By: "Apatt"
On the face of it Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is just an anime about some
girls battling the forces of evil, but if that was all there is to it I don't think it
would be the huge cult it is today, especially on the internet. So what is it
about SM that inspire such devotion?
There is certainly more to SM than meets the eye. However the subtexts of
Sailormoon is largely subjective and different people may interpret the show
differently. Here then is my personal view of what SM is really about.
SM can be appreciated on several levels, the most basic of which is as the
adventures of a group of lovable girls, the youngest fans (10 years old and
under) are likely to view SM this way. The older audience are likely to pay
more attention to the characterization, and fasten onto a character that they
can identify with the most, or the one who is closest to their ideals. Hence all
the different "shrines" to individual characters. It is my estimation that most SM
sites are made by girls and boys in the 10-15 age group.
If you look even deeper into the show you may get a feeling that the anime is
actually saying something, making some subtle points. I believe SM is
fundamentally about three things:
- The Value of Friendship
- The Power of Love
- Forgiveness
The Value of Friendship
This would be represented by the Inner Senshi. Other characters come and
go, (the Outer Senshi, Chibi Usa, the Sailor Star Lights etc.) but the Inners
are always there from the first series to the last, Mars, mercury, Jupiter and
Venus may fade into the background to make room in the spotlight for the
Outer Senshi or other new characters but they are always there. They are
always together (not literally in every scene but you now what I mean) and
they are always supportive and take care of each other. The Inner Senshi
are more like a family than a mere group of friends. Their bond is stronger
than most families can manage. Each individual Inner is always willing to risk
her life to save the others. While their primary task is to protect the Princess,
they take care of each other as well. They defeat powerful enemies time and time
again because of their unity and solidarity, and their willingness to sacrifice
themselves for the greater good. Evil never self sacrifices, evil is selfish and
entirely driven by self interest. That is why if you have friends like the Inner
Senshi, you will never lose, and you will never be lonely.
The Power of Love
This is represented by the love between Usagi and Mamorou, yes, the love
story of he "S" series is between Haruka and Michiru, but if we look at the
five seasons together it is always Usagi and Mamoru and that is how the
final season ended, with a kiss. The love between these
two characters have magical powers, and it is often their love that saves the
day. This is a romantic notion and while true love knows no bounds in the
movies I am not in a position to know how strong true love is real life. (make
of that what you will ^^;;)
Forgiveness
This is Sailor Moon's ultimate weapon, the ace up her sleeve. It is how she
often defeats evil, because she never hates her enemy. She is always willing
to forgive. Both Neherenia and Sailor Galaxia succumbed to the power
generated by Sailor Moon's forgiveness. I suspect the idea Is that if there is
some remnant of good in the evil being, forgiveness will find it and bring it to
the forefront, and it will vanquish the evil within. I believe this is a symbolic
representation of how forgiveness works in real life. Perhaps forgiveness
cannot transform an evil man to a benign one, but it can touch the good part
of that person and often makes him a better man.
Friendship, love and forgiveness, these are - in my opinion - the main
themes running through Sailor Moon from the beginning to the very end.
Comments on this article can be sent to:
Apatt.
