Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!
4 STARS
When I was younger I loved Sailor Moon. I read as many of the manga that my library had available and I would catch the episodes (unfortunately, out of order) whenever I saw that they were airing on TV. When my fiancé and I noticed that Hulu had all of the episodes re-dubbed and I believe remastered we decided to watch them all the way through. We are still getting through the episodes but I decided to pick up the manga also.
The TV show follows the manga closely so I knew everything that was going to happen, but I liked reading this first volume anyway. There's something super innocent and nostalgic about reading this story and I am a sucker for a great girl gang and cute art. I am honestly so impressed with how close the show is to the source material, and I think it is awesome that fans of both can enjoy the story in different medias. When I was younger, Sailor Moon was my favorite Sailor Scout, and as I am older although I still love Usagi, Sailor Jupiter has become my favorite. So I was happy to see that her introduction happened so quickly in the manga. I could have sworn it took longer in the show to get to Jupiter so I was glad that it wasn't the case for the manga.
The writing is super innocent and sweet. I love how Usagi's fear, laziness, and overall cry-baby personality shines through pretty well in text. I wondered if that was played up for the show, but nope, turns out Usagi has always been a hot mess. Which I found funny and endearing. The villains, like the show, are absolutely terrifying. I remember being genuinely scared during moments when I was younger watching the show and I think that it is completely valid. Especially the second story at the jewelry store.
The art is almost always my favorite part of any comics, graphic novels, or manga. And the art in Sailor Moon didn't disappoint. I am a huge fan of the full page art pieces in between each story/issue and I loved all of the moments between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Of course, it's in black and white I assume to cut down on printing costs, so it isn't AS pretty as the cover or show but I still really love it. There were definitely moments where I wished I could own some of the pieces to put on my wall.
Overall, I highly recommend picking up this manga especially if you've been a fan of the show or maybe were a fan when you were younger. I think it's a great nostalgic read and it was nice to read after picking up some pretty lengthy books. Unfortunately, my library copy was missing the first ten pages, so I am considering maybe buying them for my collection instead of borrowing, but that would take much more time for me to get my hands on them so we will see. If you're a fan of magic, girl gangs, a lot of humor, magic cats, and mysterious princesses, this is something I recommend picking up. If you need something short, easy, and light, once again this is something I recommend. I think manga like Sailor Moon are a great way to read in between heavier stories and this is definitely one to read.
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