Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R

Template:InfoboxSeason "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R" (美少女戦士セーラームーン R, Bishoujo Senshi Seera Muun Aru) is the second major story arc and series in the Sailor Moon anime. The letter R in its title, according to the Memorial Song Box booklet, can be expanded into either "Return" or "Romance". In the Sailor Moon manga, which came first, this story arc does not have a specific name, but its acts are inconsistently given the subtitle "Black Moon". The season is then followed by Sailor Moon S.

There is also a separate film called Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R: The Movie.

Production

The Sailor Moon franchise was originally intended to run on television for only one season, but due to its success, Toei Animation requested that the creator of the Sailor Moon franchise, Naoko Takeuchi, keep drawing her Sailor Moon manga. Despite struggling to extend the Sailor Moon series with another storyline, Naoko Takeuchi settled with the introduction of Chibiusa, the future daughter of Sailor Moon, after her editor Fumio Osano recommended the idea. Because both the Sailor Moon manga and the anime were being produced at the same time, Sailor Moon R begins with a 13-episode sub-arc that does not appear in the manga, created to give Naoko Takeuchi time to catch up in creating the Sailor Moon manga.

Theme Song

Opening Sequence

Like the previous season, the opening sequence featured Moonlight Legend (ムーンライト伝説; "Moonlight Densetsu"), written by Kanako Oda and performed by DALI. There were 2 versions of the opening theme, the first having more generic visuals, the second more closely following and representing the story of the R season, as it features brand new places such as Crystal Tokyo, and even new characters: Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion, Chibiusa, Sailor Pluto, and the Black Moon family, which is called the Negamoon in the original English version.

Ending Sequence

The closing sequence, entitled Maiden's Policy (乙女のポリシー; Otome no Porishii), was used for the entire season of Sailor Moon R. It was written by Rui Serizawa and performed Yoko Ishida.

Summary

Makai Tree Arc

Two months after the fall of the Dark Kingdom, the Sailor Senshi and Mamoru are living their normal lives with no memories of the events from the previous season. The first story, the Makai Tree arc, covers the first 13 episodes of the season and pits the Guardians against aliens Ail and An.

Ail and An's source of life, the Makai Tree is dying. Disguising themselves as human siblings attending Usagi's school, they, with the assistance of their "Cardian Monsters," gather human energy in an attempt to restore the tree. To assist Sailor Moon in defeating them, Luna and Artemis are forced to restore the Sailor Guardians' memories of the past. Assisted by the mysterious Moonlight Knight, who plays a role much like Tuxedo Mask did last season, helping them in the time of need, each Guardian eventually unlocks stronger versions of their existing powers.

Nor are the Guardians the only ones to change; Ail and An, during their stay on Earth, begin to discover the meaning of love, something their race never knew. Ail even develops feelings toward Usagi, An towards Mamoru, leading to a complicated love triangle.

In episode 13, the Sailor Guardians square off against Ail and An in a final battle. During this battle, the aliens finally understand love and sacrifice; when the Makai Tree turns on them, Ail puts his life on the line to protect An, much as he's seen Sailor Moon protect Mamoru. As the aliens' love has won over their greed, the Makai Tree stops wreaking havoc. Ail, An, and the tree leave Earth for a peaceful new life elsewhere in the universe.

It's also revealed that, though Mamoru lost his memories after Queen Beryl's defeat, his determination to protect Sailor Moon remained, resulting in the split personality of the Moonlight Knight, which began to reintegrate with Mamoru as he started to regain his memories.

Black Moon Clan arc

The main story arc explores the future of all the Inner Sailor Guardians in a 30th Century Utopia City called Crystal Tokyo, ruled over by Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. New characters introduced include Chibiusa, Sailor Pluto, and in the manga, Diana. Tuxedo Mask returns and continues to regularly help the Sailor Guardians. The primary villains are the Black Moon Clan, led by Prince Demande.

The Black Moon Clan originally lived on 30th Century Earth before being expelled by Neo-Queen Serenity to the planet Nemesis. Wiseman took this as an opportunity to achieve his own goal of bringing darkness to the world and unleash Death Phantom. He managed to manipulate all members of the Black Moon Clan to unknowingly do his bidding by encouraging them to seek vengeance on Neo-Queen Serenity and destroy Crystal Tokyo. Although Prince Demande was in control of the Black Moon Clan, Wiseman manipulated him behind his back. Sailor Pluto sent the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion, Chibiusa, to the past for safety.

After Chibiusa was sent back in time to 20th century Tokyo by Sailor Pluto, the Black Moon Clan followed her, aiming to destroy her (which they call the Rabbit) and the Silver Crystal, both a threat to their plan.

