Sailor Moon Super S: Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Sailor Moon Super S: Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season continues the epic journey of the Sailor Guardians and their battle for peace. Based on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season continues to showcase stunning animation by animation studio Toei Animation (Digimon Adventure, Dragon Ball Z). Sailor Moon Super S also features animation production by Yoshinori Kanada.

Produced by Toei Agency (Sailor Moon, Voltron), Sailor Moon Super S continues to explore interesting grounds by TV Asahi (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon). Produced by Iriya Azuma (Sailor Moon, Cutey Honey Flash), Kenji Ōta (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Immortal Grand Prix), Kouichi Yada (Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, Fushigi Mahou Fan Fan Pharmacy), and Toshihiko Arisako (Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, Sailor Moon SuperS Plus - Ami's First Love). Originally broadcast on Kids Station and TV Asahi, Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season is another breathtaking season of the beloved anime classic.

The Sailor Guardians have returned. Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon (Kotono Mitsuishi), Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury (Aya Hisakawa), Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter (Emi Shinohara), Rei Hino/Sailor Mars (Michie Tomizawa), and Minako Aino/Sailor Venus (Rica Fukami) are back for more adventures. This time around, Chibi Usa/Sailor Chibi Moon (Kae Araki) is a big part of the mission. Sailor Chibi Moon keeps seeing visions of a Pegasus with a special golden horn in her vivid dreams and a sense of urgency is felt about helping out the Pegasus.

Things become much more complex when the Dead Moon Circus soon finds themselves causing mayhem in Tokyo. The golden-horned Pegasus unicorn is now being hunted. Super Sailor Moon and the rest of the beloved Sailor Guardians find themselves working together to tackle the evil menaces and to fight the good fight for the future of tomorrow! Can Sailor Chibi Moon rise to the challenge and be one of the greatest heroes, too? What mystery surrounds the mysterious Pegasus?

The characters have always been at the heart of Sailor Moon and why it is such a beloved classic in the eyes of audiences across the world. The characters display unique and charming personalities across everyone in the Sailor Guardians. It is a delight to continue to explore the cast of characters as the storytelling continues to explore their respective journeys. Sailor Moon is naturally the beloved leader of the Sailor Guardians and she never forgets what is worth fighting for.

The character designs by Ikuko Ito (Magic User's Club!, Somali and the Forest Spirit) are top-notch and a huge part of the production. It is hard to even imagine the series without the impressive character art. These designs are true to the manga series and the vision of creator Naoko Takeuchi. The characters certainly are well-animated and the designs add so much to the creative energy of the series.

The animation is one of the core arenas of the entire franchise. What would Sailor Moon even look like without the memorable hand drawn animation? The aesthetic of the series is one of the foundational qualities of the production and why it became a favorite globally. The animation does a great job at showcasing the artistry of the animation team. The animators lovingly deliver background animation, character animation, and line art that is splendid, creative, and rewarding. The entire saga provides an abundance of classic imagery.

The original score composed by Masao Mizuno (Jewel BEM Hunter Lime, Sailor Moon SuperS Plus - Ami's First Love), Nozomi Inoue, Takanori Arisawa (Digimon Adventure, Sailor Moon), and Tetsuya Komoro (Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie, Sailor Moon S: The Movie) is an abundance of fun for the series. The score is charming and delightful. There is so much to appreciate about the score and the manner in which the music enhances the series artistic backbone – exploring the characters and their journeys. The score also fits the action tempo and the edgier qualities of the season with the music an essential part of the experience.

Written by Yoji Enokido (Bungo Stray Dogs, Revolutionary Girl Utena), Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season is an entertaining and ambitious season of the Sailor Moon series. For some fans, Season 4 is a season that is arguably one of the best in the series to date. In my own estimation, Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season is not quite the match to the previous three seasons but the difference isn’t by much. The fourth season remains a classic and ambitious season and one that has a lot of surprises in store for viewers. Season 4 might not be quite as exciting or ambitious as Season 3 but the seasons adds a lot of charming moments to the series run.

Directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R). Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season is essential viewing for Sailor Moon fans. The fourth season expands on the character universe and adds some compelling new dangers into the mix. As the storytelling continued to expand, it offers fans something new and special to appreciate. Sailor Moon Super S is a great showcase for the cast of characters and director Kunihiko Ikuhara. Sailor Moon fans won’t be able to resist coming back for more thrilling adventures.

