"Bishôjo Senshi Sailor Moon" is a serie that started in Japan for the talent of Takeuchi Naoko in 1992 on "Nakayoshi" review edit by Kodansha. After a very little time, Toei Animation makes a TV serie starts. Year by year, thanks to the great popularity this serie had in all Japan, other series continued the story: today there's 5 series and 3 theathrical movies in Japan: the story of them isn't linked with the anime or the manga, but they are really good works. The serie is finished in Japan, and Toei Television said that they won't make any other things for "Sailor Moon" any TV serie, or OAV or movies. Even Naoko Takeuchi finished the manga, and now she's working to "PQ Angels", and she doesn't want write more things for "Sailor Moon".
So, now I'd like to analize the reasons that made this serie so famous.
The First thing that I imagine is that the story is very very involving, and really new. Infact the "fairy tail" of the past life on the Moon (that IMHO is really more involving and touching in the manga) fill the story with a malinconic sense that makes it very enjoyable. An other point that makes the serie loved is surelly the Sailor Scouts, that are really good characterized. Every soldier has her own temper, and it's described in details. As I read once in an interview to Rumiko Takahashi "one of the more important things in a manga are characters: if characters are well made, the serie will be a success". What a truth, isn't it? Another very important point is the fact that there's some cute girls and boys :) well... ^^;; there's a lot of people that eye the Sailor characters up! Even Naoko-sama said, in an interview, that one of important things for the success of "Sailor Moon" has been the fact it was a "BISHÔJO MANGA": Bishôjo in japanaise means beautiful girl (bi=beautiful shôjo=girl) that is a manga where not only there were girls, but the girls are beautiful. This fact gave to Sailor Moon the attention evn of a lot of boys, and not only girls. An other point to Sailor Moon celebrity is the fact it brings a news wind in a collapsed world. Infact before Sailor Moon there were too much similar ideas, and it seemed like the manga was drawing to a close. Sailor moon starts a news wave in a very loved gender: majocco. Infact Sailor moon is a magician, but she doesn't use the powers for her selfish needs, but she uses the magic to save people from Evil. The GREAT success of Sailor Moon have been the goods, and the gadgets made for it. The target of this serie, initially, was for 10/13 years old people, only later it become a success even for adults, because they bought the gadgets, and they watched the episodes on TV. But even a lot of children watched the show: that's because Usagi/Bunny is funny, because Tuxedo Mask/Milord is a cool boy, but above all for the puppets, cards, books, umbrellas, cups, and what you want to say more that had been produced in Japan for this serie. Above all, I think, the REAL thing that makes this serie famous has been the sense, the message that the serie wants to give to people: "Sailor Moon" is a friendship poem. This show makes people remember that love and friendship are more powerful than anything: they overcome the space and the time, and place people in the position to not loose the HOPE, the most important human characteristic. Usagi/Bunny can be the most crying lazy, absent-minded girl on the earth, but she can count on the help of her friends senshi, and on the support of Tuxedo Mask/Milord. They encourage her to make everytime her best, they helps her in the battle, allowing her to destroy the monsters. That's because the power of Love and Frienship is the only thing that can destroy the Evil. "Sailor Moon" had a great success even in Italy, thanks to children that 'bought the toys', but above all thanks to anime-fan, that makes this serie a very cult. In Italy we have been very 'lucky': we could watch all the show, from the first episode to the last one, the 200o, even if brutally censored. But at least, the name of Usagi has been chosen reading the suggestions that Toei Animation gave for the traslation of the name: Bunny is the real means of Usagi traslated in english. There have been so much cuttings in italian version that I decided to create a section of this site only for cuttings. Now, please, go on the little menu on the top of the page, and choose your direction!
