‘Sailor Moon Cosmos’ soars through an electric series finale

The iconic Sailor Moon Crystal has concluded, and the finale, Sailor Moon Cosmos, is a fitting send-off for this dynamic and powerful anime series.

Known in Japan as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, the series debuted in 2014 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the manga created by Naoko Takeuchi. A decade later, Cosmos follows the Sailor Guardians into the fight of their lives with two feature-length, episodic films. To save the galaxy and secure the future, Sailor Moon and her friends must stop the time-traveling Sailor Galaxia from killing all the Sailor Guardians and stealing their Sailor Crystals to wreak havoc forever.

It’s an intense journey that harkens back to all the best parts of Crystal and also builds upon the lore in interesting ways. Cosmos forces its characters and its audience to examine the role of the Sailor Guardians and the root of their powers, ultimately questioning whether fighting to end all fighting is truly the way to achieve a bright and peaceful future and emphasizing the incredible strength of community.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 1

Sailor Moon Cosmos hits the gas at the start of Part 1 and slowly heightens the speed and intensity across its 164-minute total runtime. Although Usagi and her friends live mostly normal lives after the dramatic fight against the Dead Moon Circus in Eternal, the villainous Sailor Galaxia won’t give them a moment of peace. When Usagi says goodbye to her boyfriend, Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) at the airport before his trip to the U.S. to study at Harvard, he tries to propose—but he’s interrupted by Galaxia herself time-traveling to the airport and ripping his Golden Crystal from his chest.

Seemingly under some kind of memory spell, Usagi thinks he’s simply abroad and hasn’t written or called—until she and the other Sailor Scouts learn that the idol group Three Lights is secretly another group of Scouts known as the Sailor Starlights. This sends them on a surprising path of discovery as several of them are snatched from existence by Galaxia and her minions, all of whom are committing these atrocious acts under a false understanding of what it means to be a Guardian and wield magical powers. Along the way, Usagi remembers the truth of Mamoru’s death, which deepens her grief and increases her motivation to save the galaxy.

Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 1 is a who’s who of the Guardian matrix, though the characters are surprisingly easy to keep track of throughout the story. Each transformation is as thrilling as the next, and the mechanics of each powerset offer exciting new visuals. These alone make the movie worth watching, though the building of tension toward Part 2 is even more impressive. The English voice cast carries their character arcs through with tenacity and wit, their established chemistry leaving plenty of space for the energy brought by new characters to each scene.

The first half of Cosmos is much lighter than the second, with more room for levity and moments of gentle connection between characters—but the tone shift between parts 1 and 2 feels natural as the story progresses. This can be attributed to every aspect of the storytelling, especially the music and animation, which lean into what’s to come and keep viewers on their toes.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 2

Sailor Moon Cosmos Part 2 sees the titular hero face off against Sailor Galaxia in a proper brawl and explains who certain characters are, where they are in their timelines, and how they came to be in the current era. It also breaks down key elements of Sailor Guardian history and lore, including why Sailor Moon is so powerful and why so many enemies are desperate to claim the legendary Silver Crystal for themselves.

Although Cosmos Part 2 has a lot of exposition, it’s also packed to the brim with action. The fight scenes literally burst with color and the voice cast brings its A-game, particularly Stephanie Sheh (Sailor Moon/Usagi Tsukino, Chibi Chibi, and Sailor Lethe) and Carrie Keranen (Sailor Galaxia).

Usagi and Mamoru’s love story may kick off the events in Cosmos, but as always, the relationships between the Sailor Guardians hold everything down. As Sailor Moon and Sailor Galaxia fight for the fate of the world, they each call upon their connections with others, highlighting the power of love and platonic intimacy. Queerness is threaded throughout Cosmos, and so is the canonical magic of these women’s care for one another. Whatever era, the Sailor Guardians have each other’s backs, and no amount of villainy can change that.

Because Cosmos so deftly navigates its complex, space-faring, time-travel plot through a sharp focus on the core relationships between characters, it delivers an emotionally fulfilling, satisfactory conclusion to the Sailor Moon Crystal series. This incredible anime has been a decade in the making, and it’s truly a masterclass in adaptation. Takeuchi’s original manga translates so beautifully to the screen and it’s obvious from the end product how much love, care, and attention to detail were put into this anime by the entire creative team.

Sailor Moon Cosmos is streaming now on Netflix.