1.) Cutesy Speeches
2.) Tight Outfits
3.) Really close "cousins"
4.) Women who became men who become women
Sailor Moon is easily one of the most recognisable and well known of all anime series. It has been reproduced in multiple languages and aired in dozens of countries. The series ran for 5 years in Japan with 200 episodes, 3 movies, a musical, and a live action series. Nowadays you could walk up to anyone under twenty five, show them a picture of Sailor Moon herself, and they're bound to at least recognise her.
-Cutesy Speeches-
Sailor Moon has been praised for empowering it's female viewers with lessons of confidence, determination, friendship, teamwork, and acceptance. Thanks to Disney's influence in the dubbed version (translation from Japanese to English audio) the series even featured short "Sailor Says" segments at the end of each episode preaching life lessons about moderation, manners, and safety. Examples of these include segments about such topics as binge eating, civic pride, and self confidence.
An example of the series's themes and "Sailor Says" segments are featured in a link below in a 9 or so minute clip from the season one finale episode.
I should warn you though, it's pretty corny, and includes random music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaInzA0jjnw
These relate to feminism and feminist ideals in a few positive ways; the series puts emphasis on the teamwork between the individual heroins who each bring their own strengths to the table (Mercury's intelligence, Jupiter's strength etc) much as feminism stresses cooperation between women instead of competition and women. Also the Sailor Scouts actually come from varied backgrounds, only Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus have "nuclear families." Sailor Mercury was raised by her single working mother, Sailor Mars was raised primarily by her Grandfather, and Sailor Jupiter has no legal guardians at all (in Japan it is more common for teenagers without parents to be entirely self sufficient).
-Those Tight Uniforms-
Unfortunately (but predictably) the series has many faults as well. Obviously the uniforms the Sailor Scouts wear emphasize stereotypical femininity with their short skirts and tight tops, along with large bows and later in the series more lace and gossamer, it should probably also be mentioned that fighting evil can only be harder with the addition of heels. Most of the characters also for some reason took on a Vally girl dialect in the English version, and most of the special items in the series come in the form of hand mirrors and makeup compacts. The characters (minus Sailor Mercury) are also rather infamous for being quite stupid and dull witted and Sailor Moon is especially susceptible to panicking and sobbing when under duress. Also, when they transform, they are in naked silhouette... necessary? No. But I must admit... kinda cool looking.
Example of Sailor Scout uniforms
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/sailor_moon_049.jpg
You may also notice that each of them are portrayed in a way that we would probably consider to look "white." However the characters are written as and considered to be Japanese (and the backdrop for the series is referred to many times as Tokyo), this is not abnormal. In anime, there is usually almost no certain way to distinguish between a character who is supposed to be Chinese as opposed to one that is an American (unless it is stated, although some do feature more almond shaped eyes and show the populace to be mainly dark haired, but that is generally not the case). Contrary to popular belief anime does feature characters of other races and nationalities. But in Sailor Moon all the girls are thin, long legged, and busty, looking reminiscent of Barbie dolls (especially in the cases of Sailor Moon and Venus), which unfortunately can only help perpetuate an unrealistic and harmful idea of beauty to young girls even while the series preaches about "loving ones self."
Even Sailor Moon's personality has been sprinkled with long held believes/ stereotypes about women. For instance she is usually portrayed as airy (even stupid) and overly emotional (prone to cartoony cry-baby fits) is uninterested in school and receives especially low marks in math and science. Her dream/ goal is actually to become a bride and housewife.-Those Two "Cousins"-
Two Sailor Scouts, (Sailor Uranus and sailor Neptune) are openly gay. They have a relationship with each other and in the uncut version of the series there is even a wedding episode (However I do not think this episode ever made it to the English version. I don't know, after season two I just watched it in uncut Japanese). However in the English version they are said to be "cousins" to avoid U.S. controversy over the series. But when you watch the show it is blatantly obvious that cousins do not interact as they do, and their story arcs do not coincide to support this lie. In the English version it is stated at least once an episode that they are cousins, even by characters who should have no idea if they are related. Sometimes, because it was simply to hard to completely remove their flirting makes it into the English version, but it is very subdued. Later parts of the series show their relationship to be more explicit, and there is even an episode where Sailor Uranus and Sailor Moon have an indirect conversation about the relationship, in which Uranus states, "My love is a different kind of love."
Sailor Uranus and Neptune Images
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/UranusNeptune42.jpg
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/jom.jpg
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/les.jpg
Obviously feminism is in support of romantic relations between women (as is the anime subculture, which should be obvious by the fact this show was created for a young female audience, though the relationship was questioned in Japan, it was never edited or "toned down"). But of course the English version was cut, edited, (and in many fans view completely destroyed, most fans will only watch it in uncut Japanese for this reason) mainly because of this relationship. Apparently networks feared a rash of angry parents or religious groups claiming that the show was "teaching" lesbianism. Networks are so stupid.
-The Gender Benders-
In the last story arc of Sailor Moon there are are new set of characters, the "Sailor Stars." Up until then the warriors had been all female, represented by planets. But the Sailor Stars (the three stars prominent on Orion's Belt) were MEN. Or, to be more specific, men who transformed INTO women using their star powers. The creator of Sailor Moon (Takeuchi) actually complained about this (as it conflicted with her rule that only girls could be Sailor Warriors), in the manga form (the original comics) the Sailor Stars were women who transformed into Sailor Scouts just like the others, but for some reason the anime changed the Stars into men who underwent a physical transformation into women to fight. In the anime the three Sailor Stars were even part of a popular boy band and their leader Seiya and Sailor Moon had something of a "thing" (which carried through even when he transformed into a female Sailor Star). This saga of Sailor Moon has never been translated into English but has been aired in a few other countries nonetheless.
Link to the transformation sequences of the Sailor Stars (it shows the multiple variations of the transformations, some of which make the physical man to woman transformation more obvious).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MTIjvVq-uk
Videos made by fans of the series out of compiled video, just in case no one believes they are actually men.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN6pgJfL5Yc&feature=related
Images
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/2212152850_a7f392725e.jpg
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/oo104/poptartskillyou/2212153542_1cfd64e8d7.jpg
So Sailor Moon obviously isn't a series that really cares about gender barriers or limitations, it basically crosses lines and break rules whenever it suits the story. If anything it stresses the point that not only are women capable of being warriors, being strong, being independent, and being dependable, but are in fact very well suited to it. The Sailor Scouts give their lives and make great sacrifices to protect the safety of their Princess (Sailor Moon) and the earth, especially in the latter ends of the series, which of course wasn't made into English, and when they were, were edited shamelessly to fit into American gender norms and values. In the beginning of the series Sailor Moon's love interest Darien (Tuxedo Mask) saves the Sailor Scouts and intervenes in nearly every episode to guide the usually bewildered and victimized Scouts, these of course were the episodes that were translated quickly, with no qualms. Later, as the Sailor Scouts began saving HIM and becoming independent (and as Sailor Uranus and Neptune began to appear) the dubbing began to slow, networks stopped buying the rights, and production ceased completely.
So, is Sailor Moon an empowering shojo series made to encourage and uplift young girls? Or more corporate propaganda made to perpetuate negative images of women? Or was it an uplifting, groundbreaking series in Japan that was viciously manipulated by the bastard American networks in the hope of perpetuating their values and helping them boost ratings?!
I think you know how I feel, but what do you think? I know that when I was small and I watched Sailor Moon I felt just a little bit more like I had power over things.
