AKA: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon R the Movie

Genre: Magical girl fantasy / romance drama / action

Length: Movie, 60 minutes

Distributor: Currently licensed by Viz Entertainment, available streaming on Youtube.

Content Rating: 13+ (fantasy violence)

Related Series: Sailor Moon original lineup (Sailor Moon, S, Super S, Stars - TV season and accompanying movie, plus the "Ami in Love" short), Sailor Moon Crystal lineup (Crystal - 3 TV seasons, Eternal - 2 movies, Cosmos - 2 movies)

Also Recommended: Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura

Notes: This theatrical release follows the Sailor Moon R TV series, which in turn is based off the Sailor Moon manga by Takeuchi Naoko, available from TokyoPop.

Rating:

Sailor Moon R the Movie: The Promise of the Rose

Synopsis

In the past, Mamoru (Darien) gives his friend Fiore a single rose. Fiore is very happy and tells Mamoru that when they next meet he will have many flowers. As the story progresses, Fiore thinks of Usagi (Serena) and her friends as having stolen Mamoru away from him. Eventually Fiore decides to get rid of the Sailor Scouts through a flower filled with evil energy and a meteorite. Will the Sailor Scouts be able to conquer both and defeat Fiore?

Review

Having been a big Sailor Moon fan when it originally appeared in America, I figure it's only right for someone who has viewed the series to review the movies. That said, here we go.

The entire plot of the movie is like the episodes though a little more complex since it's dealing with Mamoru and not one of the Scouts as is usually seen in the series. You have your typical Rei, feeling the evil vibes, and, of course, Usagi as her good ol' self. But what's different about the movie that we haven't seen before?
Well, there's a meteorite. Yes, that's right, folks: a meteorite. How is Sailor Moon supposed to deal with this? I'll give you a little hint: Princess Serenity. We also get to see a rare transformation of Mamoru to his royal form.

I thought the animation in the movie to be of much better quality than the series. It's only natural for a movie to have that. The music was addicting, as any SM fan would find it. Many websites have the music in MIDI format but the soundtrack is much better.

Overall the movie is pretty good. It's a must-see for any fan of Sailor Moon.

— Bri Lockett

Recommended Audience: Anyone should be able to watch this show. However a few of the fight scenes and some scenes near the ending may scare small children if they don't understand what's happening.

Editor's Note: Though Pioneer gives the movie a 13+ rating, it's really no worse than the TV series, and therefore really ought to be a 6+. Your mileage may vary.