Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Translated by William Flanagan

Goodreads: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1

Series: Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Renewal Edition #1

Published: 1992

Source: Gift

Summary: Usagi Tsukino lives the life of a normal fourteen-year-old until the day a talking cat named Luna informs her that her true identity is Sailor Moon, a guardian whose mission is to find the Legendary Silver Crystal and the long-lost Moon Princess.  Fighting evil is not easy, however, and Sailor Moon will need to find all the allies she can.

Review: Years ago I watched the anime Sailor Moon and loved it, although now I realize it is sometimes rather cheesy.  Thus, I found myself opening the manga with a sense of nostalgia.  Reading manga is still rather new to me (my first foray into manga was Habemus Papam!), but immediately I found myself transported back into a magical world where girls have the power to save the day--and usually do it in style.

Now that I have the chance the revisit the series, it seems clear to me that the characters are its real strength.  Takeuchi takes care to present each of the sailor scouts as normal girls who have interests, flaws, and talents with which readers can relate.  They portray different types of femininity, but the series never presents one as superior to the other.  Athletic girls, bookish girls, pretty girls, and girls who just like to eat sweets and sleep in--they're all valuable and they all have something to contribute.  Together, they're simply unstoppable.

A really good story needs good presentation, however, and the manga does not disappoint.  It is filled with gorgeous illustrations and I would stop to savor a particularly stunning panel or sometimes flip back just to admire some really great artwork.  The plot is episodic enough that it wants to keep drawing readers through the action (really, I had no idea the anime added so many extra episodes--Sailor Moon meets three of the scouts just in the first volume), so I think it's notable I would sometimes stop.  The translation is sometimes a little funny as characters say things in a more casual or more stilted way than I would have imagined the situation would warrant.  However, it never jarred me out of the story.

I'm not sure the manga has reignited my old love for Sailor Moon, but I'm interested enough that I hope I can continue through the series.  The anime diverges in some places from the manga, so I'm looking forward to discovering the author's original story.