Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Sailor Moon R: The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 22, 2017

The Sailor Moon legacy has been a bit tainted with less-than-stellar Blu-ray releases over the past few years. That's a shame, because beyond the eye-gouging 1080p transfers is a classic Anime, one of the greatest of all time, many might argue, that has both entertained and inspired for more than a generation. The series received a welcome redo recently in its Crystal variation (season three is coming!) that thankfully wasn't besieged by any serious video flaws. Neither is this film. Fans who have long yearned to see classic Sailor Moon animation in all its high definition glory will be pleased to know that Sailor Moon R: The Movie looks excellent, though it's not quite perfect. There's none of this overly processed, old master, train wreck of a transfer stuff. It's a sight to behold, and the movie is fantastic, too, marking the first time the Guardians appeared on the big screen.

Guardians of the Solar System.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie, which runs at just over an hour in length, plays more like an extended episode than it does a feature-length film. In the film, a new enemy named Fiore, an alien who knew and felt affection for Mamoru as a child, appears on the scene. The Sailor Guardians, who are going about their daily lives, which includes spying on Usagi and Mamoru as their relationship blossoms on a date, discover an energy-draining flower that's turning locals into zombies. After battling, they begin to piece together an enemy plot to take over the planet. As the plan comes to fruition, Mamoru is injured and taken prisoner, leaving the Guardians no choice to but to jump into action to rescue their friend and the planet.

It's easy to discern that the film's theme centers around love. When Mamoru met Fiore, the former was a lonely child in need of a friend. The two formed a tight-knit bond, which seemed on the cusp of more than friendship, and he took Fiore's departure hard. He gifted his friend a flower as a symbol of their friendship. In the years to come, Fiore searched the universe for a flower worthy of a return gift. But that flower, of course, would spell trouble for Earth, as would his jealousy that in his absence, Mamoru made new friends and formed new unbreakable bonds as well as entered into a romantic relationship with Usagi. His jealousy focuses on Sailor Moon, whom he believes has tricked Mamoru into believing that she loves him. He quickly realizes, however, that the love is real and turns his attention on fracturing the Guardians and forcing them to experience the loneliness he has experienced. Fortunately, his plans are again foiled as he comes to realize that each of the Guardians has experienced their own type of loneliness, particularly before Usagi came into their lives. Can his realization and the shared experiences change him before it's too late?

The story mechanics allow for a satisfying and somewhat complex interweaving of story, action, and character development. The film unquestionably focuses on Mamoru and Usagi, leaving the others tangentially built up around the fringe. The film takes time, even in its meager minutes allotment, to explore Mamoru's backstory in some detail and weave it into the central plot. Usagi's growth is more readily apparent in the moment. She's less "herself," for lack of a better term, less whiny and less of a crybaby and displaying a more mature side that's not often seen as part of her established persona. She shows a command of her powers and the necessary use of them during the alien attack, lamenting that they must be used but understanding that she has no alternative. At the same time, as the film explores her love for Mamoru in greater detail, she's more circumspect in their relationship and she doesn't push him into taking risks.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sailor Moon R: The Movie offers a reprieve from one of the great disappointments the Blu-ray format has seen over its decade-plus lifespan, the Sailor Moon half-season box sets that are plagued with some of the most unsightly Blu-ray transfers one is going to find and are the subject of much scorn from fans. Sailor Moon R: The Movie offers an imperfect 1080p transfer, but one that's nevertheless a quantum leap forward. The movie arrives at a 1.78:1 aspect ratio as opposed to the 1.33:1 presentation of its season counterparts. The uptick in quality is immediately obvious. Color saturation is significantly better, detailing is tighter, backgrounds are cleaner: most all of the fatal flaws from the season sets are greatly reduced or completely eliminated here. It's quite amazing, and very satisfying, to finally see the Sailor Moon classic anime style appearing so refreshingly clean, with well defined lines, vibrant colors -- the Guardians' hair and costumes and the sparkling transformation sequences are particularly enjoyable -- and general image stability that really makes one wish Viz would go back and at least bring the season sets up to this level of competence. The image is not perfect, though. Sporadic instances of print wear -- scratches, pops -- are evident, common but never all that intrusive. Wobble is frequent and the image jitters with some regularity, particularly in panning shots but also during some more stable shots as well. Imperfect through it may be, the improvement over the TV series releases is enormous. Fans should be thrilled with, finally, a more-or-less proper classic Sailor Moon Blu-ray.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sailor Moon R: The Movie features the usual franchise audio tracks, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 in both original Japanese and dubbed English. The usual subtitle options are included, too, but note that neither the audio tracks nor the subtitles can be toggled in-film; all changes must be made at the main menu screen. That said, the tracks are proficient and largely enjoyable. Musical width satisfies, as does clarity throughout the range. The lack of a subwoofer channel is more a hindrance to effects than to music; some of the more would-be deeply pronounced elements struggle to push hard enough, leaving the sounds more clumpy than organically potent. The lack of surrounds never seems much of an issue, though, as the fronts carry action well, including strong imaging and discrete element placement. Even dialogue reverberation halfway through nearly passes for a mild surround sensation. Dialogue images nicely to the center. The spoken word is well prioritized and effortlessly detailed.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sailor Moon R: The Movie contains a brief collection of extra content. A DVD copy of the film is included with purchase.

• Make Up! Sailor Guardians Featurette (1080p, 16:32): A short film or mini-episode that essentially offers an overview of each Guardian's talents and abilities. It also features Tuxedo Mask. It includes footage from season one and two stretched to 1.78:1.
• Theatrical Intro with the English Cast (1080p, 10:46): Stephanie Sheh (Sailor Moon), Ben Diskin (Fiore), and Robbie Daymond (Tuxedo Mask) discuss their characters and their motivations in the film and the excitement of bringing the film to theaters in the U.S.
• 2017 Los Angles Premiere (1080p, 34:30): A Q and A session with the cast and crew after the film's U.S. premiere.
• Gallery (1080p): Storyboard-style images of Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Chibi-Usa, child Mamoru, adult Mamoru, child Fiore, alien child Fiore, adult Fiore, alien adult Fiore, and the Xenian flower.
• Trailer (1080p, 1:09):
• More From Viz Media (1080p): Ranma 1/2, InuYasha The Final Act, Sailor Moon Season 1 Part 1, Sailor Moon R Part 1, Sailor Moon S Part 1, and Sailor Moon Crystal Season 1.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sailor Moon R: The Movie is probably better thought of as less a "movie" and more an extended episode. The added uninterrupted runtime does allow for additional plot and characterization but even ignoring the runtime, the movie never seems to push beyond the confines of its established routine. It follows the same basic structure, only here afforded more an opportunity to stretch out its themes and get deeper into the relationship shared between its two top characters. It's still an excellent bit of Sailor Moon; just don't expect anything out of the ordinary, except, of course, a vastly superior Blu-ray presentation compared to the season releases. Highly recommended.