For the past three decades, Sailor Moon has garnered critical acclaim, with praise for its beautiful art, fleshed-out characters and good sense of humor. The anime, originally released in 1995, remains popular to this day and is available to stream on Hulu.
Fans can learn a lot about their beloved series from its high and low moments. Here's a closer look at Sailor Moon's best and worst episodes according to IMDB and how, funnily enough, they share certain similarities in theme and message.
According to IMDB, the best episode is Season 3 Episode 21: "Death of Uranus and Neptune? The Coming of Talisman." The story follows fan favorites Haruka and Michiru, Sailor Uranus and Neptune, opening with Michiru's dream. She is standing in the sky, surrounded by white clouds and seagulls. She receives a message from Haruka while holding a seashell to her ear, and is subsequently awoken by Haruka. Michiru is sunbathing near a pool when she wakes up. She shares her desire to travel far away as well as her aspirations for the future, finishing with the hope that the talismans will be discovered soon.
Meanwhile, the Inner Senshi recall their experiences with Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, as well as their failed attempts to work together. As if reading Usagi's mind, Haruka calls her and asks her to meet up. At a vast indoor aquarium, Usagi meets Haruka and Michiru. She advises them to join forces with the other Sailor Senshi and stop looking for the talismans without avail. This only angers Haruka, who takes Usagi's transformation brooch to prevent her from meddling.
Usagi is left behind while Haruka and Michiru meet up with a witch claiming to know the whereabouts of the talisman. Despite how they treat her and her incapacity to transform, Usagi nonetheless decides to aid Sailors Uranus and Neptune. This episode does a great job of highlighting Usagi's selflessness and devotion to helping others.
Again according to IMDB, the worst episode is Season 2 Episode 21, "The Sea! An Island! Vacation! The Senshi Relax," and surprisingly, there are some clear parallels between this and the best episode. The most obvious is the summery aesthetics. School is over and Usagi bemoans that she needs a vacation. Of course, Rei is one step ahead and has already left for a tropical island, according to Chibiusa. Usagi fantasizes about sunbathing on a lovely beach and having a great time. She then persuades Chibiusa to reveal Rei's whereabouts so that she and the other Sailor Senshi can join her.
The scouts find Rei on a crescent moon-shaped island, where she had intended to conduct her spiritual training in solitude. Rei shares many similarities with the Outer Senshi, mirroring their desire to work alone, and it doesn't take long for Rei to become frustrated with the other Senshi. Their arguing upsets Chibiusa, who goes into the ocean by herself even though she doesn't know how to swim. Sharks attack her and she nearly drowns, but she is rescued by a dinosaur. After noticing her disappearance, the scouts put their differences aside to work together to find Chibiusa.
While this episode is chaotic and doesn't add much to the overall plot, it echoes many of the same messages of the other episode. Getting along with your friends is important. You should not go off on your own, especially if your friends can help you. Also, while dreams may be exotic and enticing, they can be deadly as well. Michiru's talisman dream led her and Haruka into a dangerous situation, while Usagi's ideal vacation didn't include the reality of Chibiusa's near-death experience. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