Rubeus was initially tasked with killing Chibiusa and destroying the Silver Crystal, commanding the Spectre Sisters and using droids to aid them in their mission. While in the 20th century, he decided to also corrupt what would become the crystal points of future Crystal Tokyo.

During this time, Mamoru starts having nightmares about being with Usagi and breaks up with her. According to their nightmares, the future will become dark if they were to be together.

During their missions, Rubeus and the Spectre Sisters ended up clashing with the Sailor Guardians. Not only did all of Rubues's attempts were undermined by the Sailor Guardians, but Sailor Moon was able to use her silver crystal to turn each of the Spectre Sisters into normal humans and from then on, the sisters decided to start a new life.

Rubeus, in a last attempt to prove himself worthy, tries to capture Chibiusa for good but ends up capturing Sailors' Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter aboard his spaceship. Sailor Moon and Chibiusa boards the sets of his ship. While Sailor Moon confronted Rubeus, Chibiusa breaks his power amplifier. The Sailor Guardians were freed, but Rubeus sets his ship to self destruct, saying it would be a great honor for the Sailor Senshi to go down with him and his ship. The Sailor Guardians together with Chibiusa teleports back to earth safely and the ship explodes killing only Rubeus.

Esmeraude took Rubeus's spot but didn't have any more luck than him in succeeding a mission. After the Sailor Guardians, Tuxedo Mask, and Chibiusa traveled to the future, Wiseman gave Esmeraude increased power. She took the form of a seemingly unstoppable drago but was killed after the Sailor Senshi put their powers together.

Although Esmeraude was gone, Wiseman recruited a new member by capturing Chibiusa, whom the Sailor Guardians left alone in the Crystal Palace thinking she'd be safe and turning her to Black Lady. The Sailor Guardians tried on many attempts to turn Black Lady good again but Wiseman kept preventing that.

Saphir discovered Wiseman's true intentions after overhearing his plans and tried to warn his brother Demande, but was badly injured by Wiseman, forcing him to escape to earth. On the Earth, he was cared for by the Spectre Sisters, before going out to again try to warn Demande. He managed to speak a few words to him but was finished off for good by Wiseman.

The Malafeic Black Crystal was sent to earth, where it grew, collecting power to open the gate to the dark world for dark energy to enter the earth. The Sailor Guardians entered the black crystal, where Sailor Moon got separated and confronted by Demande. Although he tried to brainwash Sailor Moon, she spoke sense into him, allowing Demande to discover Wiseman's true intentions, realizing his brother was right. Wiseman attacked and Demande tried to counter him. Demande blasted Wiseman to pieces but he just reformed and emitted a blast of dark energy that killed Demande.

Black Lady had enough dark energy to open a portal to the dark world. In a final battle, Sailor Moon transformed to Neo-Queen Serenity and finally managed to turn Black Lady to Chibiusa. It was too late, however, as the world was starting to turn to darkness under the dark powers controlled by Wiseman. Serenity used the Silver Crystal to counter the dark energy. She was joined by Chibiusa, who had silver crystal a part of her, along with the Sailor Guardians. Together, they destroyed the darkness and Wiseman along with it for good.

English Adaptation

When the Sailor Moon anime was first aired to English-speaking viewers (particularly in Australia), the series consisted of just 65 episodes, of which 40 (edited down from 46) were taken from the first season. Twelve episodes of the Black Moon arc were shown first, then all of the episodes from the Makaiju arc from the start of the season were shown. The remaining seventeen episodes of the Black Moon arc were not released for another three years, billed by Cartoon Network as "the lost episodes." One episode from the season, involving Chibiusa's friendship with a dinosaur, was omitted from the original dub and was not included in the subtitled DVD releases. The episode was restored for release on DVD/Blu-Ray by Viz Media.

New Characters

Villains

• Ail and An (for the first 13 episodes)
• Black Moon Clan (main villains)

Protagonists

• Moonlight Knight (Episodes 3 to 13)
• Chibiusa
• Sailor Pluto
• King Endymion
• Neo Queen Serenity

