Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon



"Beautiful soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon!"

Originally broadcast in Japan between October 2003 and October 2004, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon was a long-awaited program with a built-in instant fanbase. In its 49+ episodes are essentially a retelling of the first "Dark Kingdom" arc, using the original comic as the base and adding new ideas along the way.

An extensive talent search assembled an attractive cast who ended up being hampered slightly by the lower-end production values and their own lack of experience. Most of their youma foes were simply rubber-suit monsters; although the first episode had an impressive digital creature, we never saw that level of sophistication again, at least not in the youma. (Fortunately for all involved, both the cast and the special effects team improve rapidly as the series matures.)

At times the show seemed confused as to whether it wanted to be a live action drama or a cartoon comedy, with goofy sound effects accompanying over-enthusiastic gestures during sequences that are obviously supposed to be funny. These moments were a strange counterpoint to the (relatively) somber interpretation of plot events compared to other adaptations of the franchise.

Despite its somewhat bipolar approach to the source material, PGSM is a fun watch, full of eye candy and a surprisingly deep plot. It is available in English with fansubs, and given the low likelihood that it will have any kind of mass appeal with American audiences it is not likely to be licensed any time soon in the US.

And if you just can't let go of the series, there's always the stage musicals. Not to be confused with Toon Makers Sailor Moon the proposed pitch to TOEI for live action/animation blend version of the franchise for western television before DiC's dub of the anime came out, which would have strayed even farther from the source material. Nor is it to be confused with the 2014 anime reboot with a very similar name.

"Tuxedo Kamen: Hey, you're that girl I keep seeing in my dreams! The one who told me to, and the only reason I've been !"
 * Adaptation Distillation: More stuff from the manga makes it in here than in the anime. What's interesting about PGSM is how many plot elements from the whole series it manages to squeeze into the Dark Kingdom arc. The main cast, from heroes to villains, also seems a lot more human, a lot more real and less caricatured. In particular, Usagi isn't defined as much by her flaws as she was in the anime. She really pulls off her Messiah role, and from the second or third episode it's clear that she cares deeply about every person she befriends, a trait that seemed to only show up in moments of crisis during the anime.
 * Adapted Out: Umino does not appear in this version.
 * Affably Evil: Though Mio starts off as a manipulative Bitch in Sheep's Clothing, she doesn't lose her affability once her villainy's revealed. By the Special Act, she's gushing about her evil plans with such cheerful friendliness that she seems to really expect the heroes to be happy for her.
 * Alpha Bitch: Mio
 * Alternate Continuity
 * Amnesiac Dissonance: Shy, likable amnesiac Shin is befriended by Usagi and Mamoru, only to regain his memories and realize . Mamoru later lies to Usagi about Shin's disappearance so she won't be hurt by the truth.
 * Apocalypse How: Thousands of years ago unleashed a Class 6 apocalypse on the Moon, while the Earth got hit with a Class 2 apocalypse by the shockwave..
 * Apocalypse Maiden:
 * Author Appeal: Close-ups of the actor's mouths.
 * Babies Ever After: As with the manga's ending, the Special Act strongly hints that Usagi's pregnant.
 * Baby Got Back: Interestingly, despite the prevalence of skirts and fan service that come standard with this franchise, there was no real focus on backsides at all. Until one glorious scene near the end of the season, when Rei got into a fake idol war with Minako. As Minako's manager was introducing her to a new rival, the camera followed an enticingly dressed Rei down the hallway to the meeting room. The camera planted itself directly on Rei's backside for three seconds straight.
 * Beta Couple: As confirmed through the series and movie/special,  and Makoto become this.
 * Late in the series, Ami and, though they don't have their own happy ending like the aforementioned couple. YMMV though.
 * Bait and Switch Credits: The opening showed Minako in a school uniform hanging out with Usagi and friends, which never happened.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Almost too many to count. Most episode-climaxing fights will start with one senshi nearly being beaten, only for the rest to show up at the last minute to turn the battle around.
 * Bilingual Bonus: "C'est la vie!" Besides meaning "that's life" in French, it sounds like "Sailor V" as it's pronounced in Japanese ("sera vii").
 * The pun is even more amplified since the line says "This warm feeling is c'est la vie".
 * In fact, the name of Minako's CD in-world, on which that song is found, is "Venus".
 * One of Ami's image songs was called "Mi Amor" which means "my love" in Spanish.
 * Bird Run: Sailor V combines this with Roof Hopping.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Mio pretends to be Usagi's friend, only to hurt/humiliate her. In fact, it is because she pretends to be nice that allows her to create some of her schemes. Mio also plays innocent at times to give Minako bad publicity as well.
 * Big Bra to Fill: Sailor Jupiter, by far the most "talented" soldier in the anime, is downright flat-chested here.
 * Bishonen: Mamoru, Nephrite, Motoki, Zoisite, Kunzite. This show is dripping with beautiful dudeness.
 * Blessed with Suck: Later in the series, Sailor Moon's combined wrath and the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou are actually giving more power to Queen Metallia.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: although the "crazy" in this case is more "sadistic and manipulative" than "psycho".
 * Break the Cutie: During the first half, Ami. During the second half, Usagi, in a big way.
 * Broken Bird: Minako, although all the senshi show some signs of it now and then.
 * Broken Masquerade: Usagi and Makoto reveal themselves as Sailor Senshi to both Naru and Motoki in order to protect them, something which only Motoki was aware of in the manga.
 * Brought Down to Badass:
 * Brought Down to Normal:.
 * By the Power of Greyskull
 * Cannot Spit It Out: One of the things that makes this show read more like a Soap Opera than the other versions ever did. In particular:

