Category Archives: Real World

Why Did Naoko Start Writing Sailor Moon Attack Names in Kanji?

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Sailor Moon and the Holy Grail

Sailor Moon and the Holy Grail

While I’m well aware that the majority of the audience who reads this blog probably watched/read Sailor Moon in translation, I think it’s sometimes informative to take a look at the more in-depth Japanese linguistics issues that, even though they don’t have a substantial impact on the series as a whole, they still would stand out and affect the interpretation of a native Japanese speaker.

And besides, I live for this geeky Japanese interpretation stuff.

I hope you join along for this trip through the bizarre world of the kanji wordplay! If we’re really lucky, maybe we’ll have even learned something at the end of this!

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What Kind of Sailor Moon Events Will Be at Universal Studios Japan?

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Sailor Moon comes to Universal Studios Japan

Sailor Moon comes to Universal Studios Japan

If you’re anything like me, the moment you heard that there was going to be a real, live Sailor Moon attraction opening up at Universal Studios Japan (USJ), you were probably overcome with excitement. This is very likely the one and only time that we’ll ever be seeing the Sailor Soldiers in a theme park setting, so we’re going to need to make the most out of the experience.

Now that we’re only two months out from the unveiling of Sailor Moon: The Miracle 4-D, it’s about time that we take a look at what USJ has in store!

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How Similar Is the Sailor Moon World to the Actual Azabu-Juban?

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Filed under Articles, Crystal, Making Of, Real World
Disclaimer: this is not a real photo

Disclaimer: this is not a real photo

One thing that I’ve always loved about the world of Sailor Moon just how how much of the real world Ms. Takeuchi, and later the anime staff, included into the series. You can really feel tell that she really did live in Azabu-Juban before choosing it as the backdrop for her series in how detailed and alive the various locations are.

Today, we’re going to talk about something near and dear to my heart – real life locations that appear in the world of Sailor Moon! For the sake of simplicity, we’ll be talking about Sailor Moon Crystal today, but I do plan on sitting down to write an article about the old 90s series and manga once I get enough old pictures together.

Well, let’s get started!

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Did Sailor Moon Influence the School Girl Miniskirt Boom?

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Are people trying to mimic this?

Are people trying to mimic this?

While the vast majority of what I write tends to be about either lore within the Sailor Moon universe or fans’ perception thereof, it’s also interesting to sometimes take a step back and analyze the impact that Sailor Moon had on the real world.

Today, I wanted to stop and take a look into one curious theory that I occasionally see floated around on Japanese blogs and books: that the Sailor Moon series was — at least partially — responsible for the rise in popularity among Japanese high school students wearing miniskirts in the mid- to late-90s.

As absurd as it sounds on the surface, it turns out that there may actually be some basis to this theory. Join me today for a look back into 90s Japanese skirt culture!

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What Inspired the Design and Name of the Legendary Silver Crystal?

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The Legendary Silver Crystal

The Legendary Silver Crystal

Discussions about the Legendary Silver Crystal are always an interesting issue because there’s simply so much we don’t know about it, and even what we do know about it changes depending on which season you’re talking about or whether we’re discussing the anime or the manga.

But interestingly enough, there’s actually some more information to be had if we step outside the Sailor Moon universe and take a good hard look at the real world. Like, specifically, where the design for the powered-up flower form of the Legendary Silver Crystal comes from.

That’s right, my friends, today we’re talking about flower power! I hope you stick around.

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Where is the Cast of the Live Action Sailor Moon Today?

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The Sailor Team back in 2003-2004

The Sailor Team back in 2003-2004

Can you believe that, in a little over a week, the live action version of Sailor Moon will be turning 14 years old? Yes? Okay, well, it’s still quite surprising for me at least.

In honor of the upcoming anniversary, now seems like as good of a time as any to follow up with our favorite live action pretty guardians and see what they’ve been up to in the years since they had to leave their sailor uniforms behind.

Stick around for more!

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Why Did the Sailor Soldiers Fight in School Uniforms?

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Real World
Off to School with the Sailor Team

Off to School with the Sailor Team

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s completely out of the question, taken from a Western point of view (and assuming no prior influences by anime or other aspects of Japanese pop culture), the very idea of a super hero transforming into a powered-up version of their own school uniform seems downright silly. It goes without saying that the entire premise behind the name of the series itself is based on the fact that they’re wearing uniforms styled after late-19th century European navies,1 but there has to be something more to the fact that these soldiers of love and justice are, sailor-suited, right? As usual, this is a rhetorical question, and the answer is most certainly yes! But let’s take a deeper look into the why.

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