Wonders of the Manga World #1 – Sailor Moon

So far here at the Manga Archaeologist, we have dug up a few old, out of print manga series, as well as taken a look at some more recent, currently running manga. Today we are going to do something a little different, and take a journey to one of the Wonders of the Manga World. These are franchises that have cemented themselves as classic franchises in the manga canon. Today we are going to look at a beloved series that just about everyone reading this will have at least heard of.

Sailor Moon is a franchise that is internationally beloved by both casual and hardcore manga fans. Since it’s debut in Nakayoshi magazine in Japan in 1991, the series has spawned all sorts of adaptations, merchandise and even multiple editions of the manga itself. Here in the West, we were first introduced to the Sailor Moon manga series by Mixx Comics, which later became Tokyopop. This translation and localization by Mixx was done in 1997, around the same time as the original anime dub was brought to American TV. This original translation, while the images were faithful to the original story, the names and some dialog were changed to be more in line with the English dub by DiC that was airing at the time. This edition spans eighteen volumes. After the Mixx version went out of print, Kodansha Comics picked up the license for the manga in 2011 and released the series as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, with a translation that was more faithful to the original source, using the characters’ Japanese names and containing a much closer translation to the source. This edition is twelve volumes long. Kodansha later went on to print a larger, collectors edition run called Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition, which ran from 2018 to 2020. This edition is ten volumes long, and the books are much bigger and feature more intricate cover artwork. Kodansha has plans to release a smaller, more portable edition of the Eternal Collection in early Q2 of 2022 as well.

Sailor Moon follows school girl Usagi Tsukino, and both her daily life and her life as the titular superhero, and her battles against threats to earth from out in the galaxy. Usagi is tasked by a talking cat from the moon named Luna to gather her four guardians, find the moon princess, retrieve the legendary silver crystal and protect the world from the evil Queen Beryl. Shortly after Usagi’s awakening as Sailor Moon, she meets a mysterious man who calls himself Tuxedo Mask, who has his own goals to obtain the legendary silver crystal. With all of these objectives, her new talking cat and managing her school and day-to-day lives, Usagi has her plate full. Queen Beryl’s minions are dispatched to help her get her hands on the crystal as well, and during their escapades, end up involving girls that end up being some of Usagi’s sailor guardians. These girls are Ami, a shy, studious girl as Sailor Mercury, the mysterious psychic priestess Rei as Sailor Mars, Makoto, a martial artist that also loves to cook and take care of plants as Sailor Jupiter, and finally Minako, the silly and playful Sailor Venus. These girls all have their own distinct personalities and senses of fashion that makes each one of them unique and memorable characters; they also all work together with Usagi to help her find the silver crystal and fight off the forces of Queen Beryl.

The story features a contemporary (at the time of the story’s initial run) setting in Tokyo, Japan. A majority of the action, as well as all of the slice of life aspects of the story take place in this urban backdrop. Readers will see Usagi’s house, her school, her interactions with her friends and family outside of her Sailor Guardian duties, as well as some more fantasy locations, such as the Moon Kingdom. This setting is simple but allows for some really creative interactions and lore, especially with how the lore of the story’s more fantasy-like locations interact with the more realistic, contemporary ones.

One area that Sailor Moon really shines is in its rich lore. The story of the Moon Kingdom, its inhabitants, lifestyle and eventual fall are all extremely fun to see reveal themselves. A lot of the lore of the story has already happened before the time of the story’s introduction, and we are introduced to a lot of the series’ in-universe history, and how both the heroes and antagonists have had a hand in crafting that history. The way this lore is interwoven into the modern setting, and the past events having an impact on the current drama also makes the story all the more interesting and gripping. The lineage of the Moon Kingdom’s royalty, and how that aspect is interwoven into the characters is also a treat to read. All of the sailor guardians, cats and even Tuxedo Mask have ties back to the Moon Kingdom, and seeing how all their pasts are linked in the big reveal of the first story arc is great every time I read it.

The characters are another part of what has made Sailor Moon such a loved franchise. As previously mentioned, each of the characters has a distinct personality and sense of fashion that really makes each stand out. This makes the scenes where the girls are just hanging out really come to life, and the dynamics between all of them are extremely well done. While Sailor Moon and their duty to serve as her guardians is the common link that brings everyone together, the girls quickly become friends and their relationships blossom into unshakable bonds of friendship. The interactions between Ami, Rei, Minako and Makoto are in my opinion, one of the high points of the series. Eventually, guardians of planets that are deeper in the Milky Way galaxy are introduced, and serve as mentor like figures for the original sailor warriors. These daily life segments of the story add to the charm of the manga, add some strong character development, and breathe life into this vivid world.

Sailor Moon’s art is the main factor in what makes the series so iconic, mixing traditional shojo manga art with a heavy influence of fashion and the beauty standards of its time gives its characters a chic appearance. Everything about the series from an art perspective is supposed to be elegant and beautiful, and that motif is executed extremely well, which is why I believe the series has not only had the longevity that it has had, but also makes its characters instantly recognizable. Each main characters is given their own fashion sense that gives each of them their own sense of aesthetics. The backgrounds are typically sparkles and other screen tone effects to greater emphasize the art of the characters. The physical backdrops of the series such as the school, the game center the girls hang out, or the moon kingdom are all drawn in a way that makes them unique and instantly recognizable as well. The battle art may be the series’ one minor weak point to some, due to the lack of physical exchanges, especially as the series goes on and characters begin to cultivate their magical abilities on a deeper level. Most battles are done within a few panels, well an exchange of a few spells between combatants, usually resulting in one losing quite quickly. I think the first story arc has a great balance between physical, action panels and magical battles, but as the characters learn more abilities, these magic battles take precedent. I enjoy all of these, but for someone who may not be as familiar with the series, it is good to know what to expect on the action side of things. The art, especially the character art is the driving factor in what makes Sailor Moon a tour de force in not only the shojo manga world, but in the realm of manga as a whole.

Sailor Moon’s lovable characters, contemporary fantasy setting, and instantly recognizable chic art make it a great introduction for fans just getting into the genre, as well as established manga readers who may have not gotten to the series yet. All of these factors intermingle with each other throughout the narrative to make it the wonder of the manga world that is just begging to be explored. With the manga having been re-licensed in the early 2010s, additional collectors editions of the manga coming in 2022, and with the recent pair of movies adapting the manga’s Dead Moon Circus story arc, and an adaptation of the final Stars arc on the way, there is no better time to jump into the series and discover what makes Sailor Moon so special.