The title says it all: which version of Sailor Moon do you think is best and why?

This includes all continuities of Sailor Moon, including SMC.

Personally I think PGSM is the best version of Sailor Moon. We all know, from the manga, the anime, and the musicals, that the story is UsaMamo, UsaMamo, UsaMamo. Which, is fine, of course, because that is the story of Sailor Moon. However, I love that in PGSM, while it IS about Usagi and Mamoru, all the other senshi get characters as well. Everyone gets fleshed out - everyone has character and stories of their own. And everyone profoundly bonds with each other. There is a Rei x Minako episode, there is a Rei x Makoto episode, a Rei x Ami episode, you get the idea. I feel that this is really important to making the story well rounded and believable. If these ladies are supposed to have an incredibly strong bond with each other, like a sisterhood, we need to actually see it, not just be told it and be expected to believe it without evidence. And I believe PGSM does just that.

So, what do you all think?

I think the original anime was the best version of Sailor Moon-lots of people where introduced to Sailor Moon by watching the anime and that is the version where every character gets attention. Be it the Sailors, Mamoru, the villains, those characters that nobody cares about, everyone is fleshed out. Sure the filler may get annoying but it comes with valuable character development.
Ami gets her own episode
Rei gets her own episode
Minako and Makoto usually share an episode
While it focuses on the romance, it also focuses more on the Senshi friendship with each other

PGSM hands down. While the original anime is my favorite, PGSM has the best storytelling and character development. I loved how we got to see them live their daily lives and watched them become friends. Plus Mako kicks major butt in this version!!

SailorKittyElyon wrote:

I think the original anime was the best version of Sailor Moon-lots of people where introduced to Sailor Moon by watching the anime and that is the version where every character gets attention. Be it the Sailors, Mamoru, the villains, those characters that nobody cares about, everyone is fleshed out. Sure the filler may get annoying but it comes with valuable character development.
Ami gets her own episode
Rei gets her own episode
Minako and Makoto usually share an episode
While it focuses on the romance, it also focuses more on the Senshi friendship with each other

Yes, but this also happens in PGSM as well. And I think in PGSM it is handled better. Because not only is there storylines fleshed out in PGSM, there is also the girls actually interacting with one another and bonding.

This may come as a shock to everyone, but I believe the best version is PGSM. xD

I loved that each of the girls got a lot of focus to themselves, I loved that you actually get to see them become friends and they don't just instabond with Usagi when they meet her, I love that you more so get to see Usagi and Mamoru slowly falling in love with one another, I love that the Shitennou in this version had more personality going for them, I love....... *goes on for ages*

PGSM just has really great character development, character portrayal, acting, the concept seems initially really silly and the special aren't all that great but you really feel for the characters in it, you really want them to be happy and to succeed. I don't think I have this strong and positive of a reaction to the other versions.

I couldn't agree more Seren. However I think Mako had an instant bond with Usagi. I think she was just really excited to have a friend.

Haha well yeah, they kind of instabond. Which I did find understandable when you consider her and Usagi's personalities, and how well they blended together. ^^

But Mako had great development!! I liked how it focus on her duty and what it means to be a woman.

Yeah Mako is very enabling in PGSM lol meaning if Usagi is like "let's stalk Minako!" she's like "hell yeah! When do we go?" that sort of thing. Plus, she was in favour of UsaMamo if I remember correctly.

But I believe the bond with Mako and Usagi demonstrates that light Usagi has that is able to really pull people in.

But, as mentioned, they also weren't instantly into Usagi. They were actually pretty resistant. Ami was basically like "uh oh wtf do I do someone wants to be my friend how do I friend that's weird."

Rei was always like "hell no" though deep down inside, she loves Usagi.

And Minako....well, I think her duty helped her with Usagi but I don't think they bonded until much later. Actually, I don't know if they bonded at all, really. What do you guys think?

But see, this is just great stuff PGSM has to offer. It's a pretty believable portrayal just by these facts alone.

Yeah, and I also loved her blossoming relationship with Motoki. They were so cute together <3

and lol, the way you described Ami, Mars, that's basically me in real life. xD

That's my problem with PGSM Minako. The only ones she bonded with were Rei and Usagi. She has a stronger relationship with Rei. With Usagi she was too focus on protecting her. It bummed me out since in the theme you see all five girls hanging out.

Yeah, I really wish there could have been more interaction between Minako-Ami and Minako-Makoto. That is one of the few problems I had with the show.

And now this has become the PGSM is superb thread which is excellent.

The 90s anime was my favorite incarnation for the longest time because it's the one I grew up with and part of my childhood and why I fell in love with Sailor Moon. In truth, it will always have a special place in my heart. And since there are 200 episodes, it's kind of unfair to compare it with the other versions.

As an adult, I prefer PGSM more for its character development and more "mature" issues that they're tackling. I don't find it perfect; there are problems I have with it as well one of which is how freaking depressing it is at times but it's pretty close to being the most well-rounded version for an adult SM lover to appreciate.

