Ask John: Was Sailor Moon’s Success a Product of its Time?

Question:
If Sailor Moon came out today without the benefit of exposure from syndication, Cartoon Network or a cable anime channel, like ninety-five percent of all series, movies and OVAs you find in stores, do you think the show would still become insanely popular like did ten years ago? Or was it simply a case of having been in the right place at the right time?

Answer:
On first impression this is an intriguing question, but after some brief consideration I think it’s an impossible question. If the question was about whether a successful and popular show’s success was caused by its own integrity or by external circumstances, the answer could be determined by judging the quality of the show itself. But in the case of Sailor Moon, that isn’t possible because Sailor Moon wasn’t just an isolated program. Sailor Moon was a series that created its own external influence. In other words, it’s impossible to theorize what impact Sailor Moon would have if it debuted today because the circumstances and society of today is different than that of 1992 when Sailor Moon anime originally premiered. Specifically, in 1992 the Sailor Moon anime introduced the magical girl hero team genre to anime, but if it was released today, it would follow in the footsteps of programs like Wedding Peach, Tokyo Mew Mew, and Yes! Precure 5. Furthermore, in America the audience for anime is far more knowledgeable and selective than it was in 1995 when Sailor Moon debuted in America.

Sailor Moon was revolutionary because it merged the traditional hero team from live action sentai programs with the traditional anime magical girl conceit. Sailor Moon created an anime genre that would soon become cliché. (Actually, the Sailor Moon anime premiered in Japan during the midst of a short trend of live action magical heroine television programs that started in 1989 with Mahou Shoujo Chuka na Paipai and Mahou Shoujo Chuka na Ipanema and ran through 1993’s Yugen Jikko San Shimai Shushu Trian. But Sailor Moon was the first such program in anime form.) If all other circumstances remained the same, Sailor Moon couldn’t have a similar impact today because it would be an imitator, not an originator. Furthermore, Sailor Moon, especially its first season, was not animated particularly well. Its production quality was passable in 1992, but would not be as excusable today. Especially in the American fan community, in which many fans these days virtually refuse to watch any anime from prior to roughly 1995, Sailor Moon would have a difficult time finding a receptive American audience if it premiered today.

In a similar vein, Sailor Moon introduced America to shoujo anime, so it debuted in America to a fascinated and receptive audience. Today there’s a knowledgeable and experienced American audience for shoujo anime, and it’s not very big. Sailor Moon debut in America with no competition, and became embraced by an audience eager for shoujo anime. These days, the show would be met by a much more critical audience – not one eager to adopt any anime it can get, but rather, an audience that demands to be impressed by each new anime. These circumstances do suggest that the popularity of the Sailor Moon franchise, especially in America, was largely indebted to its unique premise and the circumstances surrounding its debut. So it can be argued that much of Sailor Moon’s success is attributable to it being in the right place at the right time.

But I can’t entirely attribute Sailor Moon’s success to mere coincidence. If Sailor Moon was a superficial, disposable franchise that happened to get lucky, it wouldn’t have spun off its long running live action stage musical franchise, its successful live action television drama, and even an American book of critical analysis of the show and its social impact. I’m personally not a big Sailor Moon fan, but even I have to recognize and admit that the Sailor Moon franchise had a combination of characteristics which have made it a lasting favorite. Unlike less successful imitators like Wedding Peach and Tokyo Mew Mew, Sailor Moon had an appealing cast of fully independent and unique heroines, compelling story arcs, and a genuine mythology of its own. Those qualities deserve respect, and suggest that part of the reason for Sailor Moon’s success lay in the quality of the show itself, and not in coincidence and external factors.