A Short Introduction to Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon was originally published in the young girl’s manga magazine Nakayoshi in 1991. It was later adapted into a very popular anime series that ran from 1992 to 1997. It stars Japanese middle-schooler Usagi Tsukino, who has the ability to transform into the warrior of love and justice with the protection of the moon, Sailor Moon! She is known for her famous catchphrase when fighting the aliens attacking Earth: “In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!”
With romantic elements such as moons, stars, jewels, reincarnation and princesses, “Romance” is a main theme of the series, together with “Friendship” and “Conflict”. Sailor Moon is a part the “magical girl” genre, in which normal young girls use special abilities to transform into magical warriors. This setting where the girls fight against the villains mixes elements of young girl-focused manga and “battle heroine” genres.
Sailor Moon is considered to be a pioneering work in the magical girl genre that defined the rules for “pretty warrior” manga. From this groundbreaking series, many new works in the genre were born!
Why Is Sailor Moon So Popular?
- Sailor Moon does not need to rely on men to save her like usually happens to Disney princesses or other popular female animated figures, but can take care of herself and her friends with no issue.
- She has shown girls that look alone were not that important, with a greater focus on her friends and her mission.
- Despite having so much power, Usagi is still down-to-earth and human, with moments of doubt and vulnerability that her fans can connect with.
More Important Points
- Sailor Moon does not have any negative relationships between its female characters that have been a noticeable trope in popular media. Usagi and her friends may have small conflicts sometimes, but are mostly supportive of each other!
- The Sailor Moon series has a refreshingly modern view of LGBTQ relationships, notably in how it portrays the relationship between Sailor Neptune and Sailor Venus.
Sailor Moon Collaborative Merchandise
PROPLICA
When the Sailor Moon anime series was rebroadcast in 2000, new series goods were released with slightly updated redesign. These pieces of merch are currently sold on auction sites like Yahoo! JAPAN Auction and secondhand goods stores like Mandarake for several times their original prices! Recently, as part of the 20th anniversary of this version, Bandai has created a new brand called PROPLICA for collectors items, and started to remaster the series audio and begun to sell these exclusive goods once again!
Sailor Moon Cafe
“Sailor Moon Cafe 2019” created a limited time collaborative cafe with the theme of “Girl’s Night Out”. There was also a “Sailor Moon Cafe 2017” collaboration that was held in 2017, and was very popular at that time.
Sailor Moon Cosmetics
This is a series of Sailor Moon themed cosmetics that was released to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary!
Finding The Coolest Sailor Moon Goods!
Hopefully after reading this article you have a better understanding for why Sailor Moon is one of the most popular and influential anime/manga brands of all time. Whether you’re a newcomer or a longtime fan, if you have the urge to get some of the awesome merch that has stayed exclusive to Japan, you can check out lots of Sailor Moon merchandise by clicking the link below!
