WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER MOON!
'When and where will we finally meet? The only people who could ever really know me. Those people who share the same feelings as me.'
We have now approached the end--no, the beginning of an era, in the case of 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2', as it leads directly to its sequel/sister series, 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'. Or its last couple of chapters do, anyway.
And it's a good thing, too, as the silliness, obnoxiousness and repetitiveness of 'Codename: Sailor V' is becoming too much by the time we reach the second volume, again translated into English by Kodansha Comics. There are still some genuinely funny, and even satirical and meta, moments, but it becomes increasingly shallow and pointless, as well.
Speaking of shallow, Minako/Sailor V's character gets more and more selfish and insufferable with each chapter, if that's possible. She's confident, outspoken, OTT and parodic - sometimes funny and clever, other times spoiled, entitled and narcissistic - and the most un-self-aware person ever, and sometimes it can go too far. This is especially true in the appalling way she treats poor Artemis. Those two do not have a healthy relationship. Artemis is like a victim of a toxic and abusive marriage.
As a result, you end up not wanting to root for the heroine.
The manga is as sexist, and obsessed with feminine beauty standards and heteronormality and women getting married and "retiring", as ever. 'Vol. 2' adds fat shaming to make the whole thing extra uncomfortable and insulting. (It is scary how much of pop culture, spanning across all genres and demographics, really hates fat women and girls - once you notice it, you cannot unsee it. Fatphobia is another, powerful symptom of systematic misogyny.)
But whatever problems 'Codename: Sailor V' has, the final two chapters, titled 'Setting Out on a New Journey', make up for them.
The manga kicks into high gear, and suddenly things come together and make sense. There is tragedy, bittersweetness, yet hopefulness at the end. Seeds and plot points for 'Sailor Moon' are dropped in, the detail of Minako/Sailor V's past life is explained, and at last, she "awakens", and becomes Sailor Venus, the future leader of the Inner Solar System Sailor Guardians, and protector of Princess Serenity. Her next mission is to find these people, the ones most precious to her in the entire universe, and awaken, guide and protect them, as a mature, levelheaded and serious leader and warrior.
It is her destiny, performed with love and companionship with girls; no men or romance in sight. Men desiring her is not her life's purpose; this former valley girl-esque, spoiled heroine's existence does not
revolve around men. She'll be okay with that, in the name of duty, responsibility, protection, the cosmos, the Moon, her girlies, and her own self-respect.
Her "true love" is, explicitly, Princess Serenity.
(And, hopefully, canonically, Rei/Sailor Mars.)
There are cameos of Usagi (and Naru), Ami, and Makoto. Even Sailor Chibi Moon and the Outer Sailor Guardians are shown... kind of. You see their silhouettes. Naoko Takeuchi had much planned from the start, before she properly began 'Sailor Moon'. 'Sailor V' was her throwing-concepts-at-the-wall warm-up.
It all comes full circle - like a full moon, or a crescent moon!
'Vol. 2' trivial notes:
We are introduced to Phantom Ace, aka proto-Tuxedo Mask, aka Ace Saijyo, aka Danburite, aka the reborn Adonis, a warrior from the planet Venus. During the ancient battle between the Moon/Silver Millennium and the Earth, Adonis fought under the command of the Four Kings of Heaven (of Earth), and was in love with Sailor Venus, the Princess of Venus, and leader of the Sailor Guardians and Protectors to Princess Serenity. But she was in love with Kunzite, one of the Four Kings. Yeah, Ace's whole motivation is he's a Nice Guy who was "friend-zoned", I don't mind spoiling that detail about him. Though Mina/Sailor V is "in love with him" in her present life, but then again she "falls in love" too quickly and easily with men, she's that shallow and desperate for someone to love her, neglecting what's really important - her princess and girlfriends. Ace's reveal and fate at the end is very well done, in my opinion.
The Dark Agency is a subsidiary of the Dark Kingdom.