"Usagi (thinking): Naru-chan and the others, they're saying Ami-chan."
 * Oh, and each of the girls has a "reason" (good or not) for concealing information on a daily basis:
 * Usagi hates to make waves, and will conceal her own feelings and even act strongly opposite to them in order to ensure that everyone's getting along and no one's mad at her.
 * Ami's shy (very introverted) and a bit clingy now that she's got a friend, but she hates to bring up the fact that she has needs.
 * Rei is used to working alone, and feels it's wrong to depend on other people. I'd say "unless it's absolutely necessary" but those seem to be the times she's most likely to try to work alone.
 * Makoto doesn't want to bug people or put additional burdens on them -- hence why she decided not to tell the team that was in the hospital, and why she held off on telling Usagi all she knew about . Her intentions seem to backfire a lot.
 * Minako seems to be operating on an entirely different wavelength from the rest of the team. Just as it starts to make sense, she negates that motivation by saying she does things her own way.
 * Catgirl:
 * Celebrity Lie (Variant: Mio claims on Usagi's behalf that Usagi knows Idol Singer Minako as part of a plot to isolate and humiliate her.)
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Usagi has shades of this when she's distracted, though her mom really takes the trope into Crazy Awesome territory. Mio heads in this direction as well during the Special Act.
 * Coincidental Broadcast: When Ami was doubting the authenticity of her friendship with Usagi, she walks past an electronics store with a TV showing a movie about a woman betraying her friend and killing her.
 * Covert Pervert: Ami of all people. In one episode, they're going through the girl's phones to look at pictures they've taken (the phones in this continuity allow them to disguise themselves). The last outfit in Ami's phone is a dress that can fall apart. The other girls are visibly shocked. This trait might have been inherited from her anime counterpart, who is only slightly less shy yet is prone to make occasional "interesting" comments.
 * Cringe Comedy: Okay, more like Cringe Drama, but still. These girls dress up in costumes to head into places they're not supposed to be. Episode 9 has them dressing up as a guard and a ("gardener" isn't the right word...) to spy on a place that's heavily guarded, where the owners are expecting a robbery... and they just slip past because they happen to be in uniform.
 * Dance Battler: At the start of the show's run, the battles resembled choreographed ballet more than spontaneous fighting. The fans call it Ballet Fu.
 * Yeah, and check out, say, the battle at the end of episode 8 for an example of "music you can dance to but probably shouldn't be fighting a Boss Battle to." Its "deedle-eedle-ee" chirpiness would probably better suit a scene about the arrival of spring flowers or something. (Do you suppose it's a clue to this being a Disc One Final Boss battle? We are only 8 episodes in.)
 * Dark Magical Girl: Dark Sailor Mercury and.
 * Mio, as well -- especially in Special Act.
 * Darker and Edgier: The live action adaptation of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is much darker than the anime.
 * Deconstruction: Of the original source material, arguably.
 * The most telling moment was when Naru was almost killed because of Princess Serenity's rampage.
 * Demonic Possession: The youma often start off by possessing human victims, and only manifest physically when they're discovered by the senshi. Interestingly, the youma are fairly verbose while speaking through a human, but they become The Speechless once they reveal their true forms. Later, in a change from other continuities,.
