Summary
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Beautiful Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories offers fans a playful and lighthearted spin-off focusing on other beloved characters.
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These volumes provide a deeper dive into the lives and backstories of the Sailor Scouts, adding more layers to the iconic series.
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Despite no new projects announced, Sailor Moon’s legacy remains strong, influencing genres and pop culture worldwide.
Sailor Moon is one of the most iconic and beloved anime and manga series ever. Netflix recently released the latest part of Beautiful Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos For Western audiences, that ends the reboot of the series. Both the 1992 and 2014 anime adaptations are charming and entertaining, with the latter being slightly more faithful to the manga. Fortunately for fans, There are even more stories with the Sailor Scouts Which might just quench the thirst for more Sailor Moon content after Cosmos.
“Beautiful Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories” is a spin-off manga with only two volumes that expands on the lives and stories of some of the Sailor Scouts. The original Japanese manga were released 20 years ago, but the official English translation of both volumes was published by Kodansha in 2013. The stories remain manga onlySo they are definitely a good taste of Takeuchi’s original style for someone who has only watched the anime versions of Serena and company.
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Backstories, Comedy and Romance: Short stories have a little dose of everything
Created by Naoko Takeuchi
The main story in Sailor Moon is by itself one of the peaks of shojo anime, and it already has a nice mix of ingredients in its story. Romance, drama, action and slice-of-life are pillars over it all. in Short storiesIt’s a little more than that Takeuchi has fun with her characters without the consequences of adhering to or affecting one main plot. And while the main Sailor Moon story has an obvious focus on Serena, all of the short stories focus on other characters instead.
The short stories are not directly linked to the main one, however, it is still a better idea to read them after the plot, because most of the main characters appear, and it is much more enjoyable when there is context of several situations and running gags. The Outer Ring Sailor Scouts also make an appearance in one of the stories to help defeat a bad guy, which is very rewarding to read. Overall, this spin-off manga is a playful change of pace after saving the galaxy in the main storyline.
The spin-off stories put the other Sailor Scouts in the spotlight
Amy, Lita, Raye and even Luna the cat are all main characters in their own stories. Mina shares another, very fun one with Raye, which is nice considering she already has her own manga: Codename: Sailor V, and Rini is the protagonist of no less than three short stories in volume one. generally, Both volumes carry a light toneBut it is also true that some stories, like “Casablanca memory“, which extends deeply into Raye’s past, is a much more mature tale than the one with Rini and Serena’s struggles with cavities.
The first story in volume 2, “Princess Kaguya’s lover“, did The same plot from 1994s Sailor Moon D: The Movie. This is Naoko Takeuchi’s take on the classic Japanese folklore tale of Princess Kaguya, with elements from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen. It is the only one of these stories to have some form of adaptation. The author also explored the idea of the Sailor Scouts as mothers in the last story “Parallel Sailor Moon”, which is also the stupidest of all the short stories.
The unfading legacy of beautiful Guardian Sailor Moon continues to impress
The franchise hasn’t lost its appeal after three decades
In general, the short stories portray the same energy and cute, girly visuals of the general Sailor Moon series, with added notes of fun and angst. both”Short stories” Volumes are an addition to the global phenomenon that the series already is, and it would not be an unrealistic idea to hope to see all the living bits in animation form one day. No new projects have been announced since the release of Cosmos‘ Part II last yearBut given how many classic anime have been brought back in the past decade, Sailor Moon may not be ready to leave the stage just yet.
Even if no new Sailor Moon content is released, the series will never be forgotten. It has become a pillar for the romance and magical girl genres, both of which are seeing a revival in the current era. Not only other anime and manga series are heavily influenced by Sailor Moon, Many western cartoons, vi Star against the forces of evil And Bee and Poppy Show clear inspiration on Takeuchi’s creation. Aside from entertainment, Sailor Moon has also become a powerful icon for women’s empowerment.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Sailor Moon Crystal began to sing. Seeing the story complete once again may trigger strong feelings of nostalgia for some fans, but luckily, some lesser-known pieces of media like the “Beautiful Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories“ Volumes remain for fans who won’t let go of the Sailor Scouts just yet. Serena and her friends are so charming that they make readers wish they were their friends, just like Naoko Takeuchi herself said.