Category Archives: Articles

Long-form articles exploring an issue in-depth.

[Lunar Logs] Director Ikuhara Bares All About His First Time

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Filed under Articles, Interview, Lunar Logs
Ikuhara chilling on a park bench, as he is wont to do

Ikuhara chilling on a park bench, as he is wont to do

Lunar Logs is a weekly series featuring full translations of interviews with Ms. Takeuchi and others — such as the directors, writers, voice cast, and more — responsible for making Sailor Moon into the massively popular franchise we know it as today. Though not every interview will directly address or even mention Sailor Moon, I find it an interesting look into the minds of these influential figures.

Today’s essay, titled “My First Time,” was penned by

Sailor Moon director Kunihiko Ikuhara and first appeared in the August 1996 issue of Animage.1

Read on and I hope you enjoy his curious tale of the circumstances that led to his proverbial cherry being popped… and it absolutely isn’t what you’re thinking!

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Answering Your Sailor Moon Questions — Round 5

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Filed under Articles, Blog, Fandom, Language
Your Sailor Moon questions, my Sailor Moon answers

Your Sailor Moon questions, my Sailor Moon answers

While most of the questions addressed here on Tuxedo Unmasked are things I’ve personally wanted to dig into deeper or fun trivia I want to share, sometimes I like to open up the floor to the Sailor Moon community at large to take a shot at addressing some of your burning questions.

Today’s questions are a selection of common questions I see floating around social media, in Google search terms, and even some taken right from the comments.

Stick around — who knows, you just might find one of your questions here… or at least learn something fun in the process!

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Sailor Moon Trivia Quiz (Manga Edition)

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Filed under Articles, Manga, Quiz
Time to get down to studying!

Time to get down to studying!

Ever wanted to see how you stack up in terms of how much raw Sailor Moon trivia you’ve managed to commit to memory over your years as a dedicated Moonie?

Well, fortunately for you, now’s your chance! Today, you’re officially invited to take a stab at the this manga-focused Sailor Moon trivia quiz, with a selection of questions, chosen from across the seasons by me aimed to test your Sailor mettle.

Good luck, and be sure to share your results — not only is it a great way to challenge your friends, but I’d love to see how everyone does so I can adjust the difficulty for future quizzes going forward!

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Who Destroyed the Moon Kingdom and Ended the Silver Millennium?

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Filed under Anime, Articles, Dark Kingdom, Dead Moon Circus, In-Universe Lore, Manga
Okay, who did this??

Okay, who did this??

What was once merely referenced in passing as a peaceful utopia, the story surrounding the Moon Kingdom and its demise became increasingly more complicated as Sailor Moon‘s lore deepened.

While it would be easy to say that Queen Beryl is responsible for the fall of the Moon Kingdom, I don’t think that’s exactly a fair assessment when you take into account all of the other forces at play behind the scenes. After all, was it Queen Beryl’s unchecked jealousy that spurred her on, or does the blame rest entirely with Queen Metalia for playing to her weaknesses?

Or perhaps it goes even deeper than that…

Today, we’re going on a trip back to the Silver Millennium to analyze all the many moving parts that brought down a great empire. Bring a jacket — I hear it’s cold on the Moon!

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Why Was There No Fan Reaction to the Deaths of Uranus and Neptune?

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Filed under Anime, Articles, Haruka Tenoh, Interview, Making Of, Michiru Kaioh, Outer Senshi, Real World
There's absolutely no way anything is about to happen

There’s absolutely no way anything is about to happen

There is perhaps no greater proof out there about just how much of an impact Sailor Uranus and Neptune had on young fans than the fact that the Sailor Moon S episode showcasing their death still ranks within the top 5 Sailor Moon memories even 25 years later.1

And yet, in stark contrast to the swift response flooded in from concerned fans and parents after the traumatizing penultimate episode in Sailor Moon‘s first season, fans were surprisingly quiet in the first few days and weeks following the deaths of our favorite Sailor cousins partners. What happened, and what can this tell us about how the Sailor Moon fandom grew as the series progressed?

Fortunately for us, Megumi Ogata (voice of Haruka Tenoh) and Masako Katsuki (voice of Michiru Kaioh) joined Animedia’s reporter2 for a behind-the-glass conversation about what goes on in the recording booth, how episode 110 (“The Death of Uranus and Neptune: The Talismans Appear”) came to be and their reactions to it, and more!

If you’ve always wanted to know more about this famous episode, now’s your chance!

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Why Was Sailor V’s Origin Story Written Out of Order?

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Filed under Articles, Making Of, Minako Aino, Real World
Codename: Sailor V (and Artemis!)

Codename: Sailor V (and Artemis!)

Despite being the font from where the whole sailor-suited magical girl genre got its start, the Codename: Sailor V always seems to find itself in the shadow of its more famous offspring, Sailor Moon.

While it probably is no surprise to most of you reading this that the series debuted prior to the latter’s creation — if only by a couple of months1 — what many don’t realize is that the Sailor V manga was originally written and released out of order, only to be recompiled in the proper order we’re all familiar with in the compiled tankobon releases.

Today we’re going to talk about these timeline mix-ups, the possible reasons therefore, and how Sailor V was branded in light of its connection with Sailor Moon!

Stick around — you’re going to want to read this one in order!

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Who Was Naoko Takeuchi Before Sailor Moon’s Debut?

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Filed under Articles, Interview, Making Of, Manga, Real World
Sailor Moon & her Sidekick: Super (Deformed) Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon & her Sidekick: Super (Deformed) Sailor Moon

Though it may sound a bit counter-intuitive, one of the things I love reading about most in interviews with Ms. Takeuchi is when she opens up about subjects other than Sailor Moon.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t love the Sailor-suite guardian of love and justice as much as the next strawberry Pop-Tart-obsessed Moonie. It’s just that it’s pretty rare to get some insight into not only the origins of Sailor Moon, but the person behind its creation.

Luckily for us, Ms. Takeuchi granted Puff, a magazine dedicated to the manga industry, just such an interview back in May 1994. Strap in for a trip down memory lane as we take a look into Ms. Takeuchi’s past, tastes in men, and other manga ideas she toyed around with!

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