Tag Archives: Sailor Moon

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

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Making Of, Manga, Minako Aino, Usagi Tsukino
♪ 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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Prism Power Book Kickstarter Now Live!

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Filed under Blog, Fandom
"Prism Power" now live on Kickstarter!

“Prism Power” now live on Kickstarter!

Update: 320% funded! (199 backers)

After months of preparation, I’m incredibly excited to announce that the Kickstarter campaign for Prism Power: A Fan’s Guide to Sailor Moon is finally live!

Exclusive Kickstarter extras include:

Click here to check out the campaign! (ends TODAY, June 29)

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Why Do the Girls in Sailor Moon Have Marks On Their Cheeks?

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Making Of
I won't lie -- this picture kinda scared me

I won’t lie — this picture kinda scared me

Though this design quirk isn’t strictly limited to the Sailor Moon series, I’m a sucker for taking an in-depth look at pretty much all things related to Japanese anime and manga. Since the phenomenon of female characters being depicted with vertical lines on their cheeks also appears quite often in the Sailor Moon series, I’m willing to call this one as “close enough” to make it a valid question to answer.

So why exactly are the Sailor Soldiers and other female characters’ shown with lines on their cheeks? Is it just a way of animating characters that somehow got embedded in Japanese culture? Is it supposed to signify anything about the character, or somehow convey something to the viewer? Or maybe a mixture of the two?

If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind, you happen to be in luck, because today we’re going to put those to rest. And if they haven’t, well hey… it never hurts to learn something new, right? Stick around, we’re going to talk about some anime trivia!

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Is Princess Serenity Just Another of Sailor Moon’s Transformations?

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Filed under Articles, In-Universe Lore, Usagi Tsukino
Princess Serenity against Super Beryl

Princess Serenity against Super Beryl

What, exactly, is the connection between Usagi and Princess Serenity?

For a question that sounds so simple that it’s almost stupid to even ask, it’s a lot more difficult to answer than you’d initially think. And that’s what I find so fascinating about the topic.

We all know that Princess Serenity died back in the Silver Millennium to be later reincarnated as Usagi Tsukino. That much is clear and not really open to debate. However, how does the Usagi and Princess Serenity relationship play out after she becomes aware of her past?

Today we’re going to take a look at the the idea of whether Usagi is actually Serenity, or whether Serenity is lurking inside of her — not much unlike any of her other Sailor Moon forms.

Let’s start unraveling this thread, shall we? Continue reading →

Does Naru Know That Usagi Is Sailor Moon?

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Filed under Articles, In-Universe Lore, Naru Osaka
Naru worries about her friend, but how much does she know?

Naru worries about her friend, but how much does she know?

The question of whether or not Naru knows about Usagi’s secret identity has been a constant point of contention among fans since… well, since the show first came on air. What seems like a question that should be a simple “yes” or “no” answer gets muddy quickly due to the complicated interactions between each of the different tellings of the Sailor Moon story.

Today, I’m going to try my hand at answering this highly charged question and see if maybe I can at least shed some light on both sides of the argument.

You better stick around — there’s a Youma holding Naru captive at the bottom of this article, and she needs your help!

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Why Did Naoko Start Writing Sailor Moon Attack Names in Kanji?

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Filed under Articles, Language, Manga, Real World
Sailor Moon and the Holy Grail

Sailor Moon and the Holy Grail

While I’m well aware that the majority of the audience who reads this blog probably watched/read Sailor Moon in translation, I think it’s sometimes informative to take a look at the more in-depth Japanese linguistics issues that, even though they don’t have a substantial impact on the series as a whole, they still would stand out and affect the interpretation of a native Japanese speaker.

And besides, I live for this geeky Japanese interpretation stuff.

I hope you join along for this trip through the bizarre world of the kanji wordplay! If we’re really lucky, maybe we’ll have even learned something at the end of this!

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Did Sailor Moon Influence the School Girl Miniskirt Boom?

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Filed under Articles, Fandom, Real World
Are people trying to mimic this?

Are people trying to mimic this?

While the vast majority of what I write tends to be about either lore within the Sailor Moon universe or fans’ perception thereof, it’s also interesting to sometimes take a step back and analyze the impact that Sailor Moon had on the real world.

Today, I wanted to stop and take a look into one curious theory that I occasionally see floated around on Japanese blogs and books: that the Sailor Moon series was — at least partially — responsible for the rise in popularity among Japanese high school students wearing miniskirts in the mid- to late-90s.

As absurd as it sounds on the surface, it turns out that there may actually be some basis to this theory. Join me today for a look back into 90s Japanese skirt culture!

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