Why Were Dracula, a Wolfman and Frankenstein’s Monster in Sailor Moon?

Rei ain't afraid of no ghosts

Rei ain’t afraid of no ghosts

Never one to turn down the opportunity to talk about old anime and manga that are relatively unknown to the west – and tie that into a Halloween-themed article to boot! – I thought it might be worthwhile to take a look at the time when three of our favorite Sailor Girls found themselves in what basically amounts to a Scooby Doo-themed filler episode.

That’s right, I’m talking about episode 20 of the first season of Sailor Moon, the aptly-named “The Summer, the Beach, Youth and Ghosts.”1

Anyway, today we’re talking about some of the “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” references in this fun summer romp. I hope you’ll stick around!

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Why Does Ami Think Vampires Like to Eat Flowers?

Lilica Hubert (spoiler: she's a vampire)

Lilica Hubert (spoiler: she’s a vampire)

In the spirit of the season – and for all of you reading this in the future, that means Halloween – I desperately wanted to find some sort of story or mystery relating to Sailor Moon that I could talk about, but unfortunately I didn’t have much luck. There just isn’t a lot of scary things that happen in the show, unless you’re talking about Mamoru’s fashion sense or Taiki’s obnoxiously large forehead.

So I took to social media for suggestions and, as expected, I got a lot of great suggestions that never even crossed my mind. You people rock.

Today, we’ll be talking about about the story of the vampire who once graced the pages of Sailor Moon, and Ami’s seemingly bizarre leap in logic in how she determined this young girl was a blood-sucking demon of the night.

Stick around!

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Why Are the Sailor Moon Characters Always at School?

Usagi practically lives at school

Usagi practically lives at school

When the Sailor Team aren’t being shown at school, the vast majority of the misadventures our girls of love and justice get into seem to take place on the way to – or from – school. While the sailor-inspired school uniform is obviously an important part of the story’s theme, the schoolwork itself plays a very minor role in the series. So why are the characters always at school, then?

Before you say “because it’s a cartoon, you jerk!” – and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, on either point – it’s probably worth pointing out that there actually is some historical significance behind this.

Today we’re going to take a look back at the early 90s, and how the Japanese Ministry of Education’s policies affected the world of Sailor Moon. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping, I don’t know what will!

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What Was it Like to Record Audio for the Sailor Moon S Movie?

Tell me your secrets!

Tell me your secrets!

Whether it’s due to really restrictive NDAs signed by everyone involved, a stronger sense of respect for one’s prior workplace, or a power-hungry industry that will shut out anyone who opens their mouths from finding new work, it’s pretty uncommon to find tell-all accounts of what it was like working behind the scenes of Sailor Moon, or even any anime really.

While I wish I could say that I’m here to sate your (and my?) desire for drama, I’m actually here to share with you a heartwarming account by Kotono Mitsuishi, voice of Sailor Moon and Usagi Tsukino.1

Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

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How Did the Concept of Codename: Sailor V Evolve Into Sailor Moon?

In search of the missing link

In search of the missing link

Now that it’s been over a quarter of a century since Sailor Moon first hit bookshelves, and hit the airwaves shortly after that, I doubt it’s really much of a surprise to anyone to hear that another series by Ms. Takeuchi, Codename: Sailor V, served as a precursor to our favorite series.

And if you didn’t know… well, surprise! Now you do. Since I have a strict “one tidbit per post” rule, I guess that means that we call get to just go home then.

… or, I could finish what I started.

Today we’ll be talking about the creative process that was involved in turning a one-shot manga starring the no-nonsense beauty Sailor V and her sidekick kitty-pal Artemis into the multimedia powerhouse starring a full-fledged Sailor Team.

I hope you join along for the ride!

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Why Are the Black Moon Clan’s Names Spelled Incorrectly?

Is a Demando forever?

Is a Demando forever?

It’s entirely that this may be one of those “… was it just me?” articles where the whole world picked up on these things and I didn’t, but if I wasn’t reasonably okay with putting my (hopefully?) occasional ignorance out there, then this blog wouldn’t really have a lot of things to talk about!

So today, we’re going to take a look at not only where the members of the Black Moon Clan get their names, but also discuss why some of their names deviate from Ms. Takeuchi’s naming pattern. I hope you stick around!

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How Were Haruka and Michiru’s VAs Told to Portray Their Characters?

Masako Katsuki and Megumi Ogata

Masako Katsuki and Megumi Ogata

Though the arguments have mostly settled down in recent years, discussions over the nature of Haruka and Michiru’s relationship was, at one time, one of the most hotly contested debates in the nascent days of the North American Sailor Moon fandom.

Today, we’re going to take a look at an interview conducted with Megumi Ogata and Masako Katsuki, voice actresses for Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh respective, and see how they approached figuratively, and literally, breathing life into their characters.

I hope you stick around!

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