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[borghe]

So I have recently downloaded the first season of sailor moon, both dubbed/edited and subbed/unedited (and remember, sailor moon seasons 1, 2, and 5 are now unlicensed). So my question is, what the hell is the appeal to this show?

I've watched the first few episodes uncut, and it is IMHO pretty bad.. obviously a big part of its appeal is girls. but out of the boys who like it here, assuming it isn't just some hidden pedo/doushinji desire, why is the series fun? do I need to just get past the first few episodes, or first few seasons?

and for the record, XBMC with soft subs freaking rule. I wish more fansub groups would use softsubs. they could still hard sub the karaoke or whatnot, but soft subs are so much better.

 

[sprsk]

me2 brah

 

[belgurdo]

Hmm...outside of the hentai/loli factor, I'm drawing blanks too

 

[aoi tsuki]

It was one of the first anime i actively saw. i saw a few of the fansubs on VHS via a friend, and when the US version aired a few years later, i picked that up. i was 14 (maybe younger) at the time, so there was definitely the sexual factor. But part of the appeal also came from the fact that it was different from the cartoons aired in the US (despite being dumbed down in the US), and by time i had watched a few episodes, i got hooked on the storyline.

i saw the uncut versions again a little over a year ago. It hadn't aged as badly as i thought, though it's not something i'd choose to watch now. i can't stand most anime now, mahou shoujo especially.

 

[Inumaru]

You don't get the appeal of Sailor Moon because you're not an eight to 12 year old girl, the show's originally intended audience.

 

[belgurdo]

But part of the appeal also came from the fact that it was different from the cartoons aired in the US (despite being dumbed down in the US), and by time i had watched a few episodes, i got hooked on the storyline.

Maybe this is it. This was released in the US right before the whole "animu is great let's put it on TV ALL THE TIME" pheominon, and was significantly different from the usual "take a formula cartoon premise then make all of the characters blue with football heads" approaches to animation that were plaguing western studios in the early 90s. I didn't miss an episode myself until I realized that the same things happened in every episode, and I figured that the alterations to the US version were kind of an insult to the viewer's intelligence ("kids won't know how to pronounce "Tokyo!" Let's change the setting to New York!")

 

[Triumph]

I don't get the appeal of anime in general, so I suppose I qualify for this thread!

 

[TekunoRobby]

animu

I don't get this spelling.

 

[Outlaw]

Sailor Jupiter is hawt!!!

 

[belgurdo]

I don't get this spelling.

Information posted by Tablettheeunuch on February 12, 2004
A comical mispelling of Anime. Anime is a primarily Japanese form of Animation (Japanese Cartoons), which have become widely popular amongst many age groups. Unfortunantly, it's also one of the Primary causes of Japanophiles, who obsess and worship anything even remotely Japanese or Asian, and dismiss all Western alternatives.

#
Information posted by Bolt Vanderhuge on February 12, 2004
The word 'animu' is used self-deprecatingly by anime fans on SA to describe anything relating to Japan or anime.
#
Information posted by raditts on February 12, 2004
Wouldn't really call it a catchphrase per se; it's primarily a play on the way English syllables that don't end in a vowel are translated into Japanese with an "u" sound on the end (example: music = "myuziku") and how hardcore Japanophiles are nitpicky about pronouncing words the right (read: Japanese) way, even if they were originally English words to begin with.

#
Information posted by Pineapple on February 13, 2004
Play on the "pinku (that's japanese for pink)" catchphrase started by niu-niu's post in SA-Mart looking for a bento box which was laden with fanboy japlish. Anything can be made japanese by adding u to the end.

unf

 

[TekunoRobby]

http://forums.somethingawful.com/dictionary.php?act=3&topicid=96

unf

I don't have an account, thanks though.

 

[Pellham]

1) are you a girl?
2) see #1

it's a show intended for young girls, it's not supposed to appeal to guys unless you like anime girls in short skirts (the only reason for a guy to watch the show).

 

[SteveMeister]

Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon 'cause that cartoon's got the boom anime babes that make me think the wrong thing

Never watched it, but now I have that damned song stuck in my head thanks to this thread.

 

[TekunoRobby]

Information posted by Tablettheeunuch on February 12, 2004
A comical mispelling of Anime. Anime is a primarily Japanese form of Animation (Japanese Cartoons), which have become widely popular amongst many age groups. Unfortunantly, it's also one of the Primary causes of Japanophiles, who obsess and worship anything even remotely Japanese or Asian, and dismiss all Western alternatives.

#
Information posted by Bolt Vanderhuge on February 12, 2004
The word 'animu' is used self-deprecatingly by anime fans on SA to describe anything relating to Japan or anime.
#
Information posted by raditts on February 12, 2004
Wouldn't really call it a catchphrase per se; it's primarily a play on the way English syllables that don't end in a vowel are translated into Japanese with an "u" sound on the end (example: music = "myuziku") and how hardcore Japanophiles are nitpicky about pronouncing words the right (read: Japanese) way, even if they were originally English words to begin with.

