Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Sailor Moon Crystal: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 9, 2019

Sailor Moon, one of the most popular anime franchises in both Japan and the rest of the world, has remained in good graces with established fans (various poor quality Blu-ray releases notwithstanding) and won over countless new ones since its inception in the 1990s. In honor of its 20th anniversary, Toei Animation’s Sailor Moon Crystal rebooted the franchise by retelling the story of the famous Usagi in a manner more faithful to the original magna by Naoko Takeuchi, as opposed to simply remaking the original as it was first imagined for the screen. Now, both fans of the original anime and those new to the franchise can rediscover, or meet for the first time, Usagi and her friends and fall in love with the "Pretty Guardians" on their quest to save the universe. Again.

Official synopsis: When a strange phenomenon starts turning people into monsters, Usagi and her friends learn that a secret organization called the Death Busters is responsible. Led by their all-powerful ruler Pharaoh 90, these alien beings are determined to invade Earth to make it their second home. Will the two mysterious Guardians calling themselves Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune be the key to Sailor Moon’s victory -- or her doom? And what is their connection to the prophetic dreams warning of impending destruction? With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Sailor Moon’s resolve to protect all life will be put to the ultimate test!

Crystal's third season picks up where the second season ended and covers the entire “Infinity Arc,” as it is called in the manga, or the “Death Busters Arc” as it is called in the television show (and told in 13 episodes in Crystal as opposed to the 38 episodes required to cover the same arc in this show's original program parallel, Sailor Moon S. Season 3). Crystal’s third season bears the fruit of a more completely developed program with the first two having laid a sturdy foundation. In season one, the Sailor Guardians were introduced and their powers were developed. Season two more fully explored the girls behind the Sailor Guardians, focusing much more on their lives beyond their super identities. Season three continues to develop the original Sailor Guardians as both heroes and teenagers, granting them more of an opportunity to build their lives as high school students and “regular people.” But as three new (and one quasi-new) Sailor Guardians arrive on the scene, the dynamic shifts yet again and the girls begin to develop new transformations that start the process of rewriting everything that's come before.

Love is yet again a thematic cornerstone for season three, focusing here on the love the Guardians feel for Chibi-Usa and the love Chibi-Usa and the others have for Hotaru, which is complicated because the new Guardians want to destroy Hotaru before a prophecy of doom and destruction can come true. Chibi-Usa and Usagi, contrarily, don’t believe that Hotaru should be sacrificed regardless of the potentially catastrophic outcomes. This tension keeps the Sailor Guardians from being able to fully unify in their goal to prevent the Death Busters from gaining more power and dominance over the world. The friendship that Chibi-Usa and Hotaru shares becomes an integral part of the story as Hotaru’s past and future collide with the new Sailor Guardians and their mission to save Earth at her expense. Sailor Moon’s desire to protect everyone allows her character to grow both in her physical transformation and into a deeper and more thoughtful leader. Speaking of love, Mamoru and Usagi’s relationship doesn’t take center stage, but their love still faces some obstacles the two must overcome before their love can can ascend to the next level.

Much like the previous two seasons, Crystal’s third continues to work around a sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle, “girl power” thematic structure. The girls continue to be the primary heroes while Tuxedo Mask, the show’s primary male antagonist, usually only offers his assistance as needed. Outside of their transformation poses and battle scenes, the girls continue to enjoy their lives without the need to be in a committed relationship with a boy. Such is certainly discussed -- the girls are interested in companionship -- but it’s never the driving, dominant factor in their “everyday” lives.

From narrative and structural perspectives, season three, as with the two before it, makes both subtle and not-so-subtle changes to the original Sailor Moon anime in order to more closely resemble the original manga. Sailor Moon is less of a “crybaby.” Pharaoh 90 plays an expanded role. Hotaru’s backstory plays out a little differently. The portrayal of Haruka/Sailor Uranus as a gender fluid character is another, and perhaps the most obvious, change. In Sailor Moon S, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are depicted as very close but their romantic relationship is mainly implied and Uranus dressed in both male and female costumes. In Crystal, Uranus and Neptune’s relationship is more openly romantic and Uranus moves between genders more frequently, closer to the characterization in the manga where Uranus is written as a character without a gender. The relationship between Sailor Uranus and Sailor Moon is playful and seems, at times, even flirtatious. The season’s ending is different, too, offering a more rewarding and structurally sound finale.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

