Anime: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R (1993) 4h3k4j

My first ever review on AniDB, /criticism welcome.

A sidestory to the Sailor Moon R season that takes place sometime after Chibi-usa discovers the secret identities of Usagi and her friends, this movie has no relevance to the overall story and thus is not necessary viewing.

Animation: Being a movie, the animation is a bit higher-budget compared to the TV series. Of course, the standard Sailor Moon transformation and attack sequences get recycled, but there's a lot of motion and energy to be found in the fight sequences. The various flower-filled scenes on Earth and the asteroid are fairly detailed for the hand-drawn era, and character design/animation is a step above TV-quality. Considering it was made in 1993, the animation quality holds up pretty well.

Sound: While the music does its job well, it still sounds dated. The BGM s the moods of the scenes effectively, from action-packed fights to sadness-laden flashbacks. Most music is taken from the TV soundtrack, so there's not much in the way of new content. Fortunately for English-language fans, the uncut English dub leaves the original music intact, aside from the substitution of the English OP and later "Power of Love" in place of "Moon Revenge."

The Japanese VAs do a good job in continuing the characters they established through the first two TV series, and especially shine in some of the more emotional scenes towards the end. Kotono Mitsuishi's Usagi is convincing both as a ditzy flake and as the warrior who would do anythign for her friends and the man she loves.
The English cast is not as good in general, and the English script takes several liberties, including adding lines in where there were none in Japanese, and eliminating the lightly implied shounen-ai between Mamoru and Fiore. Although the English cast falls short in the more emotional scenes, some of the writing adds some humor and "attitude" that improves on the Japanese script in a few places. Those who watched SM on Cartoon Network in the late 1990s will probably see more nostalgia value in the dubbed voices than new fans will.

Story: Though billed as a feature movie, Promise of the Rose plays out like an extended TV episode, only without the recurring villain or ongoing story arc. We get an expanded look on Mamoru's past thanks to the return of an alien boy whom Mamoru met as a child. This alien, Fiore, seems to be of the same race as Ari and En from the Doom Tree arc of SMR, despite the series' assertion that Ari and En were the last survivors. Fiore is accompanied by an evil plant that shares the same generic goals as most other SM villains: to drain people's energy, destroy everything, rule the world, etc. No points there. So of course, it's up to the Sailor Senshi to unite against the threat, and there's a pretty good chance that Fiore might learn some Important Lessons about love, caring, and friendship along the way.

Character: Since this is a standalone sidestory, there's really no opportunity for character development, so everyone's personality and relationships remain static. The Inner Senshi get a few flashbacks that showcase some of the lonliness in their past. While this is nice, several of the flashbacks conflict with what viewers have learned from the first two TV series. Fiore is mildly interesting as a character who's experienced the lonliness of drifting through space, but as most of his evil intentions are artificially imposed, he's all too vulnerable to a complete change of heart once Sailor Moon is through with him.

Value: Not something I'd watch on a regular basis, but worth sitting through every once in a while, especially during a rewatch of the SM series. I got it as part of the SM Movies DVD collection, and after watching it once in each language, I'd still be willing to watch it again. While it isn't an essential part of the SM universe, it's still worth experiencing for SM fans. Those who weren't SM fans to begin with won't see much value in this movie.

Enjoyment: While its story doesn't make it that much better than Sailor Moon R itself, I still found Promise of the Rose to be a good dose of everything that SM comprises; action, comedy, romance, "warm fuzzy" friendship feelings, and "never say die" fighting spirit. As a longtime SM fan, this movie isn't exactly my favorite item in the franchise, but I liked seeing the characters in action and the glimpses into their pasts...even if those glimpses weren't completely accurate.