Summary
- Sailor Moon is a beloved anime that helped bring anime to Western audiences and shaped the magical girl genre.
- The 2003 live-action series, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, is often overlooked and forgotten, despite its special qualities and differences from the original source material.
- While it may have been forgotten, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon received positive scores and reviews, making it worth watching for fans of the franchise.
Sailor Moon is one of the most famous, well-known, and beloved anime of all time both in Japan and around the globe. It helped shape the entire magical girl genre of anime into what we know today, and helped bring anime to Western audiences. Chances are, if you are an otaku today who grew up in the 90s, you watched the original Sailor Moon series. And its popularity has led to a lot of spin-offs, including Sailor Moon Crystal, the well-received latest series.
But do you remember the 2003 television series, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon? If you said no, don't worry, you are not alone. This series is somehow often overlooked and forgotten when people talk about the Sailor Moon franchise, and even people who claim to be fans may not remember it or have even watched it at all. And actually, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon has something extremely special about it that sets it apart from the rest of the series and should make it more memorable - it was live-action!
Let's have another look at the forgotten Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon live-action series and where it came from, how it differs from the original source material, and how it was received by audiences. You may find yourself just as surprised as we are that hardly anyone seems to remember it, and even want to go out and watch it now yourself!
The History
The original Sailor Moon anime (released in Japan first as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and later, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, hence the name of the live-action) first aired in 1992. It was based on a manga that began pushing in 1991 and finished in 1997. After 200 episodes and 3 TV specials, the anime finally finished in 1997. It became popular abroad as well, and was dubbed and released around the world. Sailor Moon's popularity never really waned, which led to a reboot of the series called Sailor Moon Crystal in 2014, which followed the original manga source material more closely.
The live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon released in Japan in 2003, six years after the original anime finished airing. It eventually ran for 49 episodes, 2 made-for-DVD specials, and a concert before finishing in 2004. The opening theme was "Kirari*Sailor Dream!," performed by Nanami Yumihara under the name Sae.
The Differences
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon was the first re-telling ever to be made for the Sailor Moon series, and it did so with some considerable changes that may or may not be one of the main reasons the series was forgotten. Unlike the anime, the live-action focused more on the girls' stories themselves instead of the action and magical scenes, showcasing more of their civilian lives outside of being Sailor Scouts, and on their personal backstories. This was likely done as it was easier to produce and did not require special effects.
One of the biggest changes to the live-action story was about Minako Aino, aka Sailor Venus, who is a pop idol in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. An even bigger change is that she has an ongoing medical condition with her head, causing her to have regular headaches, fainting spells, and more. While Minako agrees to have an operation to try to solve this, she sadly dies before it can be performed, and is not there for the climax of the story - a big change from the original anime, and one not well-liked by everyone.
The Reception
You may have been thinking this whole time, surely Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon must have been terrible since no one ever talks about it or seems to remember it. It must have performed poorly with such low scores that fans don't want to remember it, and maybe it is better left buried and forgotten like some other spin-offs and adaptations. But interestingly, it is completely the opposite.
Actually, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon did quite well when it comes to scores. Even today, IMBD rates it at 7.4/10, which is not a bad score at all for an adaptation. 90% of Google users claim to like the show. Reviews generally say that while it is not as good as the original, it is still worth watching, and you get pulled into it if you give it a chance.
Of course, not everyone likes when adaptations differ from the original source material, which is the source of a lot of negative reviews. However, there is the argument that Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is an adaptation, not a remake, which gives it more creative liberty to make changes to the original story. Not everyone wants to watch a shot-for-shot remake anyway when they have already seen the original, so for some, it is nice to see something different and new.
It remains a mystery why many Sailor Moon fans seem to have forgotten entirely about Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Likely, the changes to the story are the main reason that it was pushed aside by many diehard fans. Another theory is that fans of the original series, prefer to watch anime, and simply are not interested in live-action series. It was also never dubbed into English, making it inaccessible for international fans who do not want to read subtitles, and the series had limited availability legally outside of Japan, anyway.
It is a sad ending for a television series that really is not that bad at all, and still has a lot of potential for love. If you are a Sailor Moon fan looking for something new, give Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon at least a try. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised by this forgotten title in the franchise!