Fighting evil by moonlight

I was a little uncertain about writing about anime around here. I’ve been an anime fan since I was a kid, and was the type of person who said that anime was far superior to western animation. I was a lot younger back then and was fairly short-sighted and I’ve since changed my toon — pun totally intended — And now I feel that anime…

A quick aside: I know that the Japanese word for anime comes from animation, which in turn comes from the word anima. I know the Japanese use it to describe anything animated, but I’m not Japanese. So when I say anime, I mean Japanese animation. I will also never use the term “Japanime” to describe it, even though I love portmanteaus, that’s pretty much where I draw the line.

…and cartoons can share the stage with equal dignity.

So for my first post about anime, it’s only fitting that I talk about my first time experiencing it.

Thinking back to my first anime experience, it would have to be watching Sailor Moon on YTV as a kid. I was living in Ottawa at the time and it came on after school. I would rush home just to watch the Adventures of the long-haired heroine. Before I even realized that the show was aimed at girls, I was hooked.

The show’s continuing narrative from episode to episode was what, unbeknownst to me, captured my attention. I couldn’t miss an episode because it was like skipping a chapter in a book: you wouldn’t know what was going on.

The visuals were stunning and the characters were very believable. I didn’t know or care that Sailor Moon came from a country far away, and just enjoyed it for what it was: the adventures of a girl with superpowers.

My favorite Character was always a toss-up between Amy…

Another aside: I know the Japanese characters’ names, but I’m using the dub version for simplicity. Some people who read this didn’t grow up to become a giant nerd like me and watch the Japanese version.

… and Lita, Sailors Mercury and Jupiter, respectively. I definitely identified with Mercury, being the smart kid who was excluded from lots, and only had a few friends. But Lita represented something to me later on. The girl I wanted for my wife. She was motherly, loved baking and was a strong independant woman. Not unlike my fiancee.

Remember: When searching for Sailor Moon pictures, turn SafeSearch on to not ruin your childhood.

So this show is probably the first show I was ever, ever, ever obsessed with. I needed to know more. Voice actors production studio, manga, everything!

I’m not going to get into too much detail here because there’s just so much about the voice acting I loved. Instead I will gush about someone who came into the show later on.

The most unique voice I ever heard came from one Sugar Lyn Beard. I was somewhat obsessed with Sugar. Everyone thought her high-pitched voice was way too piercing, while I loved it. I’m a Geddy Lee fan too by the way. Sugar was a DJ in Toronto, and was also the host of the Zone on YTV for a while. I wish she had a twitter feed so I could link to it. Sugar played Rini, Sailor Moon’s child from the future, during the later seasons. Her voice was perfectly suited for it. High-pitched enough to be innocent and child-like, but with the emotion needed for the character. I’ve said before, when the actors are good, you forget that there’s an actor behind the mic. Sugar was able to do that for me. And she’s very easy on the eyes.

This is the face of a great actress.

So why should you watch Sailor Moon? It had a great story, though predictable, and featured some awesome characters. Watch either version, and I guarantee you’ll love it.