With Sailor Moon anime reaching its 30th anniversary, there is an incredibly large amount of content in the anime for fans to dig into. From comedic fan dubs like Sailor Moon Rated R: The Promise of His Rosebud to the retelling of the story to be closer to the manga with Sailor Moon Crystal.
With so much media surrounding the franchise, it's no surprise that some of it might fall through the cracks. In particular, a special episode of the show, released on its own VHS to be used with an obscure game console, has been forgotten by even the most fervent Sailor Moon fans over the years.
What is Sailor Moon S: Kotaete Moon Call?
Sailor Moon S: Kotaete Moon Call isn't necessarily canon to the series but does fall within the continuity of the original show, making it an interesting anomaly in the series. The episode features a Daimon named Quiz, a character only featured in video games involving the series. Outside of Kotaete Moon Call, Quiz appeared in Quiz Sailor Moon - Chiryoku Tairyoku Toki no Un in arcades as the titular character and in Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S Kuizu Taiketsu! Sailor Power Kesshuu for the Bandai Playdia.
The Bandai Terebikko
The unique part of this episode is how it is compatible with an obscure game console, the Terebikko. Designed for younger children, the console was shaped like a phone and didn't need to connect to the television. Instead, sounds would be sent to the console from the television when the VHS was playing, allowing players to click the buttons to answer questions on the screen.
This worked perfectly for this quiz-styled episode that allows younger Sailor Moon fans to directly interact with the questions being asked and help the Sailor Scouts save the day.
The Story Of Kotaete Moon Call
The story begins with Usagi getting ready to see a lecture by a famous book author named Misaki Asako, a character exclusive to Sailor Moon video games. When they arrive, each Sailor Scout ends up asking the viewer a question about themselves (this Terrebikko game has the most questions in it by far than any other game for the console). When the author finally arrives, the Daimon Quiz comes out from one of her books to steal the Pure Heart Crystal contained within her.
Quiz transports the Sailor Scouts inside one of Misaki's picture books saying that if they don't answer her questions correctly, they'll be trapped inside of it forever. Several of the Sailor Scouts are called out directly to be a part of questions or answer them, with Sailor Mercury having copies made of her so that the viewer has to guess which one is real. Sailor Moon almost answers one question wrong about how much fuel various vehicles use before the player saves the say as well. The final question is a completely random guess between four cards, showing how Quiz is quite nefarious and unwilling to fight fair in the first place.
The girls, able to answer all of the questions with the help of the player, are able to adventure all the way through the various parts of the storybook world. Once they are able to escape, Quiz decides to stop them by force and attacks, catching Sailor Moon in her question mark staff. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune combine their attacks together to try and take Quiz down but are unsuccessful. Tuxedo Mask saves Sailor Moon from her trap with a well thrown rose before asking a question himself, which Quiz gets wrong. In her weakened state, Sailor Moon is able to banish the Daimon back inside of the story book from which she came, so she cannot escape and hurt anyone else.
The Sailor Scouts return the Pure Heart Crystal to Misaki and are able to listen to the lecture before going home.
Is There A Way To Watch The Episode?
Unfortunately, as this episode was exclusively released in Japan on VHS back in the eighties, there are very few copies of it available even on auction sites. As the American version of the Terrebikko, the See n' Say Video could also be used with the game, it's possible that someone could find both on an auction site and play through the game. However, the VHSs rarely show up on auction sites and when they do, they demand extremely high prices for their collectible value.
Thankfully, YouTuber Cucas Nerdy Corner archived a full copy of the episode for those interested in watching it. It includes the original sounds played by the VHS as well, making it possible for those with the console to still play along if they somehow happen to have one.