Bishoujo Sailor Moon

A Parent's Guide to Anime
Rated: PG
Parental Guidance Advised

(Original Japanese Release)

Series ran from 1993 to 1998

Review by Lynn Prospect, 1999.07.21

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon) is a show about a group of teenage girls who defend the Earth and their princess against the forces of evil. Issues such as the power of love, forgiveness, compassion, friendship, moral courage, and inner strength are dealt with in a fashion that is not only amusing and often light-hearted, but also thought-provoking and deeply moving.

Review by Cheryl

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, or 'Sailormoon' for short is a story about nine girls divided into two groups, the inner and outer senshi (soldiers). They have their own missions, the inners to defend the Moon Princess, Serenity and the outers to defend her kingdom. Each of the senshi have their own personalities, histories, and looks. There is much humor in this series, and there is a lot of "girl related" aspect, such as in the first series (out of five), and they wear Japanese school uniforms as fighting attire. The senshi are all very close knit as friends, and one may actually see them as lesbians, although this is not true. In BSSM, there is romance, violence, and deep situations, and implied sex but none that are distasteful.

Parent's Guide Rating:

yellow (parental guidance advised)

Review by Lynn Prospect, 1999.07.21

The series (five TV seasons, three movies, and assorted special features), along with the manga series it was based on, was originally intended for girls in late elementary/junior high school. There are five categories of parental concern about this series that need to be described and elaborated upon: violence, nudity, foul language, homosexuality, and overall character.

Violence: the girls battle monsters and other demons using attacks that at times can be scary. There is very little bloodshed, but there are instances of suicide and death that take place during critical moments in the plot. However, anyone who dies is usually reincarnated and returns to continue the fight. In general, it is a little bit more than fantasy violence but stops short of being anywhere near graphic.

Nudity: The 'infamous' transformation sequences are really not as bad as many people have made them out to be. When the girls change from normal identities into their superheroine forms, they are shown with visible anatomical lines--nothing too risque. There are cleavage shots, and in the later series the outfits become rather revealing, but for the most part there is no nudity to speak of.

Foul Language: Very little, apart from an occasional mild curse in the heat of battle.

Homosexuality and Graphic Romance: there are two couples in the series, one male couple and one female couple, that present implied homosexuality. No actual sex scenes are shown, either for homo- or heterosexual couples.

Overall Character: There are a few questionable scenes in this series. During one season of the series, there are assorted references to a 'Messiah' and a 'Holy Grail', but there are few overt religious overtones. Nevertheless, the lessons it can teach to children far outweigh the questionable scenes. However, it is a judgement call, not suitable for all audiences or very young children.