Thanks to Viz, though, I've been able to keep up with the episodes they release online each week! It's just the right pacing for me, and I think there's only been twice where I completely skipped a week and had to catch up. They've been releasing them for around a year now; I know it began sometime May 2014, but I don't remember if it was mid-May or around Memorial Day.
So here are my thoughts of the anime compared to how I viewed it back when I first got into it! It's gonna be a little more of a ramble than an actual review.
First of all, Usagi is such a more faceted character than I realized back in elementary school. I was introduced through the dub, mainly through the Promise of the Rose and Hearts on Ice movies, so I was kind of biased against her. I thought she was immature and her voice annoyed me more times than not. I think the anime's been able to give her more depth than even the manga, because you can really see Usagi's compassion and optimism in the filler episodes and see her grow over a larger period of time.
And oh man I never thought I'd turn into Usagi but I did. Everything except for the whole saving-the-world thing. And the talking cat. Honestly, though, that'd make my life so much more interesting. My friend did her Psych project on me and her conclusion was basically that my life was just average. Not that I can contest that in any way. You have no idea how much I've wanted my own Luna.
I've really enjoyed seeing the senshi-specific episodes, too. Two of the more recent episodes I watched (99 and 100) focused on Rei and Minako, specifically on guys they cared about, and I liked that there's not just relationships like Usagi and Mamoru's. Rei and Yuuichiro have a very cute friendship, and I liked that episode 99 didn't make it all sappy or anything. Nothing really changed between them except that it strengthened their care for each other. And Minako! I'm not entirely sure if she liked the guy back (and I forget his name, oops), but she didn't act super heartbroken about the whole thing. Sure, she was sad, but she didn't really go around moping or anything.
Haruka and Michiru though! I still haven't gotten to the point where it's clear what they're doing, and I'm not about to go looking for spoilers, but I do have a basic idea. I think that the pressure they're facing is almost bigger than Usagi's because they have to face it as only the two of them and they still seem pretty reluctant to ask for help. I was surprised that they agreed to give their help to the inner senshi, though. The few episodes I'd seen from the dub made them seem almost completely cold and calculated, even to the point of being stuck-up. Also, Haruka gets used as a plot point a lot. I'm a little conflicted on her being consistently used as a "trap", but I'm also glad that she was included as a character who is equally confident however people perceive her. The relationship Haruka and Michiru have gives off a very queerplatonic feel and I really like that.
I've also realized just how big the series actually is. Before Viz started releasing the anime online, I knew the most about the Amazon story arc because I found it the most interesting and looked a lot into it. The Doom Tree arc was almost entirely new for me, which I found fun considering the series is 20+ years old. I was amazed that I knew so little about what was going to happen!
Shh. I know this is the manga. This is the first one I found where they weren't being stupidly romantic.
I think the biggest thing that's changed in my opinion of Sailor Moon is Usagi and Mamoru's relationship. I used to think it was really dumb that Usagi adored him to the extent that she did, especially considering their age difference in the anime. However, watching them grow closer over the series so far has dispelled any of the doubts I had about them. They're not perfect but they're willing to work with each other, and I love how Mamoru is able to support her and give her the strength to stand on her own when she needs to.
TL;DR I could probably talk the topic of Sailor Moon to death but Viz's releases of the re-sub online has really helped me understand the series better. I guess that's what happens when you actually sit down to watch it all the way through, right?
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