The hilarious, confident and competent Inspector General, the Sailor V fangirl to Wakagi's Sailor V distrust and hate (Wakagi is her long-suffering police detective subordinate, and possible love interest, which will go nowhere). Her role is expanded delightfully, and her real name is Natsuna Sakurada. I remember reading once years and years ago, I don't remember where, that she is the sister of Haruna Sakurada, Usagi's schoolteacher. Either way, the family name is not a coincidence. Natsuna becomes friends with Mina - they bond over being Phantom Ace's groupies - and she finds out Mina is Sailor V, and begs the hero girl to work for her. On the very last page - how 'Codename: Sailor V' ends - Mina considers partnering with Natsuna, as a part-time Inspector General, despite her antagonism towards cops. It's a shame that this prospect and lead is a dead end, and we never see Natsuna, or Wakagi, again.
We see a lot of Mina's Ami-lookalike best friend Hikaru in this volume, but no more of Amano, whom Umino is an expy of. Neither Hikaru nor Amano are in 'Sailor Moon'.
Mina's parents don't appear again, either.
Motoki "Onii-san/Big Bro" Furuhata cameos, in the arcade/game center, of course.
All of Mina's light-haired male love interests* look so much alike. It seems like lazy character designs and templates, though perhaps it was done intentionally, to infer that Mina has a type, without stating it outright?
Sailor/Princess Venus's castle, Magellan, receives a mention, as part of her past self's backstory being explained to her by Ace/Adonis.
The entirety of the twelfth chapter, 'Wan-Wan's Schemes!', is Takeuchi-sensei's meta parallel, semi-autobiography on the life of a mangaka, and her own process in creating the premise, stories and characters for 'Sailor Moon' (this is where the silhouettes of all the solar system Sailor Guardians come from). Except 'Sailor Moon' is called 'Aurora Wedding' here. It's amusing and cute. However, the chapter ends with Takeuchi-sensei's "unattractive" self-insert suddenly being beautiful, because she's not wearing glasses anymore, and her love interest, whom she based her Tuxedo Mask-esque male lead on (called Coattail Mask, pfft), falls for her, now that she's "beautiful". He marries her on the spot, and she retires from making manga - at age twenty! Shallowness and '50s gender norms win! I hope this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and not to be taken seriously, like most of 'Codename: Sailor V'. The story also foreshadows Luna, and Artemis missing and loving his fellow talking, black space cat with the crescent moon-shaped spot on her forehead.
I'm guessing that "Boss" is Queen Serenity of the ruined Silver Millennium, as that mystery isn't solved or even brought up here.
What happened to Fluorite, Danburite's righthand woman? I don't think she's in 'Vol. 2' at all.
That's it. That's enough. That's all I'll write.
Next up, after 'Codename: Sailor V', is 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'. Except I already talked about that manga series, volume by volume, in great, no-doubt unnecessary, fangirling depth, throughout this month.
I've read a grand total of eighteen manga volumes for September Moon. I enjoyed myself immensely, and the excitement, and the uplifting, life-affirming and empowering mood I got from reading this classic magical girl franchise all over again, has me inspired and hyped to branch out and read more magical girl manga.
Stay tuned to see what other magical girl goodness I'll gush about in the future...
'Sailor Moon' manga verdict: What fun, joy and heart! And female power and enlightenment!
However, September Moon isn't quite over yet.
I have a couple more inclusions planned for the month of 'Sailor Moon'; more material to reread and rereview. What are they?
Wait until tomorrow to find out!
In the meantime, as always:
Happy September Moon!
Final Score (for 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2'): 3.5/5
Her "true love" is, explicitly, Princess Serenity.
(And, hopefully, canonically, Rei/Sailor Mars.)
There are cameos of Usagi (and Naru), Ami, and Makoto. Even Sailor Chibi Moon and the Outer Sailor Guardians are shown... kind of. You see their silhouettes. Naoko Takeuchi had much planned from the start, before she properly began 'Sailor Moon'. 'Sailor V' was her throwing-concepts-at-the-wall warm-up.
It all comes full circle - like a full moon, or a crescent moon!
