All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
Sailor Moon S: The Movie (initially released with the subtitle Hearts in Ice in North America) is the second Sailor Moon film. This time around, it's based on a manga short story written by Naoko Takeuchi, The Lover of Princess Kaguya. It is directed by Hiroki Shibata with the screenplay by Sukehiro Tomita.
It was originally released in Japan on December 4, 1994, between episodes 116 and 117 of the '90s anime, with it premiering at the winter 1994 Toei Anime Fair (along with a film from the Aoki Densetsu Shoot! series and Osawaga! Super Baby). The film was dubbed into English by Optimum Productions in 1999 and was eventually picked up by Viz Media in 2014 along with the rest of the franchise for a re-dub using their own cast.
Princess Snow Kaguya (voiced by Eiko Masuyama), an extraterrestrial entity, plots to freeze the Earth. When one of her comet's fragments lands on the planet, she decides to send her mooks to search for the fragment. Meanwhile, astronomer Kakeru Ōzora (Masami Kikuchi) discovers the fragment and begins his research on it. However, the fragment sucks his life force and Kaguya begins her plans to freeze the Earth. It's up to the Sailor Guardians to put a stop to Kaguya's plans once and for all.
The film also stars Kotono Mitsuishi as Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon, Kae Araki as Chibi-usa and Keiko Han as Luna.
This film provides examples of:
- Adaptational Jerkass: Kakeru was cold in the original manga story and his tension with Himeko focused more on his heart problems and how he gave up on being an astronaut. Here, he flips his shit at Himeko simply because she doesn't believe Princess Kaguya really does live on the moon.
- Adaptational Wimp: Himeko had more of a role to play in the manga's conflict than she does here. In the manga, when she returns to Kakeru's lab and sees how much his crystal's grown, she realizes immediately this thing's negatively affecting him and smashes it to bits declaring she'll definitely destroy the meteor. Nothing like that happens in the movie.
- All Your Powers Combined: The Sailor Guardians have to use the Silver Crystal to kill Kaguya and destroy her comet.
- Big Damn Heroes: Tuxedo Mask arrives just in time help Sailor Moon destroy the last of the Snow Dancers attacking Tokyo.
- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: Luna becomes attached to Kakeru, which crushes Artemis. By the end of the film, Luna reconciles with Artemis and returns his feelings for him.
- Canon Discontinuity: Averted, since most of the details point to it taking place after episode 122 and it's based on Naoko Takeuchi's short story. There are however odd elements, like the personalities of the Outer Sailor Guardians, which are more like their manga counter parts, as it's a direct adaptation.
- Casting Gag: Melissa Fahn voices Princess Snow Kaguya in the 2018 dub after playing Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, who is another role loosely inspired by "The Snow Queen" fairy tale character.
- Costume-Test Montage: In the opening of the film, Minako tries out various costumes at a local store.
- Crying Critters: Luna pours her heart out to Usagi about Kakeru and Himeko as well as her own feelings for the former. She could see that Kakeru loves Himeko very much despite his attitude towards her, which made Luna feel emotional turmoil about her own love for Kakeru. She was forced to accept that they could never be due to her being a cat and wished she were human so she could at least tell him her feelings. Luna sheds a Single Tear in the middle of airing her grievances, then finally breaks down crying that Usagi hugs her for emotional support.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Sailor Guardians easily defeat the Snow Dancers in Tokyo. Sailor Moon herself end up on the receiving end thanks to Kaguya stopping her Rainbow Moon Heartache technique.
- A Day in the Limelight: The movie specifically focuses on Luna more than anyone else.
- Destroyinga Punching Bag: In the opening, the girls test their strength. Ami, being the weakest, doesnt even try. Usagi manages a 35. Minako almost doubles it with a 65. Rei easily shows even more strength and gets an 80. Makoto however reaches 100 without effort and destroys the bag in the process.
- "Eureka!" Moment: After Luna transforms into a human and meets up with Kakeru, she gives him a personal tour of Earth’s orbit to fulfill his dream of seeing the princess of the Moon. As Kakeru admires “Kaguya”, he noticed two things about her: she had a crescent moon shape on her head, and a yellow ribbon around her neck. This made him realize the woman before him is in fact Luna.
- Foreshadowing: Luna wishes to become human to help Kakeru get over his illness and help him. Guess which form she changes into at the end of the film?
- Happy Ending: Princess Snow Kaguya is destroyed, Kakeru and Himeko get back together and Luna reconciles with Artemis.
- Humanity Ensues: Luna transforms into a human so that she can help Kakeru reconcile with Himeko. Notably, her human form is noted to be "a year younger than Usagi" in appearance in Takeuchi's own notes, which causes issues with the first dub where Luna was given a British accent and written to be much older. This form also makes further appearances in the manga, where it's revealed the other cats can take such forms in times of crisis. The form being natural versus one created for her by Usagi is one of the largest differences between the movie and the manga.
- Hypocrite: Rei joins in with Minako and Makoto by accusing Usagi of driving Luna away from home by possibly being mean to her, nevermind the fact that she's been mean to Usagi herself (at least in this incarnation of the Sailor Moon story).
- Interspecies Romance: Luna falls in love with Kakeru, but feels it can never be since she's a cat.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After taking human form and kissing Kakeru, Luna urges him to get back together with Himeko.
- Jerkass Ball: Save for Ami, the Sailor Guardians briefly hold this towards Usagi by accusing her of being mean to Luna and driving her away, especially hypocritical for Rei's case, since she is often mean to Usagi.
- Never Say "Die": In the Canadian dub, Sailor Moon says "death" while confronting Kaguya. Later on she plans to beat her with the Silver Crystal, the power of which will invariably cause her death. Sailor Venus calls her out on this, and Uranus resolves to prevent it.
- Oh, Crap!: Kaguya's reaction when the Sailor Guardians use the Silver Crystal to kill her is of utter shock.
- Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...: It takes the Sailor Guardians a while before they realize that their attacks on the Snow Dancers in Tokyo accomplished nothing, as they automatically regenerate.
- Rescue Romance: Kakeru managed to save a fever-induced Luna from getting run over by a car, which caused her to harbor deep feelings for him.
- Stock Scream: In the Canadian dub, a Wilhelm Scream is heard seconds after the Outer Guardians learn about the second wave of freezings and transform.
- Surprise Santa Encounter: Sailor Moon encounters Tuxedo Mask disguised as Santa during her battle with the Snow Dancers. Considering the movie takes place during winter, obtaining the items needed probably isn't impossible, but you do have to wonder: just how long had he been planning this? Since this was the first attack from the Snow Dancers, does this suggest that he may have planned to pull a stunt like this in the S arc proper?
- Zerg Rush: During the climax, the Sailor Guardians are completely swarmed by an army of regenerating Snow Dancers to the point they even interrupt their attacks.
