"Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie" or "Sailor Moon S 64"

If you are just getting into anime and you are not in elementary school, cartoons for the youngsters are probably not what you are looking for. Well, I would like to inform you that you may be limiting yourself if you totally ignore these shows. It was "Robotech" and "Voltron" being shown on syndication when I was five that got me interested in the Japanese animation, and I still like to check these shows out every now and then. 

I would also like to ask you what is there that is any good to watch during the afternoons if the "Emperor's Cup" is not being aired on ESPN or ESPN 2? The answer is Toonami on Cartoon Network. If you like some of the shows from this block of programming, the odds are that there are more mature versions of these shows that are available at your mall's video store. If you want good art work, regardless of the target market, I never seen an ugly anime chick unless it is obviously intentional.

As long as you accept a good kids show as a good show, some of these title maybe worthwhile to you.

Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie

Genre: fantasy (could be considered comedy, female themed) Length: 60 minutes (theatrical film) Audience Age: 3+ (If you view the dubbed version)

Opinion: It definitely feels like a rushed TV episode.

This is a review of the subtitled VHS version.

One of the first notable animes to get imported to the United States.

Chibi-Usa, Sailor Chibi-Moon and Usagi's daughter from the future, meets a boy named Peruru who has the ability to control the movement of baked goods by playing his flute. She becomes an immediate friend with him but he has to leave for some mysterious reason. That night the children of Tokyo including Chibi-Usa are being led to a levitating boat by a piper who is using the children's unconscious state to his advantage.

After a failed attempt to rescue the children by the Sailor Soldiers, Chibi-Moon's new friend explains what is going on. Him and his brothers are capturing children who have beautiful dreams to help their leader, Badiyanu, to create her "Black Dream hole" to engulf the earth. So it is now up to Usagi, Sailor Moon, all of the remaining Soldiers, and their new ally to prevent the success of Badiyanu's plan.

Sailor Moon Super S definitely feels like a rushed TV episode. If you have seen the Sailor Moon television series, one can immediately tell that the animation for this film is not really improved. For those who have not seen the show...well this is the style that most people recognize as typical Japanimation, so they will not give a lot of "ooohs" and "aaahs". Maybe Pioneer should have mixed talk show like audience cues with the subtitles. 

As a treat to the fans of the series, the third Sailor Moon film offers a cute opening theme song sequence, but this means nothing to any none fans.

Another flaw the film suffers from is something that almost all TV-based anime films also have to deal with, which is the plot being excessively dark and bleak. I associate cute anime faces with this series, not images of teenagers suffering from pain that seems to be more grueling than a Mick Foley wrestling match. 

If you buy the subtitled version of this film, I believe you will appreciate how mature the series can be, but to enjoy Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie, I believe you have to be a fan of the series and to also have a rather large budget for your anime purchases. 

This title maybe a good one to rent as long as it is subtitled, but do not go and try to save money at the mall so you can still buy some snacks by buying the dubbed version. I just have a feeling when there is a ten year difference between the rating of each version, I do not want to think of what Pioneer cut out. I guess those streamline figures of the scouts during their transformations will just blow three year-olds' minds away.

New Cutey Honey: The Sailor Moon 18-35 has been looking for

I think that cartoons that show nudity and graphic violence are probably what defines Japanese animation to those who are virtually clueless about anime. This may also be the same for US distributors because these seem to be essential to get theatrical releases in the west.

Despite the dirty connotation I am giving these films and shows, these are probably the most important films in animation. Films like "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell" show that animation is not only for kids and that limitations exist due to a writer's imagination. 

New Cutey Honey: Collection One

CUTEY HONEY

© 1994 Go Nagai/Dynamic Planning Inc.-Toei Video Co., Ltd.

Genre: Sci-Fi (Action themed) Length: 120 minutes (Four OVAs) Audience: 17 Up

Opinion: Unless you love every episode of a series similar to this, like Sailor Moon, this title is a gamble.

