Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1 - 304 pages

Naoko Takeuchi

Summary (From Goodreads)

Teenager Usagi is not the best athlete, she's never gotten good grades, and, well, she's a bit of a crybaby. But when she meets a talking cat, she begins a journey that will teach her she has a well of great strength just beneath the surface and the heart to inspire and stand up for her friends as Sailor Moon! 

Review

Although I'm familiar with the premise and have run across my fair share of memes and references, I'd never actually gotten the chance to read this series, let alone watch the anime based on it.  Honestly, I found myself really enjoying it!  There's no shortage of camp, as is the norm for the magical girl subgenre, and the characters are each endearing in their own way.  I can certainly tell this was designed with a younger audience in mind, but it manages to be relatable on some level without trying too hard.  

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi-304 pages

Teen/YA author Marissa Meyer recommended this at an event I attended a few years ago. She said it was part of her inspiration for getting into writing. There's also an Anime show based on these manga. I have yet to watch the Anime. I enjoyed reading this. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I liked the story and characters. Usagi is 14 and a bit of a crybaby, but one day powers of the moon are awakened inside her by Luna and she is revealed to be Sailor Moon, Guardian of peace and justice. As the story goes on, the reader also meets Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars, friends of Usagi's and fellow Guardians. Kings from the Dark Kingdom have come to Japan to seek a powerful silver crystal and Sailor Moon and her fellow Guardians must protect it from falling into their hands. Sailor Moon also meets Tuxedo Mask along the way and he helps her several times. As I said, I enjoyed reading this and would give it 4 out of 5 stars. I may or may not read subsequent volumes of this manga. 

Sailor Moon Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

Sailor Moon Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi, 236 pp.

The adventures of Usagi Tsukino, an average schoolgirl who likes nothing better than desserts and a good nap, until she is transformed by Luna the talking cat into Sailor Moon, the champion of love and justice. This is the new translation of the manga, and will likely be quite popular now that the anime series is being rebooted.