Introduction – Sailor Moon
You know when I went into Sailor Moon I didn’t really know what to expect. All I knew was that it was a classic Shoujo series about magical girls. I also knew that it was quite popular even among a male audience which was what got me curious about it in the first place. So as soon as I saw a deal on the Eternal edition manga volumes I picked them up and started reading.
And the series was really good right from chapter one. This series was able to introduce me to the characters and its world in a very seamless way that makes you want to keep reading. When it came to the art I kinda already knew what it was going to look like because of the era it came out in. but honestly the art doesn’t even look bad.
Sailor Moon surprised me with how good it was. Like I figured it was going to be pretty good. I mean you don’t become a cultural phenomenon for nothing. But I didn’t know how good this series was going to be. If you don’t watch the anime then Sailor Moon’s pacing is quite good. At least with the manga.
The anime on the other hand which is what brought this series into stardom in the first place is a little rough around the edges. With a lot of filler as well as changing certain events and character personalities which to me made it much harder to sit through then the manga.
So if you like me and have never experienced this classic shoujo series then I recommend that you read the manga over the anime because the anime just doesn’t really hold up to today’s standards. And if you want to know if I’ve read Codename Sailor V then no I have not. Sadly I couldn’t pick those volumes up at the same time as Sailor Moon so I didn’t get a chance to read them.
But from what I know the reading order for that series is a little confusing. And it also doesn’t seem like I even need to read it to enjoy Sailor Moon which is good because I really didn’t want to have to pick more volumes up before having to read Sailor Moon.
But with all that being said Sailor Moon is a series that I would say lived up to the Hype and actually for me at least surpassed the hype because of how good the writing for this series actually is. Alright it’s now time to jump into the main part of this article.
Sailor Moon Characters
The character writing in Sailor Moon is actually amazing. It’s not anything over the top or crazy but it is amazing. The relationships between the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask are quite good; they feel like real friends who care for each other which is really cool. One of the things that I think holds this series back however is the villains.
None of the villains are all that compelling; they don’t even really feel like a threat most of the time. Except for in the final arc. The structure of most arcs makes it pretty hard for them to feel that way as one chapter an enemy is introduced and the next they’re defeated. Which makes them not feel like a threat at all.
Sometimes they defeat the Sailor Guardians or even do some other damage but then by the end of that same chapter everything is back to normal again. I wish that Sailor Moon would let the moment live a little longer and give us a few extra chapters of the Sailor Guardians in despair not knowing what to do. Or with their powers taken away like they did in the final arc of the series.
That is my biggest criticism with the character writing of Sailor Moon but besides all of that it is pretty good with the relationships. Thinking back on it now, another thing I just thought of that holds the characters back is that their development throughout the series is minimal and is always tied to Sailor Moon in some way.
I wish we could have gotten more chapters of the other Sailor Guardians going out on their own and handling things like we know they can do. I still enjoyed the characters and their personalities a lot and it made the series really fun to sit through and enjoy.
World
The world of Sailor Moon is quite interesting. It is mostly just 90’s Japan but there are also a lot of other elements to the world that make it interesting. Like the Moon Kingdom and other places like that that don’t actually exist in the real world. The set up for a lot of the unique places is also kind of cool. They tell us a lot about who the villains are without having to go into too much detail which is great.
I do wish we got to explore more of these places as we really only get to briefly see these places during final battles and sometimes when the enemies are talking. It would make the set up a lot cooler and make the series more compelling and interesting to see. But for the most part the world of Sailor Moon is quite cool and makes the series quite fun to sit through and read.
Art & Paneling
The art in the Sailor Moon manga is pretty for its time and it honestly still holds up today. The art isn’t the greatest art ever or anything but I like it and fits the series really well. The newer anime I forgot the name of it but it also looks really good in my opinion. It fits nicely with how the series feels and gets you invested if you want to go the anime route.
The paneling in the manga is nice and helps enhance the story telling of the manga and makes the series very easy to follow and read which I really like. Sailor Moon does quite a lot right in the art department and makes everything a lot more fun to read. So if you were thinking of getting into Sailor Moon through the manga like I did then you definitely should because the art is great.
Conclusion
You know Sailor Moon is a really good manga that I recommend people read at least to see how far the shojo genre has come. But because I also think that the series is quite good. There are of course flaws with the series obviously nothing is perfect plus this series is quite old so you see a lot of old tropes in this series.
But honestly if you can look past all of that stuff then you get a really good series that is known as a classic shoujo series for a reason. So with all of that being said, read Sailor Moon or watch the newer anime don’t watch the 90’s anime. It’s not great but yeah that is the way you should go about it in order to experience this greatness.
That is it from today’s post on Sailor Moon Manga is a Classic for a Reason. If you do not agree with the points in the post and have some of your own opinions, share them with us in the comments section down below. Keep visiting Animesoulking for more information about Anime and Manga.
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