Category Archives: Inner Senshi

[Lunar Logs] Kotono, Aya, and Michie Discuss Their Roles as Usagi, Ami, and Rei

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Filed under Ami Mizuno, Anime, Articles, Interview, Lunar Logs, Rei Hino, Usagi Tsukino
October 1992 Animage Interview

October 1992 Animage Interview

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 interview was conducted in Fall 1992 with Kotono Mitsuishi (Usagi), Aya Hisakawa (Ami), and Michie Tomizawa (Rei) on their thoughts regarding how they portray their characters, their thoughts on prospective love interests, and even Umino (??)!1

Read on for the interesting behind-the-scenes character development and an inside look at the respective soldiers’ views of romance and their possible love interests!

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[Lunar Logs] Kotono’s Struggles With Usagi’s Character Growth

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Filed under Articles, Interview, Lunar Logs, Usagi Tsukino
Kotono Mitsuishi, Toru Furuya, and Masako Katsuki strike a familiar pose

Kotono Mitsuishi, Toru Furuya, and Masako Katsuki strike a familiar pose

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 we’re taking a look at a roundtable discussion held with the voice cast behind Sailor Moon‘s power couples, Usagi (Kotono Mitsuishi) & Mamoru (Toru Furuya) and Michiru (Masako Katsuki) & Haruka (Megumi Ogata).1 I’ve already covered the aspects of the interview that pertain to Michiru & Haruka’s relationship in the past, so today we’re going to look at some of the difficulties Kotono faced with portraying Usagi’s character growth.

Read on for the interesting behind-the-scenes character interactions and enjoy some lovely 90s style clothing while we’re at it!

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What Happened to the Sailor V Anime?

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Filed under Anime, Articles, Making Of, Minako Aino, Real World
We were so close to an animated Sailor V, and yet so far...

We were so close to an animated Sailor V, and yet so far…

Rumors of the purported Codename: Sailor V anime have been with the fandom practically since the day Sailor Moon first hit the airwaves. And who could blame fans for the confusion? After all, even the Sailor Moon manga was confused about what its own title was in the lead up to the series debut.

Considering what a massive success the Sailor Moon franchise was proving to be — not only on TV, but in movie theaters, on stage, and in the manga as well — it seems like a spin-off series should have been a sure thing.

So what happened?

Today we’re going to take a look at what information we do know about the Codename: Sailor V anime, see how far it made it into production, and come up with a few theories of our own as to why it never saw the light of day. Put on your hard hats, ’cause we’re digging deep!

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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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How Did Idol Culture Contribute to Sailor Moon’s Success?

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Filed under Articles, Inner Senshi, Musical, Real World
Did someone say 'idol'?

Did someone say ‘idol’?

While many would associate Japan’s fascination with idol groups with the meteoric rise to popularity of AKB48 and the many other groups, anime, and games that have spun off from the concept since then, Japan’s fixation on love for school-aged sweethearts actually goes back several decades.

But what does that have to do with our favorite Sailor-suited guardians of justice?

Well, as it turns out, idol culture played a pretty role in engaging fans and keeping them hooked. Today we’re going to take a look at the idols that created Sailor Moon as well as the idols the series in turn created!

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How Did Miyuu Sawai Feel About Playing PGSM’s Sailor Moon?

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Filed under Articles, Interview, Making Of, PGSM, Real World, Usagi Tsukino
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon cast at the July 31, 2003 announcement

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon cast at the July 31, 2003 show announcement

Ah… Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, the oft-overlooked cult classic of the Sailor Moon franchise– a status that’s certainly not helped by the fact that Toei does its best to never talk about the series.

While I’ve already spoken at length about where the talented actresses behind PGSM have gone after the series ended, that’s only half the story. What I’d love to know — and what we’re going to talk about today — is how these young starlets found themselves in these roles in the first place, and how it felt to be able to play their own favorite childhood heroes on the small screen week after week.

Today we’re going to begin our look back with an interview with Miyuu Sawai, PGSM‘s titular Sailor Moon and beloved crybaby, Usagi Tsukino. If you ever wanted to know more about how she felt about playing her role, what filming was like, and how she got along with the rest of the cast, then this article’s for you!

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Were the Sailor Senshi Dating Endymion’s Shitennou?

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Filed under Articles, Dark Kingdom, In-Universe Lore, Inner Senshi, Making Of, Manga
True love at last? Or something else...?

True love at last? Or something else…?

Broken down to its simplest elements, Sailor Moon is the story of a bizarrely talented totally ordinary junior high school girl who is actually the reincarnation of a princess from a long-forgotten space kingdom fighting against the forces of evil in defense of truth and love.

Though this isn’t in itself noteworthy, what is surprising is just how unlucky in love everyone else in the series tends to be. After all, outside of Haruka and Michiru’s relationship, none of the other main cast members are ever really paired off with a romantic partner.1

… except that’s not entirely true.

Today we’re going to talk about the surprisingly controversial relationship between the Sailor Senshi and the Shitennou, from its inception to where it stands in Sailor Moon canon. Whether you love it or hate the pairing, there’s something interesting to learn for everyone!

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