It’s that time again, where I figure we should ramble about some other things generally Sailor Moon related but that don’t fall under the blog’s goal. It’s the weekend, so we’re allowed to do that, right?

Of course we are! No one ever died from not following the rules, right? Right.

Let your hair down, kick your feet up, and grab yourself a nice cup of cocoa. Today we’re talking about Japanese fans’ thoughts as they look back on their favorite childhood show.

Okay, umm… now that I think about it, I guess some people do suffer some pretty dire consequences from not following the rules. With that in mind, if you could all just not mention this (to me??) that I’m breaking my own rules about on-topic blog posts, that’d be awesome.

Anyway, with that out of the way, what we’re taking a look at today is a post on the Japanese posting/voting site “Girls Channel.”¹ The site lets anyone post a topic of their choice that is open for other people to comment on anonymously (if they choose) and also vote (+ / -) on other comments.

The topic posted for people to comment on here was posted in July 2014 and called セーラームーンあるある (se-ra-mu-n aruaru; roughly, “All those little things about Sailor Moon”). I’ve skimmed through all 300+ comments and picked out some of the more interesting ones (in no particular order), since it gives a fun look at what adults’ perceptions are now looking back on the series.

Underneath those the comments are just some of my thoughts on the topic.

Let’s get started!

Those heels are too high, and skirts too short. They transform, but their hair and faces stay the same. They’re all rich.

This pretty much sums up the entirety of Sailor Moon in a nice, concise package. I definitely noticed all the rest at the time, but it wasn’t until I was older that I realized that all the Sailor Soldiers are all filthy rich.

Usagi is an eighth grader, but she’s in love with a grown man.

Ooookay, yeah, there’s that too. I mean, interestingly enough, it’s not strictly illegal in Japan, but the older I get the more weird it seems. I still don’t quite see it as a huge deal, since it really is just a cartoon and story about lovers across the generations, but the whole thing didn’t even need to be an issue if the anime didn’t mess with the ages.

They actually refer to themselves as “pretty soldiers.”

This… is very true. But good on you, Usagi and co., for not having any ego issues whatsoever!

Looking back on it now, Tuxedo Mask was kinda weird.

When you stop to think about all the setup involved in getting up to high places to look really cool and spout off inspirational messages, yes… Tuxedo Mask wasn’t exactly as helpful to the Sailor Team as he seemed to think he was.

With Usagi’s blonde hair and that hairstyle, she must’ve been violating some school rules, right?

Japanese schools are notorious for having a long list of rules about what you can or can’t do, and hair color and style are definitely on there. Also noteworthy is the fact that most public schools (even through high school!) ban ear piercings, so even our dear Ami is quite a rebel. Watches are also out, so that brooch would have to go!

Manga Mamo-chan: cool guy; Anime Mamo-chan: just some creeper.

… can’t argue. But at least he’s not Nephrite?

As a kid, I used to wonder about what happens when Usagi uses the bathroom. Her hair’s so long…

Without going into the gory details, it’s probably worth noting that in Japan (and elsewhere in Asia), there are two styles of toilets – the western style you’re probably familiar with, and the type where you crouch down over the a toilet in the ground. Back then, almost all schools were the latter type.

And yes, Usagi’s hair would get all over the ground. God forbid if it went in…

The popularity of mini-skirts and pigtails is all due to Sailor Moon.

This is actually an article I’ve been meaning to write about for awhile now, but there is an argument to be made that the rising hemlines of skirts in Japan did correspond with about the same age bracket that grew up watching Sailor Moon. Miniskirts (followed by microskirts – please don’t google at work) seemed to have really taken off in full force in the late 90s in Japan, but whether there was any connection requires… umm… further research.²

It got embarrassing to watch the show with my parents sometimes because of how sexy the poses were.

This one I can absolutely relate to, but for slightly different reasons. When I first got into anime and was buying/renting/borrowing/stealing VHS tapes in any way I could, obviously I’d watch them as soon as I could. This led to some very awkward moments when I was up at my father’s place and he heard women yelling out from the other room and mistook those cries of pain for… umm… something else.

That was a weird conversation. And I’ll never forget the day I bought Ayane’s High Kick because of that.

Every new stick got even more ornate, and so did her attack phrases.

This is definitely true, but it’s probably unavoidable since the series was trying to keep fans interested and make each one seem more powerful and better than the one that came before it. All the same, I still think there’s something nice about the simplicity of the original Moon Stick, even if its name was lacking.

I was really excited to become a junior high school student and run to school with bread in my mouth when I was running late. But I never had the chance.

This situation obviously doesn’t apply to me, but I can totally relate to the feeling of growing up watching cartoons/tv shows about junior high and high school life, only to find out that it was nothing like what you say on tv. I’m looking at you in particular, Saved by the Bell.

And that, dear readers, is a totally random weekend blog post of Japanese adults talking nostalgically about their childhood, and me piggybacking off that to talk about mine.

I’d love to hear about any stories you have to add, either related to the topics mentioned above, or other things you’ve noticed looking at the series from an adult point of view. It’s always so fascinating for me to hear other people’s stories because, more often than not, lots of people had very similar experiences!

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