 * Do Not Adjust Your Set: How Mio announces her plans to take over the world in the special act.
 * The Dragon: Although all the Shittenou technically serve and protect Beryl, Jadeite's the only one who does so without any hesitation or conflicted loyalty; anyone who wants to get to her has to go through him.
 * Dragon with an Agenda: Both Kunzite and Zoisite, who are not as concerned with following Queen Beryl's orders. Zoisite in particular is mostly concerned with keeping his former master Endymion safe from Beryl's machinations.
 * Earthshattering Kaboom:.
 * Eleventh-Hour Superpower: Ami, Rei, and Makoto each get a sudden powerful weapons upgrade in the second to last episode of the series,
 * The End of the World as We Know It: And you'd be surprised who's responsible for it.
 * Enemy Within: Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon's Superpowered Love Makes You Evil Side.
 * Enigmatic Minion: Zoisite; Kunzite to a lesser extent.
 * Episode Zero: The Beginning: Act Zero
 * Everything's Better with Spinning: The Senshi transformations (except Minako).
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: NO. NO, IT REALLY ISN'T.
 * Evil Costume Switch:  gets one of these upon being brainwashed.
 * Evil Counterpart: The Shittenou, particularly in PGSM, are portrayed as the senshi's equals and opposites . Their individual characterizations take things further:
 * Jadeite->Makoto = Both staunch in their duties as warriors. Jadeite because he loves Beryl and Makoto because she believes she has nothing to look forward to.
 * Nephrite->Ami = Both devoted to the point of fanaticism.
 * Zoisite->Minako = Both rely on questionable methods to make sure history doesn't repeat itself.
 * Kunzite->Rei = Both Screw Destiny believers.
 * Evolving Credits: Act 48.
 * Executive Meddling: Wonder why the ending feels a little rushed? The series was supposed to go a full 52 episodes plus the specials. The ratings led the network to chop the episode order down to 49 episodes late in production.
 * Expy: Luna's human form has a functional role noticeably similar to ChibiUsa's character, even though Luna in her plush form still has her original anime voice and personality, which has always traditionally been depicted as an adult.
 * Fan Nickname: Akumi for the Brainwashed and Crazy Ami (aku + Ami).
 * Also, in an episode where Usagi went missing and Ami had to stand in for her not to get Ikuko-mama worried. Ami went so far as to replicate Usagi's hairstyle. And so fandom started calling her "Usami".
 * Faux Paw: Luna does this when she's in human form.
 * First-Name Basis: In the fifth episode, Ami tries to change herself to be more extraverted, thinking it'll make Usagi like her more; she even eats with Usagi's friends and attends Usagi's pajama party with Naru. By the end, she's come to her senses and it looks like everything's back to normal: even Usagi's friends are talking about her like she's gone for good. But then Usagi suddenly realizes that her friends have started to think differently about Ami, as evidenced by this:
 * First-Name Basis: In the fifth episode, Ami tries to change herself to be more extraverted, thinking it'll make Usagi like her more; she even eats with Usagi's friends and attends Usagi's pajama party with Naru. By the end, she's come to her senses and it looks like everything's back to normal: even Usagi's friends are talking about her like she's gone for good. But then Usagi suddenly realizes that her friends have started to think differently about Ami, as evidenced by this:

