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Mikari's Thoughts and Favorites
Sailor Moon was the first anime I really got into and watched regularly. It wasn't the first one I watched, that title goes to Maya the Bee when I was a toddler, then Kimba, then Little Bits, but I only watched those on occasion and didn't anticipate new episodes like I did with Sailor Moon. I didn't know what "anime" was when I first watched Sailor Moon.
The first episode I ever watched was the one where they go ice skating. I was used to episodic shows, so I jumped right in, not knowing anything about the overall plot. It looked like a "fun cartoon" and the art was pretty. From then on I watched it every weekday before school. I don't remember what channel it was, but later it stopped airing there and I would instead watch it after school on Cartoon Network's Toonami.
To this day Sailor Moon remains one of my favorite anime series. For years it was, and it often still is, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a magical girl series, the other being Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I think that Sailor Moon influenced many of the magical girl series that came after it and it remains a classic to this day.
Right now it's not easy to pick a favorite senshi. I have a soft spot for the inner senshi, as I feel I got to know them better in the series and they just stand out to me more. The cats are also adorable. I think my first favorite was Moon, then later that changed to Mars. She remained my favorite for a long time, and was the senshi I role played as in the playground in elementary school.
Luna and Artemis were also characters I really liked, so cute! Luna was extra amusing, especially with her dynamic with Serena/Usagi. But it's hard to compete with cats, so let's talk about favorite my Sailor. I think Moon faded from being my favorite because her romance picked up after her official reveal as the Moon princess and I preferred the actiony parts of the series. It was at that time that Rei's flirting with Darien/Mamoru ended for the same reason, and she started to stand out. Another reason why Mars became my favorite was because when handing out role playing characters in elementary schools we often went by hair, and my hair looked like Rei's hair.
I took a liking to Mercury for a short while, but that didn't last. She's tech and blue, both aspects that I love, but she tries too hard and doesn't like sci-fi (she says she's not interested in acting in the "movie" if it's sci-fi, though in the end it's just a trap from awesome aliens). I'm much more carefree about academics and work, I don't put more effort than absolutely necessary into those things, which has worked out fine, since I've always done well anyway. I also love sci-fi, it's my favorite genre alongside action and adventure.
After learning more about Venus' past as Sailor V, I took an interest in her character and she occupied the favorite spot for some time. I enjoyed her cheerfulness and her relationship with Artemis. Yet Mars was my favorite for so many years that in the end she came back to claim the spot as if being a Mars fan is some sort of unshakable habit.
Watching episode 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal further made me realize that Mars wasn't willing to let go of the #1 spot. I didn't mean to, but ended up fangirling, writing a much longer review for that episode, taking more screenshots and paying attention to every last detail. It all just happened... The new Rei is a contrast to the Rei from the original anime, and even though I sometimes miss Rei's old attitude, the quieter Rei has grown on me and I can appreciate her too. Just don't ask me to pick a favorite, that's really hard. The only thing that occasionally takes points away from Mars and makes Venus get dangerously close to stealing the spotlight is that I've seen information claiming she doesn't like TV. I prefer the internet myself, but I love watching stuff. Even so, Mars is still my favorite sailor for the most part, even if there might be some nostalgia goggles involved.
If I was going to pick an overall favorite, I'd have to call it a draw between Luna and Artemis. Artemis wins if I must pick one, but Luna is at a close second, occasionally stealing first place for a while. I'm not as big a fan of Diana, not that I dislike her or anything, she just doesn't stand out as much as her parents. For the boys, I'll go with Jedite. It's hard to say what I like about him other than that's he seems to be so cool... Whatever, coolness is a valid enough reason to like a fictional character, isn't it?
Like I said, the romance aspect isn't my favorite, but if I was going to pick a favorite couple, I suppose my first ship was Usagi x Mamoru, followed by Luna x Artemis. I still think they're cute, but I now have a bigger appreciation for a different pairing that had a lasting impression: Naru x Nephrite.
I never got into Naru x Umino, not because I hate Umino, I actually find him to be very amusing, it's just that it didn't compare to Naru x Nephrite. The whole Negaverse guy x normal girl thing was pretty interesting. Naru shines on her own merits as a character, a kind brave girl and a good friend, even if she doesn't have special powers.
Another thing that made this couple stay in my mind is how bittersweet it was. Just when Nephrite seemed to be returning Naru's feelings, he was killed. Sailor Moon was one of my first anime (though not the first I watch, the first I really got into) and back then I didn't even know what anime was. To me it was a cartoon, and cartoons always had happy endings. Nephrite had redeemed himself, so I kept expecting him to be revived. He never was, and I realized that the Sailor Moon series could have its bittersweet moments. As much as I love happy endings, this is something I can appreciated in anime. Needless to say, I'm hoping to see this pairing emerge again in the remake, even if it may be doomed to a bittersweet end... But hey, there's always fanfiction.
