Were the Sailor Senshi Dating Endymion’s Shitennou?

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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Happy Birthday Mamoru Chiba!

Happy Birthday Mamoru!

Happy Birthday Mamoru!

Ah, Tuxedo Mask… Sailor Moon‘s leading man and namesake for for this blog. Whether you’re a fan of his far more active manga counterpart or the quirky anime rendition who manages to always “save the day” without ever actually doing anything, I think we can all agree that the Masked Tuxedo plays an invaluable role across from our leading lady.

In honor of Mamoru Chiba’s birthday, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight five interesting facts about the man behind the mask and his role in Sailor Moon. Happy Birthday, Mamoru!

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How are Sailor Moon’s Pharaoh 90 and Mistress 9 Connected to Egypt?

Some say that Mistress 9 walks like an Egyptian

Some say that Mistress 9 walks like an Egyptian

Or, asked in a more direct way: why is Pharaoh 90 a “pharaoh” in the first place when there are otherwise no tangible connections to Egyptian mythology in the Sailor Moon‘s Infinity arc?

Well, I’m really glad you asked!

Today we’re going to take a deep dive into the real world history and religious references surrounding one of Sailor Moon‘s more perplexing villains to see if we can suss out at least something about the background behind Pharaoh 90, Mistress 9, and their home back in the Tau Star System.

If Sailor Moon minutia makes you walk like an Egyptian your world turn, then today’s your lucky day!

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Is Codename: Sailor V a Canonical Prequel to Sailor Moon?

Codename: Sailor V

Codename: Sailor V

If there’s one thing that the past several years of blogging about Sailor Moon has taught me, it’s that nothing is as simple as it seems, especially when it comes to the in-universe timeline.

While an amazing series in its own right, Codename: Sailor V (“Sailor V“) only seems to exacerbate this problem by squeezing a whole story line into the one year or so leading up to Usagi and Luna’s fateful meeting — all without ever addressing the implications her adventures have upon Sailor Moon‘s lore.

Today we’re going to take a closer look at the connections between these two  series and try to answer the question of whether we can truly consider Sailor V to be a prequel, or perhaps part of a parallel universe. You might want to take notes, because we’ve got a lot to discuss!

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What Is Sailor Saturn’s Attack – Death Reborn / Ribbon Revolution?

Death R_b__n Revolution!

Death R_b__n Revolution!

It never fails to amaze me just how popular Sailor Saturn is within the Sailor Moon universe despite how little “screen time” she gets in both the anime and the manga. While things played out for her a little better in book form, she is sadly one of the only members of the Sailor Team to have never make it into one of the movies. Poor girl.

And yet even with all that popularity and fan attention, we still find ourselves debating what should be the simplest of questions: what is the name of her ultimate attack, and what does it even mean?

Today we’re going to dissect Hotaru Tomoe’s one-and-done Infinity Arc attack, Death R_b__n Revolution, and settle this issue once and for all.1 If you’re a fan of the Mistress (9) of Death, you’ll want to stick around!

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Happy Birthday Rei Hino!

Happy Birthday Rei! (courtesy of Sweet Bee)

Happy Birthday Rei! (courtesy of Sweet Bee)

Whether you know Rei best as the cool, silent priestess-type from the manga or the bossy counterpoint to Usagi in the anime, this character managed to strike a very personal chord that still resonates with me today.

In honor of Rei Hino’s birthday, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight five interesting facts about the high-heeled Senshi of passion and her role in Sailor Moon. Happy Birthday, Rei!

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Is Usagi Just a Copy of Minako from Codename: Sailor V?

♪ One of these things is not like the other ♪

♪ One of these things is not like the other ♪

Whether Minako is considered a prototype for Usagi or a completely unique character seems to be a matter often debated among fans — and not without good reason. After all, it’s a well known fact that Ms. Takeuchi originally started Codename: Sailor V as a one-shot story meant to tell the tales of a sailor-suited warrior of justice. Only later did that idea get transformed into the Sailor Moon world that we came to know and love.

The anime even played heavily, perhaps too heavily, on this trope, adding further fuel to the Usagi/Minako copycat fire.

And yet, like practically everything else in the Sailor Moon universe, things are not as simple as they seem.

Today we’re going to take a look at Usagi and Minako’s characters in-depth and and see if we can settle once and for all just how similar (and different!) they really are. I hope you’ve got a talking cat handy, because you just may need one to untangle this mess!

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