Last updated: 01-May-95
With the enormous success of Sailor Moon, it seems that this series
is unstoppable. To put things in perspective, here is a brief outline
of how "Sailor Moon" came to be...and where it is going...
Thanks to the following people who provided corrections and additions
to the historical summary:
Christian Balzer
Gene Fornario
Titus Hsu
Joe Petrow
Tsukini Kawatte...Oshiokiyo!
SAILOR 1991:
- Naoko Takeuchi, a manga artist who worked under Kodansha,
got some pages in "Run-Run" (billed as "Nakayoshi's
younger daughter") to do a story on anything she wanted.
She decided to do something that paralleled the live-action
"sentai" show.
- Her editor, Fumio Osano, liked the idea and he added a slight
twist...he wanted to see a girl fighting in a school
uniform.
- For this project, Naoko Takeuchi creates a manga story
entitled "Codename is Sailor V". This is a story about an
ordinary girl named Minako Aino and what happens to her
when a cat gives her the power to become Sailor V.
- The first installments of "Sailor V" go on sale in Aug. 1991.
- The initial sales of the manga go well, and prove so promising
that Takeuchi-san is asked to create a treatment for an
anime series. Taking the cue from "Sailor V", she creates
a series called "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon".
SAILOR 1992:
- "Sailor Moon" debuts in Nakayoshi in Feb. 1992. Word gets out
and rumors fly that anime fans should watch *this* series when
it appears on TV.
- "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" premieres on TV Asahi in
March 1992. Viewers are introduced to the ditzy
Usagi Tsukino and her transformation to Sailor Moon.
Ratings show a slow start, but they will pick up as
the series progresses.
- Episode 8 and 10: Sailor Mercury (Ami Mizuno) and Sailor
Mars (Rei Hino) are introduced. This was a turning point
in the series, since the formula plotline was broken up
by the interplay between the three girls. Things became
MUCH more interesting from this point on.
- In July 1992, Anime America '92 was held in San Jose, California
in the US. The anime convention was fun to go to (along with
the concert by Megumi Hayashibara), but along the way, somebody
decided to show some Sailor Moon episodes in an unscheduled
block. This was my first exposure to the series...
- Animage Magazine holds a monthly poll for the readers' favorite
characters. At that point, Nausicaa had an unbreakable hold
on the #1 spot. This changed when Ami Mizuno (Sailor Mercury)
took that spot...
- As a topic, "Sailor Moon" takes over the rec.arts.anime newsgroup.
It seems that more and more Usenet people have seen the
series...
- According to Bandai, there are shortages of the "Moon Stick"
(Usagi's weapon) in stores.
SAILOR 1993:
- "Sailor Moon" takes a surprising turn as the conclusion of the
series turns deadly serious. This starts a controversy as
many mothers write in to complain about the death of their
daughters' favorite heroines...
- The series and manga are so popular that "Sailor Moon" is
renewed. A new series called "Sailor Moon R" ('R' stands
for Return) debuts the week after "Sailor Moon" ends. The
new series starts in February 1993.
- Kodansha, the publishers of the manga, have doubled their
size in only 1 year. This can be traced directly to the
success of "Sailor Moon".
- Bandai, the toy company who holds the rights, reports that
sales of "Sailor Moon" merchandise has skyrocketed.
- Many articles appear trying to answer the question: "Why
is 'Sailor Moon' so popular?"
- An interview of Naoko Takeuchi reveals, among other things,
that she was surprised at the success of "Sailor Moon" and
still has trouble believing it...
- "Sailor Moon" makes it to the big screen! The "Sailor Moon R"
movie premieres and is popular.
- For December 1993, the "Sailor Moon R" musical plays. This
is a live-action musical with actors playing the roles.
- "Codename is Sailor V" reappears in Nakayoshi. These are
not reprints...Takeuchi-san is retelling the story. Cameos
have already been made by Usagi and Rei before they became
Sailor Senshi.
SAILOR 1994:
- "Sailor Moon R" ends. "Sailor Moon S" ('S' stands for Super)
begins. The popularity of "Sailor Moon" shows no sign of
abating.
- After the success of "The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers",
Bandai is looking for other properties to license. One
property frequently mentioned is "Sailor Moon"...
- "Sailor Moon" appears on French television on the "Dorothee"
show. This version is dubbed and turns out to be very
popular...
- In December, the "Sailor Moon S" musical makes its debut.
SAILOR 1995:
- The "Sailor Moon S" movie opens in theaters.
- Bandai and DIC announce that they are bringing the story
of a "heroine who shouts feminist slogans" to the US.
DIC will handle the dubbing and TV release of "Sailor Moon".
- "Sailor Moon S" ends. This is followed by "Sailor Moon SS"
(SS for SuperS). The series is currently running as of
this writing.
- Following the success of "Sailor Moon", other anime series
have been created in the same mold, hoping to capitalize
on that success. Such series include:
- Magic Knight Rayearth
- Wedding Peach
Where it goes from here, nobody knows...
(
geocities.com/tokyo)