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Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

Se vi dico che la sua pettinatura è diventata celebre in tutto il mondo per i biondi codini incorniciati da due teneri Odango (lett. polpetta) sapete di chi sto parlando? No? Non vi dice nulla che il suo outfit sia un misto tra una divisa scolastica e una marinara? No, questo è impossibile perché lei è Usagi Tsukino.

Universalmente nota come Sailor Moon la guerriera che veste alla marinara e che protegge la terra da alieni cattivi sparsi per la galassia. Paladina per i bambini degli anni novanta e co-ambasciatrice del Giappone per i giochi olimpici che si terranno nel 2020.

Nata dalle sublimi tavole di Naoko Takeuchi, agli inizi degli anni novanta divenne da subito un’icona tanto in madre patria quanto all’estero. Ha fatto sognare generazioni con la sua storia d’amore immortale con Tuxedo Kamen. Ha insegnato i valori dell’amicizia con le sue compagne d’avventura le Sailor Senshi, ancora oggi è un mito.

Le Origini

Sailor moon è nata come spin-off di Codename Sailor V. Ebbene sì! la nostra paladina lunare e nata dopo la sua collega Sailor Venus, vero leader delle Sailor. Questo manga è la rappresentazione migliore del genere Majokko (魔女っ子 “streghetta”) sottogenere a sua volta del shōjo. La trama tipica delle opere appartenenti a questo genere, parla di una ragazza magica affiancata da un’animale magico. Nel nostro caso abbiamo i gatti Luna, Artemis e Diana. Solitamente la ragazza possiede poteri magici, mescolando amore e fantasia. Tuttavia Sailor Moon è anche la prima versione al femminile del genere Sentai Mono (戦隊モノ “gruppo d’attacco”). Questo è quel genere fumettistico che racchiude tutti quei manga dove troviamo un gruppo di protagonisti pronto ad unirsi per sconfiggere le forze del male.

Non a caso Sailor Moon è per questo e tanti altri motivi, uno degli esempi migliori di Femminismo nei manga.

L’amore non barriere di tempo, spazio o genere.

Sailor Moon non ha solo insegnato i valori dell’amicizia, ma anche dato un forte impatto sull’amore, senza generalizzare per categorie, come molto spesso accade nei manga e nella vita reale.

Sappiamo tutti che la coppia che spicca più nel manga come nell’anime è quella di Sailor Moon e il suo Tuxedo Kamen, un amore che varca il tempo e lo spazio, immortale.
Innamorati anche nella loro vita passata, la Principessa Serenity e il Principe Endymion, prendono il loro nome dalla Dea greca della Luna Selene e il suo amato principe terrestre Endimione. Dal mito alla realtà, innamorati anche nella loro vita odierna come Usagi Tsukino e Mamoru Chiba, ed in futuro come Neo Queen Serenity e King Endymion.

Si potrebbe erroneamente pensare che sia Tuxedo Kamen a salvare la nostra eroina quando è nei guai con le sue rose svolazzanti. Tuttavia è solo grazie all’amore di Sailor Moon che riesce a salvarsi ed insieme a lui tutti noi umani. Perché come disse la Takeuchi “Le ragazze devono essere forti per proteggere l’uomo che amano”.

Sailor Moon e i rapporti omosessuali

Sono presenti anche altre relazioni amorose nel manga. La relazione saffica e non nascosta tra l’androgina Sailor Uranus e la sensuale Sailor Neptune. Una relazione velata ma che spicca bene dal terzo atto della saga in poi.

Il rapporto Omosessuale tra due degli emissari del Dark Kingdom. Tuttavia, Zoisite e Kunzite avevano un rapporto che cambia a seconda dell’adattamento. Essi erano protagonisti di un legame amoroso nell’anime contro una forte amicizia nel manga.

Possiamo anche citare il legame forte che unisce Sailor Mars e Sailor Venus, proprio per ricordare l’unione del mito tra Marte e Venere.

Naoko Takeuchi: un impero tra stelle, arte e moda.