Episode List

Ep. #		Episode Title	Original Airdates
JP & US (Viz)	US (DiC)
47	41	"Moon Returns: The Mysterious Aliens Appear" "The Return of Sailor Moon"	March 6, 1993 (JP) November 22, 1995 (US)
48	42	"For Love and for Justice: Sailor Guardians Once Again" "So You Want to Be in Pictures"	March 13, 1993 (JP) November 23, 1995 (US)
49	43	"For Whom is the White Rose? The Moonlight Knight Appears" "A Knight to Remember"	March 20, 1993 (JP) November 24, 1995 (US)
50	44	"Usagi's Crisis: The Tiara Stops Working" "VR Madness"	April 10, 1993 (JP) November 27, 1995 (US)
51	45	"A New Transformation: Usagi's Power-Up" "Cherry Blossom Time"	April 17, 1993 (JP) November 28, 1995 (US)
52	46	"The Targeted Kindergarteners: Venus to the Rescue" "Kindergarten Chaos"	April 24, 1993 (JP) November 29, 1995 (US)
53	47	"Mamoru and Usagi's Babysitting Mayhem" "Much Ado About Babysitting"	May 1, 1993 (JP) November 30, 1995 (US)
54	48	"The School Festival Is for Me?! Queen Rei’s Song" "Raye's Day in the Spotlight"	May 8, 1993 (JP) December 1, 1995 (US)
55	49	"Is Seijuro the Moonlight Knight? Mako Falls in Love" "Food Fetish"	May 22, 1993 (JP) December 4, 1995 (US)
56	50	"Steal a Kiss from Mamoru! An's Project Snow White" "Mirror, Mirror On the Wall"	May 29, 1993 (JP) December 5, 1995 (US)
57	51	"After-School Trouble: Usagi Is a Target" "Detention Doldrums"	June 5, 1993 (JP) December 6, 1995 (US)
58	52	"Disconnecting Love: The Raging Makai Tree" "Secret Garden"	June 12, 1993 (JP) December 7, 1995 (US)
59	53	"True Love Awakens: The Makai Tree’s Secret" "Treed"	June 19, 1993 (JP) December 8, 1995 (US)
60	54	"Angel or Devil? the Mysterious Girl from the Sky" "Serena Times Two"	June 26, 1993 (JP) November 6, 1995 (US)
61	55	"Huge Shock for Usagi! Mamoru Declares a Break Up" "The Cosmetic Caper"	July 3, 1993 (JP) November 7, 1995 (US)
62	56	"A Guardian’s Friendship: Goodbye, Ami" "Sailor Mercury Moving On?"	July 10, 1993 (JP) November 8, 1995 (US)
63	57	"Women Must Be Strong and Beautiful: Rei’s New Special Technique" "Gramps In a Pickle"	July 24, 1993 (JP) November 9, 1995 (US)
64	58	"In Search of the Silver Crystal: Chibi-Usa’s Secret" "Trouble Comes Thundering Down"	July 31, 1993 (JP) November 10, 1995 (US)
65	59	"Dispute Over Love: Minako and Makoto’s Conflict" "A Charmed Life"	August 14, 1993 (JP) November 13, 1995 (US)
66	60	"Usagi’s Parental Love: the Curry Romance Triangle" "A Curried Favor"	August 21, 1993 (JP) November 14, 1995 (US)
67		"The Beach, the Island and a Vacation: The Guardian’s Break"	August 28, 1993 (JP) May 8, 2015 (US, Viz Media English dub)
68	61	"Protect Chibi-Usa: Clash of the Ten Warriors" "Naughty 'N' Nice"	September 11, 1993 (JP) November 15, 1995 (US)
69	62	"Awaken the Sleeping Beauty: Mamoru’s Distress" "Prediction of Doom"	September 25, 1993 (JP) November 16, 1995 (US)
70	63	"Battle of the Flames of Love! Mars vs. Koan" "Enemies No More"	October 2, 1993 (JP) November 17, 1995 (US)
71	64	"For Friendship: Ami vs. Bertheir" "Checkmate"	October 16, 1993 (JP) November 20, 1995 (US)
72	65	"Rubeus the Heartless: The Tragic Sisters" "Sibling Rivalry"	October 30, 1993 (US) November 21, 1995 (US)
73	66	"A UFO Appears: The Sailor Guardians Abducted" "Rubeus Evens the Score"	November 6, 1993 (JP) November 30, 1998 (US)
74	67	"Defeat Rubeus: The Battle in Space" "Rubeus Strikes Out"	November 13, 1993 (JP) December 1, 1998 (US)
75	68	"The Mysterious New Guardian: Sailor Pluto Appears" "The Secret of the Luna Sphere"	November 20, 1993 (JP) December 2, 1998 (US)
76	69	"Magic of Darkness: Esmeraude's Invasion" "Emerald Takes Over"	December 4, 1993 (JP) December 3, 1998 (US)
77	70	"Shared Feelings: Usagi and Mamoru in Love Once Again" "Promises Fulfilled"	December 11, 1993 (JP) December 4, 1998 (US)
78	71	"Venus: Minako's Nurse Mayhem" "No Thanks, Nurse Venus!"	December 18, 1993 (JP) December 7, 1998 (US)
79	72	"Artemis's Adventure: the Monster Animal Kingdom" "Dog Day for Artemis"	December 25, 1993 (JP) December 8, 1998 (US)
80	73	"The Terrifying Illusion: Ami All Alone" "Smart Payoff" / "Lonely Amy"	January 8, 1994 (JP) December 9, 1998 (US)
81	74	"The Dark Gate Is Completed? The Targeted Elementary School" "Child's Play"	January 15, 1994 (JP) December 10, 1998 (US)
82	75	"Journey to the Future: Battle in the Space-Time Corridor" "Future Shocked"	January 22, 1994 (JP) December 11, 1998 (US)
83	76	"The Shocking Future: Demande's Dark Ambition" "Legend of the Negamoon"	January 29, 1994 (JP) December 14, 1998 (US)
84	77	"Wiseman's Evil Hand: Chibi-Usa Disappears" "Jealousy's Just Reward"	February 5, 1994 (JP) December 15, 1998 (US)
85	78	"The Dark Queen: Birth of Black Lady" "Birth of Wicked Lady"	February 12, 1994 (JP) December 16, 1998 (US)
86	79	"Saphir Dies: Wiseman's Trap" "Brotherly Love"	February 19, 1994 (JP) December 17, 1998 (US)
87	80	"Believing in Love and the Future: Usagi’s Decision" "Diamond In the Rough"	February 26, 1994 (JP) December 18, 1998 (US)
88	81	"The Final Battle Between Light and Dark: Pledge of Love for the Future" "Final Battle"	March 5, 1994 (JP) December 21, 1998 (US)
89	82	"Usagi and the Girls’ Resolve: Prelude to a New Battle" "Follow the Leader"	March 12, 1994 (JP) December 22, 1998 (US)

