This post is part of the Japanese Fiction Week hosted on this blog.
For more information about the week, head over here.
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Please welcome Andrew from The Pewter Wolf who will be reviewing Sailor Moon!
Before I start, I want to quickly thank Caroline for allowing me to write for her blog again. Writing for her blog means I read books that are outside my comfort-zone and I always like to be pushed every once in awhile.
Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl. Until she meets a talking cat, Luna, who tells her that she’s a guardian, known as Sailor Moon, who must fight the forces of evil. Not only that, she must find the rest of the Sailor Scouts, find the Legendary Silver Crystal and the mysterious Moon Princess...
Now, I’m pretty sure most of us outside of Japan know of Sailor Moon through the TV show (where Usagi Tsukino was called Serena), so we’re a bit nostalgic on this. I watched the show when I was younger on a now-non-existing Fox Kids so I read this and went “OK. That idea comes from here!”
However, if you haven’t watch the TV show or aren’t really aware of Sailor Moon, the whole thing sounds a bit... stupid and a tad laughable. A fourteen year old self-confessed crybaby and slacker (there’s no other way to say it) is trusted to save the world with a group of other girls wearing short-skirted sailors outfit. Oh, and the main love interest is a guy who uses roses as a weapon. Seriously, roses as a weapon!
But, if you don’t take it seriously, this is really charming. There’s something about it where you go with it, with all its silliness. I am going to admit that I have very little experience with anime and manga (I have read a manga, Fake, and I have watched some anime films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and some TV shows like Pokemon & Digimon [do they count?]) but the artwork in here is really good. There are some panels which are very carefully drawn, while others were silly and fun.
However, one thing fans of the TV show will notice is how fast this moves. There are six acts in volume one and, by the end of act five, we are already introduce to Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter. Yeah, it moves quickly. And by the end of Act Six, Usagi discovers the identity of Tuxedo Mask (the main love interest), whereas in the TV show, the viewers realise who it is when we’re introduced to Sailor Venus and Usagi/Serena figures it out much later.
If you want something fun, fluffy and a nice, easy introduction to manga, this might be what you’re looking for. If you’re the fan of the TV show, you’ll like this. If you’re already into manga or want something more deep, then you might want to give this a miss. But if you go in this with an open mind, you might be surprised...
Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl. Until she meets a talking cat, Luna, who tells her that she’s a guardian, known as Sailor Moon, who must fight the forces of evil. Not only that, she must find the rest of the Sailor Scouts, find the Legendary Silver Crystal and the mysterious Moon Princess...
Now, I’m pretty sure most of us outside of Japan know of Sailor Moon through the TV show (where Usagi Tsukino was called Serena), so we’re a bit nostalgic on this. I watched the show when I was younger on a now-non-existing Fox Kids so I read this and went “OK. That idea comes from here!”
However, if you haven’t watch the TV show or aren’t really aware of Sailor Moon, the whole thing sounds a bit... stupid and a tad laughable. A fourteen year old self-confessed crybaby and slacker (there’s no other way to say it) is trusted to save the world with a group of other girls wearing short-skirted sailors outfit. Oh, and the main love interest is a guy who uses roses as a weapon. Seriously, roses as a weapon!
But, if you don’t take it seriously, this is really charming. There’s something about it where you go with it, with all its silliness. I am going to admit that I have very little experience with anime and manga (I have read a manga, Fake, and I have watched some anime films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and some TV shows like Pokemon & Digimon [do they count?]) but the artwork in here is really good. There are some panels which are very carefully drawn, while others were silly and fun.
However, one thing fans of the TV show will notice is how fast this moves. There are six acts in volume one and, by the end of act five, we are already introduce to Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter. Yeah, it moves quickly. And by the end of Act Six, Usagi discovers the identity of Tuxedo Mask (the main love interest), whereas in the TV show, the viewers realise who it is when we’re introduced to Sailor Venus and Usagi/Serena figures it out much later.
If you want something fun, fluffy and a nice, easy introduction to manga, this might be what you’re looking for. If you’re the fan of the TV show, you’ll like this. If you’re already into manga or want something more deep, then you might want to give this a miss. But if you go in this with an open mind, you might be surprised...
Click on picture to enlarge
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Thanks for your review Andrew - I watched the anime when I was younger and I can't wait to read the manga version!
Great review, I'm trying to work out where to start with Manga so this sounds like it might be a nice one to try.
ReplyDeleteOh brings back memories, Sailor Moon is my favorite anime! I used to collect any Sailor Moon toys and cards when I was 10 years old. And after 18 years Sailor Moon is being shown again, Im so happy!
ReplyDelete