Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon

***Sailor Moon*** (美少女戦士セーラームーン *Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn*?, originally translated as ***Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon***[1] and later as ***Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon***[2][3]) is a Japanese *shōjo* manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in *Nakayoshi* from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 *tankōbon* volumes. The series follows the adventures of a young schoolgirl named Usagi Tsukino as she transforms into the titular character to search for a princess and an artifact called the "Legendary Silver Crystal" (「幻の銀水晶」 *Maboroshi no Ginzuishō*?, lit. "Phantom Silver Crystal"). During her journey, she leads a diverse group of comrades, the Sailor Soldiers (セーラー戦士 *Sērā Senshi*?)—Sailor
 Guardians in later editions—as they battle against villains to prevent
the theft of the Silver Crystal and the destruction of the Solar System.

The 18 manga volumes have been adapted into an anime series titled *Sailor Moon* which was produced by Toei Animation.[4][5]
 The series was broadcast from 1992 to 1997 in Japan over the course of
five seasons. The studio also developed three feature films, one
television special, three short films and a live-action television
adaptation titled *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon*. A reboot of the anime series titled *Sailor Moon Crystal* began simulcasting in 2014. Several companies have developed merchandising based on the series, including light novels, collectible trading card games, action figures, musical theater productions, several collections of soundtracks and a large number of video games. The manga series was licensed for an English language release by Kodansha Comics USA in North America, and in Australia and New Zealand by Random House Australia. The entire anime series has been licensed by Viz Media for an English language release in North America and by Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand.

Since its release, *Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon* has received
wide critical acclaim and has become one of the most popular manga and
anime series worldwide. The entire series has sold over 35 million
copies worldwide, making of it one of the highest selling shōjo series
ever, and reviewers have praised the art, characterization and humor of
the story. The anime is popular in several countries and is arguably one
 of the most influential in boosting the popularity of Japanese
animation in Western culture. *Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon* is often cited with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls
 and for revitalizing the magical girl genre. The franchise is also
credited with redefining the genre, as previous magical girls did not
use their powers to fight evil and the concept is now considered one of
its standard archetypes.

## Plot

A middle-school student named Usagi Tsukino befriends Luna, a talking black cat
 that gives her a magical brooch enabling her to become Sailor Moon: a
pretty soldier destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. Luna and
Usagi assemble a team of fellow Sailor Soldiers to find their princess and the "Legendary Silver Crystal." They encounter the studious Ami Mizuno, who awakens as Sailor Mercury; Rei Hino, a local shrine maiden who awakens as Sailor Mars; Makoto Kino, a transfer student who awakens as Sailor Jupiter; and Minako Aino, a young aspiring idol who operates as Sailor Venus, accompanied by her talking feline companion Artemis. Additionally, they encounter Mamoru Chiba, a high-school student who assists them as Tuxedo Mask on occasion throughout their journey.
In the first arc, the group battles the Dark Kingdom. Led by Queen Beryl, a team of generals—the Four Kings of Heaven (四天王 *Shiten'ō*?, lit. "Four Heavenly Kings")—attempt to find the Silver Crystal to free an imprisoned, evil entity called Queen Metaria.
 Usagi and her team discover that in their previous lives they were
members of the ancient moon kingdom called Silver Millennium. The Dark
Kingdom waged war against them, resulting in the destruction of the moon
 kingdom. Its ruler Queen Serenity
 later sent her daughter Princess Serenity, her guardians the Sailor
Soldiers, their feline advisers Luna and Artemis, and the princess's
true love Prince Endymion into the future to be reborn through the power
 of the Silver Crystal. The team recognize Usagi as the reincarnated
Serenity and Mamoru as Endymion. The Soldiers kill the Four Kings, who
turn out to have been Endymion's guardians who defected in their past
lives. In a final confrontation with the Dark Kingdom, Minako kills
Queen Beryl; she and the other Soldiers then sacrifice their lives in an
 attempt to destroy Queen Metaria. Using the Silver Crystal, Usagi
succeeds in killing Metaria and resurrects her friends.