La mamma della nostra bella marinaretta, come detto è Naoko Takeuchi classe 1967. Potremmo dire che ha vinto la lotteria della vita nel mondo dei manga. Non solo la sua opera più famosa Sailor Moon è conosciuta in tutto il mondo, ma ha anche sposato Yoshihiro Togashi, il papà di Yū Yū Hakusho e Hunter x Hunter. Inoltre è amica di altrettanto famose Mangaka come Wataru Yoshizumi (Marmalade Boy) e Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yûgi).

La passione per il disegno l’ha sempre avuta anche se ha frequentato studi universitari in chimica. Il suo tratto è caratterizzato da linee pulite e delicate, molto vezzose negli art book con centini che fungono come decori.

È una donna dalle molteplici passioni, che spaziano dalla lettura, le macchine, l’arte e altro. Molte volte ha usato come riferimento per le sue illustrazioni le opere di Art Nouveau di Alfons Mucha. Altra grande passione è la moda, molti abiti usati dalle guerriere Sailor e dai loro nemici si rifanno alla Maison Dior. L’iconico il meraviglioso abito di Princess Serenity prende spunto dal modello “palladio” dalla collezione Dior primavera/estate dell’92.

Grazie all’anniversario dei vent’anni ed ora dei venticinque ora, Sailor Moon brilla di una nuova fortunata stella. Gioia per tutti i bambini cresciuti con lei che ormai sono diventati collezionisti adulti.

Il Francising Sailor Moon

Il franchising di Sailor Moon spazia dalle classiche bambole, alle più svariate action figure. Inclusi anche innumerevoli prodotti di makeup, svariati oggetti di culto come la proplica del Moon Stick, abiti e molto altro.

Il manga ha avuto una serie live action, diversi OVA, musical. Non dimentichiamo il riadattamento con Sailor Moon Crystal uscito il 5 luglio 2014.

A Tokyo per un periodo di tempo è stato aperto un bar a tema. Per tutti quelli sfortunatamente non è riuscito a passarci, potete visitare Azabu Juban “shopping street” quartiere centrale a Tokyo. Questo infatti è uno dei quartieri che molto spesso appare nei fotogrammi di Sailor Moon. Per qualsiasi fans che si rispetti questo è un luogo mecca per sentirsi una vera Guerriera Sailor.

Photo credits: Tumblr, Pinterest.

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Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

If I tell you that her hairstyle is famous all around the world for its blonde pigtails tied up into cute Odango (lit. Meatballs) can you guess who I’m talking about? No? Her outfit is a mix between a school uniform and a sailor’s one and it doesn’t ring any bell? No, this is impossible because we are talking about Usagi Tsukino.

She universally known as Sailor Moon the warrior in a sailor uniform that protects the Earth from evil aliens from all around the galaxy. Beloved heroine among children from the 90s and one of the ambassadress for Tokyo’s Olympic games  in 2020.

Born from the sublime work of Naoko Takeuchi, at the beginning of the 90s, it immediately became and iconic character both in Japan and abroad. Triggering dreams of generations of people with her immortal love story with Tuxedo Kamen and teaching the values of friendship together with her companions of adventure, the Sailor Senshi, she is legend today still.

The origin

Sailor Moon was originally created to be the spin-off of Codename Sailor V. Yes! Our heroine from the moon was born after her companion Sailor Venus, true leader of the Sailor warriors. This manga represents the best example of Majokko (魔女っ子 “Magical girl”), that is a sub-genre of the shōjo genre. The typical plot for this genre tells the story of a magical girl supported by a magical animal. In our case we have three cats, Luna, Artemis and Diana. Usually the protagonist of this type of mangas has magical powers, mixing love and fantasy. However Sailor Moon is also the first female version of the genre Sentai Mono (戦隊モノ “fighting squad”). This is a genre that includes all those mangas in which a group of protagonists stick together and fight against evil forces.

So it is no surprise that Sailor Moon is, for this and other reasons, one of the best examples of Feminism in the manga world.

Love beyond time, space and genre

Sailor Moon not only taught us the values of friendship, but it also had a great impact on love, free from any generalizations for categories, as it often happens in mangas and even in real life.

