Tag Archives: Real World

Are the Sailor Moon Characters Too Old For Their School Grades?

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Real World
So how old are you REALLY, Rei??

So how old are you REALLY, Rei??

If you’re anything like me, I’m sure one of the first things you thought about as you got out of bed this morning is: “By golly, I hope there’s someone out there willing to explain to me how the Japanese education system functions, and how this fits in with the world of Sailor Moon!”

Good news! You’re in luck.

As it turns out, Ms. Takeuchi put a lot of thought into the characters’ birthdays when she was creating the Sailor Moon universe, but unfortunately had little to no actual consideration for what impact this might have on the grades the girls should end up in at school.

Today we’re going to take a look at the ages of the Sailor Soldiers upon their first appearance and see whether they actually work out in the real world, and if we can try to make some sense of all this chaos!

If all this impending math makes your head spin, don’t worry — I’ll keep this relatively painless!

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Why Do the Girls in Sailor Moon Have Marks On Their Cheeks?

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Filed under Articles, Characters, Making Of
I won't lie -- this picture kinda scared me

I won’t lie — this picture kinda scared me

Though this design quirk isn’t strictly limited to the Sailor Moon series, I’m a sucker for taking an in-depth look at pretty much all things related to Japanese anime and manga. Since the phenomenon of female characters being depicted with vertical lines on their cheeks also appears quite often in the Sailor Moon series, I’m willing to call this one as “close enough” to make it a valid question to answer.

So why exactly are the Sailor Soldiers and other female characters’ shown with lines on their cheeks? Is it just a way of animating characters that somehow got embedded in Japanese culture? Is it supposed to signify anything about the character, or somehow convey something to the viewer? Or maybe a mixture of the two?

If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind, you happen to be in luck, because today we’re going to put those to rest. And if they haven’t, well hey… it never hurts to learn something new, right? Stick around, we’re going to talk about some anime trivia!

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What Shojo Anime Was Predicted to Be the Next Sailor Moon?

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Filed under Anime, Articles, Other Series, Real World
Is this the end for Sailor Moon?

Is this the end for Sailor Moon?

Over a quarter of a century has passed since Sailor Moon first hit the airwaves, and yet the series manages to continue to excite new and old fans alike with a constant stream of new products, musicals, cafes, and even the occasional anime season. It’s easy to forget, though, that the series had actually been relatively dormant in Japan for much of this time.

While hindsight may be 20/20, and we may now know that there was no true “successor” to Sailor Moon in the most direct sense of the word — at least not until the Pretty Cure franchise came around — I think it’s interesting to take a look back in time and see what series fans back in the 90s thought would be the next big anime in the shojo-sphere.

Join me for a trip down memory lane as we take a look at some of the interesting predictions reporters on Japanese anime were making back in the mid-90s. I hope you’re ready for some serious nostalgia!

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Was Codename: Sailor V Inspired by a Volleyball Manga?

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Filed under Articles, Minako Aino, Other Series
Minako plays for keeps in volleyball

Minako plays for keeps in volleyball

When I say “Minako Aino,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? … after “Sailor Venus” … and  “Sailor V” … yeah, after “Artemis” too.

Okay, fine. When I say “Minako Aino” and “favorite sport that you see her engage in occasionally throughout the Sailor Moon anime and manga,” what comes to mind? That’s right, volleyball! Glad we’re on the same page.

While there isn’t really anything terribly remarkable on the surface about the fact that Minako plays volleyball, it turns out that there may actually be yet another of Ms. Takeuchi’s many hidden references when you dig a little deeper.

I hope you’re paying attention, because today we’re going to serve a volley of information your way!1

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What Did the Sailor Moon Voice Cast Think About Their Roles?

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Filed under Anime, Articles, Making Of
The voices of the five Inner Senshi

The voices of the five Inner Senshi

As I try to track down every bit of bizarre Sailor Moon trivia you could possibly imagine, I end up purchasing a lot of old magazines, books, and watching hours upon hours of long-forgotten commercials and promotional tapes.

And that’s the part of this job I love.

It’s not uncommon that, in my pursuit to answer one question, I end up coming across two or three more that I’ve love to look into. And today’s article is just one such case.

Today we’ll be looking at the responses given by eight of the Sailor Moon voice cast to a survey on what it’s like to work in the voice acting industry, and how they feel about their various roles. If you’ve ever been interested in getting a bit more insight into the people behind the characters, this one’s for you!

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What is Princess Kakyuu and the Starlights’ Connection to the Moon?

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"Your princess is in another castle..."

“Your princess is in another castle…”

One of the things that I’ve always loved most about Princess Kakyuu is how she serves as such an excellent counterpoint to Princess Serenity — and all in such a subtle way that neither the anime nor manga ever directly calls attention to it.

Despite how Japanese the myth of the “bunny of the Moon” our hero may be based on, it’s hard to deny that everything else about the Silver Millennium is about as western as they come. From their style of dress to the castles they live in, you can plainly see that the Moon Kingdom is most definitely not based in Japan.

And that’s where Princess Kakyuu and her entourage come in. As western-inspired as Princess Serenity and the Moon Kingdom may be, Princess Kakyuu and Kinmokusei take every bit as much inspiration from the east.

So today we’re going to talk about some of those inspirations, and about Princess Kakyuu’s mythological connection to the Moon. I hope you brought your reading glasses, because I’m about to get wordy!

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Was Sailor Moon One of the Most Popular Anime of the 1990s?

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Did anyone actually watch this show?

Did anyone actually watch this show?

As an anime fan living in the west, it’s always been difficult to get a sense for the actual popularity of a given series is from one continent to the next. I remember when I first came to Japan — nearly a decade ago, mind you — and tried to explain what some of my favorite anime were to my new Japanese friends, I was met with blank looks.

Didn’t everyone know about the greatness of Tenchi Muyo, Serial Experiments Lain, and Project A-ko? Apparently not.

While we (I assume…) all know, love, and adore Sailor Moon, I think it’s about time that we take a step back and see just how the series stacked up against its anime peers back in the best decade known to man: the 1990s.

Put your Titanic CD in, grab a Fruit by the Foot, and be sure to feed your Tamagotchi — where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

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