#
Information posted by Pineapple on February 13, 2004
Play on the "pinku (that's japanese for pink)" catchphrase started by niu-niu's post in SA-Mart looking for a bento box which was laden with fanboy japlish. Anything can be made japanese by adding u to the end.

Thanks!

That's great, time to piss off the hardcore freaks.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Maybe this is it. This was released in the US right before the whole "animu is great let's put it on TV ALL THE TIME" pheominon, and was significantly different from the usual "take a formula cartoon premise then make all of the characters blue with football heads" approaches to animation that were plaguing western studios in the early 90s. I didn't miss an episode myself until I realized that the same things happened in every episode, and I figured that the alterations to the US version were kind of an insult to the viewer's intelligence ("kids won't know how to pronounce "Tokyo!" Let's change the setting to New York!")

i was pretty faithful to the US version, despite the horrible localization. i just wanted to know how things ended, though they never aired the whole series here. The relationship between Molly and Malachi was a real WTF? moment for me that kept me watching. It just wasn't something you saw in American cartoons. i could name a few other reasons why i watched it, but it really comes down to it being different from US cartoons.

i don't remember what i was watching around that time in terms of US cartoons, but WB cartoons ruled all, with Tiny Toons, Batman: The Animated Series, Freakazoid, and the Animaniacs standing at the forefront of my memories. i'm really a fan of animation in general, it just so happens that there's more anime than US cartoons, though there's far too many of them that follow one of the same handful of predictable plots.

 

[borghe]

hmm.. I really think US cartoons never had a "dry spell".. well , aside from maybe the 70's.. but the 80's you certainly had a decent stream of anime (even though we probably didn't realize it was anime then). late 80's saw the birth of the Disney Afternoon which I think most will agree was pretty cool. You also had the few british properties making their way here (Cosgrove Hall etc).

I do understand about Sailor Moon kind of being rare, if not unique.. though I think that comes down to girl shows have never really been popular in America. I don't think girl children really are into animation, and if they are generally don't want to be coddled to.

Then again my daughter watches those atrocious Barbie direct-to-videos so maybe it is changing.. :\

 

[luxsol]

I do understand about Sailor Moon kind of being rare, if not unique.. though I think that comes down to girl shows have never really been popular in America. I don't think girl children really are into animation, and if they are generally don't want to be coddled to.

Then again my daughter watches those atrocious Barbie direct-to-videos so maybe it is changing.. :\

What about that horrible French cartoon that Cartoon Network shows 3x a day everyday? Spy Girls?... something. They show it way too many times for it not to be popular.

Disney also seems to also have a popular animated girl show. I think it's called Kim Possible.

 

[Tsubaki]

The appeal of Sailormoon lies primarily in its few and scattered plotpoints. The problem with SM is that it pioneered/popularized the "sentai mahou shoujo" where you have magical girls fighting the monster of the week. Previously mahou shoujo shows were not about fighting evil, but rather living life.

So for SM, you have a show that is mindless and somewhat entertaining depending on the audience. You'll get your fill of usual middle school life, romance, and a little action on the side. But the hook is that the plot progresses through it. And after you finish an entire season, you'll look fondly upon those aspects because when the story gets going, it's actually quite interesting. And there is quite a bit of continuity to the series (vs Western cartoons which are almost all episodic in nature, with no progression.)

I haven't seen SM in a loooong time, and I fear that if I did, I would chuck it out the window. But I got into anime through SM, and the attraction was mainly the continuous plot.

 

[tedtropy]

Young girls. Short skirts. Unemployed fat guys. Yes, they must also be fat.

Also, hyperactive young girls that will hopefully become our future's teenage whores based upon their anime-watching experiences.

 

[borghe]

well, I appreciate all of this.. makes more sense I guess...

so now the question remains if I even bother watching it or not.. and do I dare expose my daughter to it

 

[909er]

So I have recently downloaded the first season of sailor moon, both dubbed/edited and subbed/unedited (and remember, sailor moon seasons 1, 2, and 5 are now unlicensed). So my question is, what the hell is the appeal to this show?

I've watched the first few episodes uncut, and it is IMHO pretty bad.. obviously a big part of its appeal is girls. but out of the boys who like it here, assuming it isn't just some hidden pedo/doushinji desire, why is the series fun? do I need to just get past the first few episodes, or first few seasons?

and for the record, XBMC with soft subs freaking rule. I wish more fansub groups would use softsubs. they could still hard sub the karaoke or whatnot, but soft subs are so much better.

I've seen an episode in a "not normal" state once, it was a trip. Then I got I really hungry.

