We all know the story of Sailor Moon, as one of the most popular manga series of all time as well as thee most popular magical girl anime series of the early 90's. Sailor Moon has enjoyed a large fandom among anime fans and is now considered a must watch by any wannabe otaku. However, now something new is on the block, something I'm sure will cause much conflict among die hard fans, while some will love and anticipate the new series Sailor Moon Crystal, there are also many who criticize this remake, thus leaving fans divided. But now that the series is already underway, how is the actual series going to be taken?
The new Sailor Moon Crystal series had already made its appeal among fans with its rather early cinematic trailer designed to wet the appetites of fans both old and new. However, this trailer left many fans sceptical as to whether this new retake would really be as popular as the original, or whether it would only leave a muddy stain on their much loved series. Truth be told, after 2 episodes, the series is still open for scepticism, with 3 Dimensional transformations and voice actors who sound like children even for the adult parts. I must admit I found there were many factors to this new series which either made me cringe or feel like abandoning it all together.
Sailor Moon Crystal is much like Full Metal Brotherhood was to Full Metal Alchemist, that being its release is designed to better portray the original story from the manga. However, when transitioning between manga and anime, it is not always possible to make something to match up with the original and can lead to the story feeling strained if not done correctly. Crystal is showing signs of this in some stages, and one does hope that the series will get better as it progresses, much like others of its type. Ignoring the somewhat messy artwork, it is hard to accept the idea of a 2D anime which suddenly changes into 3D to make the work of the artists easier, in exactly the same way as with the singing in Lilpri.
Having stated the series weakness', it is only fair to point out that there are also many strong points to the series. These include a somewhat darker flow to the story than has previously been portrayed, what with the original series being somewhat cute and happy, this new series explores the battles with the Youma and the lives of the characters in a much deeper way, and I am often led to think of series such as Madoka Magica at these times.
Due to a over emphasis on some points of certain characters, chiefly characters such as Umino, I look forward to seeing how this series will handle some of the later character developments, of which most fans should already be aware.
Factoring for all these faults, for now I still reserve complete judgement on this series, and I look forward to the series improving as it goes on.
Rating: 3/10