I enjoy Sailor Moon. It's definitely not my favorite animated series, but it's good, clean fun. The Sailor Moon R Movie is a continuation of the same characters and plots you meet in the first Sailor Moon TV series. Chronologically, it was released at the end of the first season in Japan. (As a side note, "The Promise of the Rose" was not part of the title in Japanese.)

This movie is available either subtitled or dubbed and on both DVD and VHS, The DVD version contains both the subbed and dubbed versions of the movie. American viewers who are most familiar with the dubbed show (now on Cartoon Network) might be more comfortable watching the dubbed version.

I saw the subtitled version of the Sailor Moon R movie (which is why I'm writing Mamoru instead of Darien and Usagi instead of Serena). I thought the translators did a great job. Oftentimes, when a show gets officially subtitled, the translators miss meanings or drop lines in order to keep the translation in line with the dialog in the dubbed version. I didn't find that to be the case here though.

If you're a big Mamoru fan, you'll like this movie. It focuses around him and a "friend" from outer space (and his past). It's a rather typical Sailor Moon plot (an evil being from elsewhere tries to take over people, Sailor Moon fixes everything and it turns out that the evil person isn't so evil - someone else is "pulling the strings"), but it's definitely not bad.

This is my least favorite of the 3 Sailor Moon movies (the other two are S and SuperS), but that's not to say that Sailor Moon R is bad or that I don't like it. That's not the case at all! This is a really enjoyable movie. You get to learn about Mamoru's past and see some nice interaction between Mamoru and Usagi.

The animation is high-quality (much better quality than the TV series) and the music really fits well with the show. The story doesn't lag, but yet it's not so fast moving that you miss out on some of the more heart-warming and touching moments.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes animation - especially girls. Romance is a common theme throughout the Sailor Moon series and it especially shines through in the Sailor Moon R movie. I think that most young women/girls can appreciate the characters in Sailor Moon. They characters aren't prefect and each have their flaws. I think that part of Sailor Moon's popularity stems from the fact that it's easy to see yourself in the characters. But, as believable as the characters are, the plot are pure fantasy. What girl didn't grow up wanting to be a superhero... a princess... the center of her dream-hunk's affection?

There's nothing in this movie that would offend parents or children. I think this would make a great rainy day activity for the whole family. Violence is minimal and mostly implied. There's no bad language or nudity.

But most of all, this movie is a must-see for any fan or SailorMoon. If you or someone you love is a fan of Sailor Moon, you'll want to check this film out.

*********
This review was originally published over a year ago on epinions. However, due to the site's recent changes, it was relegated to the "Archived Movies" category. So, I deleted the review and decided to take the time to flesh it out a bit more.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12