Sailor Moon (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn?, officially translated as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon) is the title of a famous media franchise created by Japanese manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. It is generally credited with popularizing the concept of a sentai (team) of magical girls, as well as the general (re-)emergence of the magical girl genre itself.
The story of the various metaseries revolves around the reincarnated defenders of a kingdom that once spanned the solar system, and the evil forces that they battle. The major characters—called Sailor Senshi (literally "Sailor Soldiers"; frequently called "Sailor Scouts" in the North American version)—are teenage girls who can transform into heroines named for the moon and planets
(Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, etc). The use of "Sailor"
comes from a style of girls' school uniform popular in Japan, the sērā fuku ("sailor outfit"), after which the Senshi's uniforms are modeled. Fantastical elements in the series are heavily symbolic and often based on mythology.
Creation of the original Sailor Moon manga was preceded by another, Codename: Sailor V,
which centered around just one Sailor Senshi. Takeuchi devised the idea
when she wanted to create a cute series about girls in outer space, and her editor asked her to put them in sailor fuku.[1] When Sailor V was proposed for adaptation into an anime series, the concept was modified so that Sailor V herself became only one member of a team. The resulting manga series was a fusion of the popular magical girl and sentai genres of which Takeuchi was a fan,[2] making Sailor Moon one of the first series ever to combine the two.
The manga resulted in spinoffs into other types of media, including a highly popular anime, musical theatre productions, video games and a live-action (tokusatsu) series. Although most concepts in the many versions overlap, there are often notable differences, and thus continuity between the different formats is limited.
Characters
- See also: List of minor Sailor Moon characters
- Usagi Tsukino
- The main character of the series, called Serena in the English
anime (nicknamed Bunny in the manga). Usagi is a carefree schoolgirl
with an enormous capacity for love, and transforms into the heroine
called Sailor Moon. At the beginning of the series she is portrayed as
an immature crybaby who hates having to fight evil and wants nothing
more than to be a normal girl. As she progresses, however, she embraces
the chance to use her power to protect those she cares about.
- Mamoru Chiba
- A student somewhat older than Usagi, called Darien in the English
adaptations of the series. As a young child he was in a terrible car
accident that robbed him of his parents and his knowledge of who he is. During the series he has some precognitive
ability, including dreams that inspire him to take on the guise of
Tuxedo Mask and fight alongside the Sailor Senshi. After an initially
confrontational relationship, he and Usagi remember their past lives
together and fall in love.
- Ami Mizuno
- A quiet bookworm in Usagi's class, called Amy in the English
adaptations of the series. She is hugely intelligent, with a rumored IQ of 300,[3] can transform into Sailor Mercury, acquiring power over water. Ami's shy exterior masks a passion for knowledge and for taking care of the people around her. She hopes to be a doctor one day, like her mother, and tends to be the practical one in the group. Secretly, she is also a fan of pop culture and romance novels, and becomes embarrassed whenever this is pointed out.
- Rei Hino
- An elegant miko (shrine maiden), called Raye in the English versions. Because of her work as a Shintō priestess, Rei can sense and dispel evil even in civilian form. When she transforms into Sailor Mars, she can also manipulate fire.
She is very serious and focused, but although easily annoyed by Usagi's
flightiness, cares about her very much. Rei is portrayed as boy-crazy
in the early anime, but is uninterested in romance in both the manga
and live-action series. She attends a private Catholic school, separate from the other girls.
- Makoto Kino
- A tomboy
who transfers into Usagi's school, called Lita in the English versions.
Very tall and strong for a Japanese schoolgirl, she can transform into
Sailor Jupiter, attacking with lightning and with some control over plants.
Both Makoto's parents died in a plane crash years ago, so she lives
alone and takes care of herself. She cultivates her physical strength
as well as more domestic interests, including housekeeping, cooking, and gardening. She wants to marry young and to own a flower and cake shop.
- Minako Aino
- A perky dreamer who acted on her own as Sailor V for some time. Called Mina in the English versions, she has a companion cat called Artemis who works alongside Luna in guiding the Senshi. Minako transforms into Sailor Venus, Soldier of Love, and is the leader of Sailor Moon's four inner guardians. She also dreams of becoming a famous singer and idol and attends auditions
whenever she can. At the start of the live-action series, she is
already these things, but has poor health and separates herself from
the other Senshi.
- Chibiusa
- A little girl from 1,000 years in the future, called Rini in the English versions of the series. She comes to the 20th century
on several occasions, whether to seek help or to be trained as a
soldier, and learns to transform into Sailor Chibi Moon (or, in the
English anime, Sailor Mini Moon). Chibiusa co-stars with Usagi in
certain story arcs, though they sometimes have an adversarial
relationship. She considers herself much more mature than Usagi, and
wants to grow up and become a lady in her own right.
- Setsuna Meioh
- A mysterious woman, called Trista in the English anime. She is
first revealed as Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, whose duty is to
protect the Space-Time
Door from unauthorized travelers. It is only later that she appears on
Earth, living as a college student. She has a distant personality and
can be very stern, but can also be quite friendly and helps the younger
Senshi when she can. After so long at the gate of time she carries a
deep sense of loneliness, although she is close friends with Chibiusa.
- Michiru Kaioh
- A talented violinist
with some precognition, called Michelle in the English anime. She is a
year older than most of the other Senshi and can transform into Sailor
Neptune, channeling the power of the ocean.
She worked alone for some time before finding her partner, Sailor
Uranus, with whom she fell in love. Michiru is elegant and personable,
already well-known for her music as well as her painting,
but has given up her own dreams for the life of a Senshi. She is fully
devoted to this duty and willing to make any sacrifice for it.
- Haruka Tenoh
- A good-natured, masculine girl, called Amara in the English anime.
Haruka is the same age as her partner, Michiru, and transforms into
Sailor Uranus, Soldier of the Sky. Before becoming a Senshi she dreamed of being a racer, and is extremely good at it. She tends to dress and speak like a man,
especially in the anime, and is so friendly and genial that nearly
everyone she meets is attracted to her. When it comes to fighting the
enemy, she distrusts outside help and prefers to work alone with Sailor
Neptune and later Pluto and Saturn.
- Hotaru Tomoe
- A sweet, lonely young girl whose name is unchanged in English (though pronounced slightly differently). Daughter of a possessed mad scientist, she is sickly and weak as the result of a terrible lab accident in her youth. After overcoming the darkness that has surrounded her family, she is able to become the Soldier of Silence, Sailor Saturn. She wields forces of destruction
so powerful that she is rarely called upon to use them, and unlike the
others, her Senshi and civilian personas seem somewhat disconnected.
She is often pensive, and as a human has the inexplicable power to heal others.
(wikipedia)