Sailor Moon Super S: Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release is provided in a upscaled from standard-definition high- definition presentation. The release doesn't look quite as crisp or organic looking as a native high-definition presentation would as a result. Unfortunately, the original film elements were never scanned into native high-definition by Toei Animation.

It would be lovely if these original film masters could someday be located and for the series to receive a native high-definition scan of the entire series run. Until that day comes, these are watchable upscales of the series. Colors look impressive and are one of the best things on display. A reasonably solid looking release for an upscale – even if, in theory, it could be better if Toei ever decides to spend the time and money to invest in a full-fledged restoration of the film elements if said elements can be located for a restoration.

Sailor Moon Super S: Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless original Japanese language audio sounds impressive on the set. Dialogue is clear and well reproduced. The soundtrack sounds impressive on the release, too. The presentation is certainly a solid one. The subtitles are well done, too.

Sailor Moon Super S: Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release comes with a nice o-card slipcover. The slipcover and box art designs are well done for the set and the package looks great next to the other seasons of the series when displayed on the shelf. An impressive package design overall.

Disc 1:

Sailor Moon SuperS: Special (HD, 47:33)

Scripting Sailor Moon SuperS: Special (HD, 9:04)

Sailor Moon SuperS: Special TV Promos (HD, 00:47)

Art Gallery includes 12 click-through illustrations.

Disc 2:

Art Gallery includes 14 click-through illustrations.

Disc 3:

Interview with the Royal Family (HD, 11:20) includes interviews with Stephanie Sheh (English Voice of Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon), Robbie Daymond (English Voice of Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask), and Sandy Fox (English Voice of Chiba-Usa/Sailor Chibi-Moon).

Interview with the Sailor Guardians (HD, 19:40) includes interviews with Cristina Vee (Rei Hino/Sailor Mars), Amanda C. Miller (Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter), Cherami Leigh (Minako Aino/Sailor Venus), Erica Mendez (Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus), Lauren Landa (Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune), and Christine Marie Cabanos (Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn).

Interview with Robbie Daymond & Toru Furuya (HD, 21:33) features the voice actors who performed the English and Japanese language Tuxedo Mask.

Clean Opening (HD, 1:33)

Art Gallery includes 10 click-through illustrations.

Disc 4:

Art Gallery includes 13 click-through illustrations.

Disc 5:

Art Gallery includes 10 click-through illustrations.

Disc 6:

Interview with Sandy Fox and Chris Niosi (HD, 8:00) features the English voice actors of Chibi-Usa/Sailor Chibi Moon and Pegasus/Helios.

Interview with the Guardians of the Inner Planets (HD, 23:26) includes interviews with Stephanie Sheh (English Voice of Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon), Kate Higgins (English Voice of Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury), Amanda Miller (English Voice of Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter), and Cherami Leigh (English Voice of Minako Aino/Sailor Venus).

Interview with Chibi Moon and the Guardians of the Outer Planets (HD, 22:11) includes interviews with Sandy Fox (English Voice of Chibi-Usa/Sailor Chibi Moon), Erica Mendez (English Voice of Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus), Lauren Landa (English Voice of Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptine), Veronica Taylor (English Voice of Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto), Christine Marie Cabanos (English Voice of Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn), and Christopher Niosi (English Voice of Pegasus/Helios).

Interview with Erik Scott Kimerer (HD, 11:21) who provides the English Voice of Fish's Eye.

Interview with Chris Niosi (HD, 13:16) who provides the English Voice of Helios/Pegasus.

Clean Ending (HD, 1:31)

Art Gallery includes 14 click-through illustrations.

More from VIZ (HD, 5:23)

Sailor Moon Super S: Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sailor Moon Super S: The Complete Fourth Season is another rewarding season of the beloved anime classic. The fourth season adds even more adventure and spectacle for fans of the classic anime saga. The Blu-ray release features a respectable high-definition upscale. The release includes an extensive selection of supplements.

Sailor Moon fans who are collecting these Blu-ray editions will surely want to continue to collect these box sets and add this release to their Sailor Moon collection. The set has a wonderful o-card slipcover, too. One of my favorite classic anime series. Highly recommended.