Amazon.com

This Japanese import featuring five teenagers with superhero powers may turn out to be for older girls what Pokemon is for the pee-wee set. The fantasy-action story lines of Sailor Moon (named for the leader) is typical anime fare–which means it’s far more creative than anything you’ll see on Saturday morning. And far more complex–the stories are intricate and flashback sequences feature wordless narrative. Then again, what high-spirited girl wouldn’t love the magical makeup that transforms hip schoolgirls into butt-kicking heroines? In this one-hour feature, we meet a new foe, a mysterious childhood friend of Sailor Moon’s boyfriend who returns–from deep space! His evil plan to rid the Earth of life includes flowers with awesome powers, vine-covered foes, and telekinetics. Quite the challenge for Sailors Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. Despite the action, the series certainly has a different feel and color scheme than most male-driven anime. The Japanese have two terms: shonen (for boys) and shojo (for girls), and if girls haven’t had a chance to see the shojo anime, this is the starting point. This subtitled version is uncut from the original Japanese cartoon, and the reading crowd above 7 is the appropriate audience for the video’s occasional spooky imagery. This unedited version was soaked up by kids in Japan, but the cultural differences might be questionable for American parents. There’s a brief, nondescriptive conversation about homosexuality and ghostly naked figures (think Barbie doll) that are illustrated, although it’s not nudity as much as the female form. The dubbed version has minor edits in action and dialogue, targeting a slightly younger crowd. –Doug Thomas