We all know that the most known couple in the manga like in the anime is that formed by Sailor Moon and her Tuxedo Kamen, a love beyond time and space, hence immortal.

In love since their previous life, Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion form Earth, they take their names from the Greek moon goddess, Selene, and her beloved prince from Earth, Endymion. From the legend to reality, they love each other even in their present life as Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba, as they will love each other in the future too as Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion.

One might think that is Tuxedo Kamen that rescues our heroine when she is in danger with his flying roses, but it’s his character that many times falls in the hands of the enemy, even becoming evil himself at some points. However, it’s only thanks to the love that Sailor Moon has for him that he manages to survive and with him, all us humans. Because as Takeuchi said “Girls have to be strong to protect the man they love”.

Sailor moon and the homosexual relationships

But there are also other love relationships in the manga. The sapphic and unconcealed relationship between the androgynous Sailor Uranus and the sensual Sailor Neptune. A relationship that is somewhat veiled but that is clearly visible from the third act on.

Also, there’s the homosexual relationship between two emissaries of the Dark Kingdome. Zoisite and Kunzite’s relationship changed from version to version. Love in the animated series and strong friendship that never becomes love in the manga.

But we can also mention the strong bond between Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, that reminds us of the bond between Mars and Venus in the ancient myths.

Naoko Takeuchi: an empire among stars, art and style

The ‘mother’ of our beautiful sailor warriors is, as said before, Naoko Takeuchi, born in 1967. It is as if she won the lottery of life in the world of mangas. Not only her most famous work is well known all around the world, but she also married Yoshihito Togaki, ‘father’ of Yū Yū Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter.
Also, she is close friend with other famous mangakas like Wataru Yoshizumi (Marmalade Boy) e Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yûgi).

The passion for drawings has always been with her in spite of the fact that she studied chemistry in University. Her style is characterized by clean and delicate lines, that are particularly lovely in the art book with doilies as decoration.

She is a woman of many passions, from literature, to cars, arts and many other things. In many cases she used the Art Nouveau works of Alfons Muchas as references for her illustrations. Another great passion of hers is fashion, various outfits used by Sailor warriors and their enemies were inspired by Maison Dior. The wonderful and iconic gown worn by Princess Serenity is inspired by Dior’s “palladio” gown from the ‘92 spring/summer collection.

Thanks to its 20th anniversary, and now to its 25th anniversary, Sailor Moon shines brightly under a new lucky star. True happiness for all those kids that grew up with her and now have turned into grown up collector.

Sailor Moon Franchising

The Sailor Moon franchising goes from the classic dolls, to the most varied action figures. There are also countless make-up products, lots of cult objects like the replica of the Moon Stick, outfits and many things more.

The manga was adapted into a live action series, several OVAs, musicals and let’s not forget the new anime adaptation of Sailor Moon Crystal released on July the 5th, in 2014.

In Tokyo a theme bar was opened and remained active for some time. For all those that couldn’t go there, you can always visit the Azabu Juban “shopping district”, central district in Tokyo. This area is often shown in Sailor Moon’s frames. For every true fan this is a must if you want to feel like a real Sailor Warrior.

Photo credits: Tumblr, Pinterest.

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Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

If I tell you that her hairstyle is famous all around the world for its blonde pigtails tied up into cute Odango (lit. Meatballs) can you guess who I’m talking about? No? Her outfit is a mix between a school uniform and a sailor’s one and it doesn’t ring any bell? No, this is impossible because we are talking about Usagi Tsukino.

She universally known as Sailor Moon the warrior in a sailor uniform that protects the Earth from evil aliens from all around the galaxy. Beloved heroine among children from the 90s and one of the ambassadress for Tokyo’s Olympic games  in 2020.

Born from the sublime work of Naoko Takeuchi, at the beginning of the 90s, it immediately became and iconic character both in Japan and abroad. Triggering dreams of generations of people with her immortal love story with Tuxedo Kamen and teaching the values of friendship together with her companions of adventure, the Sailor Senshi, she is legend today still.