"Rei: We all have our dark sides,."
 * Foreshadowing

"Enemy: It's so completely obvious!"
 * Also the the track listing for Minako's CD which heavily foreshadows her roles in the series. Also much of the prequel, Act Zero.
 * Five-Man Band:
 * The sailor soldiers
 * The Hero: Usagi
 * The Lancer: Rei
 * The Smart Girl: Ami
 * The Big Girl: Makoto
 * The Chick: Minako
 * Endymion and the Shitennou
 * Endymion = The Hero
 * Jadeite = The Chick
 * Nephrite = Big Guy
 * Zoisite = Smart Guy
 * Kunzite = The Lancer
 * Five-Bad Band:
 * Beryl = Big Bad
 * Jadeite = The Dragon
 * Nephrite = The Brute
 * Zoisite = Dark Chick
 * Kunzite = Evil Genius
 * Mio Kuroki = Tagalong Kid
 * Gaussian Girl: Transformation sequences, special moves, stunning revelations... it's all done by upping the bloom, sometimes until you can't even see the character within the corona of the sun that's formed around her.
 * Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Luna and Artemis are stuffed cat toys for this series.
 * Additionally, during the early "Makoto and Rei have a fight then make up" episode, this is used as evidence that Makoto is a pretty normal girl after all (since she has cute stuffed animals in her purse). And Usagi enters a contest of "dress like this cute mascot" but, when she's unable to attend,
 * Hair Colors: In civilian form, the girls have hair colors in the normal "real" range, from black to a dark auburn. When they undergo their Transformation Sequence, their clothes and hair both change to what their anime and manga counterparts have always had, though Minako and Usagi have a realistic blond color instead of the yellow used in the stage shows.
 * Heroic BSOD: Usagi crashes into a catatonic stupor after . Unfortunately, this means that.
 * Ami experiences one earlier in the series, after . It takes her most of the following episode to recover.
 * Hot-Blooded: Nephrite. Parodied by Officer Akai in the "The Birth of Sailor V" special.
 * Hot Chick with a Sword: Ami first then the rest of the Senshi in the final act get handed weapons that are actually cool.
 * "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: The team against . Usagi even drops her costume rather than fight back, and starts with her speech (she is, after all, The Messiah), to the point of bringing out an object the one had given the other as a gift. Subverted when
 * Ill Girl: Minako.
 * Parodied by Officer Shirai in "The Birth of Sailor V" special
 * Impossibly Cool Clothes: Subverted by reality; while the girls look okay, Tuxedo Kamen looks incredibly dorky.
 * Incredibly Obvious Bug: It's bigger than a quarter, has blinking green lights for eyes, and apparently also makes a bleeping noise. The villains only notice it's on the case once it's pointed out to them.

"Sailor Moon: [thinking] Why didn't I notice it before?"
 * In the Name of the Moon: Considering it's a spin off the Trope Namer...
 * Large Ham: Beryl and Nephrite
 * Light Is Not Good:.
 * Local Hangout: Karaoke Crown; a replacement for the Anime/Manga's Crown Game Center, as arcades have fallen in popularity in japan and have been replaced by Karaoke places.
 * Magical Camera: The magical pens that the heroines used in the original are updated to magic cellphones. One function is the ability to create a disguise based on photos taken with them.
 * Magical Girl
 * Male Gaze: Just as much as the anime, of course, but with this being live-action, it's a whole different story.
 * The Rei as a pop star walking to her dressing room scene probably takes the cake, though.
 * Master of Disguise: The Soldiers' cellphones, which replace the Transformation Pen from the manga/anime, again due to being updated for current times.
 * Meganekko: Ami starts as one. She loses the glasses later on.
 * Merchandise-Driven: Everything even looks like plastic toys, too.
 * They probably are. If you look closely at 's Transformation Bracelet, there are small speakers that are usually on toys for electronic sounds on them.
 * More Than Mind Control: Although the senshi first assume that Kunzite's simply controlling Ami, they gradually realize that Dark Sailor Mercury is partly a result of Ami's own feelings of loneliness and inadequecy roaring to the surface (particularly when she ).
 * Morton's Fork: Once, he'll go on to destroy the world, unless - except that in doing so, , which will also destroy the world.
 * Mood Whiplash: Be prepared for lots of these.
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Ami after hurting Usagi, the cause of her Heroic BSOD.
 * The Musical: Yep, got its own musical stage show with the same cast, Kirari Super Live!
 * My Significance Sense Is Tingling: Both the senshi and the Shittenou can sense if something important's happened to one of their own, and Luna and Rei often sense the arrival of a new enemy before it makes its first appearance.
 * Non-Human Sidekick: Luna and Artemis.
 * Not as You Know Them: Minako, but she gets better midway through.
 * Not Quite Dead: and later on in the series.
 * More glaring with Mio, as she was seen Justified with  since
 * Odango Hair: Usagi of course, but also Luna's human form.
 * Offscreen Teleportation: the senshi - when they're fighting, more often than not - tend to change settings very quickly, most noticeably from an urban setting to a natural one or vice-versa. For instance, in Act 44, Zoisite is severely wounded while protecting in a dense urban area, but somehow seconds later they are in a park, Zoisite sitting against a tree
 * In Act 4, Ami's and the youma she's fighting are teleported from a Cultural Center in a busy Tokyo street to a wooden, secluded place.
 * Oh Crap: everyone every time.
 * Done by Mio in the Special Act when.
 * One-Winged Angel: Mio in the special act turned into a plant monster.
 * Panty Shot: The Soldiers' skirts were specifically designed to flip up as much as humanly possible.
 * As in the whole Sailor Moon franchise: don't care, it's a leotard, not panties.
 * Paper Fan of Doom: Used by Sailor Luna. She also produces one that is apparently made of gold, or is at least gold plated in a later episode.
 * Paper-Thin Disguise: Along with some Clark Kenting. Tuxedo Kamen is a Japanese man who dresses up in a tuxedo, top hat, cape, and mask. And yeah, to non-Japanese viewers, all Japanese men probably do "look alike" to the point where covering up his eyes was enough to make it a disguise, but how would this fool the various Japanese people around him anyway? Yet the scene where Sailor Moon finally removes his mask is played up for all the drama they can get.

