While many children's anime come and go, there is something about Sailor Moon that has proven to have staying power after all of these years. This is for a variety of reasons; from the memorable characters, emotional soundtrack, and timeless story of good vs. evil. However, the main reason Sailor Moon still has fans lies in the fact that the series does what Walt Disney himself said was the secret to his success: the series speaks to children and the child in the adult. What’s more, Sailor Moon touches on some very real adult emotions that are rarely found in children's anime, and it makes the series more memorable as a result.
While there are many examples one could cite as to how this is, the one we’re going to focus on today is the season finale of the first season, in which the Sailor Soldiers head off to fight Queen Beryl for the final time. This finale has been discussed by fans for years for its epic nature and heartbreak, however, there is an aspect to the finale that is rarely discussed, and that aspect may be the key reason why it resonates much more for adults than for kids.
The Americanized Ending for Season One
Before we begin going further, we need to stress that the ending we are discussing today is the original Japanese ending. While the uncut version of the show has finally been wonderfully dubbed by Viz Media in its uncut glory, for years Americans had to deal with an edited version by DiC Entertainment. This version was actually the last two episodes of the season finale edited into one. Things like the death of the Sailor Soldiers and many of the emotional moments were removed in favor of a more action-oriented ending.
If this is the only version you’ve seen, we highly recommend seeking out the uncut two-part finale, as it is far more emotional, has more story, and is what we are discussing in this article. Please keep in mind if you like the DiC finale, that’s perfectly fine, it just isn’t the ending we’re discussing in this article today.
The True Ending
We should take a moment to mention that there WILL be spoilers in this article, so if you don’t want the ending to the first season of Sailor Moon spoiled, now is your chance to bail. If you have seen the finale (or don’t care about having it spoiled) then feel free to read on. The final episode of the first season of Sailor Moon is quite the emotional roller coaster. Sailor Moon continues her journey to face Queen Beryl after her friends were all killed protecting her from the DD Girls. When she arrives at Queen Beryl’s base she is forced to fight her true love - Endymion - who has been brainwashed by Beryl.
After a particularly brutal fight, Sailor Moon manages to free Endymion from the spell he is under. Enraged by this, Beryl attacked the two and Endymion dies protecting Sailor Moon. More determined than ever before, Sailor Moon tearfully says goodbye to her love and goes to face Beryl alone as Princess Serenity. The battle is hard and difficult, but with the help of the spirits of her friends Serenity defeats Beryl at the cost of her own life. As she dies with the power of the silver crystal surrounding her, she makes a final wish that she could go back to being a normal teenage girl with her friends. She wakes up the next day with her and her friends alive. Though they have no memory of each other, Luna and Artemis (the cats who trained them) believe they will all meet and become friends again.
Why this Resonates with Adults So Much
On the surface, this is more than a worthy finale to an epic show, but it is what Sailor Moon says that speaks so much to adults. While she is dying she speaks the following words:
When I wake up in the morning, I feel the breeze as it rustles the white curtains in my bedroom. My cookoo clock tells me its 7am, but I hear my mom say, 'Come on, sleepy-head. Time to get up, or you'll be late.' It's so hard to wake up, so I think to myself, just three more minutes and I'll get out of bed. Of course, I'm late for school everyday. Miss Haruna makes me stand out in the hall and all my tests are covered with red marks. On our way home from school, we all stop for some crapes and go check out the party dress on display in the store window... It's those simple things that made my life so happy and fun. I wish... I wish I could go back...to being just a normal girl.
It is in these words that adults get a strong sense of melancholy. While Sailor Moon is speaking of the responsibility of saving the world from super-powered villains, the words just as easily speak to those of us who have left our childhood behind and now must fend for ourselves in the world. We have families, work, and bills to pay. Birthdays are less of a day when we get cool presents and become more of a reminder that we are getting closer to death. We lose loved ones that we know will never come back.
In short, there’s a part of us that looks back on our youth and miss those days. One of the reasons nostalgia has become so big is because many of our fondest memories come from when we were young and innocent, and there is a desire to revisit those days. We can never truly wind back the hands of time though, so all we can do is remember them as best as we can. The season finale of Sailor Moon reminds us of those lost innocent days of ours, how much we would love to go back to living in them as carefree youth, and we get a moment of happiness to see Usagi and her friends get the do-over we will never have. It’s not a message that speaks to kids much, but adults can’t help but be touched by such an ending.