Exploring Your Options (1999.10.01.)

I don't know of any other anime with such intensely loyal fans as with Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon.  I mean, I know some people who feel that if they were to watch some other anime, that they'll be betraying Sailormoon.  The girl who sits next to me at lunch said that while clutching her Sailor Moon lunch bag to her front.  The guy sitting across from me started laughing then promised to wire her some EVA.

Let's make this perfectly clear : watching new anime doesn't make you a betrayer of Sailormoon.  While we're saying that, let's also point out that you can't "betray" a 2 dimensional character.

We'll call it "exploring your options."  Honestly!  The vast (and I do mean vast) majority of the Sailormoon Community are completely sheltered from all other anime except Sailormoon and the odd magical girl story.  There are SOOO many new and wonderful anime and manga everywhere!  Why stick to just one?

I'm not saying give up Sailormoon all together, I'm just saying watch some new stuff.  Here's a few of the anime that I've watched or the manga I've read that I recommend :

Serial Experiments lain : this is one of those animes you have to watch over and over and over just to get an idea of what's happening and then once more after you've seen the entire series! ^_^  The first scene of the first episode (each episode is called a Layer) is a girl named Chisa killing herself by jumping off a building.  When lain comes to school and sees her friend Juri crying, she asks Alice (who's comforting Juri) what's wrong with her?  Alice tells her she got an e-mail from Chisa.  lain goes home and decides to check her e-mail.  An e-mail from Chisa awaits her.  She says she's only abandoned her body, she's alive and, "God's here" (where she is.)  This is a dark, techno-thriller.  Extremely enthralling despite the rather simple animation.

Magic Knight Rayearth : for people who don't want to stray too far away from Sailormoon, you might really enjoy this magical girl story by CLAMP.  It's an anime and manga, but I've only seen the anime so this is what I'm gonna cover.  Three junior high schools are on field trips to Tokyo Tower.  In a bright flash of light, three students who's destines are tied together are summoned to the faraway land of Cephiro by the imprisoned Princess Emeraude.  There, Fuu, Hikaru and Umi meet Clef who tells them it's their destines to become Magic Knights and save the dying land of Cephiro or they will never be able to return home.  The animation is gorgeous, as well as the music ^_^  And if anything, it's worth seeing Mokona hop around and be cute ^_^

The Cherry Project : for those of you who don't want to stray too far from Sailormoon, here's another manga by Takeuchi Naoko.  Three issues long, it came out before Sailormoon and Codename: Sailor V.  Chieri wants to be a great figure skater like her idol, Tsuzuki.  One day at the skating rink she quite literally runs into him.  He's looking for a good pairs partner and he thinks Chieri might be it.  But she has to compete with the beautiful skating Princess, Candy.  And then a boy named Wataru wants to be her partner too!  What's a girl to do?  This is a cute manga with a pretty story.  A good read ^_^

Shoujo Kakumei Utena : this anime, while childish and cute in some aspects, is hardly recommended for children.  This anime can deal with a few adult subjects (like you can totally tell Miki's sister slept with Touga.)  Once there was a young princess whose parents had died.  She was incredibly sad but a prince came and kissed her tears away.  He told her to be strong and gave her a Rose Seal Ring so that they might meet again.  The young princess was so impressed by the prince that she vowed to be a prince herself someday and save princesses.  The princess is grown up now, and just as she wanted to be, is a prince who saves princesses.  When her friend's love letter is posted on the school message board by the guy it was sent to, she goes to challenge him and unknowingly steps into a world of intrigue and duels where the winner is engaged to a girl with no will known as the Rose Bride and controls the End of the World.  This anime is weird but incredibly interesting.  The animation is very feminine but nice to watch.

This is just a few good anime and manga.  There's so many more out there to see so start now!  You won't be "betraying" Sailormoon.  You're just exploring your options.