight back and show off her skills. The ultimate journey of her, Usagi, and ChibiChibi to Galaxia and Chaos is far more intriguing than the long climactic battle of the original anime, and takes place in more interesting parts of the galaxy than is essentially a generic urban wasteland.
Sailor Moon: conclusion
While Usagi’s character growth was engaging and the other key characters’ subplots were fun, the original Stars anime was predictable and stretched too long. Giving the stars the Sailor Moon Crystal treatment in the future film duo will not only nicely wrap up the manga adaptation and give us one more trip into the Sailor Moon universe, but also highlight the characters that have been adapted. This could finally pay homage to the Sailor Starlights and Princess Kakyuu, as well as Usagi’s final form from Sailor Cosmos. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos the Movie might end the series as intended, but even if it doesn’t, it will be a satisfying conclusion.