At the beginning of the second arc, Usagi and Mamoru's daughter Chibiusa arrives from the future to find the Silver Crystal. As a result, the Soldiers encounter Wiseman and his Black Moon Clan,
 who are pursuing her. Chibiusa takes the Soldiers to the future city
Neo-Tokyo, where her parents rule as Neo-Queen Serenity and King
Endymion. During their journey they meet Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Time-Space Door. Sailor Pluto stops the Clan's ruler Prince Demand from destroying the time-space continuum,
 leading to her death. Chibiusa later awakens as a Soldier—Sailor Chibi
Moon—and helps Usagi kill Wiseman's true form, Death Phantom.

The third arc revolves around a group of lifeforms called Death Busters, created by Professor Soichi Tomoe, who seek to transport the entity Pharaoh 90 to Earth to merge with the planet. Tomoe's daughter Hotaru is absorbed by the entity Mistress 9,
 who must open the dimensional gateway through which Pharaoh 90 must
travel. Auto-racer Haruka Tenoh and violinist Michiru Kaioh appear as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune,
 who guard the outer rim of the Solar System from external threats.
Physics student Setsuna Meioh, Sailor Pluto's reincarnation, joins the
protagonists. Usagi obtains the Holy Grail, transforms into Super Sailor
 Moon, and attempts to use the power of the Grail and the Silver Crystal
 to destroy Pharaoh 90. This causes Hotaru to awaken as Sailor Saturn,
 whom Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna initially perceive as a threat. As the
 harbinger of death, Hotaru uses her power of destruction to sever
Pharaoh 90 from the Earth and instructs Setsuna to use her power over
time-space to close the dimensional gateway. Usagi, as Princess
Serenity, then uses her power to recreate the planet.

The next arc introduces the Dead Moon Circus, led by Queen Nehelenia,
 the self-proclaimed "rightful ruler" of both Silver Millennium and
Earth. Nehelenia invades Elysion, which hosts the Earth's Golden
Kingdom, capturing its High Priest Helios
 and instructs her followers to steal the Silver Crystal. As Prince
Endymion, Mamoru is revealed to be the owner of the Golden Crystal—the
sacred stone of the Golden Kingdom. Mamoru and the Soldiers combine
their powers with those of the Holy Grail, enabling Usagi to transform
into Eternal Sailor Moon and kill Nehelenia. Four of Nehelenia's
henchmen, the Amazoness Quartet,
 are revealed to be Soldiers called the Sailor Quartet, who are destined
 to become Chibiusa's guardians. They had been awakened prematurely and
corrupted by Nehelenia.

In the final arc, Usagi and her friends enter high school and are drawn into a battle against Shadow Galactica, a group of false Sailor Soldiers. Their leader Sailor Galaxia
 plans to steal the Sailor Crystals of true Soldiers to overthrow the
galaxy and to kill an evil life-form known as Chaos. After killing
Mamoru and most of the Sailor Soldiers, Sailor Galaxia steals their
Sailor Crystals. Usagi travels to the Galaxy Cauldron to defeat Galaxia
and revive her teammates. Joining Usagi are the Sailor Starlights who come from the planet Kinmoku, their ruler Princess Kakyuu and the infant Sailor Chibichibi
 who came from a distant future. Later, Chibiusa and the Sailor Quartet
join Usagi and company. After numerous battles as well as the death of
Galaxia, Sailor Chibichibi reveals her true form as Sailor Cosmos. Usagi
 then destroys Chaos with the "Legendary Silver Crystal." Mamoru and the
 Sailor Soldiers are revived and return to Earth with Usagi. The series
ends with Usagi and Mamoru's wedding, six years later.

## Production

Naoko Takeuchi redeveloped *Sailor Moon* from her 1991 manga serial *Codename: Sailor V*, which was first published on August 20, 1991, and featured Sailor Venus as the main protagonist.[6]
 Takeuchi wanted to create a story with a theme about girls in outer
space. While discussing with her editor Fumio Osano, he suggested the
addition of Sailor fuku.[7] When *Codename: Sailor V* was proposed for adaptation into an anime by Toei Animation, Takeuchi redeveloped the concept so Sailor Venus became a member of a team.[8][9] The resulting manga series became a fusion of the popular magical girl genre and the *Super Sentai* series, of which Takeuchi was a fan.[10] Recurring motifs include astronomy,[7] astrology, Greek and Roman myth,[11] geology, Japanese elemental themes,[12] teen fashions,[11][13] and schoolgirl antics.[13]

