Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1 {Shinsoban}

There’s so much winking in this volume! ;)

Believe it or not, I have never read/watched Sailor Moon (and yet I know how utterly annoying Chibusa is, so, when I saw volume 1 at the library, I thought it was time to read what’s considered to be one of the GOAT (shoujo) mangas. The artwork is so BEAUTIFUL! I love the big eyes, the frills, and the fashion! I don’t have nostalgia glasses on, but this was pretty cute. I see the appeal.

The dashing Tuxedo Mask kissing a drunk, out-of-it Usagi is not cute in 2021 despite how utterly pretty the scene looks.

3.5

When I was younger, probably around 3rd grade or so, I would wake up every morning before school and watch an episode of Sailor Moon. I loved the Sailor Scouts and even after all these years I can still sing the theme song word for word. My very first OTP pairing was Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask( this was before OTP was even a thing) and I always wanted a talking black cat named Luna. However, can you believe I never read a single manga book? Well I finally rectified that (although it has taken way too many years, that I don't even want to count)

Never I've never reviewed a Manga before (that doesn't meant I haven't read one), in saying this I ask you to please be kind about this review. Hopefully as I read more Manga and review more show more books (and graphic novels and comic books which I plan to review as well) I'll get better about these reviews. First off I'm super surprised at how well the art in the books have held you, you could hardly tell that these books are almost 25 years old (please don't think about how old that would make me considering). The artwork was really well done.


Secondly it took some getting used to, to read right to left. I was a little confused at first but I eventually got the hang of it. Usagi (Sailor Moon) is a bit of a crybaby and immature but considering she is only 14 (younger than I remember her being) it actually makes sense. The manga is separated into different acts which actually made it easier to read for me (and made for good stopping points if I had to). These books are definitely made for younger girls but I really enjoyed it, however I am saying that I may be a little biased since nostalgia and all. I even have Artemis shoes. show less

It's so weird going back to read the manga after so many years and having seen all the anime (subbed and dubbed), all the live-actions, and collected all the original art books. However, I have to say, I was NOT disappointed. I really appreciate how the manga series is more plot-driven than the anime, and how there are different story elements than what was in the anime (so much more makes sense now). I also like how in this renewal edition, Takeuchi talks about her process making the manga and her feelings about the anime. Reading this series was like revisiting my childhood, and it's just as good the second time around!

I made it one of my goals for 2013 to read a manga/graphic novel and at first I was overwhelmed with all the options out there. I didnt know where to start or what I would enjoy and I wasnt sure what be confusing for a first time manga reader. But then I remembered that Sailor Moon was a graphic novel and the lightbulb went off. What better to start me off into manga then to read something I already know the basic knowledge about?

It was brilliant and fun and incredibly perfectly cheesey just like the tv show. I loved it and Im looking forward to reading the rest of the volumes.

When I was younger, probably around 3rd grade or so, I would wake up every morning before school and watch an episode of Sailor Moon. I loved the Sailor Scouts and even after all these years I can still sing the theme song word for word. My very first OTP pairing was Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask( this was before OTP was even a thing) and I always wanted a talking black cat named Luna. However, can you believe I never read a single manga book? Well I finally rectified that (although it has taken way too many years, that I don't even want to count)

Never I've never reviewed a Manga before (that doesn't meant I haven't read one), in saying this I ask you to please be kind about this review. Hopefully as I read more Manga and review more show more books (and graphic novels and comic books which I plan to review as well) I'll get better about these reviews. First off I'm super surprised at how well the art in the books have held you, you could hardly tell that these books are almost 25 years old (please don't think about how old that would make me considering). The artwork was really well done.


