Sometimes, us young people forget that we can look to older texts for insight. Our forebears put a lot of work into cataloguing their knowledge of the world, and it's important to go back sometimes and take in that knowledge. For example, Sailor Moon—a relic from a bygone era, penned by an ancient generation—answers a lot of crucial questions just in first episode. Like, "why did Madoka save that cat?" (She was genre-savvy, and wanted magical powers in the first place.) Or, "which anime director hated walking the most?" (Junichi Sato, director of Sailor Moon, an anime in which people are almost never shown walking.)
Usagi's melodrama is more annoying than endearing, but some of the cartoon comedy is amusing. The plot, such as it is in the first episode, is nothing special. On top of that, the production is the absolute worst. I mentioned the walking thing in a joke, but it's seriously terrible. Some of the characters move like they're in the post-budget episodes of Kare Kano1. But the walking isn't even the only thing. Corners are consistently cut. For characters in shadow, Sailor Moon loves displaying well-lit eyes protruding from unlit silhouettes, which feels so lazy that I actually burst out laughing a few times. I know Sailor Moon is well-loved, but do I need to give Toei props for this incredibly low-budget mess?
Recommend: No.
This First Glance was requested by a patron.