The series itself debuted in the States in 1992, and I was certainly aware of it but I didn't truly discover the series for myself until it was over. I moved to Canada in 1998 to go to art school, and for the first time in my life I had the experience of living with roommates. I found it challenging to live with these two guys I barely knew, but fortunately one of them was the best friend of my girlfriend at that time. Mark was a good guy, who went to school part-time, but mostly worked at a Tim Horton's and always came home smelling of coffee. He was funny, but a bit troubled and struggled with depression. He was gay, and he had a very cool boyfriend when I first met him. When that guy broke his heart, I got to discover how much he truly loved Cher. Another big interest of Mark's was the cartoon adventures of Sailor Moon and her friends! It was his go-to-show every day after work while he'd have his go-to-dinner of Spaghetti-O's. At first, I didn't know what to think of it. I thought "Oh, I don't want to watch that. I'll go eat my dinner in the kitchen." But I remember hearing the chatter of the characters about love and courage and friendship while I sat eating a lonely dinner in the next room. It wasn't long at all before I found myself on the other end of the sofa! I started with the end of the series, so there was a lot of confusion about what was going on at first. But fortunately, Mark was rather informed on the show, and there were a few great sites online to learn more! As I came to learn the show's story and especially its cast of characters, I really came to understand why Mark liked it!
Sailor Moon was the alter ego of this lovable crybaby, Usagi Tsukino. However when she called out the right magic words and held up her magical pen, her powers activated to transform her into a powerful force to be reckoned with -she became the guardian, Sailor Moon! She was a good person, and the friendships she forged laid the foundation of the team that came to be with the other Sailor Scouts! Ami (Sailor Mercury), the nerdy girl outcast; Rei (Sailor Mars), the slightly older and spiritual girl from a local Shrine; Matoko (Sailor Venus), the new girl at school who was too tall for a girl, and then Minako (Sailor Venus), who was already operating on her own, fighting as the publicly known superhero, Sailor V! Throw in an exciting backstory of ruined kingdoms and lost love; Luna, a cat charged with the responsibility to unite these lost guardians; a dashing ally in the mysterious stranger named Tuxedo Mask; then add a slew of nefarious cosmic villains and a handful of other Scouts and Stars, and that's a recipe for one very adventurous and beautifully tender series!
Part of the magic of this series for so many fans is that it's been so empowering for women! Sailor Moon's creator, Naoko Takeuchi, gave the world its first ever all-girl superhero team, and they worked together to stand against every threat that came at them! Sure there was that guy Tuxedo Mask, who fought hard to protect Sailor Moon. But overall, these girls took care of themselves, and they had a beautiful friendship that banded them together! The show is also quite notable for its decent and honest portrayals of lesbian and even transgender characters, and in doing so the show has empowered those audiences and earned a devoted fan base with many young LGBTQ people, both then and now!
Now is an exciting time for Sailor Moon fans, as Sailor Moon kicked off a relaunch of the series in 2014, with the new series "Pretty Guardian, Sailor Moon: Crystal". This series is the most faithful adaptation of the manga yet to be released, and corresponds perfectly with the twelve volume series printed by Kondansha Publishing. The censored love stories and rewritten identities that created many problems in the overall storyline of the original five seasons have been restored to their original Japanese characterisations and plot. This is particularly exciting now in the present episodes of the third season, "Infnity", as these current episodes have introduced Mirichu Kiaoh (Sailor Neptune) and Haruka Tenou,(Sailor Uranus), whose relationship was censored originally in many international markets for the show. They are tricky characters as Haruka presents herself as a man during their class time at school and in her profession as a race car driver, all the while the partner of Mirichu. By night though, Haruka is most certainly a woman! But as she says to Usagi who eventually questions Haruka about this shifting gender presentation, to which Haruka replies "A man or a woman... is it that important?"
But Haruka isn't the only character whose shifting gender identity challenged society's understanding of gender presentation. There's an entire group of Guardians beyond the Outer Senshi known as the Sailor Starlights, who initially come to Earth as male and pass themselves off as a trio of Japanese boy pop stars, but when they use their powers to transform, all three become beautiful women!
If I've ever seen something and had a private "What the what???" moment to myself, this was it! If I had any doubts about the Magical Girl genre of manga and anime being for me, this take on that troupe in the original Sailor Moon anime series certainly did much to make me feel right at home! I know they weren't really transgender, and I know that this was a departure in the anime versus the original manga, but I was thankful for this moment. I saw this as a 23 year old person, who felt very hurt and confused inside so much of the time, and it did give me a small bit of hope at acceptance someday. I don't think I had any real sense of the possibility of transitioning or even what that was really in 1999, but there was always some glimmer of private hope that something could happen in this lifetime to bring me to a true place with myself. I've always thought that part of the magic of superheroes and such characters when you're young is that they inspire you to be your best self. To me that is what all of the heroines and those incredible cats on Sailor Moon have given me - the courage to be my best self and to do the best I can for those I love! How can you not hold a place in your heart for a cartoon like that!
If you've never discovered the magic of Sailor Moon then I've got to stop right now and recommend Sailor Moon Crystal! It is the most faithful adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi's original manga that has been animated to date! The show's look has been slightly updated and the original relationships and identities are uncensored. The new theme songs are so catchy and bright! The first two seasons are available on Hulu now, and the Season Three Infinity arc is coming out in real time through Hulu now, with a new episode available every Monday! Just check out the show's opening!
Last but not least, if you'd like to hear more of an LGBT response to the show from the young people who grew up and relied on the series and its empowering message and characters, check out this video from the Vice series on pop culture phenomenons, American Obsessions. They have a wonderful ten minute piece devoted to Sailor Moon.
That's all I have to share this post! I hope you may have learned something about Sailor Moon or if you've always been a fan, I hope my feelings on the show made you smile and feel your own feels for the series! Until next time, remember that "the Moonlight is the Messenger of Love!"
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