'Vol. 2' trivial notes:
We are introduced to Phantom Ace, aka proto-Tuxedo Mask, aka Ace Saijyo, aka Danburite, aka the reborn Adonis, a warrior from the planet Venus. During the ancient battle between the Moon/Silver Millennium and the Earth, Adonis fought under the command of the Four Kings of Heaven (of Earth), and was in love with Sailor Venus, the Princess of Venus, and leader of the Sailor Guardians and Protectors to Princess Serenity. But she was in love with Kunzite, one of the Four Kings. Yeah, Ace's whole motivation is he's a Nice Guy who was "friend-zoned", I don't mind spoiling that detail about him. Though Mina/Sailor V is "in love with him" in her present life, but then again she "falls in love" too quickly and easily with men, she's that shallow and desperate for someone to love her, neglecting what's really important - her princess and girlfriends. Ace's reveal and fate at the end is very well done, in my opinion.
The Dark Agency is a subsidiary of the Dark Kingdom.
The hilarious, confident and competent Inspector General, the Sailor V fangirl to Wakagi's Sailor V distrust and hate (Wakagi is her long-suffering police detective subordinate, and possible love interest, which will go nowhere). Her role is expanded delightfully, and her real name is Natsuna Sakurada. I remember reading once years and years ago, I don't remember where, that she is the sister of Haruna Sakurada, Usagi's schoolteacher. Either way, the family name is not a coincidence. Natsuna becomes friends with Mina - they bond over being Phantom Ace's groupies - and she finds out Mina is Sailor V, and begs the hero girl to work for her. On the very last page - how 'Codename: Sailor V' ends - Mina considers partnering with Natsuna, as a part-time Inspector General, despite her antagonism towards cops. It's a shame that this prospect and lead is a dead end, and we never see Natsuna, or Wakagi, again.
We see a lot of Mina's Ami-lookalike best friend Hikaru in this volume, but no more of Amano, whom Umino is an expy of. Neither Hikaru nor Amano are in 'Sailor Moon'.
Mina's parents don't appear again, either.
Motoki "Onii-san/Big Bro" Furuhata cameos, in the arcade/game center, of course.
All of Mina's light-haired male love interests* look so much alike. It seems like lazy character designs and templates, though perhaps it was done intentionally, to infer that Mina has a type, without stating it outright?
Sailor/Princess Venus's castle, Magellan, receives a mention, as part of her past self's backstory being explained to her by Ace/Adonis.
The entirety of the twelfth chapter, 'Wan-Wan's Schemes!', is Takeuchi-sensei's meta parallel, semi-autobiography on the life of a mangaka, and her own process in creating the premise, stories and characters for 'Sailor Moon' (this is where the silhouettes of all the solar system Sailor Guardians come from). Except 'Sailor Moon' is called 'Aurora Wedding' here. It's amusing and cute. However, the chapter ends with Takeuchi-sensei's "unattractive" self-insert suddenly being beautiful, because she's not wearing glasses anymore, and her love interest, whom she based her Tuxedo Mask-esque male lead on (called Coattail Mask, pfft), falls for her, now that she's "beautiful". He marries her on the spot, and she retires from making manga - at age twenty! Shallowness and '50s gender norms win! I hope this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, and not to be taken seriously, like most of 'Codename: Sailor V'. The story also foreshadows Luna, and Artemis missing and loving his fellow talking, black space cat with the crescent moon-shaped spot on her forehead.
I'm guessing that "Boss" is Queen Serenity of the ruined Silver Millennium, as that mystery isn't solved or even brought up here.
What happened to Fluorite, Danburite's righthand woman? I don't think she's in 'Vol. 2' at all.
That's it. That's enough. That's all I'll write.
Next up, after 'Codename: Sailor V', is 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'. Except I already talked about that manga series, volume by volume, in great, no-doubt unnecessary, fangirling depth, throughout this month.
I've read a grand total of eighteen manga volumes for September Moon. I enjoyed myself immensely, and the excitement, and the uplifting, life-affirming and empowering mood I got from reading this classic magical girl franchise all over again, has me inspired and hyped to branch out and read more magical girl manga.
Stay tuned to see what other magical girl goodness I'll gush about in the future...
'Sailor Moon' manga verdict: What fun, joy and heart! And female power and enlightenment!
However, September Moon isn't quite over yet.
I have a couple more inclusions planned for the month of 'Sailor Moon'; more material to reread and rereview. What are they?
Wait until tomorrow to find out!
