Fighting Evil by Moonlight...
by
, 06-14-2016 at 09:21 AM (18961 Views)
So tonight I finally broke out a Christmas present I received several years ago that I never watched. Partly because for the first time in a long time, I felt ready for it. I acquired a DVD set that featured the entire DiC dub of the first two seasons of Sailor Moon, so basically the original dub, not the new one. Original Western score, Sailor Says, and the whole "Serena and Darien" name changes.
It was glorious.
For those who don't know, I was a huge Sailor Moon fan when I was in Middle/High School and I even recorded the series on my VCR. This show came into my life at a very defining part of my life, and a point I still strongly associate with better times. I will even freely admit I had a mad crush on Lita (Sailor Jupiter) when I watched it, though Serena/Usagi is also close to my heart for other reasons.
I think part of the issue of why I've avoided indulging for so long was partly out of fear that so much time had passed, and I would see the series for the shoddy butchering many SM fans claim it to be; yet its this version that I fell in love with. For all the cheesy dialogue, VA missteps, terrible censorship, and dumbing down the show received; it was just as magical as when little fourteen-year-old WK discovered the show and discovered his romantic nature.
I'm not ashamed to say I was blushing while watching the show, as my mind raced back to those days I originally watched the show, and to a young love I still treasure in my heart. For the first time in a long while, I felt like my old self again.
I remember a conversation I had with a friend who is ten years my junior, who tried and failed to watch Sailor Moon. She just didn't get the appeal of the series, and as I thought about it I knew she probably wouldn't since she wasn't far too young to know how U.S. television rolled back in the 90s. As corny as the series is now, it was pretty ahead of its time compared to other children's programming of the time, with only the X-Men and Batman cartoon series giving any kind of substance. It starts off goofy but the series eventually went to some really powerful moments like Nephrite and his relationship with Molly, the revelation about their past lives, the struggle of fighting a brainwashed Tuxedo Mask, the Scouts sacrifices, and so forth. You didn't get this kind of stuff from Animaniacs, Disney Afternoon, and Nickelodeon.
More importantly for me though, this series sort of jump started my need for romance. I don't feel like it was coincidence that I fell truly in love for the first time shortly after discovering this show. Perhaps it opened up a need within myself to open my heart to someone else? Even now my heart feels a flush with emotion as I think back to those days of choir competitions, passing notes in class, making mix tapes, and writing stories I hoped to share one day.
This evening has been such a pleasant nostalgic experience for me, it will be sad when the euphoria of the moment ends and I come crashing back down to reality, but I would like to believe that it won't really go away and I'll still be dreaming of full moon nights with the one I love.
I love this show and I'm not afraid to admit it. Now I'm going to make a new playlist for my music while I write something mushy.