anime facts

Sailor Moon

*a lot of these facts have to do with the censoring of LGBTQ themes. the original manga ran from 1991 to 1997 so people were less tolerant back then and more close-minded. I do not agree WHATSOEVER with the censoring of LGBTQ themes and characters. I just wanted to make it clear I do not agree with what was done* 

1. Sailor Moon has a prequel. The story doesn't start with Usagi. there is another manga written by Naoko Takeuchi that starts the story of Sailor Moon. In the manga Codename: Sailor V an important sailor scout was introduced. Codename: Sailor V tells the story of how Minako (Sailor Venus) meets Artemis and is told about her powers and past.

2. Takeuchi didn't start her life as a manga/anime artist. She has always loved science. she was the president of the astronomy club when she was in school. her love for the stars was one of the main influences for Sailor Moon. She was encouraged to follow other paths that weren't animation so she went to pharmacy school and earned her degree in chemistry. she also developed an interest in geology while at school. this inspired the names of the villains in the original Japanese version of the show where they were named after gemstones. 

3. Takeuchi gave the names of Usagi's family her families names. she named the whole family after her and based the characters partially on.

4. There was an attempt to Americanize Sailor Moon. Children's television in the early '90s was booming. Producers saw how big of a hit that sailor moon was, they thought it would be a good idea to create an American version. It would not follow the same format as the original though. Instead of dubbing the anime, like with Speed Racer and Voltron, the American version would star real-life actresses. When it was time for the girls to save the world they became animated. This did not pan out well and the only proof/example of this concept is a demo tape that was made and was later leaked to the internet. 

5. Naoko Takeuchi has said that another one of her influences while writing sailor moon was the power rangers. the number of scouts and color schemes were taken directly from The Power Rangers. In 1995, when Power Rangers were first introduced to the public they were called The Super Sentai, and the team was made up of five boys who had to protect the world. Takeuchi wanted to create a Show/Manga like The Super Sentai but with an all-female team.

6. In 1999 Takeuchi married award-winning creator Yoshihiro Togashi. Yoshiro Togashi is the creator of Hunter X Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho.

7. Usagi's transformation has a hidden sign language message in it. The hand motion she uses when she starts her transformation has a hidden message in it. The motion she uses when she starts the change is the American phrase "I love you" in sign language.

8. Tuxedo Mask is the only male superhero in the Sailor Moon universe. He dresses in a tuxedo with a cape and white mask. His powers allow him to read/see the past, present, and future events through a single touch. He has other psychic abilities that come and go, depending on the series. though he isn't technically a Sailor Scout if you translate his name it makes him an honorary one. his name, Chiba Mamoru, translates to "protected of the earth". So this technically makes him Sailor Earth.

9. Luna is an alien. and not from the moon-like Usagi and the other sailor scouts. In. the original Sailor Moon manga the cats are actually aliens. Luna is Usagi's black cat that leads her to become Sailor Moon and Artemis is Minako Ainos (Sailor Venus) cat that aids her as a sailor scout. In the manga, both Luna and Artemis are from the planet Mau. Little is known about the planet Mau other than that its inhabitance are cat people who have two forms-talking cats and humans with cat-like features and mannerisms.  Sailor Tin Nyanko is supposedly from the planet Mau as well. In Sailor moon crystal, Luna's human form can be seen briefly. In act 27 of the series, Luna gains the ability to turn into a young human girl, given the name Luna Tsukino, and is able to become a Sailor Senshi. there is also another cat in the manga that did not come from the planet Mau and was born on earth. Diana is the daughter of. Artemis and Luna.