"Serenity:"
 * It's also funny when an early episode has dozens of thieves running around dressed up as Tuxedo Kamen, since... um... maybe they think it'll make it easier to steal a valuable jewel? Yeah.... Anyway, it does manage to fool Sailor Moon, who goes out of her way to keep "Tux" from getting caught... by transforming into another Tuxedo Mask and luring off the guards.
 * It's better for the girls, who now sport drastic hairstyle changes -- in contrast to the anime, where they looked exactly the same in their civilian identities (yeah, plenty of Japanese teenagers run around with ankle-length golden pigtails... although I suppose Ami's blue hair is more understandable). At one point Minako says, without a trace of sarcasm, "We all look different in real life!"
 * That was actually a dub-only quote, and there's even a Headscratchers topic on this. Anywho, the Five Girl Band avert the trope, but Human!Luna also plays it straight by having the same navy blue hair she has as Sailor Luna. Subverted by Nephrite in Act 4, as Rei senses his aura as he walks by (she misattributes it to a youma, but this makes sense because the girls hadn't met any of the Shitennou in battle yet).
 * People in Rubber Suits: Though sometimes swapped out with CG instead.
 * Pet the Dog: Beryl starts getting a few such moments near the end of the series, culminating in her releasing Jadeite from her mind control spell so he can escape the Dark Kingdom's destruction, leaving her to die alone.
 * Pragmatic Villainy: Queen Beryl doesn't kill off her servants when they fail her. Oh, there's punishment, but why get rid of a loyal servant?.
 * Precision F-Strike: Makoto Kino says "fuck you" to a youma in the most widely known fansub. The Japanese language has no true curse words, though the phrase she used, "zakkenayo", and the context may convey a similar meaning.
 * Prop Recycling: One set of Mooks is togged out in long robes and hoods over some very familiar masks. Super Sentai/Power Rangers fans will remember them as the Golem Hei/Putty Patrollers from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Mio in the special act treats her plan for world conquest like it's a game. And she talks to a doll.
 * Put Them All Out of My Misery:.
 * Real Time: Not in individual episodes per se, but the series' internal calendar corresponded to the broadcast calendar, in that the action all occurs between October 2003 and October 2004, and any calendar dates seen corresponded to the day or week that particular episode was broadcast, most notably the New Year's episode.
 * Recap Episode: Act 38.
 * Remote Body: Mio, described as Queen Beryl's shadow, has shades of this, mirroring Beryl's moods and sometimes acting as her projected avatar. She does seem to have her own personality, though, and later returns to life as a separate villain.
 * Retool: Big and small changes from the anime and manga all across the board, including being updated to fit in with current tech and fads, rather than those of the early 90s. Some of the elements from the manga that didn't appear in the anime are kept, although the series in general is a re-imagining of both the original story and its characters.
 * Roof Hopping: Several instances, including Sailor V combining it with the Bird Run.
 * Seventh-Episode Twist: Mamoru finds out Sailor Moon's identity but keeps it a secret.
 * She Fu
 * Spared By Adaptation: Nephrite.
 * Squeaky Eyes: Very disconcerting in a live show...
 * The Starscream: Kunzite, who's extremely powerful, but also very arrogant and has almost no loyalty to Beryl whatsoever. She'd exiled him for his Starscream tendencies before, and almost immediately begins to regret bringing him back.