This is a review of the DVD release.

Based from the manga of Go Nagai.

I guess the future is pretty bleak in all forms of Sci-fi. "New Cutey Honey" takes place in a city that is virtually controlled by the evil cyborg Dolmeck. Police are powerless and the villain's mutant minions that our soon to be heroine's sidekick's, Chokkei, cybernetic grandfather cannot easily defeat. Fortunately, there is a prophecy for a time when an evil force like Dolmeck rises to power which is the arrival of a somewhat ancient heroine who is out to protect the weak.

Chokkei learns about this from his grandfather when he asked a question about a statue that looks a lot like the mayor's secretary, Honey. Well Chokkei's grandfather is immediately sure that she is the Honey from the prophecy, so the only think left to do is to convince her that she is super human. Since the mayor is at the top of the villains hit list, they better convince her soon.

I was always hesitant about buying New Cutey Honey (NCH) since I have an impressionable little brother and this was the only title whose A.D.V. Films preview blatantly shows nudity. After seeing the surprisingly risqué "Knights of Ramune" which features the work of the same character designer of NCH, Osamu Horiuchi, I pretty much told myself to forget buying this series. But always being curious and thrifty (thanks to Mom and Dad for buying me a DVD player for Christmas), I decided to by the first NCH DVD "Collection" which contains the first four episodes of the series or the first two video cassettes if you are a penny pincher who needs to know the bulk value of this disc.

Surprisingly, New Cutey Honey (NCH) is nothing like I expected. After seeing Knights of Ramune; a series that features the work of NCH 's character designer, Osamu Horiuchi, I figured this title would be some what offensive, but this series plays out more as a somewhat racier "Sailor Moon". The style of animation used is really unique with its ability to mix a 70s' style of drawing (this style is probably very similar to the original Cutey Honey series) for the supporting characters and a more modern style of animation for Honey and the villains she faces. Also the soundtrack is really good which gives this series a pop music video feel. 

As for the episode plots, they follow the widely used throughout anime method of having the heroes face off and destroy the episode's designated villain, only to realize that this villain was working for an even greater one. I think this is a rather hit and miss method, but all the episodes on this DVD seem to work well, but they are by no means as strong as the episodes of the best anime series.

Because this series uses this story format, I immediately know that this title is not for everyone, and I for one do not plan on buying any follow up volumes of this series. Unless you love every episode of a series similar to this, like Sailor Moon, you are gambling $20 to $30 if you choose to purchase a New Cutey Honey video.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHT: It appears that the series is divided into two seasons, so the ending of the last episode on this DVD actually has a good method of closure. This makes the disc stand alone and it does not make you feel like you need to buy any follow up videos of this series.

Image from the CG Shrines

Airbats 801 - Iron Eagle 4

It is cool that Angelfire is still around. It is also cool that if you look hard enough, you can find most of the GeoCities websites preserved on a server. If only "@Midnight" was still a thing. It is a shame that they will never capitalize on that content.

Angelfire may have kept my post GeoCities/Web Design Certification (icc.edu) site up the past 17 years, but with Yahoo's betrayal, if you have not created an operating system, I am going to put all my eggs in one basket. Thus, I am going to start moving the original AnimeFlow over to the Blogger sphere. So let us get over one repetitive tangent (look at all the It and I) and getting into repeating my earliest critical works.

801 T.T.S. Airbats: 1st Strike

© 1994 Toshimisu Shimizu / Tokuma Shoten - JVC

Length: 90 minutes (3 episodes)

Audience Age: 12+

Opinion: Well animated, average story. This is a review of the dubbed VHS version.

