Who Is the Real Princess Kaguya in the Sailor Moon S Movie?

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Won't the real Kaguya please stand up?

Won’t the real Kaguya please stand up?

The nice thing about writing a blog covering a series that went off the air over 20 years ago is that it’s not like there’s any chance that I’m going to be spoiling the story for anyone. Even with the recent U.S. screenings of the Sailor Moon movies, I’d be willing to bet that the majority of those in the audience had already seen the movie, or at least knew what it was about.

So with that said, I really don’t feel too bad about dissecting story of the Sailor Moon S movie, or peeling back the layers to take a deeper look at the Japanese folktale Ms. Takeuchi based her story on.

If you’ve ever stayed up late at night wondering who the heck Princess Kaguya is, this one’s for you!

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What Were Director Shibata’s Inspirations for the Sailor Moon S Movie (Part 2)?

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Closing out the story on Sailor Moon S

Closing out the story on Sailor Moon S

Whether you love the Sailor Moon S movie or think that it is a lackluster performance in an otherwise excellent brand, I probably won’t be changing your mind through this series. But regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, I think it can be immensely helpful — and even entertaining — to get a little insight into just what the creative minds behind a movie were thinking as they made it.

Today we’re going to continue our journey through Hiroki Shibata’s1 commentary regarding his directorial debut in Sailor Moon‘s theatrical universe. If we’re really lucky, we might even learn something new by the time we’re done!

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What Were Director Shibata’s Inspirations for the Sailor Moon S Movie (Part 1)?

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Aww, it's okay Luna!

Aww, it’s okay Luna!

Asking a Sailor Moon fan which of the three movies is their favorite is akin to walking into a crowded room of strangers and asking them all what they think about the latest political hot-button issue: it’s not going to end well.

While I personally prefer the Sailor Moon R movie, all three of the movies are definitely worth watching, and I can understand why they have their fans.

Today we’re going to try to get a little more insight behind the story of the Sailor Moon S movie by looking at some of the director’s notes provided with the Laser Disc release of the Sailor Moon S movie. If anyone can help win my heart over with a deeper interpretation of the movie — putting aside for a second Naoko’s amazing manga version on which it’s based — I’d say the director is probably out best bet!

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

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Filed under Articles, ChibiUsa, Dead Moon Circus, In-Universe Lore, Supporting Cast
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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Is the Sailor Moon Universe Full of Ghosts and Other Monsters?

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Ami ain't afraid of no ghost

Ami ain’t afraid of no ghost

So we all know about Youma, Cardians, Droids, Daimon, Lemures, Phages, and even the oft-overlooked Genius Loci. But when you dig just a little bit deeper into the lore of the Sailor Moon universe, it becomes fairly clear that there’s a lot more than meets the eye — specifically, that there are other monsters out there that report back to no one, and that are simply running amok on their own accord.

After all, if Rei is able to commune with spirits there must be something more out there than just the simple back-and-forth of good guy vs. bad guy that we see play out in the series, right?

I think it’s about time that we discuss these lesser appreciated “villains” and the role that they play in the Sailor Moon universe. It can be lonely being a freelance villain, and I think it’s about time that they get the attention they deserve!

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What Are 5 of My Favorite Bits of Sailor Moon Trivia?

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ChibiUsa wants to know more!

ChibiUsa wants to know more!

It should probably come as no surprise that, in the course of researching the 270+ articles posted on Tuxedo Unmasked, I happen to run across a lot of small bits of trivia. While some of what I find is interesting (and detailed) enough to turn into a full-blown article, more often than not it’s just something I note down for future reference and go on with my life.

Today we’re going to do a bit of a “spring cleaning” of sorts and share five of my favorite bits of Sailor Moon-related trivia that I’ve run across over my nearly 3 years of researching the series. Though I’m sure most of you reading this are already pros when it comes to everything about the series, hopefully you’ll find at least one gem in this list that you’ve never heard before!

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Who Do the Genius Loci Villains in Sailor Moon Work For?

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Filed under Articles, In-Universe Lore, Language, Villains
Genius Loci Bonnoun

Genius Loci Bonnoun

“Genius what?! Thor’s brother wasn’t in Sailor Moon!”

If this was your first response upon reading the title, I really don’t blame you. The Genius Loci — not Loki, the aforementioned brother of Marvel‘s Thor — are a small subset of villains in the Sailor Moon universe that frequently end up end up getting overlooked.

Though often clumped together with the Lemures and the Dead Moon for reasons I’ll discuss below, it turns out that we actually know very little about these (mostly…) manga-only enemies, where they come from, and — possibly most importantly — who they work for.

Today we’ll be talking about the peculiar state in which the Genius Loci live, work, and perform evil deeds, and see if maybe we can learn a little more about their role in the Sailor Moon universe while we’re at it. Stick around!

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