Secondly it took some getting used to, to read right to left. I was a little confused at first but I eventually got the hang of it. Usagi (Sailor Moon) is a bit of a crybaby and immature but considering she is only 14 (younger than I remember her being) it actually makes sense. The manga is separated into different acts which actually made it easier to read for me (and made for good stopping points if I had to). These books are definitely made for younger girls but I really enjoyed it, however I am saying that I may be a little biased since nostalgia and all. I even have Artemis shoes. show less

In 1997, Naoko Takeuchi's manga series Sailor Moon was one of the very first titles published by Tokyopop. It, along with the anime series, became somewhat of a phenomenon in the United States. But, Tokyopop's license ended and Sailor Moon has been out of print for years despite its popularity. Then, in 2011, Kodansha brought the manga back in a completely new edition under the title Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Kodansha's version is based on the 2003 revision of the original series, which was first published in Japan between 1991 and 1997. I'll admit, I mostly missed out on Sailor Moon the first time around except for a single day that I was sick in bed and there happened to be a marathon of the Sailor Moon anime on television. I don't show more really remember much of it though, and the whole incident may very well have been a fever dream, but I'm pretty sure it actually happened. Still, I was very glad that Sailor Moon was selected for the December 2011 Manga Moveable Feast so that I could be properly introduced to the series.

Usagi Tsukino is an average fourteen-year-old middle school student at Minato Ward Juban Public. She enjoys eating, sleeping, and having fun. Her grades could stand to be better, but she would rather visit the local game center than study. On her way to school one morning, late and in a rush as usual, Usagi comes across a strange cat. After helping it--she was the one who stepped on the poor thing after all--the cat begins appearing wherever she goes. That night the cat, Luna, reveals its ability to talk and declares Usagi to be a guardian, destined to find her allies, defeat her enemies, and protect the princess and the legendary silver crystal. Usagi's not really sure what Luna is talking about or even that she wants anything to do with it. But given the ability to transform into Sailor Moon and the powers needed to save her friends from harm, Usagi suddenly discovers she's not just a normal teenager after all.

For a cat that appears to know just about everything about what is going on, at the same time Luna doesn't seem actually to know anything. Although I'm sure that Takeuchi has some basic idea of where she is taking the story, in this first volume of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon I really feel like she's making up most of it as she goes. Things just kind of happen and the readers and characters are simply there for the ride. The guardians themselves seem oddly accepting of everything that is occurring around them and of the revelations of their true natures--they just seem to go along with it. I actually found the resulting narrative chaos to be rather delightful at first, but I do hope that the story finds a bit more direction and focus in subsequent volumes.

Probably the thing I like best about Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon so far is the cast. While the villains come across as a bit one note, Luna and the guardians and Tuxedo Mask are all very likable. I particularly appreciate the range of their personalities. I was actually a little surprised by how much I ended up liking Usagi. She's a bit of an airhead and an admitted crybaby, characteristics that tend to annoy me. But those aren't her only defining qualities. When her friends are in trouble she will do anything she can to help them and will give it her best. Usagi's an unlikely leader, but her confidence is growing and the others trust her. I think that Takeuchi's artwork has held up pretty well over time. Granted, I do read a lot of older manga, so maybe it just doesn't bother my stylistically. However, the more action oriented sequences and fights can be difficult to follow. I wasn't astounded by the first volume of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, but I did enjoy its charming silliness enough to want to read more.

Experiments in Manga show less

Genre & Audience
Magical Girls
13

Artwork
Quality and detail level of the artwork is on par with this genre. The look of the evil beings err on caricatures.

Story
A focused story that moves along at a good pace. With three sides, the plot is complex enough to be interesting. The light humor about everyday life is entertaining and provides a way for readers to relate to the story. Near the end, some panel transitions jump too far ahead or the background doesn't show where the characters are.

Characterization
Although character personalities and histories aren't terribly deep, the diversity of Sailor Guardian personalities and powers keeps them interesting. Stereotypical transformations into a stewardess, a princess, and a doctor who sports a show more nurse's dress. It's not a good message to send to girls when a potential hero kisses the heroine when she's in a drunken sleep and she still likes him--but at least the parent figure points out his improper behavior.

Personal Notes
I started reading this series again because my daughter and I are watching the new release, Sailor Moon Crystal, which follows the manga more closely than the 1990s original series. I like the new release better than the original because--like the manga--the girls win the battles through their own skill and effort rather than requiring a man (Tuxedo Mask, in this case) to save them. Perhaps a result of its global (mostly US) target audience? Here's a thought-provoking--and well-researched--paper about how Sailor Moon works in the consumer marketplace:

http://web.archive.org/web/20120617030124/http://www.yorku.ca/jjenson/4303/readi... show less