Sailor Moon, Vol. 3: The Man in the Tuxedo Mask (1995)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

English Adaptation Written by Mycheline Tremblay, Gary Plaxton, and Lisa Lumby
Based on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi
Directed by Junichi Sato
ADR Director: Roland Parliament

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Cute underage schoolgirls
• A hint of romance
• Rampant wedding dresses
• Post-modernist, self-aware commentary

Released by: ADV
Region: 1
Rating: Safe for all ages
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Get it!

The third volume of the Sailor Moon saga brings us six more episodes of Negaverse evil and Sailor heroism. In the first episode, “Wedding Day Blues,” Serena and Rei are competing with each other again, this time in a sewing contest to win a trip to Hawaii. Their teacher, recently engaged to be married, is also entering, but her personality seems to be changing and she’s called off the wedding...is she being controlled by the Negaforce? Next, Nephlite gains control of a prize-winning photographer at Rei’s school, who uses his models for their energy. In “Dangerous Dollies,” Nephlite turns his evil attentions to a child, a young girl who is gifted at creating art dolls. Serena, of course, is horrified by this and steps in to help.

In “Who is That Masked Man?” Nephlite tries to impersonate Tuxedo Mask, but the real Tuxedo Mask isn’t at all flattered by this imitation, and Molly’s crush on Nephlite’s alter ego becomes important. “An Animated Mess” has Nephlite trying to use the energies of another form of artist, this time a manga artist in a nicely self-referential episode. Finally, in “Worth a Princess’ Ransom,” Nephlite has a Negaverse monster possess a princess to get his hands on her jewel, which he thinks is the Silver Imperium Crystal that Queen Beryl wants.

This collection of episodes is full of the fun, action, and wacky villains that you expect (and want) from Sailor Moon. The characters are also becoming more nicely complex, with Molly’s crush on Nephlite making her more than just a secondary, background character. The viewers learn a little bit more about Darien and what he knows and doesn’t know about the Moon Princess and his own secret history. I also like how this is a team, not a single heroine and some unimportant back-up characters. Serena has faults that are balanced by Amy, Rei, and Darien, and vice versa.

There are no features on this disc, but again, with six episodes, it’s hard to fault them too much for that. Given the amazing popularity and importance of this series, however, a few features, like a stills gallery or a timeline, would have been appreciated.

If you’ve never actually seen a Sailor Moon episode, then now is the time. For the most part, you can jump in at any point, though the character interactions are much richer when you know where they’ve come from and how far they’ve come. If you have seen the show, then you must be a fan and will need to add this disc to your collection. Young and old, male and female, there’s something here for all anime fans, from the action to the light bits of romance to the colorful personalities and rich mythology. Get this one and see for yourself.