FAQ
What is Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon?Sailor Moon is the story of a fourteen-year-old girl named Tsukino Usagi and her quest to protect the Earth for her family, her friends, and the man that she loves...
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, known simply here in North America as Sailor Moon, is a VERY popular anime/manga originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. The series spans at least five seasons, and many more manga volumes. The series has long since ended, but many longtime fans and newbie fans, too, still hold the show close to their heart, because Sailor Moon was the introduction to anime for many fans around the world, and the first anime they ever watched ^^
At the heart of the story is fourteen-year-old Tsukino Usagi. Usagi was your typical teenager, with a love for eating, sleeping, and reading manga. She went about her life like any other girl her age until one fateful day, when she happened upon a talking black cat named Luna. After awhile, Luna was able to convince a reluctant Usagi that she was needed, and gave her the power to transform into the heroine we all know and love, Sailor Moon. In the show, each planet (Mercury, Venus, Mars, etc) is represented by one senshi (soldier). Usagi represents the Moon, and the reason for that will come into play later.
Usagi isn't destined to fight by herself though, and in the first season, she and Luna are able to locate the Inner Senshi: Mizuno Ami (Sailor Mercury), Hino Rei (Sailor Mars), Kino Makoto (Sailor Jupiter), and Aino Minako (Sailor Venus). Another guardian cat, Artemis, who belongs to Minako, also joins them in the fight. Together as a team, they are the Sailor Senshi, chosen to fight and protect the Earth from the evils of the Negaverse and any other villains who may threaten the peace.
As the seasons go by, the five original Senshi meet and team up with others (with the most notable ally they find being the Outer Senshi, who represent the planets Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, and Saturn.) And even through all their heartbreak, sorrows, and joys, their goal remains the same and never wavers: to protect the Earth and fight for love and justice.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon lasted five seasons, with a total of 200 episodes in all! Only the first four seasons (Sailor Moon Classic, R, S, and SuperS) have been brought over to America as of today. The last and final season of Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon SailorStars, has not yet been dubbed and probably never will, just because of the content (I for one personally see nothing wrong with it and I absolutely love this season, but then again, people here in the U.S. can be so sensitive to certain issues *rolls eyes*). ADV Films has begun distributing the first two seasons of Sailor Moon UNCUT for the first time ever, and Sailor Moon S and SuperS have been available uncut for quite some time now. All can be found on either DVD or VHS, and for low prices, too ^^
The original manga that the anime was based on also features some gorgeous artwork by the talented Naoko Takeuchi ^^ The manga is available here in the U.S. thanks to Tokyopop and by now has had ALL of the volumes (from the very beginning all the way through SailorStars) printed! If you want to try and find them, just look on the internet (for example, check out the Barnes and Nobles website) or go look around at different stores (I suggest trying either Barnes & Nobles or Waldenbooks).