I’m a kid at heart and Sailor Moon brings back all the nostalgia from my childhood. It all started with the English TV show and then that morphed into buying all of the swag to accompany it. I loved it and confession: I still love it.
I have all the shows and still watch them. But I wanted more! So, I decided to delve into the Manga comics. Verdict: totally different!
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Blurb:
Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!
So, by totally different, I mean: If you were ever a fan of the cartoon show throw everything you know out the window.
The show was probably loosely based on this storyline (the comics came first). Of course everything was Westernized like their names and basically the timeline. Sailor Moon or Usagi (AKA Serena) is still true to form. She is quite an annoying character, but that’s what I loved about her. Cry baby doesn’t even begin to describe her…or does it? 🙂 She is a teen after all. Oh, and because I watched the show, I imagined the voice actors speaking. Haha.
For those unfamiliar with Sailor Moon here is a short summary:
Earth is threatened by an evil force and Luna (a talking cat) needs to find the lost Sailor Senshi (Or Scouts as I know them) that will help defend earth.
One by one, the Senshi are discovered and in Volume one we meet Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter. Oh yes, and Tuxedo Mask ( a very cheestastic love interest).
Does this stand the test of time?
Sure, but I believe that if you never watched the show or if you aren’t into Manga, this is not for you. I think it’s the nostalgia thing for me. Usagi might even be a bit more exaggerated in the comic than the actual show. I did love that there were differences in scenes. It’s fun to compare the show to the comic and just for that reason alone, I’m going to read the rest of the series.
Overall…
- It takes some getting used to, I totally had to re-read some parts because I started in the wrong section.
- I liked it. I feel that if I read more, I can appreciate it more.
- The storyline is a little hurried feeling. It just feels like a continuous scene…
Things I wasn’t aware of…
- With Manga you have to read from back to front. Luckily it tells you where to start. A little guide for newbies is good 🙂
- Japanese sayings mean something totally different in English and vice versa. Do things get lost in translation? Yes! There is a glossary in the back of the comic to help you understand. For example: Glamorous in Japanese means large busts on women! LOL
4 comments
I LOVE Sailor Moon! Give me the full Japanese boxset anyday and I will sit and watch it!!! Tuxedo Mask is soooo dreamy 🙂
Yay! The Manga is so much more different than the dubbed series. And yes to Tuxedo Mask any day. LOL.
I loved the Sailor Moon anime as a kid, we were lucky it got aired here and I even stood up earlier to make sure I could watch the show. I never picked up the manga though. It’s been a long time ago since I watched the series, not sure if I would enjoy it as much now, but I have fond memories of it. It would definitely nostalgic to revisit it now.
There are a few series where I read the manga and watched the anime and it’s always interesting to see how they changed some things in the anime to fit the screen format better. The best example I can think of is Kobato, the manga is very short and to the point, but almost feels rushed, while the anime is way longer. then again there were scenes that worked better in the manga and I liked having experienced the story in both formats.
The first manga you read it takes some time to get used to the different way of reading it, but I found that after it, it gets easier and you get sued to it eventually. I had a time when I read a lot of manga’s. I kinda miss reading them, but they are so expensive compared to books and how much time you spent reading them. Great review! I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the series!
I have not grown out of it at all Lola. LOL There are box sets of this Manga on Amazon and I added it to my wish list, so hopefully I get it for Xmas. 🙂