 * Stepford Smiler: Usagi has hints of this when she is told her being upset is activating the powers of the Ginzuishou.
 * Story Arc
 * Super-Powered Evil Side:
 * Taking You with Me: Makoto tries this against Metallia's youma by using herself as a lightning rod. It doesn't work, but she survives. Mamoru later tries this . It doesn't work, but he survives....
 * Talking Is a Free Action: Ami invokes her first transformation into Sailor Mercury during a 20-foot-fall -- and she does it by reciting a trigger phrase that takes about three or four times longer to say than she should have taken to reach the ground.
 * Averted later when, for example, Rei isn't able to get her transformation phrase out before a youma-possessed boy runs up some stairs to sucker punch her and steal her life force. Another time, Usagi has enough time to transform, but her transformation also gives the enemy enough time to pop up behind her, so that the second she's in costume he's got his hands around her throat.
 * Also, apparently ballet moves are a free action, given the number of times enemies just stand there staring while the Scouts twirl, pirouette, and cartwheel their way across the room. Maybe it's a form of Mook Chivalry? Or maybe they're just stunned by all the Panty Shots.
 * Time Skip: The Special Act takes place 4 years after the final battle.
 * Toku
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Quite a few examples here
 * Rei's tomboy to Minako's girly girl.
 * Rei's tomboy to Usagi's girly girl.
 * Also, Makoto's tomboy to Usagi's girly girl.
 * Transformation Sequence: Both straight and subverted; the latter done with a tongue-in-cheek "dressing" sequence for Tuxedo Kamen in one of the supplemental shorts.
 * Uncanny Valley Girl: Kuroki Mio.
 * Unexplained Recovery: While most of the resurrections are justified, Mio makes her villainous return in the special act with a gleeful lack of explanation, apart from vague hints that she's spent the past four years gathering her strength.
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Does nobody see Usagi magically changing dresses in the middle of the sidewalk with all these cars going by behind her??
 * Keeping your eyes on the road is the most important rule in driving.
 * Viewers Are Goldfish: Wait, are on edge around each other? The same way they've been on edge around each other for like two episodes? Who can remember back that far? Better just replay the reason for it all, using the same flashback scene as the last couple of times, eh?
 * Voice of the Legion: gains one after.
 * Walking on Water: Being a water elemental, Ami nonchalantly does this a few times.
 * Wanting Is Better Than Having: Ami again, for several episodes trying to kill off the other senshi (even taunts them in civilian form), granted she is under partial control, but actually DOING so finally snaps her out of it, cue Heroic BSOD.
 * Wham! Episode: Act 20. Minako, Makoto confronts Tuxedo Mask and Kunzite.
 * Wham! Line: With four simple words, Princess Serenity flips the whole story upside-down...

"Minako: Didn't you sense a strange presence from the manager? Usagi: No presence, but this is in manga all the time, right? An idol wants free time, so she does stuff like this, right?"
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: Zoisite (almost blindingly so!)
 * Wicked Cultured: Zoisite is a talented pianist.
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: The show pretty much runs on this, from the characters naively assuming they know what they're doing, to the audience making the same assumption. From Act 12:


 * Yandere:.

See also the entry for Sailor Moon; most of its tropes also appply to PGSM.