Sailor Moon S: The Movie

Sailor Moon S: The Movie is the second of three theatrically released Sailor Moon movies. Its full name in Japanese is Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S The Movie (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンＳ). The English dub is called Sailor Moon S the Movie: Hearts in Ice. The Japanese version debuted in theaters December 4, 1994. The film was soft matted for its theatrical release, as it was animated in 4:3 full screen. The same was done with the Sailor Moon R Movie and the Sailor Moon Super S Movie. The movie is named thus for the third arc of the Sailor Moon anime, Sailor Moon S, as it was released around the same time. The events portrayed seem to take place during approximately the same time period - presumably during the mid-to-late episodes of the season, as Sailor Pluto is still present (she disappears in the anime during episode 124, near the end of Sailor Moon S, and is not seen again until Sailor Stars, in episode 167). Also, Hotaru Tomoe is not present until later on in the series. This movie's English adaptation has had two versions: one version is the cut one and the other version is the special uncut. The cut version has no body lines in the breast area during transformations, and used the original DIC music from the series. The uncut version kept the original Japanese music and body lines. The English dubbed version was released on VHS and DVD on May 23, 2000, and on TV on November 9, 2001.

The "S movie" is the only one of the three to have been based on a story which actually appeared in Naoko Takeuchi's original manga series. The side story, entitled The Lover of Princess Kaguya (Kaguya hime no koibito), was published as Volume 11 in the original release of the manga. It was accompanied by a shorter side story called Casablanca Memories, featuring Rei Hino.

Plot
Long ago, Princess Snow Kaguya tried to cover the Earth in ice, but failed when the Imperium Silver Crystal melted the ice and saved the planet. She has now made her way to Earth to try again. A piece of her comet has been lost and she cannot proceed without it. She sends her minions, the Snow Dancers, to search for the missing shard. A young astronomer named Kakeru Ōzora finds the shard and keeps it in his observatory.

The Senshi are enjoying a day in town. Luna develops a cold and leaves the Senshi to go back to Usagi's house. On the way there, she is almost hit by a car, but is rescued and nursed to health by Kakeru. Luna then develops romantic feelings for him, even kissing him in his sleep, leaving Artemis feeling rejected. Luna herself ends up with unrequited love because it turns out that Kakeru has a girlfriend of his own, an astronaut named Himeko Nayotake, and more importantly, because Luna is a cat. It turns out the two are unhappy because the scientific Himeko cannot come to terms with Kakeru's belief of the existence of the mythological Princess Kaguya; Himeko later leaves on a space mission without reconciling with him.

The shard of the comet attaches itself to Kakeru's life force, and begins slowly stealing his life force energy, causing him to become very ill. Princess Snow Kaguya takes the shard, but because it is linked to his life force, he is brought even closer to death when it is taken. She throws the shard into the ocean and creates an enormous ice crystal that will continue to draw away Kakeru's life force energy until he dies. She and her Snow Dancers then begin to freeze the Earth. The Inner and Outer Sailor Soldiers attempt to stop her, but none of their attacks seem to work. All of the eight Sailor Soldiers along with Sailor Mini Moon combine their powers and abilities to activate the Imperium Silver Crystal's immense power, which destroys Princess Snow Kaguya, her Snow Dancers, the ice crystal in the ocean, and her comet.

When the Senshi defeat Princess Snow Kaguya, Sailor Moon wishes for Luna to become Princess Kaguya. Kakeru, worried about Himeko's safety, had been wandering in the snowstorm and is saved by Luna, transformed into a woman. She takes him near the moon, where Himeko, on her space mission, witnesses the odd phenomenon. Luna tells him that he needs to stop focusing on his work so much and to pay more attention to Himeko. She shares a sad kiss with him, then they return to normal. Kakeru takes up Luna's advice and meets Himeko, who now believes in Kaguya, at the airport. Artemis then comforts Luna, and they make up.

Princess Snow Kaguya
Princess Snow Kaguya (プリンセス・スノー・カグヤ) is the main antagonist of the movie and its manga counterpart. She is a powerful alien entity that travels by comet from planet to planet, freezing them and making them part of her "collection". Princess Snow Kaguya's name comes from the Japanese legend, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Princess Snow Kaguya is not her real name. When she appears in Kakeru's observatory, she reminds him of Princess Kaguya. He mentions the story to her, and she says that she likes it and takes it for her own. She is afterwards referred to as Princess Snow Kaguya. Whether or not she had a name before that, and if so, what it was is never revealed. Sailor Moon uses her Holy Grail to gain more power and tries to eliminate Princess Snow Kaguya with Rainbow Moon Heart Ache, but failed to Princess Snow Kaguya's stronger attack. Her appearance is a female body entirely made of ice with her dress covering only the downer part of her body so this completely reveals her breasts and she has a white-like veil covering her faceless head with no hair.

In the Japanese version, she is voiced by Eiko Masuyama. In the English version, she is voiced by Linda Ballantyne.

Snow Dancers
Monsters used by Princess Snow Kaguya, the Snow Dancers appear as identical pure-white women in dresses. They are made of snow and ice and seem to be formed from the ice-like structure Princess Snow Kaguya uses as her base. They are able to attack and are capable of freezing human beings in blocks of ice. While individually weak enough to be killed by any attack from the Senshi, they are seemingly countless in number. When defeated, they release a high pitched scream.

Kakeru Ōzora
A brilliant young astronomer who nevertheless believes in the Japanese legend, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. He is obsessed with Princess Kaguya from that legend, and he studies the moon because of his obsession.

Kakeru Ōzura was ahead of the game but considered crazy by his peers. He would often say that a thousand years ago there was a kingdom on the moon and such, everything that people our day would deem crazy. As he nursed the sick Luna, he talked to her, but then stopped himself, thinking Luna was not capable of speech. The princess he believed ruled on the Moon Kingdom was Princess Kaguya. Princess Snow Kaguya took that name after Kakeru confused her with the Moon Kingdom princess. He was in love with an astronaut named Himeko, who thought he was crazy as well, until she saw the transformed Luna in space.

In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Masami Kikuchi. In the English version, he is voiced by Jeff Lumby.

Himeko Nayotake
This young woman is Kakeru's childhood friend. When they were both young, they dreamt of going to the moon and meeting the legendary Princess Kaguya. Intelligent and resolute, she is saddened by Kakeru's refusal to keep trying to become an astronaut after he is surprisingly rejected in his first try. Despite this, she does not renounce her dream and successfully becomes an astronaut herself. In both the movie and the manga, Kakeru and Himeko become lovers (breaking Luna's heart), but it is only in the manga where it is later revealed that Himeko is pregnant with their child.

In the Japanese version, Himeko is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara. In the English version, she is voiced by Jennifer Gould, who also did the voice of Hotaru Tomoe in Sailor Moon S as well as Palla Palla (Para Para) in the English dubbed Sailor Moon Super S TV series.

Production
Naoko Takeuchi wrote the 135 page manga story "Princess Kaguya's Lover" with the film in mind. She came up with the idea while looking at her antique, "Salome". She based the antagonist, Snow Princess Kaguya, on that antique and the Snow Dancers on a German antique of the same name.