In the meantime, as always:
Happy September Moon!
Final Score (for 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2'): 3.5/5
*Including Wakagi! She's thirteen, and he's in his late twenties, at least. It's never reciprocated, and she gets over him quickly, thank the Moon and all the heavenly bodies in the universe. At the end of the fat shaming first chapter, Mina/Sailor V purposely knocks Wakagi out, endangers his life, and kisses him while he's unconscious. There is so much no in the first chapter.
Original Review:
So fun. So wrong. Yet so right. Even without knowing anything about the sequel series.
Throughout reading the second and last volume of 'Codename: Sailor V', I was receiving messages that have to do with some problematic societal stereotypes concerning women and girls, even for Japan in the late 80s and early 90s, which sadly still exist to this day the world over.
These stereotypes include:
* No one likes girls who don't fit the skinny/slim model body type, so diets - even ones literally falling from the sky - are absolutely essential for all girls, because fat = sinful if you're a girl;
(There is an evil spa treatment centre in here too, so there is a message about exploitation and not trusting all get-thin-quick products. But it still goes back to the idea of how all women are and must be naturally beautiful and thin, as if fatness is ugly and unnatural in women, because it makes them undesirable to men. But what is beauty, and by who's standards? The literal planet Venus and the universal gods? Good grief!)
* Beautiful women = happy women;
* Inner and outer beauty are the same thing, with no discussion of what defines the word "beauty" when applied to women;
* All women and girls (specifically pretty ones) need heterosexual love and care in their lives;
* And no man likes a girl with glasses and they should be gotten rid of, eyesight be damned (there is an irony to this on the man's part).
But on the other hand, the manga builds up to an ending which is one of the most poignant love tragedies ever - for Sailor V herself. And yet it isn't really a tragedy. This manga may in fact, after all the stupid sexist crap, be promoting a message about how said stupid sexist crap is just that. That being beautiful and needing men are not essential for all women. That female relationships are more important. That there are different kinds of love, not just romantic.
This last adventure of Sailor V's is where she learns what it truly means to be a woman - to take responsibility, and discover what's really worth fighting for. Duty and love may at first not seem to mix, but assuming that same love can mean friendship and justice, maybe they can work cooperatively. Sailor V - Minako Aino - awakens as Sailor Venus upon discovering her true identity, what justice means and what her true mission is. For those who already know about 'Sailor Moon', you know that that mission is to work hard and battle alongside other girls, to selflessly protect a princess, and to fight in an ongoing galactic war using her physical strength, confidence and leadership skills. Her own love life has nothing to do with any of this, and it shouldn't do, because there are far more pressing things at stake, like the universe being in danger. Female friendship power FTW!
Sailor Venus, utterly boy-crazy and named for the Goddess of Love, learns that her destiny has nothing to do with love or romance. She isn't a princess living in modern day Japan, but a warrior among other female warriors, whose solemn duty is to protect another female friend, plus the universe.
Maybe I'm too willing to give this manga the benefit of the doubt and not analyse any mixed messages. But I'm a positive person at heart and that is how I interpret Sailor Venus's final solo outing.
'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2' is even sillier and more comedic than the previous volume. It is also very long for a traditional manga at nearly 300 pages. Minako is a selfish and thoughtless brat who complains a lot, and we see poor Artemis struggling to cope with her wild behaviour; not to mention her verbally declaring that she sees him as being lower than a pet. Talk about ungrateful, and hard to please when even a talking cat bores you. But Mina is only thirteen, after all. And she still loves sports, athletics and video games. For her time she is a hyper-confident and outspoken heroine, like a Japanese Wonder Woman. Her number of "first loves" in each chapter is played for laughs (brought up by the savvy Artemis), and in view of what happens to Mina at the very end, this can be considered a tragic irony.
Mina's mother and her friend Gurikazu Amano sadly don't appear in her final manga chronicle, but her friend Hikaru Sorano plays quite a big and important part as the selfless, caring role model whom Mina comes to aspire to. I love Natsuna Sakurada, the superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board (and the sister of Haruna Sakurada, Usagi Tsukino's schoolteacher in 'Sailor Moon'). She is very funny, and her relationship with Mina/Sailor V is great once they come to know one another and find out how much they have in common. Natsuna wants Sailor V to join the police force, and Mina might just consider it...