Takeuchi said discussions with Kodansha originally envisaged a single story arc;[14] the storyline was developed in meetings a year before serialization began.[15] After completing the arc, Toei and Kodansha asked Takeuchi to continue the series. She wrote four more story arcs,[14]
 which were often published simultaneously with the five corresponding
seasons of the anime adaptation. The anime ran one or two months behind
the manga.[15] As a result, the anime follows the storyline of the manga fairly closely, although there are deviations.[16] Takeuchi later said because Toei's production staff were mostly male, she feels the anime has "a slight male perspective."[16]

Takeuchi later said she planned to kill off the protagonists, but Osano rejected the notion and said, "[*Sailor Moon*] is a shōjo manga!"
 When the anime adaptation was produced, the protagonists were killed in
 the final battle with the Dark Kingdom, although they were revived.
Takeuchi resented that she was unable to do that in her version.[17] Takeuchi also intended for the *Sailor Moon*
 anime adaptation to last for one season, but due to the immense
popularity, Toei asked Takeuchi to continue the series. At first, she
struggled to develop another storyline to extend the series. While
discussing with Osano, he suggested the inclusion of Usagi's daughter
from the future, Chibiusa.[18]

## Media

### Manga

Written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, *Sailor Moon* was serialized in the monthly manga anthology *Nakayoshi* from December 28, 1991 to February 3, 1997.[6] The side-stories were serialized simultaneously in *RunRun*—another of Kodansha's manga magazines.[6] The 52 individual chapters were published in 18 *tankōbon* volumes by Kodansha from July 6, 1992, to April 4, 1997.[19][20] In 2003, the chapters were re-released in a collection of 12 *shinzōban* volumes to coincide with the release of the live-action series.[21] The manga was retitled *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon* and included new cover art,[22] and revised dialogue and illustrations. The ten individual short stories were also released in 2 volumes.[23][24] In 2013, the chapters were once again re-released in 10 *kanzenban*
 volumes to commemorate the manga's 20th anniversary, which includes
digitally remastered artwork, new covers and color artwork from its *Nakayoshi* run.[25] The books have been enlarged from the typical Japanese manga size to A5.[26][27] The short stories were republished in two volumes, with the order of the stories shuffled. *Codename: Sailor V* was also included in the third edition.[27]
The *Sailor Moon* manga was initially licensed for an English release by Mixx (later Tokyopop) in North America. The manga was first published as a serial in *MixxZine*
 beginning in 1997, but was later removed from the magazine and made
into a separate, monthly comic to finish the first, second and third
arcs. At the same time, the fourth and fifth arcs were printed in a
secondary magazine called *Smile*.[28]
 The series was later collected into three-part graphic novels spanning
eighteen volumes, which were published from December 1, 1998, to
September 18, 2001.[29][30] Tokyopop's license expired in 2005 and its edition went out of print.[31] Daily pages from the Tokyopop version ran in the Japanimation Station, a service accessible to users of America Online.[32] In May 2005, Tokyopop's license to the Sailor Moon manga expired, and its edition went out of print.[33]

In 2011, Kodansha Comics USA announced it would publish the *Sailor Moon* manga and the lead-in series *Codename: Sailor V* in English.[34] It would also re-publish the twelve volumes of *Sailor Moon* simultaneously with the two-volume edition of *Codename Sailor V*, from September 2011 to July 2013.[35][36][37] The first volume of the two related short stories was published on September 10, 2013;[38] the other was published on November 26.[39]

The manga has also been licensed in other English-speaking countries.
 In the United Kingdom, the volumes are distributed by Turnaround
Publisher Services.[40] In Australia, the manga is distributed by Random House Australia.[41]

### Anime series

#### *Sailor Moon*

Toei Animation produced an anime television series based on the 52 manga chapters, also titled *Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon*.[4][5] It was directed by Junichi Satō, Kunihiko Ikuhara and Takuya Igarashi.[42] The series premiered in Japan on TV Asahi
 on March 7, 1992, and ran for 200 episodes until its conclusion on
February 8, 1997. Most of the international versions, including the
English adaptations, are titled *Sailor Moon*. The series featured Kotono Mitsuishi as Usagi Tsukino, Aya Hisakawa as Ami Mizuno, Michie Tomizawa as Rei Hino, Emi Shinohara as Makoto Kino, Rica Fukami as Minako Aino, Kae Araki as Chibiusa, Megumi Ogata as Haruka Ten'oh, Masako Katsuki as Michiru Kaioh, Chiyoko Kawashima as Setsuna Meioh, Yuko Minaguchi as Hotaru Tomoe, Shiho Niiyama as Kou Seiya, Chika Sakamoto as Kou Yaten, Narumi Tsunoda as Kou Taiki, Toru Furuya as Mamoru Chiba, Keiko Han as Luna, and Yasuhiro Takato as Artemis.

