Ranked #335

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (Manga)

As the series that birthed one of the most popular, well known and beloved anime of all time, the manga Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a classic as well. It is the manga that completely revamped the magical girl genre and gave birth to so many concepts found in many of the magical girl series that came after it.

Far more mature, darker and tragic than its anime counterpart, the manga of Sailor Moon reads less of a magical girl series and much more of a dark sci fy tale riddled with references to chemistry, science, alternate worlds and time travel. More than frilly mini skirts and mesmerizing transformations, this manga breaks the mold of the single magical girl given powers for her own amusement, and instead features a cast of warriors tasked with defending the earth and the universe with deadly powers.

Featuring a large cast of characters, five interconnected story arcs , magic and romance, Sailor Moon has all the makings of a brilliant, perfect series.

And it is brilliant indeed; but perfect? Not so much. Despite its pros, this manga does have shortcomings as well, making it a flawed human masterpiece, that in some places falls short of the anime adaptation. Nonetheless, this is a great manga and an absolute classic that after 20 years is still loved and honored as one of the greatest contributions to storytelling ever.

Story (9) - Broken into five interconnecting story arcs and spanning 52 acts, this highly imaginative story lures the reader into a brilliant and wonderful fantasy world with mystery and adventure around every corner. Each of the five main arcs follows the formula of the Senshi defeating that arc's villain, and then the main "big bad" of that arc. Formulaic it may be, it somehow manages to keep things interesting and fresh by the way the story is told, and what the Senshi are up against, and how their powers continually develop as they become more powerful. The five arcs are as follows:

Dark Kingdom (Classic)

Black Moon (R)

Infinity (S)

Dream (SuperS)

Stars

Much darker and far more sinister than the anime counterpart, the arcs are all faced past, and told without a moment of blankness between them. This does unfortunately have the reverse effect of coming across as rushed or even underdeveloped, but nonetheless the arcs keep the reader on their toes until the very end of the series.

Art (8) - This manga features some really beautiful looking artwork. Dainty, delicate and fine, the pages look almost too fragile to handle. Characters are all drawn with slender, delicate looking bodies supplied with very long limbs and perfect, if rather developed figures. Large, long lashed eyes and small rosy mouths set off pointy Shoujo faces and thick, silky hair. The Sailor uniforms are standard save for some small details different for each soldier, yet very stylishly appealing and evolve into some seriously beautiful outfits by the end of the manga. A lot of emphasis is given to outfits and jewelry, making this series sparkle with a very feminine flair. The artwork on the whole is early Shoujo 90's, but time has not touched its appeal except to make it more nostalgic in the passing years.

So with all my praise of the art, why did I not give it a perfect score?

I would have easily, had it not been for inconsistency in proportion, the sketchiness of some scenes and the poorly drawn bodies and limbs in some areas. Looking closely at some panels, the bodies are off, and the fingers and legs bend at angles that make them appear boneless. Many of the drawings (especially in the early chapters) look incomplete, as if they were just rough sketches instead of the final product. As the line work for the series is very fine and thin, it can sometimes look unprofessional and not up to the highest standards.

If the artwork would be only touched up so that all these little problems would be corrected, the art would be perfect. As it is, it comes quite close to being so.

Character (7) - This is an are where the anime really outshone the manga entirely. In the manga, the only characters who are really perfectly developed are Sailor Moon (Usagi) herself and her daughter. They are so rich in character and well defined, it is impossible not to like them, nor feel a connection to them. Usagi is beautiful, multidimensional character. Unlike the anime, in the manga she is far more mature and rather sensual. Still incredibly compassionate and kind, she does not forgive her enemies as easily as she does in the anime, and more often than not shows them no mercy. Again, unlike the anime she does not use her powers as a joke, and takes them very seriously. The lighter sides of her personality are downplayed in the manga, and she comes off as much more mature, sensible and majestic than her counterpart. The anime really ruined Chibiusa's (Usagi's daughter) characterization, but here in the manga she really shines and her wonderful, loving personality is miles away from the anime version that made her so hated.

However, this is where the excellent characterization stops. In the anime, Senshi and villains alike are given in depth characterization, making them much more human and sympathetic with the audience and very well rounded. In the manga, this is not so.

The Senshi are barely given any time to develop their own characters and exist mainly as "Sailor Moon's fellow soldiers". It is very difficult to know them, and if the anime did not exist, the majority of the manga would have left their personalities in the dark. Because there are so many Senshi, only hints are given to what they are actually like, and when they are on screen in the manga, they exist to help Sailor Moon...And that's about it. The manga attempted to develop some of them more by giving them chapters only about themselves. However, one chapter is not enough to really let people know a character, and the result is a frustrating peek into a poorly written character. All the Senshi have so much potential to shine like they do in the anime, but because the manga does not let them, they personalities are left in the dark. Untouched, and under developed.

The same problem lies with Usagi's boyfriend Mamoru (though alas, even WITH characterization, he would still be a very bland, boring character as he is in the anime). The villains again fall short of their anime counterparts; the anime giving them back-stories, layered motivations, chances to redeem themselves...etc. The manga just puts them up as obstacles the Senshi must overcome, and while the main villains are quite interesting, the side villains are not developed whatsoever and completely not memorable. They exist only to do the bidding's of the higher ups, and when their duties are done, vanish forgotten.

Enjoyment (10) - In spite of the problems with the series, it really hooks the reader in with it's themes and storyline, and the complexity of the main characters. Starting off as a whimsical and lighthearted magical girl manga, it quickly sheds its simple cover and becomes a rich world of magical warriors set in a highly imaginative world. Never slow or dull, the manga keeps the readers on their toes and takes them along a very enjoyable ride.

Overall (10) - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a masterpiece. A flawed masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless. It somehow manages to work its way through its flaws in a way not many series can. Far more than the regular magical girl tale of pretty outfits and cute attacks, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon weaves a wonderful tale of lost kingdoms from the distant past, the sinister terror of villains of the present day and how time travel affects the ever changing future which grows darker with every arc.

Filled with a little something for everyone, this manga has stood the test of time for a reason, and will continue to do so forevermore. read more

Story: The Sailor Moon series (dubbed) is what got me into anime and manga. Fans of the anime or of shoujo in general would love this series. The story spans over 17 of the 18 volumes in 5 arcs (one of the volumes is filler). The manga story often deviates from its anime counterpart, often taking a darker turn. However, the manga still has plenty of comedy, especially in the Exam Battle Chapters. Fans of romance would enjoy the story as well. I gave the story a 10 because I found it epic, classic shoujo.

Art: The artwork is great. I really love the trademark long, flowing hair.The covers, both original and reprint, are well designed and eye catching. My only complaint is that the main bad guys often look the same- Chaos, Pharaoh 90, and Queen Metallia all look like big black blobs to me.

Character: While Usagi, Chibi-usa, and Mamoru are well developed and interesting, the vast majority of the others aren't. They are often put aside to make more room for the other characters. The other sailor senshi are given personalities and backstory, but they don't really mature or change. This is understandable because of the lack of time, but some of the characters spend a significant amount of time completely out of the picture- kidnapped or dead.

Enjoyment/Overall: As I said in the story section, I went into my first read already enjoying the Sailor Moon story, and the manga version did not disappoint. It offers the same basic story I came to love while giving me enough different things to keep me interested. The artwork is good looking as well. Sadly, the English version of the manga is out of print. I would highly recommend the purchase of this series if you ever come across it. I would also recommend the artbooks as well. read more