Sailor Moon Crystal is a lavish adaptation of the manga, incorporating every little detail that was omitted from the more formulaic 1994 adaptation, and bringing specific panels to life with every development in animation since then. With such an accurate eye for detail and efforts to modernize a 30-year-old story, it is interesting that a rather obvious opportunity to reflect modern society is unfulfilled.
Sailor Pluto and the Sailor Quartet are the most prominent examples of BIPOC characters in Sailor Moon and are designed specifically with darker complexions or lore tied to a specific ethnic area. yet, Crystal Does not do enough to honor that and the last Crystal film, sailor moon cosmos, Squanders the opportunity to adequately represent the diversity on the screen.
Related
Sailor Pluto is the first BIPOC Sailor Guardian
The mistress of time has incredible power
Sailor Moon is the story of the Princess of the Moon, reincarnated as a 14-year-old Japanese schoolgirl, Usagi Tsukino, to fight for love and justice as Sailor Moon along with her nine Sailor Guardians. The dazzling outfits and hairstyles of the women are a cosplayer’s dream. However, they are all slim and non-disabled, with little diversity of body type, shape, race or ethnicity, except for a few key characters.
Sailor Pluto distinguishes herself visually by being the tallest Sailor Guardian, with long dark green hair and a darker skin complexion. Although her race or ethnicity is not stated in the manga, Pluto’s skin tone is specifically shaded darker than the rest of her peers. Takeuchi’s inspirations for the character were black and Latina fashion models, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington respectively, Which explains her darker skin in the manga, but sadly, the muses are not referenced in Sailor Moon Cosmos.
Sailor Pluto possesses many incredible powers, including energy attacks, the ability to stop time, and Her representation of a BIPOC character in an internationally beloved anime. Cosplayers worldwide look to anime for inspiration, with many choosing to embody a character that reflects their shared physical or cultural similarities. Unfortunately, the cast of Sailor Moon Gives limited options, and it’s surprising that producers would not capitalize on the existing diversity in the franchise to better reflect the reality of the world.
The Sailor Quartet are under-utilized characters
The enemies-turned-friends share a fascinating lesson
The Sailor Quartet were first introduced as performers in the Dead Moon Circus, featured in the 2021 two-part film, Sailor Moon EternalBut later Sailor Guardians become in their own right. Named after the first four asteroids discovered in the solar system, CereCere, JunJun, PallaPalla and VesVes rest in the Amazon jungle, waiting for the day they will be called upon to protect Sailor Chibi Moon.
But when Queen Nehelenia finds them, the evil queen wakes the four girls up early and puts them in her service, that is. They are likely reincarnated as local South Americans. VesVes and JunJun have a slightly deeper hue to their skin than their sisters, CereCere and PallaPalla, pointing to the diverse ethnic makeup of their South American homeland.
more subtle, Their much-derided hairstyles are actually a nod to their heritageHow West African hair banding and braiding were brought to the Amazon region during the Atlantic slave trade era. The intricate hair designs drew the ire of fans for being too outlandish, but the Sailor Quartet simply subscribes to a different beauty standard than the other Sailor Guardians, and that’s okay.
Other long-running anime pull off the BIPOC representation better
International audiences want to see themselves reflected in their favorite anime
Many contemporary anime features diverse castsIncreasing the visibility of BIPOC, queer and gender-nonconforming characters. While Sailor Moon Crystal Succeeding in spotlighting the latter two, it fails in appropriately representing the heritage of key BIPOC characters like Sailor Pluto and the Sailor Quartet.
Other popular anime franchises that have been rebooted or revived, viz bleach: Thousand-year blood war, Hunter x Hunter (2011), And Pokemon: New Horizons, Have all made efforts to foreground BIPOC characters, or update character models to include a range of melanated skin tones.
New or updated characters in legacy anime, vi Pokemons raw or hunter x hunterIn Canary, give BIPOC fans more opportunities to get hooked on a particular series, or have their cosplay considered something other than “niche”. International competitors in animation and publishing continue to raise the bar for reimagining classic characters, like the Brazilian Yara Flor, assuming the mantle of Wonder Woman, or Miles Morales’ Spider-Man.
Unfortunately, with Sailor Moon Cosmos being the final entry in the Crystal reboot, the only opportunities to diversify the cast are a surprise continuation of the series or another complete retelling of Sailor Moon.