From the creator of the hentai title Rei Rei

If you have seen the previews for 801 T.T.S. Air Bats, you probably were able to gain the basic premise of the series which is girls plus jets means $21.60 worth of entertainment. To a certain extent, girls plus anything out of the ordinary will bring some profit in this animation genre, and when a sensitive but less than with it guy is thrown in the mix, the creator is assured an audience. The concept is cute and one will laugh in an on again off again pattern, but if it is not a "Tenchi Muyo" or an "El-Hazard" video, the consumer may have some regrets about the purchase.

801 gets a few bonus points from me since learning about jets was once a hobby of mine, but otherwise it is a lot like what I expect from one of these "girls meet boy, they meet…what was that again?" animes.

"1st Strike" focuses on the adventures or misadventures of Takuyo Isurugi, a private stationed with the all-female Tactical Training Squadron, the 801 Air Bats (is that name redundant?). All the girls have ended up here due to some disciplinary problem, or in the pink haired Yohko's case, poor flying ability, so it would seem that the Self Defense Force would rather have them perform at the air shows than carry sidewinders over the island nation.

After a rough first day for our hero, wandering in on women changing and they always seem to want to bash the $^!+ out of you, rival pilots Miyuki and Arisa are willing to get to know the new comer, and his willingness to prove that they are both good people puts them into a new contest of who can win Isurugi's heart. This added aggression between the girls could not have come at a worst time for the squadron since the superiors mean to bring down the Air Bats and any variable that will result in a bad flight evaluation will do so.

In the job description or not, Isurugi has to hold the 801 squadron together at the risk of his mental and likely his physical health. Add in the fact that he has to choose one of the girls to be in a relationship with, it seems like matters can only get worst.

Maybe the three episodes on one video pushed my attention span to the limit, but since the "801" does not have any bogeys to wax (jet jargon from "Iron Eagle"; bad guys to kill), there is not much action to keep one interested. As I said earlier, the laughs come every now and then. It is only 80s sitcom funny. The characters whose quirks and personalities make them pretty entertaining on the surface are not very deep, and a lack of character development act as preventing forces in the title's attempts to capture the audience.

It does make a valiant effort to make us care about the characters in the love triangle, giving the scenario a good chunk of the video, but the lack of depth in the characters hardly makes it any better than the less than valiant attempts "Saved by the Bell" made to draw emotion from the audience.

If you are really into the art and animation aspects of Japanese animated titles, you will not be disappointed. The character design did not really impress me, but it does have its own unique style which makes like/dislike an issue of taste. As for the rest of the animation, the Japan Air-Self Defense Force's involvement in the project helps give the series a special touch artistically.

801 Air Bats maybe well animated, but one episode fulfills the viewers need for cool artwork. If you want story, then this would be one of your average titles. I would say if you like the girls + the unusual equation, the 90 min. for a retail price of $20 is a bargain, but you would have to buy one of the worst dubs I have ever seen. That maybe an over exaggeration. Maybe the Southern States' dialect has crossed the largest ocean on the planet.

It, I and "Sailor Moon S: The Movie"

It is cool that Angelfire is still around. It is also cool that if you look hard enough, you can find most of the GeoCities websites preserved on a server. If only "@Midnight" was still a thing. It is a shame that they will never capitalize on that content.

Angelfire may have kept my post GeoCities/Web Design Certification (icc.edu) site up the past 17 years, but with Yahoo's betrayal, if you have not created an operating system, I am going to put all my eggs in one basket. Thus, I am going to start moving the original AnimeFlow over to the Blogger sphere. So let us get over one repetitive tangent (look at all the It and I) and getting into repeating my earliest critical works.

Sailor Moon S: The Movie
© 1993 Toei Animation
Released in North America © 1999 Naoko Takeuchi / Kodansha, Toei Animation

Genre: fantasy (could be considered comedy, female themed)

Length: 60 minutes (theatrical film)

Audience Age: 3+ (If you view the dubbed version)

Opinion: The film shows the full potential of the possible stories that can be written for this series.

This is a review of the subtitled VHS version.

One of the first notable animes to get imported to the United States.

