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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Why Are Cats Such an Important Part of Sailor Moon?

Seriously Luna, explain yourself!

Seriously Luna, explain yourself!

When talking about an anime/manga series with a well-developed and passionate fan base, you often have to keep in mind that a lot of the “mysteries” out there are probably already common knowledge to fans of the series.

The rabbit imagery in Sailor Moon is a great example of this. If you asked a random person on the street about the connection between rabbits and the moon, you’d probably be met with a blank stare. A seasoned Sailor Moon fan, however, could talk your ear off about the lunar-dwelling mochi-makin’ rabbit.1

No, if I’m going to be true to my word of working to “unravel Sailor Moon mysteries,” we’re going to need to go deeper, and far more obscure.

That’s why we’ll be talking today about the cats that made Sailor Moon possible… and just why the heck Ms. Takeuchi chose cats in the first place! I hope you’re emotionally prepared for this, because things are about to get down right pawsome!2

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Are Phobos and Deimos Sailor Soldiers in Training?

Sailor Mars with Phobos and Deimos in the background

Sailor Mars with Phobos and Deimos in the background

From the moment that Phobos and Deimos first appeared in the series, I think that many fans got the sense that there was probably something deeper lurking within Rei’s bird companions. They had Mars-themed names, after all, and time and again we would find ourselves introduced to talking cats throughout Sailor Moon‘s run. So why not talking birds?

And yet, it took four long years before we ever learned any more about them… in the manga, at least.

Who are Phobos and Deimos really? What is their role in the series? And is it true that they’re also Sailor Soldiers in training?

Stick around, because today we’ll be taking a look at these questions and more as we discuss Sailor Mars’ feathered companions!

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Does Sailor Moon’s Naru Have an Osakan Accent?

Naru "That's Molly to You" Osaka

Naru “That’s Molly to You” Osaka

Aah, the venerable Osakan/Kansai accent. Whenever a content creator needs a fun, boisterous, obnoxious, or otherwise non-conforming character type, this seems to be the go-to accent. Whether we’re talking about Card Captor Sakura‘s Kero-chan (voiced by none other than Aya Hisakawa, voice of Ami Mizuno!) or Azumanga Daioh‘s aptly-named Ayumu “Osaka” Kasuga, this accent is a Japanese media mainstay.

Considering the accent’s popularity, it should come as no surprise that Usagi’s staunch defender and occasionally bossy friend, Naru Osaka, should fall into this category… right?

There’s just one small problem: it’s not exactly clear if Naru even has the accent all.

Nande ya nen?!1 Stay tuned while we tackle the long-time rumor of Naru and the existence — or lack thereof! — of her Osakan accent!

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Why Did the Amazoness Quartet Serve as Chibi Moon’s Guardians?

Amazoness Quartet

Amazoness Quartet

The Sailor Moon series is no stranger to making some seemingly inexplicable choices when it comes to groups and planetary associations. Jupiter, for example, is most definitely one of the outer planets… and yet we find her as a member of the Inner Senshi.

Odd though that choice may be, it pales in comparison with the bizarre choice of having Sailor ChibiMoon’s team be made up of… the Amazoness Sailor Quartet? No matter what way you try to cut it, there really just aren’t isn’t any logical connection between the asteroid belt and the Moon.

… right?

As we’ve learned many times before, sometimes the most difficult part of solving a mystery isn’t necessarily in finding the answer, but in finding the right way to frame the question.

Today we’re going to take a closer look at the Sailor Quartet, and why Ms. Takeuchi may have chosen these manga-only Senshi to serve as Sailor ChibiMoon’s guardians. You may want to keep a pen and paper handy, because things are about to get complicated!

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Why Is There No Sailor Sun in the Sailor Moon Universe?

Shush, Endymion, and let me tell you about my OC, Sailor Sun...

Shush, Endymion, and let me tell you about my OC, Sailor Sun…

The longer the Sailor Moon series went on, the more Sailor Soldiers we were introduced to, with Sailor Soldiers practically crawling out of the woodwork to join the cast in the fifth and final season, Sailor Stars.

And yet, despite the fact that we had countless Sailor Soldiers of planets, asteroids, dwarf planets, and even stars, there’s someone suspiciously absent from our solar system lineup: a Sailor Sun.

Today we’re going to talk about Sailor Sun’s absence in the Sailor Moon roster, and how this possibly relates all the way back to the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Crystal. I hope you left some room for breakfast, because this article is most definitely going to be sunny side up!1

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What Do the Sailor Moon Transformations Look Like to Other People?

Do they really henshin in front of people?

Do they really henshin in front of people?

Though I’m not a betting man, I’d feel relatively comfortable saying that nearly every Sailor Moon fan out there that has watched the anime with a friend or family member who isn’t a fan of the genre has had to deal with the question: “why doesn’t the bad guy just attack her when she’s transforming?”

And can you blame them? It’s a really good question.

Though fans have come up with a multitude of reasons to explain this away over the years — with answers ranging from the Youma wanting a fair fight to the Sailor Soldiers teleporting away during the henshin sequence — we’re actually here to address a much more fundamental question today.

Do these transformations actually take place, or are they like the eye catches between commercial breaks, and only for the viewer’s benefit?

Stick around, it’s about to get interesting!

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