#### *Sailor Moon Crystal*

On July 6, 2012, Kodansha and Toei Animation announced that it would
commence production of a new anime adaptation for a simultaneous
worldwide release in 2013 as part of the series' 20th anniversary
celebrations.[43][44] The idol group Momoiro Clover Z would perform the opening and closing theme music.[45] In April 2013, it was announced the new anime had been delayed.[46] On August 4, it was confirmed the new anime will be streamed late in the year.[45]

On January 9, 2014, it was announced the anime will premiere in July.[47]
 On March 13, 2014, the new anime's official website was updated to show
 a countdown beginning on March 14 for an announcement due to occur on
March 21.[48]
 That day, Toei's website showed an image displaying the key visual art,
 synopsis, and staff for the new anime. It also revealed the anime would
 be called *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal* (美少女戦士セーラームーンCrystal *Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Kurisutaru*). The series is animated by Toei Animation and directed by Munehisa Sakai.[49] The music is composed by Yasuharu Takanashi.

The cast and premiere date were announced at the 20th Anniversary
Project Special Stage on April 27, 2014. The anime would premiere on
July 5, 2014, and episodes would premier on the first and third
Saturdays of each month.[50] The cast of *Crystal* featured Kotono Mitsuishi reprising her role as Usagi, Hisako Kanemoto as Ami Mizuno, Rina Satō as Rei Hino, Ami Koshimizu as Makoto Kino, Shizuka Itō as Minako Aino, Ai Maeda as Sailor Pluto, Misato Fukuen as Chibiusa, Kenji Nojima as Mamoru Chiba, Ryō Hirohashi as Luna, and Yōhei Ōbayashi as Artemis.[51] On April 30, Toei confirmed the series will run for 26 episodes, streaming worldwide on video sharing service Niconico with subtitles in 12 languages on the first and third Saturdays of each month.[52] A third season that would adapt the Death Busters arc and will feature the Outer Senshi has been announced.[53]

In May 2014, Viz Media licensed the *Sailor Moon Crystal* anime for an English-language release in North America as *Sailor Moon Crystal*.[54] The series began streaming on Hulu and Neon Alley simultaneously on July 5, 2014. Crunchyroll also began streaming the series on its website during the simulcast.[55] At the 2014 Anime Expo convention in Los Angeles, Viz marketing director Charlene Ingram announced that the cast used for the *Sailor Moon* re-dub would also reprise their roles in *Crystal* which was confirmed at the 2015 Anime Boston.[56][57] On November 28, 2014, Madman Entertainment announced that they have the rights for *Sailor Moon Crystal* for Australia & New Zealand.[58] Starting in November 2015, VIZ will be streaming the Crystal English dub on Neon Valley and Hulu.[59]

### Films and television specials

Three animated theatrical feature films based on the original *Sailor Moon*
 series have been released in Japan. The films are side-stories that do
not correlate with the timeline of the original series. A one-hour
television special was aired on TV Asahi in Japan on April 8, 1995.[60] In 1997, an article in *Variety* stated that The Walt Disney Company was interested in acquiring the rights to *Sailor Moon* as a live action film to be directed by Stanley Tong.[61]

### Companion books

There have been numerous companion books to *Sailor Moon*. Kodansha released some of these books for each of the five story arcs, collectively called the *Original Picture Collection*.
 The books contain cover art, promotional material and other work by
Takeuchi. Many of the drawings are accompanied by comments on the way
she developed her ideas, created each picture and commentary on the
anime interpretation of her story.[62][63][64][65][66] Another picture collection, *Volume Infinity*,
 was released as a self-published, limited-edition artbook after the end
 of the series in 1997. This artbook includes drawings by Takeuchi and
her friends, her staff, and many of the voice actors who worked on the
anime. In 1999, Kodansha published the *Materials Collection*; this
 contained development sketches and notes for nearly every character in
the manga, and for some characters that never appeared. Each drawing
includes notes by Takeuchi about costume pieces, the mentality of the
characters and her feelings about them. It also includes timelines for
the story arcs and for the real-life release of products and materials
relating to the anime and manga. A short story, *Parallel Sailor Moon* is also featured, celebrating the year of the rabbit.[67]

