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I still remember the first time I watched Sailor Moon. Fresh into the summer after first grade, I was settling in the living room for an afternoon of cartoon watching when my older brother, an avid Japanese anime fan, walked in. “You should check out this show,” he said. “I think you might like it.” More than 20 years later, I can undoubtedly say he was right.
Since Sailor Moon, also known as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, was introduced in Japan in the early ’90s, and later aired on Toonami (the Cartoon Network’s afternoon lineup of Japanese anime series), the show has captivated millions of fans, including celebrities like Saweetie, Lizzo, Megan Fox, Michelle Phan, Janet Mock, Halsey, and Brie Larson.
On the surface, Sailor Moon appears to be a cutesy series about a girl with magical powers who becomes stronger after twirling in beautiful transformation sequences. But as all the Sailor Moon fans in Megan Thee Stallion’s mentions can tell you, the show is much more than that.
The series follows Usagi Tsukino, a clumsy 14-year-old who’s bad at math and is terrified of monsters. She’s also a reincarnated Sailor Senshi (or soldier), known as Sailor Moon, who’s tasked with leading a group of other Sailor Senshi to fight the aforementioned terrifying monsters. Though she doesn’t have the ideal skill set to battle evil, Usagi proves time and time again that, despite her fears, she will fight any foe, especially when her friends are in danger. She is an unlikely hero, but it's Usagi’s vulnerabilities that make her so relatable to fans across the world; it’s what made her relatable to me. Before I watched Sailor Moon, I had been taught that you had to be fearless to be a hero, but Usagi showed me that being scared isn’t a flaw if you can be brave when it counts.
The other Sailor Senshi are also multifaceted characters. The best example is Makoto Kino (Sailor Jupiter), who’s a tomboy, a skilled fighter, a caring person, and also a great cook; her dream is to become a chef. In many other series, a character has to be the “tough one” or the “soft one,” but in Sailor Moon, characters can be both simultaneously. Rei Hino (Sailor Mars) is another good example: She’s mostly reserved as she works at her grandfather’s shrine but isn’t afraid to get into a shouting match with Usagi, which shows her ability to switch from being quiet and reflective to loud and boisterous when the time calls for it.
This anime series is also known for its portrayal of strong female friendships, especially among Usagi and members of her main crew: Ami (Sailor Mercury), Rei, Makoto, and Minako Aino (Sailor Venus). When Makoto showed up at Usagi’s school as the new girl with a bad reputation for fighting, it was Usagi who befriended her and accepted her for the great fighter and cook that she is. When Ami received an opportunity to study medicine in Germany, Usagi and the gang supported her decision and let her know that she would always be part of the team. Although Rei had a crush on the same guy as Usagi, they overcame it and remained friends. And when Usagi was heartbroken after the aforementioned guy broke up with her, Minako came to her house to cheer her up by brushing her hair and offering words of encouragement. When I think of Usagi, I think of her dedication, loyalty, compassion, relentless ability to forgive, and how she is not judgemental. These are the same principles that I carry with me, and I have Sailor Moon to thank for that.
In addition to Sailor Moon’s themes of love, friendship, and empowerment, the show is known for its fashion. Since it takes place in the ’90s, there are plenty of pastels, overalls, high-waisted skirts, and denim-jacket ensembles that still look fashionable today, because the #90sanimeaesthetic is a real thing. Sailor Moon is one of the few anime shows to inspire fans, including myself, to not just wear the famous Sailor Senshi outfits (seen above), but to also attempt to re-create their classic, casual everyday looks. While I mostly identify with Usagi (and love her denim jacket, striped shirt, and pink shorts look), there are style inspirations throughout the series’ 200 episodes, including Rei’s pink overalls on top of a white shirt, Ami’s baby blue sweetheart dress, Makoto’s army green cardigan over a black turtleneck dress, and Minako’s coral crop top and pleated mint A-line skirt. And when Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi wasn’t creating classic outfits, she took inspiration from high-fashion looks, like this iconic Karl Lagerfeld-designed dress worn by Naomi Campbell in a Chanel ad and a Gianfranco Ferré-designed dress for Dior. Through such chic outfits, Takeuchi provided an empowering message that women can be badass crime fighters and look good while doing it. In fact, as Sailor Moon powers up, her Sailor Senshi outfits get more frills, ribbons, butterflies, and hearts, showing that femme looks can be a symbol of power.
This year marks 25 years since Sailor Moon premiered in North America. Since then there has been a live-action series, a reboot series (Sailor Moon Crystal), a re-release of the English dub by VIZ Media (to be more aligned with the original Japanese version, including fixing the erasure of a lesbian couple in the ’90s American dub), re-releases of the manga series, musicals (including one in the U.S. last year), and a variety of basic tees, sweatshirts, crop tops, dresses, and memorabilia from retailers like Forever 21, Hot Topic, Torrid, and Uniqlo. There’s also an upcoming movie, Sailor Moon Eternal, and a now-postponed ice show starring two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Evgenia Medvedeva.
Moreover, Sailor Moon continues to influence current pop culture. The series is often credited with popularizing the magical-girl subgenre in anime, which is defined as a series about a girl or woman with magical powers. Also, this subgenre often features transformation sequences and superheroes, a cute animal sidekick, and a knack for fighting supernatural monsters. Nearly three decades since Sailor Moon’s release, the subgenre’s popularity still reigns, and has influenced recent popular cartoons like Steven Universe, Craig of the Creek, She-Ra and the Princess of Power; contemporary magical-girl series like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu, Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, Adorned By Chi; and comic books like Jade Street Protection Services, Zodiac Starforce, Princess Love Pon, and Agents of the Realm. Fans have also proved their dedication through long-running fan sites like Miss Dream, Moon Kitty, and Shojo Power.
Brands have also taken notice of Sailor Moon’s impact and long-lasting influence. Last month, ColourPop cosmetics broke the Sailor Moon fan side of the internet when they announced a collaboration with the famed series. The brand’s Instagram posts usually garner 50,000 to 100,000 likes, but the Sailor Moon collaboration announcement post has gotten nearly 400,000 likes. And it was no surprise that the Sailor Moon-inspired line, featuring an eye shadow palette, lip gloss bundles (aptly named Moonlight and Daylight), body glitter, and blush sold out in seconds. In mid-March, ColourPop announced a second restock at ULTA Beauty stores, which also sold out — even as the early days of the coronavirus pandemic were upon us.
Sailor Moon’s popularity has been proven again with a KITH collaboration. Last week, the lifestyle brand had Sailor Moon fans scrambling to snag a piece of its capsule collection, which includes images on high-priced tees and cropped hoodies of the Sailor Senshi team and the black-and-white KITH logo. Similar to ColourPop, KITH’s posts, which often garner 1,000 to 2,000 likes each, increased after the Sailor Moon collaboration announcement, getting over 20,000 within a week; and the collection sold out within seconds of its release online.
As these reboots, re-releases, films, shows, and brand collaborations have proven, the series continues to be one of the most popular and influential shows ever, with an infinite amount of style inspiration. And as life amid the coronavirus pandemic has shown us, love, friendship, and outfits too cute to wear indoors, as seen in Sailor Moon, are things that should always be treasured.
