Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice (2000)

A comet is approaching Earth; a snowy ice queen is going to turn it into her new kingdom in the name of beauty. She sends her minions to the planet below and a local scientist sees the plot unfold. He sets out to find the object without thinking about the consequences and pays the price for it. As is typical to Sailor Moon, this will be a major plot point.I want to give props to the opening that follows, because it shows the characters doing what they do best – they have a life outside of what is going on outside of the movie's adventure. This is an aspect lost on so many anime series and movies when characters get caught up in drama or world affairs; they neglect their personal lives and otherwise fail to continue their former life when all is said and done. Sailor Moon has always been a bit different because their super hero lives and normal lives are not only different, but their super hero guises help to preserve their lives as well as the life of everyone else around the planet.That said, this is the dubbed version of the Japanese movie; the plot is otherwise the same outside of a few translation differences which involve changed names, nuances for the American culture, and a few odd placed jokes. This is typical in translations and well known in the Sailor Moon fandom; it simply can't be avoided. The movie is also typical of drama that unfolds on American primetime television of the era (the movie was made around the same time) and in early 2000. All characters have ups and downs in their life and the movie plays heavily with this before the main plot kicks in.In a nutshell the snowy icequeen intends to turn the world into her own kingdom. Her minions wreak havoc in downtown Tokyo and the Sailor Scouts are there to put an end to it. In the meantime the scientist also mentioned from the beginning, has gotten caught up with Serena's cat; so the Sailor Scouts are suddenly involved in their personal lives as well. The scientist also is involved in a sideplot involving his love life and a scientist that is about to perform a mission in space; the comet towards Earth directly affects the mission. The movie plays heavily on the plot, as well as drama that unfolds as a side effect; characters have their own interactions as well.The voice acting is typical of dubbed animation; it is above average as has transpired to previous Sailor Moon dubs; this was dubbed later in the life of the series and the effects show. Returning fans after a decade will appreciate this, those just now viewing the entire series will notice the effects. The animation looks to be pulled directly from the series showing at the same time (Sailor Moon S); but unlike the syndicated series, this takes no shortcuts in animation; the same frame count for animation appears to be there, as well as the same quality throughout. Characters also seem to have more nuances in their movements, body language, gestures and facial expressions; they needless to say have lots of personality going on here. Just about every scene shown has some kind of fluid, if not choppy animation – this is still better than the actual series which often employs single frame shots with movement coming from say, only the mouth. The movie also uses lots of camera angles combined with animation movement; special effects are animated and wonderfully done in a time when computer animation was largely unheard of. The style of camera movement and animation is not typically found in any animation without some kind of special effects or animation using computer graphics. Background art is above the original series and typically graces only movies; similar in appearance to that found in a graphics novel, the play on light and undertones helps the foreground animation stand out with exceptionally clean lines. In a word; it's good animation and art for the time.Are the voices, music, and sound effects good? They are a combination of the original Japanese, with American additives transplanted with varying affects; for the most part it could have very well been the American equivalent that I grew up with had it not been delayed nearly a decade before dubbing the rest of the series.I recommend the movie for Sailor Moon fans; it will give you your fix; but for causal anime fans it may be a bit of a loose cannon. This movie fits entirely into the magical girl genre of anime with nods to more aggressive shows such as Dragonball Z; fans of either genre will want to follow suite.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/? p=6649).

Well, this movie certainly doesn't compare to Akira with animation, but it's still amazing, with it's glittering rainbows and cheerful characters, this movie is safe for kids but still mesmerizing for adults. The plot follows the story of Luna, a feline who loves a human guy. Despite Luna's efforts to entice him, he is engaged to a scientist from the nearby space station. Luna decides to ask her friends, and her owner Serena, for help and advice.This movie was as sad as it was beautiful, the story was very tragic. If you can get a copy of this movie, it's better to watch it with English subtitles - English dubbing it didn't do it any favors. It's a great movie to watch during the winter, and its flawless animation and wonderful soundtrack make it even better.

This is a good, solid dose of typical Sailor Moon fun, with the appearances by the Outer Senshi, the smooth animation, and the sweet plotline revolving around Luna's love for an astronomer making this especially good. Kudos to the very slick music and the directing as well. Senshi die-hards need not hesitate, and for others, this is a very good way to sample some of the brilliant Sailor Moon series. My only regret is that the manga version is streets ahead of this.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw this movie. I mean I loved Sailor Moon R, but Sailor Moon S was fanastic. Why do you ask? Simple: 1. A great plot involving Luna falling in love with a Human. 2. You get to see the Outer Senshi, no Satrun. gggrrr! 3. Awesome Special Effects, and superb animation 4. great music.Nomally I would give the entire plot away, but I'll spare you the details on this one. Why? I want you to see it for yourselves for a change.