### Stage musicals

Main article: Sailor Moon musicals

In mid-1993, the first musical theater production based on *Sailor Moon* premiered; Anza Ohyama
 starred as Sailor Moon. Thirty such musicals in all have been produced,
 with one in pre-production. The shows' stories include anime-inspired
plotlines and original material. Music from the series has been released
 on about 20 memorial albums.[68] The popularity of the musicals has been cited as a reason behind the production of the live action television series, *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon*.[69]
During the original run musicals ran in the winter and summer of each year, with summer musicals staged at the Sunshine Theater in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo. In the winter, musicals toured to other large cities in Japan, including Osaka, Fukuoka,[70] Nagoya, Shizuoka, Kanazawa, Sendai,[71] Saga, Oita, Yamagata and Fukushima.[72] The final incarnation of the first run, *New Legend of Kaguya Island (Revised Edition)* (新・かぐや島伝説 <改訂版> *Shin Kaguyashima Densetsu (Kaiteban)*?), went on stage in January 2005, following which, Bandai officially put the series on a hiatus.[73] On June 2, 2013, Fumio Osano announced on his Twitter page that the *Sailor Moon* musicals would begin again in September 2013.[74] The 20th anniversary show *La Reconquista*
 ran from September 13 to 23 at Shibuya's AiiA Theater Tokyo, with
Satomi Ōkubo as Sailor Moon. Satomi Ōkubo reprised the role in the 2014
production *Petite Étrangère* which ran from August 21 to September 7, 2014, again at AiiA Theater Tokyo.

### Trading figures

In early 2014, Megahouse released a set of *Sailor Moon* trading figures consisting of twelve figurines, two for each Sailor Soldier and two for Tuxedo Mask.[75]

### Live-action series

#### American remake

In 1995, Renaissance-Atlantic Entertainment, Bandai and Toon Makers, Inc. conceptualized their own version of *Sailor Moon*, which was half live-action and half Western-style animation. Toon Makers produced a 17-minute proof of concept
 presentation video as well as a two-minute music video, both of which
were directed by Rocky Sotoloff, for this concept. Renaissance-Atlantic
presented the concept to Toei, but it was turned down as their concept
would have cost significantly more than simply exporting and dubbing the
 anime adaptation.[76]

At the 1998 Anime Expo
 convention in Los Angeles, the music video was shown. It has since been
 copied numerous times and has been viewed on many streaming video
sites. Because of the relatively poor quality of the source video and
circulated footage, many anime fans thought that the music video was
actually a leaked trailer for the project. Additional copies of the
footage have since been uploaded to the Internet and served only to
bolster the mistaken assumption, in addition to incorrectly citing the
production to Saban Entertainment, who became known for a similar treatment that created the *Power Rangers* series.[76]

#### *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon*

Main article: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (live-action series)

In 2003, Toei Company produced a Japanese live-action *Sailor Moon* television series using the new translated English title of *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon*. Its 49 episodes were broadcast on Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting from October 4, 2003 to September 25, 2004.[77][78] *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon* featured Miyuu Sawai as Usagi Tsukino, Rika Izumi (credited as Chisaki Hama) as Ami Mizuno, Keiko Kitagawa as Rei Hino, Mew Azama as Makoto Kino, Ayaka Komatsu as Minako Aino, Jouji Shibue as Mamoru Chiba, Keiko Han as Luna and Kappei Yamaguchi
 as Artemis. The series was an alternate retelling of the Dark Kingdom
arc, adding a storyline different from that in the manga and first anime
 series, with original characters and new plot developments.[69][79] In addition to the main episodes, two direct-to-video
 releases appeared after the show ended its television broadcast.
"Special Act" is set four years after the main storyline ends, and shows
 the wedding of the two main characters. "Act Zero" is a prequel showing
 the origins of Sailor V and Tuxedo Mask.[80]

