So you want to know the story of the anime, ne? Well, this may not be completely accurate, but it's pretty much what happened.
Takeuchi Naoko, the goddess of SM, made a cool manga (comic) called Sailor V, about a girl who transforms into a hero in a serafuku (sailor suit) that fights various evil. It, being original and appealing to girls, was a major smash hit. In early 1992, when she announced she would make a new manga about a group of these heroes, namely Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, Kodansha jumped on the chance. They signed on to make an anime (animated show) based on the potentially popular manga. And in (I think) February 1992, the first episode of the show aired:
"Surprise! The clutzy schoolgirl Usagi gets a transformation"
And the rest, as you know, is history.
The show aired from 1992 to Feb. 1997. It ran for a total of 5 season, the longest ones being Sailormoon (classic) and Sailormoon SuperS. (In order, they are: SMClassic, SMR, SMS, SMSS, and SMStars.) There was a huge fan-base. Although it was meant for girls, it spanned across the country and the globe to men and women of all ages. It came to an end on its 200th episode, the final battle (well, healing) between the powers of good and chaos. With a final quote of Usagi, "It's the end, goodbye", the screen was black, and the emmensly popular shoujo anime was over.
But in reality, it never really ended. It spanned to many countries, including China, France, Germany, Singapore, Korea, Brazil, Spain, Mexico...and the US and Canada. It was turned into a English dub, and the North American anime scene would never be the same.
And to think, it all started with a girl in a sailor suit!...
