It’s been announced that the Sailor Moon manga will be rereleased, and that Sailor V will be translated into English. I’m looking forward to both. Sailor Moon was one of the first anime I ever saw (and one of the first manga I read), and I still have a huge soft spot for it. Also, the original release of the Sailor Moon manga is out-of-print and has some cringe worthy translation errors.
Sailor Moon and Sailor V are two manga that could be classified in the superhero genre, which is very rare in the world of Japanese comics. There have been plenty of essays written on the feminism present in Sailor Moon and how it is empowering to women and girls. A good one can be found here.
However, my favorite part of Sailor Moon has always been that it has extremely well-written characters. (I’m talking about the manga here. The anime was good, but not as good as the original manga.) The characters are diverse and three-dimensional. My favorite has always been Sailor Jupiter: she’s strong, tall and a great fighter, but she also enjoys cooking, housekeeping and other traditionally feminine tasks. She is both a tomboy and feminine, and this complexity makes her an intriguing and fun character. The idea that girls don’t have to be ashamed of being feminine or of being a tomboy is something that I can relate to. It is refreshing considering the flack that tomboys get, as well as the derision that is given to “girly girls” by some feminists.
While my interests tend to be considered traditionally male interests, I do enjoy some “girly” things (such as Sailor Moon), so I can relate very strongly with Sailor Jupiter. I also can relate strongly with Sailor Mercury, since I can be quite nerdy. (Real shocker, I know.)
Most of the characters are female, but it doesn’t fall into the trap of male-bashing that happens in some media starring women. *cough* The Wonder Woman animated movie *cough*
I’m looking forward to these manga being released. Now if only we can get them to release an English sub of the live action Sailor Moon TV show . . .
