Flash Back Friday - Eternal Sailor Moon Locket

Eternal Sailor Moon Locket by Bandai Japan

Quality - ♥♥♥♥
Appearance - ♥♥♥
Packaging - ♥♥♥
Art - ♥♥♥♥
Functionality - ♥♥♥♥
Fun - ♥♥♥♥♥
Cost - ♥♥
Availability - ♥

So today in our "FlashBack Friday" we're looking at the OFFICIAL Bandai release of the Sailor Stars Locket worn by Eternal Sailor Moon. 

This particular locket was released in 1996 in Japan and was made in China. It was licensed and released by Bandai and Toei Japan. This particular item comes in a pink box with the various writings and artwork of Sailor Moon and the four original Senshi on the sides.

QUALITY - The quality of this locket gets 4 ♥'s because though it seems rather durable for fun play, the chain itself seems rather flimsy. It appears to be made of some mix of plastic and metal and seems as if it would tarnish and turn one's neck green rather quickly, if not break off all together. The plastic seems sturdy and well made, but the jewels themselves aren't even jewels in this version. Instead, they are stickers adhered to the locket. 

APPEARANCE - This locket gets 3 ♥'s because though it is rather cute, it really doesn't fit the bill for what was shown in the manga and anime. I'm personally a stickler for accuracy, and in previous makings of the lockets, we've seen just that! Unfortunately, this locket seems to be lacking in it's "wow factor" for appearance and gives only the impression of a cheap version of what could have been a truly awesome piece.

PACKAGING - This locket gets 3 ♥'s again, because of the flimsy packaging that it offers. Unfortunately, the thin cardboard and even thinner plastic to hold it (and let's not forget the ONE piece of scotch tape holding it in there) leaves this piece one to be very careful of when collecting. It bends and tears rather easily because of this.

ART - This locket gets 4 ♥'s for it's artwork, for the various airbrushed feathers all over, Eternal Sailor Moon on the cover and the 4 Senshi (2 on each side). The back leaves only the warnings and directions in Japanese, but with simple pictures, is easy enough for anyone to understand. Did I mention it's also PINK? ^_^;

FUNCTIONALITY - This locket gets 4 ♥'s for this, because it does in fact do what it's supposed to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer the same impact as previous versions, it does have it's high points. With the star lighting up and making it's "transformation" sound, it does do everything it's set out to. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer more than a few seconds of music and lights and more so, does not offer the transformation tune we're all so familiar with in the Stars season.

FUN - This locket gets 5 ♥'s for fun, because it truly is a blast to play around with, no matter how old you are! It may not be exactly like in the anime or manga, but it sure leaves the moonie feeling like she/he too can be Eternal Sailor Moon, even if only for that brief moment.

COST - This locket gets 2 ♥'s for cost, simply because the high price and demand for the locket. Unfortunately, this locket seems to retail on eBay for anywhere between $200 and $700 when placed up on auction. It's definitely not a cheap item to add to any collection.

AVAILABILITY - This locket gets 1 ♥ because of it's lack of availability. True, this has no impact on it's original availability or bares no reflection on the company itself, it's simply that there are so many moonies out there that collected and saved this item, leaving it scarce in the market. As of 4-13-12, this locket can ONLY be found on ebay at the following link: Eternal Sailor Moon Locket on eBay . 

Overall this is truly a fun find for ANY Sailor Moon collector. It's definitely a nice piece to display or a very nice addition to any cosplayer going as Eternal Sailor Moon! And if you can find this piece for a good price and in good condition, it's definitely worth perusing.

Sailor Moon Chan says!