"Sailor Moon" The 20th Anniversary Memorial Tribute

I was happy to know that this CD was coming out and pre-ordered it right away. I want to say that most of the tracks are very good except for the remake of "Otome no Policy" which was remade into such a boring track that it disappointed me. The best tracks are "La Soldier" and "Ai no Senshi".

I wanted to like this album so much, but the audio quality is just terrible. Every track is very loud, and nearly every track skips (No visible scratches or smudges, still nearly unplayable).

I think first of all, a lot of us have to realize just how old Sailormoon is. Quite a few of us were watching the show when it first came out in our respective countries (I saw it when I was 14 when it came tot the US), and, bluntly, it's now two decades later. Artists have changed, as have musical tastes. What a lot of us might think of as "good" is not what we're getting on this album. Granted, I've heard worse tribute albums. But while this is no means the worst I've heard, it's definitely not the best: Momoiro Clover Z is irritating at worst, barely able to sing without gasping at the best, Haruko Momoi should have been singing "Don't Tease My Dreams" instead of "Rashiku" Ikimasho, and "Otome no Policy" is a serious, *serious* miscast. Plenty of the songs are just acceptable, even "Sailor Star Song" (which is a shame, as there's a sort of pure irony and deliciousness in Mitsuko Horie singing it: but she just doesn't do it justice). I admit to liking "La Soldier," "Ai no Senshi," and "Kaze mo Sora mo Kitto" as the ones I'll likely listen to the most, but that's basically damning the album with faint praise. "Legende Au Clair de Lune" is the oddball song, but it's meant to be, and while I'm not particularly keen on it, it's a good song and a nice tip of the hat to Sailormoon's "French" album. What I'd like to see is maybe a "21st Century" version of some of the old image songs by the original seiyuu. I think *that* would be far more interesting than this collection.

All the people posting negative or disapointing reviews were likely expecting something else. It's like going to a see a comedian and then complaining he spoke too long. Those people don't deserve to be Sailor Moon fans anymore. Here's a track by track review: 1. MomoClo did a nice job with this one. 2. What can I say? I love Shouko-tan's singing! The arrangement also fits this track. 3. The instrumental arrangement used (especially the drums) on this gives it a 1950s feel. Very nice. 4. A completely different version of this with a singing style that makes me feel she's right next to me. I've heard other songs with similar singing styles and I enjoy them a lot. 5. THIS IS AWESOME ALONG WITH THE HARD ROCKING GUITAR! I'll have to listen to it with my Dolby Pro Logic system to pump the bass! 6. This gets a nice fast dance beat and now sung by a duet! The different voices contrast each other and stand out well. 7. It remains a nice lovely ballad like the original version. MomoClo sings it well! 8. Sounds like the original with the same feel and updated arrangement. I know I've heard this lovely voice before! 9. Another that sounds much like the original and yet new at the same time. How fitting to have Sailor Galaxia's seiyuu sing this! 10. A completely different interpretation of the original. I'm not sure what the name of the arrangment style is, but it makes me feel it's inpsired by a later Beatles style. 11. Zees ees a vary French style for Moonlight Lejhand. I even have the Sailor Moon in Paris CD and this is nothing like that. A nice quiet track to end the CD with. A shame songs like "Let's Meet by the Morning Moon" didn't make it onto this CD, but what is here is a nice assortment by currently popular Japanese musical artists. It takes some musical experience and maturity to see the enjoyment in this new Sailor Moon CD. I didn't think I'd like some of the tracks from the sample trailer on Youtube, and I'm glad to have my 1st impressions blown away. A treasured addition to my collection!

I'm pained to say that this could've been a great tribute album, but the recording is atrocious--every track is mastered to be 100% MAXIMUM LOUD. It's so bad that I thought there was something wrong with my headphones. What they did to Tommy heavenly6's exhilarating rendition of La Soldier is absolutely heartbreaking--take a look at the track in a waveform editor and you'll see that it's a SOLID BAR OF NOISE. Honestly, compare any of these tracks to one from a late '90s Sailor Moon soundtrack and you'll immediately see how much dynamic range they squashed out of this mix. One wonders if the producers were at all confident in the quality of this album if they felt the need to make sure it drowns out every other sound in existence. If there's any positive to be gleaned, it's that it makes me appreciate the older recordings even more. :(