### Video games

See also: List of Sailor Moon video games

The *Sailor Moon* franchise has spawned several video games
across various genres and platforms. Most were made by Bandai and its
subsidy Angel; others were produced by Banpresto. The early games were side-scrolling fighters; later ones were unique puzzle games, or versus fighting games. *Another Story* was a turn-based role-playing video game.[81] The only *Sailor Moon* game produced outside Japan, 3VR New Media's *The 3D Adventures of Sailor Moon*, went on sale in North America in 1997.[82] A video game called *Sailor Moon: La Luna Splende* (*Sailor Moon: The Shining Moon*) was released on March 16, 2011 for the Nintendo DS.[83]

## Reception

*Sailor Moon* is one of the most popular manga series of all
time and continues to enjoy high readership worldwide. More than one
million copies of its *tankōbon* volumes had been sold in Japan by the end of 1995.[84] By the series' 20th anniversary in 2012, this number had grown to 35 million copies in over fifty countries.[85] The manga won the Kodansha Manga Award in 1993 for *shōjo*.[86] The English adaptations of both the manga and the anime series became the first successful shōjo title in the United States.[87] The character of Sailor Moon is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes of all time.[88][89][90][91][92]

*Sailor Moon* has also become popular internationally. *Sailor Moon*
 was broadcast in Spain and France beginning in December 1993; these
became the first countries outside Japan to broadcast the series.[93]
 It was later aired in Russia, South Korea, the Philippines, China,
Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong, before North America
picked up the franchise for adaptation. In the Philippines, *Sailor Moon* was one of its carrier network's main draws, helping it to become the third-biggest network in the country.[94] In 2001, the *Sailor Moon* manga was Tokyopop's best selling property, outselling the next-best selling titles by at least a factor of 1.5.[95] In Diamond Comic Distributors's May 1999 "Graphic Novel and Trade Paperback" category, *Sailor Moon* Volume 3 was the best-selling comic book in the United States.[96]

In his 2007 book *Manga: The Complete Guide*, Jason Thompson gave the manga series three stars out of four. He enjoyed the blending of *shōnen* and *shōjo* styles, and said the combat scenes seemed heavily influenced by *Saint Seiya*, but shorter and less bloody. He also said the manga itself appeared similar to *Super Sentai*
 television shows. Thompson found the series fun and entertaining, but
said the repetitive plot lines were a detriment to the title, which the
increasing quality of art could not make up for; even so, he called the
series "sweet, effective entertainment."[87] Thompson said although the audience for *Sailor Moon* is both male and female, Takeuchi does not use excessive fanservice
 for males, which would run the risk of alienating her female audience.
Thompson said fight scenes are not physical and "boil down to their
purest form of a clash of wills", which he says "makes thematic sense"
for the manga.[97]

Comparing the manga and anime, Sylvain Durand said the manga artwork
is "gorgeous", but its storytelling is more compressed and erratic and
the anime has more character development. Durand said "the sense of
tragedy is greater" in the manga's telling of the "fall of the Silver
Millennium," giving more detail about the origins of the Shitennou and
on Usagi's final battle with Beryl and Metaria. Durand said the anime
omits information that makes the story easy to understand, but judges
the anime more "coherent" with a better balance of comedy and tragedy,
whereas the manga is "more tragic" and focused on Usagi and Mamoru's
romance.[98]

For the week of September 11, 2011, to September 17, 2011, the first volume of the re-released *Sailor Moon* manga was the best-selling manga on the *The New York Times* Manga Best Sellers list, with the first volume of *Codename: Sailor V* in second place.[99][100] The first print run of the first volume sold out after four weeks.[101]

The first episode of *Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal* earned a viewership of over one million on Niconico during the first two days of streaming it.[102]