 

[SuperPac]

What about that horrible French cartoon that Cartoon Network shows 3x a day everyday? Spy Girls?... something. They show it way too many times for it not to be popular.

You mean, Totally Spies? I call it "frënchimé."

 

[OmniGamer]

It was one of the first anime i actively saw. i saw a few of the fansubs on VHS via a friend, and when the US version aired a few years later, i picked that up. i was 14 (maybe younger) at the time, so there was definitely the sexual factor. But part of the appeal also came from the fact that it was different from the cartoons aired in the US (despite being dumbed down in the US), and by time i had watched a few episodes, i got hooked on the storyline. .

Same here pretty much(aside from the sexual factor...teh gay)....My friend was more the anime buff, and would rent movies and shows. But since this came on the time I had to wake up to go to school, and I was just starting high school, it was just something to start my day with before "the grind". Then this asian girl in my english class had some of the manga, and was telling me how much more risque it was in Japan than over here(teh lesbians), and soon my friend started renting some subtitled Sailor Moon movies. And plus the science fan in me liked the planetary names, and I was interested in seeing which "planet" would join next and what her special ability would be.

But speaking personally, a big lasting appeal to it was that me and another friend loved Queen Beryl's crazy voice acting and one liners.

He and I like it for the silly, campy guilty pleasure that it is.

 

[Meier]

I'll admit that when I was back when I was younger, I used to have a big crush on Sailor Jupiter due to her massive tittays and love of cooking. Perfect woman!

As a show, it's pretty terrible.

 

[UltimateMarioMan]

Anyone seen the Sentai version? So cheesy its funny.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Anyone seen the Sentai version? So cheesy its funny.

i wish i could find the series for download. Horrible CG, unconvincing voiceover work, and they didn't even try with Luna.

 

[Ronin]

Me and my sister would get home from school and she would watch it. I didn't really care for it at first, but I watched it anyway. Over time, I actually started getting into it. Then I find out my friend has a ton of fansub tapes, and I borrow 'em all. :lol

 

[Mugen]

Sailor Mars took my V-Card. nuff said.

And yah, it was actually preety goood. And even though I liked DBZ more before, Sailor Moon has much more lasting appeal than DBZ ever did. All IMO of course.

 

[Crystalkoen]

To accentuate the point others have said, SM was one of the series that got me interested in Anime in the first place. I still remember faithfully taping the episodes that would air on USA at 7 in the morning so I could watch them later, after school. That series, combined with the Sci-Fi channel's Saturday Morning Anime really hooked me in.

Back on topic, the storyline was very good (in my young eyes... was 12-13 at the time), and if not cheesy, surely entertaining. I even went out and bought the American Soundtrack, and later, after getting a job and having seen some of the Japanese episodes and heard some of the music, bought the Memorial Song Box from Japan (starting me on the road to JPop/JRock). 106 bucks for 6 CDs, and to this day I can't figure out where 2 of them went... still have their jewel cases though ; ;

The series was also a big topic of conversation on the localization scene as well, as people were very unimpressed with DiC's job on it, cutting out some episodes, and the general editting of other episodes, like turning Zoicite female in the American Version.

 

[Ronin]

The series was also a big topic of conversation on the localization scene as well, as people were very unimpressed with DiC's job on it, cutting out some episodes, and the general editting of other episodes, like turning Zoicite female in the American Version.

At least it wasn't Saban's version.

 

[Shouta]

DiC's version has better dubbing than the later version, too bad the script was a bit more axed up.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Hmmm..."It popularized the 'magical girls fighting monsters' shoujo genre?" Maybe. "It had a good story." Naw.

What made Sailor Moon popular (with males, I mean) were its short skirts, occasional panty flash, and IIRC, weren't the girls nude when they transformed in the Japanese version? And wouldn't that all create legions of drooling Japanese (and later Western) otaku fanboy perverts?

 

[Jim Bowie]

Information posted by Pineapple on February 13, 2004
Play on the "pinku (that's japanese for pink)" catchphrase started by niu-niu's post in SA-Mart looking for a bento box which was laden with fanboy japlish. Anything can be made japanese by adding u to the end.

lol! I remember that thread!

A lot of the appeal is that some anime fans that LOVE LOVE Revolutionary Girl Utena and want to see what "hidden parallels and themes" are in Sailor Moon. I'm serious, I know at least four people that think that way.

 

[Hitokage]

Stupid people who are drunk on novelty and don't know any better.

 

[Shouta]

Stupid people who are drunk on novelty and don't know any better.

So you're drunk? =O

 

[Hitokage]

Was.

 

[belgurdo]

At least it wasn't Saban's version.

I PUNISH YOU IN THE NAME OF THE MOON

 

[bjork]

Sailor Moon is cool.

It's just one of those "this is corny, take it for what it is" things.

I mean, look at popularity of DBZ. Same thing.