Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Memorial

Watching this after the age of 25 and without being a die-hard fan of the franchise was physically painful. Usagi is unbelievably dumb. She supposedly has a boyfriend, yet she constantly blushes around every remotely attractive guy she meets. At the same time, she keeps screaming that Mamoru "belongs" to her, even though their entire romance has the emotional maturity of two kids playing pretend. According to the lore she's 14, but she behaves like she's 10 at best. Despite that, the story desperately tries to convince the audience that their relationship is some tragic, deeply emotional love story worthy of tears. The age gap doesn't help either. In the manga Mamoru is 16, but the anime makes him look and feel closer to 18. That raises an obvious question: what exactly is an 18 year old supposed to see in a 14 girl who acts even younger? The engagement ring scene was especially painful to watch. It was so forced, awkward, and unnatural that all I wanted to do was facepalm. I don't have any issue with Uranus and Neptune being a couple. They're lesbians. Fine. Whatever. But it feels like every season the author has to shove in another LGBT subplot for no real reason. Either some male character suddenly falls in love with Mamoru, or the villains end up in a gay relationship. Add the constant cross-dressing and gender-trap characters on top of that, and it couldn't help but ask: why? Most of these characters are so underdeveloped and short lived that the audience barely has enough time to remember their names, let alone become emotionally invested in them. Not even going to get into the endless cycle of Mamoru getting brainwashed, cursed, possessed, kidnapped, losing his memories, or dumping Usagi because of some magical nonsense. At some point it genuinely feels like the guy actively wants to get kidnapped every single season. The action isn't much better. Weird poses, awkward battle shouts, and "upgraded" costumes that add nothing except more ribbons, flowers, sparkles, and glowing effects. Every transformation feels like the same sequence with a slightly different decoration pack. This is one of those shows that probably works only if viewer is an eight to ten year old girl. At that age, Usagi's level of emotional maturity and decision making might actually feel relatable. Watching it as an adult just makes the writing, romance, and character interactions look painfully childish. The animation is iconic, and I can understand why people who grew up with Sailor Moon have a strong attachment to it. But nostalgia alone can't hide the weak writing, repetitive plot structure, and painfully immature main cast. Giving it a 6 only because of its historical influence and recognizable aesthetic. Without nostalgia, I'd probably rate it even lower.