Sailor Moon is one of those anime that truly changed the game, at least in how the medium was viewed and consumed outside of Japan and particularly in the West.
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Titular character Usagi Tsukino, her magical cat Luna, and her fellow Sailor Guardians — Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus — became the heroes of a generation when they first transformed into their iconic sailor uniforms onscreen to fight menacing villains.
The magical girl anime has an enduring legacy and has continued to be a part of the medium, otaku culture, and beyond since the early ‘90s, so it stands to reason that the franchise, created by Naoko Takeuchi, has multiple series and films.
But, because of this, it can seem a daunting task to watch the series for newcomers to the franchise, even old-time fans looking to return to the Takeuchi’s world may have trouble knowing where to begin and how the shows relate to each other.
Read more to find out everything you need to know about the Sailor Moon franchise, and how to watch it in the correct order.
How to watch Sailor Moon in release order
How to watch the Sailor Moon franchise in chronological order, according to its original release:
- Sailor Moon (Season 1)
- Sailor Moon R (Season 2)
- Sailor Moon R: The Movie – Promise of the Rose
- Sailor Moon S (Season 3)
- Sailor Moon S: The Movie
- Sailor Moon Super S (Season 4)
- Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie
- Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (Season 5)
- Sailor Moon Crystal (Reboot)
- Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1
- Sailor Moon Eternal Part 2
- Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 1 (to be released in 2023)
- Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 2 (to be released in 2023)
However, if viewers would rather not dive into the very early stages of the Sailor Moon franchise, or would rather an anime series that’s all killer and no filler, then they can instead focus on the remake, Sailor Moon Crystal, which adapts Takeuchi’s original manga from the start.
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It is a faithful adaptation of the manga, and so it is unlikely that the ongoing series will remake any of the storylines from earlier iterations of the franchise that weren’t first created by Takeuchi.
How many series are there in the Sailor Moon franchise?
The Sailor Moon anime adaptation first began airing in 1992, and it ran for a total of 46 episodes until 1993. It introduced the world to Usagi, the Sailor Guardians, and the villains they had to face in the Dark Kingdom.
This series was then followed by the sequel Sailor Moon R, a follow-up saw Sailor Moon that acts as Season 2. In it the Guardians fight off the Black Moon Clan. It was a brand new story that didn’t take its ideas from Takeuchi, and it even led to a sequel film (more on that later).
From 1994 to 1995, the franchise had another sequel titled Sailor Moon S which had 38 episodes in total, and is Season 3. In the anime, Usagi and the gang had to face the menacing, and appropriately named, Death Busters. The series may have been darker to what came before it, but it was its exploration of darker themes that made it a favourite amongst fans.
Sailor Moon Super S came next, and acts as Season 4, though the spin-off was aimed at a younger audience and so it had a much more light-hearted story compared to seasons past. The show had 39 episodes in total.
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars was the final series in the original version of the franchise, bringing it to five seasons in total, and the series featured 34 episodes that aired from 1996 to 1997. The anime returned the story to a darker tale, including the ominous Sailor Wars.
The TV series was given the reboot treatment in 2014 with the anime Sailor Moon Crystal, which ran until 2016 and had 34 episodes in total. The faithful adaptation of Takeuchi’s manga covered the Dark Kingdom, Black Moon and Infinity arcs again, and it is more closely tied to its source material.
How do the Sailor Moon films fit in the franchise?
There were a number of films that have been released as part of the Sailor Moon franchise, and they were released as sequels to their respective anime series.
As such, 1993 film Sailor Moon R: Promise of the Rose was released as a sequel to Sailor Moon R, while 1994 film Sailor Moon S: The Movie was a sequel to Sailor Moon S.
Sailor Moon Super S: The Movie was, you guessed it, a sequel to Sailor Moon Super S, and it was released in 1995 after the anime series.
Sailor Moon Crystal has also spawned several sequel films, which adapt the Dream arc from Takeuchi’s manga. There will be four films in total, the first two were titled Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 and 2, and the second set is titled Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 1 and 2.
The two Sailor Moon Cosmos films are scheduled to be released in Japan on 9th and 30th June, 2023, and an international release date has not yet been announced for them both.
How to watch Sailor Moon in the UK
The bad news is the original Sailor Moon franchise is not available to stream, nor is its reboot Sailor Moon Crystal. However, Viz Media has released the first series on Blu-ray and DVD. The company has also done so for Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon Super S, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, and Sailor Moon Crystal.
All of the aforementioned films are also available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray thanks to Viz Media. Meanwhile, both Sailor Moon Eternal movies are available to watch on Netflix.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what else is on.
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