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A review by biblioseph
Sailor Moon 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
4.0
I've read up to Vol. 4:
I really enjoy this series. The translations in the first 4 volumes are really irksome, but I'll attempt to convey points outside of this.
Sailor Moon is classic. It established the Magic Girl genre, and has itself moved beyond that, blending a large ensemble into a really enjoyable story. Hokey villains aside, the stories are really charming--but the character interactions are what make it shine. Granted, Tuxedo-Mask really only exists to be Sailor Moon's love interest, but he isn't even a stock hero or romantic partner--he gets saved by her slightly more than she gets saved by him. The light lesbian overtures are cute, and sort of detail an aspect of Japans hypocrisy with anti-homosexuality. (They are better about it than China or Korea, but...)
Sailor Moon is also a unique and young girls introduction to Girl Power, a literal manifestation of the early attempts of Feminism. Sailor Moon is as girly as they get, and her partners display all the aspects of what it is to be female, and they are the saviors of the world. It's an important lesson for girls--you can be anyone and still be a positive role model. As it's Japanese, the uniforms are, of course, a fetish, but there is a child-like innocence to all the sexual overtones. Sailor Moon is only 14 or 15 with Volume 4, however, she is a woman and often says so. She believes in herself, and isn't quite the cry-baby she was at the beginning. (She actually reminds me a bit of a young Buffy Summers--if we might imagine what she was like in the very beginning.) This is to say, Sailor Moon is pervasive without only being a sexual object. I'm sad that the translations don't convey this well, but her transformation from immature, precocious child, into a sweet and strong woman is much more gradual than her transformation from ordinary school-girl into Sailor Guardian. Maybe it more accurately echoes her development into the woman she was in her previous life,.
I'm waffling between 4 and 5 stars, depending on the conclusion. It's a great series for young girls in want of decent role models. I only wish the translations weren't so inexpensive!
I really enjoy this series. The translations in the first 4 volumes are really irksome, but I'll attempt to convey points outside of this.
Sailor Moon is classic. It established the Magic Girl genre, and has itself moved beyond that, blending a large ensemble into a really enjoyable story. Hokey villains aside, the stories are really charming--but the character interactions are what make it shine. Granted, Tuxedo-Mask really only exists to be Sailor Moon's love interest, but he isn't even a stock hero or romantic partner--he gets saved by her slightly more than she gets saved by him. The light lesbian overtures are cute, and sort of detail an aspect of Japans hypocrisy with anti-homosexuality. (They are better about it than China or Korea, but...)
Sailor Moon is also a unique and young girls introduction to Girl Power, a literal manifestation of the early attempts of Feminism. Sailor Moon is as girly as they get, and her partners display all the aspects of what it is to be female, and they are the saviors of the world. It's an important lesson for girls--you can be anyone and still be a positive role model. As it's Japanese, the uniforms are, of course, a fetish, but there is a child-like innocence to all the sexual overtones. Sailor Moon is only 14 or 15 with Volume 4, however, she is a woman and often says so. She believes in herself, and isn't quite the cry-baby she was at the beginning. (She actually reminds me a bit of a young Buffy Summers--if we might imagine what she was like in the very beginning.) This is to say, Sailor Moon is pervasive without only being a sexual object. I'm sad that the translations don't convey this well, but her transformation from immature, precocious child, into a sweet and strong woman is much more gradual than her transformation from ordinary school-girl into Sailor Guardian. Maybe it more accurately echoes her development into the woman she was in her previous life,
Spoiler
Princess SerenityI'm waffling between 4 and 5 stars, depending on the conclusion. It's a great series for young girls in want of decent role models. I only wish the translations weren't so inexpensive!