With Crystal now in its third season, Viz has long established a level of visual excellence for this version of the series, but it's still a breath of fresh air when fans consider just how lousy the classic anime looks on Blu-ray. These new Crystal sets are plagued by banding, and this one is no different (though appears a little less intense here), but Crystal's third season is otherwise a very impressive outing on Blu-ray. Colors are wonderful, favoring pastels rather than bold, deeply saturated hues. There's an airiness to the image, particularly in title and credit sequences but it's one of the most generalized visual characteristics throughout the season. Essential colors are handled well within the show's visual stylings, such as Sailor attire and variously colored hair. The 1080p Blu-ray transfer presents the animation crisply and accurately, with generally firm, straight lines, high yield environmental detail, and effortlessly complex character models. Close-ups fair very well, with fine detail in eyes and hair amongst the highlights, but even distant shots, which are a little more crude, hold firm, particularly in terms of environmental detailing. Overall image sharpness and clarity are excellent. Only a little banding here and there keeps this form visual perfection.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the previous seasons, Crystal's third outing features a pair of DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtracks, one in the original Japanese and one in dubbed English. The English track seems to boast a little more depth to it, a bit more punch and vigor to transformation sequences, action, and more intense music. Either track will stretch the limits of the two-channel configuration, with both offering a seamless front stage presence where music, effects, and dialogue play in harmonious balance. Dialogue images to the center with such distinction that one would be surprised to learn this is a two-channel track if previously unaware. While surrounds are obviously silent, the fronts engage with such detail and energy that some of the more dynamic scenes nearly pass for creating a semblance of surround detail, again such as during the transformation sequences. The track plays very large and never fumbles any critical details, large or small. It's a treat.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This limited edition release of Sailor Moon Crystal: Season 3 comes housed in an attractive, sturdy slip box and includes three collectible cards featuring the five original Sailor Guardians: Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Pluto, Sailor Saturn, and Sailor Chibi Moon. Also included is a collectible book featuring artwork and episode summaries for each episode; interviews with the cast (including all the Sailor Guardians and the principal Death Busters); character art spreads for Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Pluto, The Witches 5, Professor Tomoe and Kaolinite, Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Saturn, Artemis, Luna, Diana, Mistress 9, Super Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Chibi Moon, Super Sailor Guardians, and various item and location sketches. Also included are lyrics for the opening song New Moon ni Koishite and ending songs Eternal Eternity, Otame no Susume, and Eien Dakega Futariwo Kakeru. Finally, the book features a list of the voice talents for the Japanese and English language versions of the show. The set also includes the show on DVD, but no digital versions are bundled.

The following on-disc extras are included.

Disc One:

• Art Gallery (1080p): A collection of about two dozen images: Sailor Moon, Cosmic Heart Compact, Spiral Heart Moon Rod, Moon Chalice, Super Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury (2), Sailor Mars (2), Sailor Jupiter (2), Sailor Venus (2), Sailor Chibi Moon, Super Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Uranus (2), head shots of Haruka, Space Sword, Sailor Neptune (2), head shots of Michiru, Deep Aqua Mirror, Sailor Pluto (2), headshot sketches of Setsuna, Garnet Rod, and Sailor Pluto.

Disc Two:

• Interview with Lauren Landa (1080p, 4:03): Landa discusses her role as Michiru Kaioh (Sailor Neptune), how the character differs between Crystal and the original, and her favorite scenes to record.
• Interview with Erica Mendez (1080p, 7:33): Mendez discusses her role as Haruka Tenoh (Sailor Uranus), including how she prepared for the role, how the character has impacted her, the relationship between Usagi and Haruka, the character's gender identity, and memorable scenes she recorded.
• Interview with Veronica Taylor (1080p, 5:09): Taylor discusses her role as Setsuna Meioh (Sailor Pluto), including how season three was different, her understanding of the character's psyche, her ease at becoming the character again with each new season, how the character has impacted her, and the most memorable scenes she recorded.
• Interview with Christine Marie Cabanos (1080p, 3:58): Cabanos discusses her role as Hotaru Tomoe (Sailor Saturn), including how Crystal's storyline differs from the original, the prep work that goes into playing a character who appears at various ages, what she's learned from her character, and her most memorable scenes to record.
• Summer of Sailor Moon 2017! (1080p, 2:16): A look at Sailor Moon Day at the Anime Expo showcasing an interview with the cast and various cosplay characters posing with the voice actors.
• Art Gallery (1080p): Includes the following images: Sailor Saturn (2), Head shots of Hotaru, Silence Glaive, Tuxedo Mask, Mistress 9, Professor Tomoe, Kaolinite, Eudial, Mimete, Tellu, Viluy, Cyprine, Ptilol, Artemis, Luna and Diana, and several more depicting various locations seen in the show.
• English Credits (1080p, 1:31): The ending credits text listed in English (the music is still Japanese)
• Clean Openings & Endings (1080p): Includes Opening V1 (1:31), Opening V2 (1:31), Opening V3 (1:31), Ending 1 (1:31), Ending 2 (1:31), and Ending 3 (1:30).
• More from VIZ (1080p): Trailers for Sailor Moon Season One: Limited Edition Part One, Sailor Moon R: The Movie, and Sailor Moon S Season Three: Limited Edition Part One.

Sailor Moon Crystal: Set 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crystal's third season works hard to be the definitive anime version of the original manga. It's more condensed but it doesn't feel lacking content. Animation is improved. Voice work is excellent and retains many of the actors from previous versions. The entire Crystal series makes for a great introduction to the Sailor Moon universe and an interesting point of comparison with the previous anime releases as well as the original manga. Sailor Moon Crystal: Set 3's Blu-ray release features strong video and audio. Supplements are disappointing in quality and don't offer much variety, but the included physical content is, again, terrific. Highly recommended.