The origin

Sailor Moon was originally created to be the spin-off of Codename Sailor V. Yes! Our heroine from the moon was born after her companion Sailor Venus, true leader of the Sailor warriors. This manga represents the best example of Majokko (魔女っ子 “Magical girl”), that is a sub-genre of the shōjo genre. The typical plot for this genre tells the story of a magical girl supported by a magical animal. In our case we have three cats, Luna, Artemis and Diana. Usually the protagonist of this type of mangas has magical powers, mixing love and fantasy. However Sailor Moon is also the first female version of the genre Sentai Mono (戦隊モノ “fighting squad”). This is a genre that includes all those mangas in which a group of protagonists stick together and fight against evil forces.

So it is no surprise that Sailor Moon is, for this and other reasons, one of the best examples of Feminism in the manga world.

Love beyond time, space and genre

Sailor Moon not only taught us the values of friendship, but it also had a great impact on love, free from any generalizations for categories, as it often happens in mangas and even in real life.

We all know that the most known couple in the manga like in the anime is that formed by Sailor Moon and her Tuxedo Kamen, a love beyond time and space, hence immortal.

In love since their previous life, Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion form Earth, they take their names from the Greek moon goddess, Selene, and her beloved prince from Earth, Endymion. From the legend to reality, they love each other even in their present life as Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba, as they will love each other in the future too as Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion.

One might think that is Tuxedo Kamen that rescues our heroine when she is in danger with his flying roses, but it’s his character that many times falls in the hands of the enemy, even becoming evil himself at some points. However, it’s only thanks to the love that Sailor Moon has for him that he manages to survive and with him, all us humans. Because as Takeuchi said “Girls have to be strong to protect the man they love”.

Sailor moon and the homosexual relationships

But there are also other love relationships in the manga. The sapphic and unconcealed relationship between the androgynous Sailor Uranus and the sensual Sailor Neptune. A relationship that is somewhat veiled but that is clearly visible from the third act on.

Also, there’s the homosexual relationship between two emissaries of the Dark Kingdome. Zoisite and Kunzite’s relationship changed from version to version. Love in the animated series and strong friendship that never becomes love in the manga.

But we can also mention the strong bond between Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, that reminds us of the bond between Mars and Venus in the ancient myths.

Naoko Takeuchi: an empire among stars, art and style

The ‘mother’ of our beautiful sailor warriors is, as said before, Naoko Takeuchi, born in 1967. It is as if she won the lottery of life in the world of mangas. Not only her most famous work is well known all around the world, but she also married Yoshihito Togaki, ‘father’ of Yū Yū Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter.
Also, she is close friend with other famous mangakas like Wataru Yoshizumi (Marmalade Boy) e Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yûgi).

The passion for drawings has always been with her in spite of the fact that she studied chemistry in University. Her style is characterized by clean and delicate lines, that are particularly lovely in the art book with doilies as decoration.

She is a woman of many passions, from literature, to cars, arts and many other things. In many cases she used the Art Nouveau works of Alfons Muchas as references for her illustrations. Another great passion of hers is fashion, various outfits used by Sailor warriors and their enemies were inspired by Maison Dior. The wonderful and iconic gown worn by Princess Serenity is inspired by Dior’s “palladio” gown from the ‘92 spring/summer collection.

Thanks to its 20th anniversary, and now to its 25th anniversary, Sailor Moon shines brightly under a new lucky star. True happiness for all those kids that grew up with her and now have turned into grown up collector.

Sailor Moon Franchising

The Sailor Moon franchising goes from the classic dolls, to the most varied action figures. There are also countless make-up products, lots of cult objects like the replica of the Moon Stick, outfits and many things more.

The manga was adapted into a live action series, several OVAs, musicals and let’s not forget the new anime adaptation of Sailor Moon Crystal released on July the 5th, in 2014.

In Tokyo a theme bar was opened and remained active for some time. For all those that couldn’t go there, you can always visit the Azabu Juban “shopping district”, central district in Tokyo. This area is often shown in Sailor Moon’s frames. For every true fan this is a must if you want to feel like a real Sailor Warrior.

Photo credits: Tumblr, Pinterest.

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