PGSM FANS UNITE!! 

How about this thread be renamed "PGSM Appreciation Thread" XD

It seems its turned into that because GUESS WHAT.  

I agree, the best version of Sailor Moon IS PGSM. It legit has the best writing, character development, drama and plot. However, everyone has said just about all the reasons why. SO I'm going to talk about the 2nd runner up and my personal favorite version of SM: the Musicals (and the ones from 93-2005 sponsored by Bandai, not the new ones sponsored by Dwango).

Why are the musicals the best version?  Well unlike what Mars said in her first post where she said all versions are about "Usamamo" (I highly disagree with that for the 90s anime and esp with the musicals), they are SO NOT all about UsaMamo. In fact, often the UsaMamo stuff is just a few scenes here and there and is never the actual FULL focus of the musical.

The musicals bring up portions of sailor moon that don't get a lot of attention or did but wasn't really done justice and done sooo much better.  First is Myu!Beryl. They expanded on her story, made Pluto sympathetic to her and they sang a duet AND she saves SM at the end. :'(   Then how Beryl and Galaxia team up (instead of Nehellennia and it honestly works SOOOOO much better).  

Then we get not one, but 4 original Sailor Moon musicals with new content never seen in other versions. These are the Kaguya musicals and the Dracul musicals. WE HAVE VAMPIRES MESHING WITH SM AND SOME OF THE DARKEST SM CONTENT EVER.  

Lets also talk about how all the villains are generally fleshed out a lot more, we understand their motives and feelings (a lot of times through song) and sometimes you end up wanting to root for the villains once you get their motives.

Not to mention the Starlights are done really well with their roles becoming a bit more as the comic relief (in Stars and Eien Densetsu, they are more serious in Ryuusei Densetsu and Kakyuu Ouhi).  Seiya is actually more serious than the 90s anime, a bit more like her manga counter part, but you really feel her emotions when she sings a duet with Usagi about missing the ones they love. T___T


And Kakyuu's death. OMG. T_____T


AND JUST WHENEVER ANYONE DIES. ITS LIKE FULL HIT RIGHT IN THE GODAMN FEELS.


I could go on and on about the musicals and why they are the 2nd Best version of Sailor Moon. <3

In terms of the best portrayal of the Dark Kingdom arc, PGSM wins hands down. It takes the things both the original anime and manga did well concerning the first arc and combines it into one beautiful, shining beacon example of storytelling. It also has the best portrayal of the Inners, Shittenou, Beryl, Mamoru and the UsaMamo romance in my honest opinion. Unfortunately [or fortunately since it being only one arc and a self-contained story has its positives as well] due to it only doing the Dark Kingdom arc its hard to rank it anywhere else in the Sailor Moon franchise so I'll just give it its own special category of best Dark Kingdom retelling.

The manga wins when it comes to overall story, mythology and lore. Once we get to the ending in the StarS arc, everything comes together beautifully and one could really see how vast, expansive and "epic" the whole universe of Sailor Moon is. The whole concept of Star Seeds/Sailor Crystals, the Galaxy Cauldron and Chaos are some of the most original ideas to ever grace the Magical Girl genre. When it comes to world-buliding, those little extra layers of nuance and the overall story of the arcs past the Dark Kingdom arc, the manga can't be beat.

The original anime on the other hand excels at the characterization of the villains and secondary characters [And I'm using the term "secondary characters" to refer to all non Usagi/Inner Senshi, not just civilians. Yes, in my opinion the original anime treated the Outers as more secondary characters rather as fully part of the core team unfortunately]

Now the musicals... Honestly its kinda hard to place them since they're kind of their own thing and don't really follow a coherent linear storyline... I've always considered them more of a companion piece to the Sailor Moon franchise then a main canon like the others. Don't get me wrong, the musicals are amazing and take the strengths of both the manga and anime [Manga's mythos/Anime's emotions and villain characterizaton] But I don't know... I just never saw them as a "main" piece like the other versions, they're really only meant to be viewed by those that are already fans of Sailor Moon considering they never even do character/story introductions and really expect the audience to know all the basics of the Sailor Moon world.

As far as Crystal goes... So far its definitely the worst interpretation of Sailor Moon so far unfortunately. :/ I'd love to be proven wrong by it eventually but the way its going now its basically removing the best/nuanced parts and details of the manga while giving very little in return.

So there's my own personal ranking. In my opinion no version of Sailor Moon is overall the "best" at everything, each version is really the best at one thing and are meant to be viewed all together to get the best, possible fleshed out experience of Sailor Moon. PGSM is the best version of the DK arc and has the best characterization of the Inners, DK villains, Mamoru and the "Miracle Romance." The Manga is the best when it comes to the whole overarching story and universe/mythos of Sailor Moon, while the nineties anime is the best when it comes to overall villain and secondary character characterization. Each version brings their own special flavor of Sailor Moon to the table, with Crystal being the only truly bad one, only surpassed by the offensiveness of the nineties dub erasure of homosexuality. 