Trivia

• The main Sailor Moon R storyline is a contrast to the Sailor Moon storyline. Sailor Moon explored each of the Sailor Guardian's past while Sailor Moon R explored their futures.
• The Makai Tree arc was created to give Naoko Takeuchi more time to develop the next manga arc.
• This is the first season to be made while the manga was still in production.
• Naoko Takeuchi originally struggled with the story, but her editor suggested the concept of Sailor Moon’s future child coming back to the past.
• Many supporting characters from season one were downgraded to minor characters in this season, making significantly fewer appearances in this season than they did in the previous. Those characters are Motoki, Umino, Naru, the entire Tsukino family, and Mrs. Haruna.
  • The lack of supporting characters' appearances becomes more apparent from the beginning of the Black Moon arc, except Tsukino's family which appears in several episodes of this season.
• The main Sailor Moon R storyline can be seen as a parallel to the Sailor Moon season one storyline:
  • Both storylines revolve around a Silver Millennium. Sailor Moon focuses on the first Silver Millennium, Moon Kingdom, and Sailor Moon R focuses on the second, Crystal Tokyo. The Moon Kingdom and Crystal Tokyo both got attacked by the main villains of each season and the Sailor Senshi must fight those villains.
  • Both seasons revealed a different part of the Sailor Guardians' life. Sailor Moon explored their pasts and Sailor Moon R explored their futures.
  • Both Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R have an episode that has nothing to do with each of their main storylines. It was episode 20 in season one and episode 21 in season two.
    • Neither of these episodes was dubbed by DiC, but they were later restored and dubbed for in the Viz dub.
    • The original 2002 ADV release of this season uncut did not contain episode 67 at all.
  • Mamoru keeps having unexplainable dreams in both seasons. In season one, he dreamt of a girl (Princess Serenity) telling him to find the Silver Crystal which will tell him who he is. In season two, his future self, King Endymion, sent him nightmares to test the bond of love between him and Sailor Moon, one that would be crucial to defeating the Black Moon Clan.
  • In the later parts of each season, the main protagonist is turned evil. Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom brainwashed Tuxedo Mask and Wiseman of the Black Moon Clan turned Chibiusa to Black Lady. Both turned evil in the same episode when another main villain dies. Tuxedo Mask was captured and brainwashed in the same episode when Zoicite was killed by Beryl. Chibiusa becomes Black Lady in the episode when Esmeraulde was killed by the Guardians. Both Tuxedo Mask and Chibiusa were turned back to normal by the Silver Crystal in the episode when the main villains are defeated for good.
  • The main villains of each season had several similarities as well:
    • Like the Dark Kingdom, the Black Moon Clan also searched for the Silver Crystal, though with the intent to destroy it while the Dark Kingdom wanted to keep it to fuel its power.
    • Esmeraude and Rubeus had a rivalry similar to that between Nephrite and Zoicite.
    • Both wanted to unleash an ultimate enemy and dark energy upon the universe. Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom wanted to unleash Queen Metaria while Wiseman wanted to unleash the Death Phantom.
    • Both originally come from different times. The Dark Kingdom was from the past and the Black Moon Clan was from the future. Both wanted to conquer 20th Century Earth.