Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Introduction

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, or Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon in English, became a hit popular manga magazine in Tokyo. "Manga" is a combination of the Japanese words "man" which means "fun," "amusing" and "ka" which means "episode series" and nowadays it is translated as Japanese cartoons. The Sailor Moon series are created by a very talented manga artist (people who draw manga are called manga-ka in Japan), named Naoko Takeuchi. Mrs Takeuchi has created other popular manga comics, which include Codename Sailor V, Maria, The Cherry Project, Prism Time, Miss Rain, Punch Series, PQ Angels, Toki Meka, Love Witch, and Chocolate Christmas.

That being said, Sailor Moon is a shoujo (pretty girl) manga which used to be published in a magazine called Nakoyashi, starting in 1992. Shoujo stories are about three or five (or more than five) teenage girls who discover that they possess magical powers to transform into fighters of love and justice. They use their supernatural powers to confront evil organizations who try to take control over the planet Earth. Typical examples of shoujo shows are Magic Knight Rayearth, Tokyo Mew Mew, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, Wedding Peach, and of course Sailor Moon.

Usagi Tsukino, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, meets a black cat on her way to school one morning, and we eventually learn that by removing the band aid which was on the forehead of the cat, the girl has helped Luna in a way no one can image. "I've been searching for you, Usagi. Thank you for removing the band aid on my forehead. With that thing on I couldn't speak or investigate," Luna says later the same day to Usagi in the girl's room. Usagi thinks she is dreaming, but she soon learns that her mission is to fight evil creatures - creatures that the police cannot stop - by transforming into the pretty Soldier of Love and Justice, Sailor Moon.

Later in the story line, we learn that Sailor Moon is not the first Sailor Soldier. Sailor V, who later becomes Sailor Venus, is the first Sailor Soldier and in her civilian form is Aino Minako, a charming and optimistic girl who has moved to Japan after leaving London. Luna soon discovers more Soldiers - Sailor Mercury (Ami Mizuno), the Soldier of Water and Ice, Sailor Mars (Rei Hino), the Soldier of Fire and Passion, and Sailor Jupiter (Makoto Kino), the Soldier of Thunder and Nature. The five Soldiers (called also Senshi which in Japanese means "Soldier") have to find the Ginzuishou (the Mystic Silver Crystal) and the Moon Princess while fighting against the evil organization called the Dark Kingdom lead by Queen Metallia. Even later, after destroying the Dark Kingdom, the Soldiers face more, and more powerful, enemies which they have to beat with the help of new Soldiers. All in all, Sailor Moon is a story about the never-ending fight between good and evil.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon consists of 52 Acts (books) divided in 18 Volumes, and it is one of the most (if not the most) popular manga stories all over the world.