Anyways that's my two cents

I'm going to have to say the manga is my favorite version.  I love Naoko's elegant artwork, I love its fast pace without all the unnecessary filler in, but it still has some cute character interactions that Crystal was missing.  I love that the story in the manga is more of a darker romantic tragedy, like Romeo and Juliet with space goddesses.   I love the characters the best in the manga.  Usagi is more mature in it but still has her silly side, Rei isn't totally boy crazy, Minako is a serious leader but like Usagi she still has a silly side too, Chibi-usa isn't as immature and I love Sailor Pluto in the manga.  I also love that the Sailor Soldiers are powerful enough to kill major enemies in the manga on their own without having to rely so much on Sailor Moon to finish them off all the time.  I also feel like the manga has the best portrayal of Usagi and Mamoru's relationship.  That scene where

Spoiler:

And like EurAsianGirl, I love the mythos of the manga and how she brings everything to life with her world building.  I enjoyed PGSM a lot for what it did and I thought they made some creative changes in some areas that I loved, but I didn't like how they turned Princess Serenity into almost this cold blooded killing machine at some points and I'm not sure if I was totally on board with them Outerfying Minako's character so much, and Kuroki Mio was completely unnecessary and I didn't care for her so much.  The original anime I love for introducing me to Sailor Moon and anime in general and it's still my favorite anime but at the same time with all the drastic changes Toei made to it, I feel like it's almost a completely separate story from the manga.  I haven't seen enough of Seramyu to really have a say about it and I'll have to wait until Crystal is done to really have a firm sense of how I feel about it since how much I love Crystal seems to vary from episode to episode.

Sailor Moon manga, I fell in love with the manga after my cousin introduced Sailor Moon for the first time when I was a young girl. My cousin and I used to read Sailor Moon together when we had spare time or school holidays.

I like the manga more because the story is more captivating, the characters are more likeable, less fillers, and the artwork of Naoko Takeuchi is just marvelous.

The anime over the manga (I even like reading).  Over the course of Sailor Moon's series anthology, the quality of animation, storytelling and adventure improves. I see PGSM is gaining votes and favor among the site members.

No votes for crystal. I shouldn't be laughing, but I am.

I will vote for Crystal because I feel bad seeing it has 0 votes... However my favorite version is the 90s anime.

Nooo it was awesome at 0. But it really pales in comparison to the other series. For animation, you really can't beat the 90s anime. Its really what made SM.

I love both the manga and the 90's anime.

For me, it's PGSM hands down. As Mars mentioned in her original post; the characters each become their own and aren't swept to the side with the typical UsaMamo. We get soooo many feels from this version. Like, you have at least got to swell up a few times every 2 or so episodes.

As Brit mentioned earlier, amazing writing. Even though the cheesiness factor is EXTREMELY high in PGSM, that just adds to it.

And omg, no where near forgetting:

Spoiler:

What's the best version of Sailor Moon for me? I agree with many here that PGSM is the best when it comes to character development. At least from what I've seen, I can say that it easily blows the other adaptations out of water in that regard. But here's the thing, there's one version that takes Sailor Moon into the center of the galaxy and beyond.

The manga will always stand for me as the best critical version of Sailor Moon. PGSM's awesome, but it only tells the story of the first arc and doesn't contain some of the best characters of the show. Meanwhile, the manga might suffer from lack of content, but at least it covers a wide range of emotions and character development. It's a relatively short manga compared to its more popular shounen counterparts so it's easy to recommend for new fans. The art is beautiful, especially the touched up version that has recently been published.

Also, Goddess Saturn, you should probably have a better excuse for getting one vote to Crystal and I'm not just saying that as a self proclaimed SMC Hater. Crystal isn't a person. It won't be hurt if no one votes for it. Skewed votes only really hurt our community.

That's a good point about PGSM.  While it's a very good adaptation of the Dark Kingdom arc, you don't get all the amazing characters from Naoko's world with it, like Haruka and Michiru and Chibi-usa and villains like Mistress Nine and Galaxia. While I loved the Wedding Special of PGSM, I wish they somehow had made more seasons of PGSM instead.  It'd be amazing to see Black Moon in live action.

OTOH, I'm not sure if more seasons would do PGSM good. Ond of its great strenghts is internal consistency with preplanned character arcs and message - they know plot beforehand and what they are to do with characters.
Also continuation would destroy the message of ending and them staying ordinary girls.

And it's difficult to judge Crystal as whole before it's finished.

The live action (PGSM) and manga.

I have a hard time choosing which one is best! I love the original 90's, SMC, the manga and PGSM. I can't say much for the Myu's(I haven't really watched those).