I know many huge anime fans do not consider Sailor Moon to be anime despite it being from Japan, but I think that maybe a tad unfair. 

If it was not for Cartoon Network's Toonami line up bringing back shows I watched when I was five or six I would not have become a major league anime fan, but I was originally turned off by this two hour afternoon cartoon block when they would always remove one of my favorite shows like "Voltron" or Robotech" to fit "Sailor Moon" into line up. I did not have any intentions of watching Sailor Moon, but when you do not have a job during the summer, you watch anything on TV.

It took some time, but I soon realized that Sailor Moon may have been the best show on the Toonami line up until they picked up "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing". Not my favorite show, but I guess Robotech may have lost a little too much in the translation, so I recognize that the series in the states was only slightly superior to 80s American, toy-based cartoons like "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers". What makes Sailor Moon one of the best shows offered to kids are the somewhat serious plots, it has enough totally off the wall characters so the show would not grow stale too quickly, and the best aspect being that the series is full of almost all of the best anime clichés* (examples of anime clichés: giant heads when characters are angered and the giant sweat drop when characters are nervous).

Perhaps the fact that you could not obtain loyal to the original Japanese translations versions is why it was not considered to be anime. From viewing some of the original Japanese episodes with subtitles by the show's fans, I do know that the show may have been aimed at a much more mature audience before Time Warner and Disney owned DiC (the original distributor for U.S. TV) got a hold of it. Personally, I think that those who do not consider Sailor Moon to be anime are just bitter that their favorite shows have not crossed over to the American audience (anyone offended by this comment can e-mail me about it at bitemeotakus@animeflow.cubs).

If you have not seen any of the Sailor Moon episodes on American TV to allow you to pass judgment, I advice that you do not. It maybe an expensive recommendation, but I advice you go out and buy one of the subtitled videos to determine if the series is or is not an anime. 

NOTE: Rarely do I recommend spending the extra $5 to $10 to buy a subtitled version of an anime, but I do feel that this is the best way to view Sailor Moon. Otherwise, I will always recommend saving money until companies like A.D.V. Films, Pioneer, and Central Park Media pay me to do otherwise.

It is Winter in Tokyo and the weather is not the only thing cold. Luna, Usagi's (alter-ego Sailor Moon) talking cat and advisor/pet, is acting cold towards Artemis, Minako's (alter-ego Sailor Venus) talking cat and advisor/pet, and it also seems like she has a cold. In her ill state, she decides to find her way home by herself after an argument with the other cat.

While she tries to make it home, she is nearly hit by a car, but is rescued by an astronomer. Her hero takes her to his home to help her recover, and Luna gets pretty attached to him making her ponder what love truly is.

We also find out three things about her savior:
*Yes we do find out his name, but when I am also trying to remember the names of the 10 heroines, I cannot remember everything.*

1. He has a piece of a strange comet.
2. He believes in a moon princess.
3. He is suffering from some strange illness.

Is he suffering from Luna's cold, or is his illness related to the other unique items about him? Also, could this be connected to the new ice demonesses who are attacking Tokyo?

With the weird plot point of the interspecies love concept Luna has, Sailor Moon S is definitely too far out for anyone consider this title to be Americanized.  Despite this rather wild element, the focus on the cat's quest for knowledge really makes for a good story.  Still, like all other Japanese TV series' movies, the plot is extremely dark when compared to the source material.

A unique, solid story is about the only recognizable improvement in this theatrical film from its preceding TV show.  The animation quality is not any more admirable than the original show with the exception of a few cool looking computer effects.  Also, all other technical elements about this film are only equal to its TV show.  Being a Sailor Moon fan, I appreciate the new opening credit sequence, but it cannot be thought highly of by those unfamiliar with the series.

For a theatrical feature, Sailor Moon S does not measure up to most films, but it does show the full potential of the possible stories that can be written for this series.  Ignoring the lack luster animation, Sailor Moon S should be found enjoyable by most anime fans.