Sailor Moon, Vol. 4: The Secrets of the Sailor Scouts (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:

• Amor vincit omnia. Well, almost.
• Prescient angst
• Slightly goofy villains

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

My Advice: Add it to your collection

The battle between the Sailor Scouts and the Negaverse is heating up; lucky for Luna that she’s found Serena and two more scouts. This disc presents six more episodes that hold many surprises, a new Sailor Scout, and more bad guys than you could shake a drawing pencil at.

First up, we have “Molly’s Folly” and “A Friend in Wolf’s Clothing,” which shows a side to Nephlite we haven’t seen before. Could the love of a human really redeem this confirmed villain? Third, “Jupiter Comes Thundering In,” as Luna finds the third Sailor Scout, and Lita, Sailor Jupiter, joins the team, and Sailor Moon gains a new power, the power to heal. Then, in “The Power of Friendship,” Zoicite begins her search for the Rainbow Crystals, Queen Beryl’s new plan to take over our world. In “Mercury’s Mental Match,” a boy who has a crush on Amy turns out to have a Rainbow Crystal inside him, as well as some prescient gifts. Finally, a painter seems to be painting scenes starring Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask in “An Artful Attack.” The artist wants Serena and Darien to pose for her, but Serena ends up teaching her a lesson about being herself.

The audio and video quality on this release is the same as the previous discs in the series: not outstanding, but good enough to be enjoyed and appreciated. The art is well done and attractive, and the colors are still bright and crisp, though since these episodes were made for TV several years ago, they aren’t quite as saturated as you would see from a digitally-created release today. The music is also very clear, as are the sound effects. Had this disc been graced with some features, this would have been an excellent disc, instead of merely a good one.

The only bad thing I have to say about this series or the discs is that sometimes, though not always, the “Sailor Moon Says” segments at the ends of the episodes are just a bit twee. The episode has already made a moral pretty clearly, and if not, then pasting it onto the end really won’t help. Besides, upon occasion, the Wheel of Morality actually is espousing a moral different from that learned in the episode, which will probably confuse children more than help them and irritate adults. But all in all, this is a pretty minor issue, as these few-second segments can be skipped easily enough on the DVDs.

In short, any Sailor Moon fan will need to add this disc to his or her collection. New fans could easily be made with the quality of the stories and characterizations on this disc. People who have never really given Sailor Moon a chance sometimes think it’s just a silly little show for young girls, but it’s truly more than that, and your average anime fan knows this. Yes, some of the violence and the homosexual content was sanitized for American TV, an unnecessary act, but so what? It’s still a great show full of fascinating, complex characters, lots of fun action, and interesting, well-thought-out plotting.