## Legacy

The manga and anime series have been cited as reinvigorating the
magical girl genre by adding dynamic heroines and action-oriented plots.
 After its success, many similar magical girl series, including *Magic Knight Rayearth*, *Wedding Peach*, *Nurse Angel Ririka SOS* and *Pretty Cure*, emerged.[103][104] *Sailor Moon* has been called "the biggest breakthrough" in English-dubbed anime until 1995, when it premiered on YTV,[94] and "the pinnacle of little kid *shōjo* anime."[105] Cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn said that soon after *Sailor Moon*, *shōjo* manga began to be featured in book shops rather than fandom-dominated comic shops.[106] The series are credited as beginning a wider movement of girls taking up *shōjo* manga.[87][107][108] Canadian author Gilles Poitras defines a generation of anime fans as those who were introduced to anime by *Sailor Moon* in the 1990s, saying they were both much younger than other fans and were also mostly female.[104]

Historian Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a *Super Sentai*-like team of magical girls,[109][110] and Paul Gravett credits the series with revitalizing the magical girl genre itself.[111] A reviewer for *Them Anime Reviews*
 also credited the anime series with changing the genre—its heroine must
 use her powers to fight evil, not simply have fun as previous magical
girls had done.[112]

In western culture, *Sailor Moon* is sometimes associated with the feminist and Girl Power movements and with empowering its viewers,[107]
 especially regarding the "credible, charismatic and independent"
characterizations of the Sailor Soldiers, which were "interpreted in
France as an unambiguously feminist position".[113] Although *Sailor Moon*
 is regarded as empowering to girls, and feminist in concept through the
 aggressive nature and strong personalities of the Sailor Soldiers,[114]
 it is a specific type of feminist concept where "traditional feminine
ideals [are] incorporated into characters that act in traditionally male
 capacities".[114]
 While the Sailor Soldiers are strong, independent fighters who thwart
evil—which is generally a masculine stereotype—they are also ideally
feminized through the transformation of the Sailor Soldiers from teenage
 girls into magical girls, which heavy emphasis on jewelery, make-up and
 their highly sexualized outfits with cleavage, short skirts and
accentuated waists.[11]

The most notable hyper-feminine features of the Sailor Soldiers—and
most other females in Japanese girls' comics—are the girls' thin bodies,
 extremely long legs, and, in particular, round, orb-like eyes.[11]
 Eyes are commonly known as the primal source within characters where
emotion is evoked—sensitive characters have larger eyes than insensitive
 ones.[114] Male characters generally have smaller eyes that have no sparkle or shine in them like the eyes of the female characters.[114] The stereotypical role of women in Japanese culture is to undertake romantic and loving feelings;[11]
 therefore, the prevalence of hyper-feminine qualities like the openness
 of the female eye in Japanese girls' comics is clearly exhibited in *Sailor Moon*. Thus, *Sailor Moon*
 emphasizes a type of feminist model by combining traditional masculine
action with traditional female affection and sexuality through the
Sailor Soldiers.[114]
 Its characters have been described as "catty stereotypes", with Sailor
Moon's character in particular being singled out as less than feminist.[115]

*Sailor Moon* has also been compared with *Mighty Morphin Power Rangers*,[11][116] *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*[117][118][119] and *Sabrina, the Teenage Witch*.[120]

James Welker said *Sailor Moon*‍ '​s futuristic setting helps to
 make lesbianism "naturalized" and a peaceful existence. Yukari Fujimoto
 said although there are few "lesbian scenes" in *Sailor Moon*, it has become a popular subject for *yuri* dōjinshi.
 She cites this to the source work's "cheerful" tone, although she says
"though they seem to be overflowing with lesbians, the position of
heterosexuals is earnestly secured."[121]

In English-speaking countries, *Sailor Moon* developed a cult following among anime fans and male university students.[11] Patrick Drazen says the Internet was a new medium that fans used to communicate and played a role in the popularity of *Sailor Moon*.[117] Fans could use the Internet to communicate about the series, organize campaigns to return *Sailor Moon* to U.S. broadcast, to share information about episodes that had not yet aired, or to write fan fiction.[115][122] In 2004, one study said there were 3,335,000 websites about Sailor Moon, compared to 491,000 for Mickey Mouse.[123]
 NEO magazine said part of the series' allure was that fans communicated
 via the Internet about the differences between the dub and the original
 version.[124] The *Sailor Moon* fandom was described in 1997 as being "small and dispersed."[125] In a United States study, twelve children paid rapt attention to the fighting scenes in *Sailor Moon*, although when asked whether they thought *Sailor Moon* was violent, only two said yes and the other ten described the episodes as "soft" or "cute." Source:

☀https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor\_Moon