Summary
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie part 1 is a worthwhile investment for fans and newcomers alike.
This review of the Netflix anime film Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie part 1 contains no spoilers.
While Netflix is no match for the ever-popular Crunchyroll, it has managed a great feat in securing a double-bill Sailor Moon series. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie is provided in two parts, giving both to audiences on the same day. Oh, how spoiled we are. It wouldn’t be a bad move for Netflix to aggressively expand their anime range, especially after nailing their grip on k-drama. It seems that the streaming service is finding strength outside its core offering.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie part 1 brings carnival spirit. With the once-in-a-millennium eclipse arriving, the Sailor Guardians find themselves facing a new threat. A sinister troupe named Dead Moon Circus arrives in town, incarnating nightmares on innocent bystanders, vowing to retrieve the Legendary Silver Crystal, so they can dominate the Earth and Moon, and eventually the Universe. Meanwhile, Pegasus is searching for the chosen Maiden who can break the seal of The Golden Crystal.
Part 1 is mechanical in its approach — when the danger arrives and manifests into something great, the Netflix anime film decides to spur a series of scenes per chosen character, highlighting how they have succumbed to the nightmares, and consequentially, what Sailor they represent. It’s flagrantly a base builder for part 2, and while it is an entertaining 80 minutes, we can wonder if this could be one complete film. There’s nothing to grumble at in this; once the story takes hold, and the town embraces the circus, and we are warmed by the sweet story of Mamo-chan, Chibi-usa, and Usagi-sama, then it becomes action-filled and objective-led by design. It feels like the film is trying to ensure that old and newer audiences can rejoice and enjoy.
Thematically, Netflix’s Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie part 1 firmly holds on to this togetherness, consistently held by the main characters. The distinguishable nature between good and evil is apparent, but something we’d expect from Sailor Moon.
It did cross my mind whether the studio initially wanted this two-part film to be an episodic anime series, such is the nature of the mechanical approach leading up to the main events. It does not feel like a coincidence that everything felt phased rather than a natural progression. But 80 minutes is hardly dirt on the nose for the commitment, especially with part 2 to follow; the way that part 1 delves into the Sailors’ hopes and dreams, bringing mature character development, is much to be desire.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie part 1 is a worthwhile investment for fans and newcomers alike.