All in all, this manga might not be all that special, nor even stands the test of time. It overdoes the classic "villain-of-the-week" formula, the villain origins are vague and slightly confusing, and compared to Naoko Takeuchi's more famous work it is very light and unfocused. But any 'Sailor Moon' fan should still check out the two volumes centering around the origin of Sailor Venus, to see how she became the headstrong leader we know her best as; how much she sacrificed to get to that position as a Sailor Soldier and Guardian.
She remembers her past life and learns to become a less selfish person, and this character development made going through the silly first three-quarters of the manga worth it.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
So fun. So wrong. Yet so right. Even without knowing anything about the sequel series.
Throughout reading the second and last volume of 'Codename: Sailor V', I was receiving messages that have to do with some problematic societal stereotypes concerning women and girls, even for Japan in the late 80s and early 90s, which sadly still exist to this day the world over.
These stereotypes include:
* No one likes girls who don't fit the skinny/slim model body type, so diets - even ones literally falling from the sky - are absolutely essential for all girls, because fat = sinful if you're a girl;
(There is an evil spa treatment centre in here too, so there is a message about exploitation and not trusting all get-thin-quick products. But it still goes back to the idea of how all women are and must be naturally beautiful and thin, as if fatness is ugly and unnatural in women, because it makes them undesirable to men. But what is beauty, and by who's standards? The literal planet Venus and the universal gods? Good grief!)
* Beautiful women = happy women;
* Inner and outer beauty are the same thing, with no discussion of what defines the word "beauty" when applied to women;
* All women and girls (specifically pretty ones) need heterosexual love and care in their lives;
* And no man likes a girl with glasses and they should be gotten rid of, eyesight be damned (there is an irony to this on the man's part).
But on the other hand, the manga builds up to an ending which is one of the most poignant love tragedies ever - for Sailor V herself. And yet it isn't really a tragedy. This manga may in fact, after all the stupid sexist crap, be promoting a message about how said stupid sexist crap is just that. That being beautiful and needing men are not essential for all women. That female relationships are more important. That there are different kinds of love, not just romantic.
This last adventure of Sailor V's is where she learns what it truly means to be a woman - to take responsibility, and discover what's really worth fighting for. Duty and love may at first not seem to mix, but assuming that same love can mean friendship and justice, maybe they can work cooperatively. Sailor V - Minako Aino - awakens as Sailor Venus upon discovering her true identity, what justice means and what her true mission is. For those who already know about 'Sailor Moon', you know that that mission is to work hard and battle alongside other girls, to selflessly protect a princess, and to fight in an ongoing galactic war using her physical strength, confidence and leadership skills. Her own love life has nothing to do with any of this, and it shouldn't do, because there are far more pressing things at stake, like the universe being in danger. Female friendship power FTW!
Sailor Venus, utterly boy-crazy and named for the Goddess of Love, learns that her destiny has nothing to do with love or romance. She isn't a princess living in modern day Japan, but a warrior among other female warriors, whose solemn duty is to protect another female friend, plus the universe.
Maybe I'm too willing to give this manga the benefit of the doubt and not analyse any mixed messages. But I'm a positive person at heart and that is how I interpret Sailor Venus's final solo outing.
'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2' is even sillier and more comedic than the previous volume. It is also very long for a traditional manga at nearly 300 pages. Minako is a selfish and thoughtless brat who complains a lot, and we see poor Artemis struggling to cope with her wild behaviour; not to mention her verbally declaring that she sees him as being lower than a pet. Talk about ungrateful, and hard to please when even a talking cat bores you. But Mina is only thirteen, after all. And she still loves sports, athletics and video games. For her time she is a hyper-confident and outspoken heroine, like a Japanese Wonder Woman. Her number of "first loves" in each chapter is played for laughs (brought up by the savvy Artemis), and in view of what happens to Mina at the very end, this can be considered a tragic irony.
Mina's mother and her friend Gurikazu Amano sadly don't appear in her final manga chronicle, but her friend Hikaru Sorano plays quite a big and important part as the selfless, caring role model whom Mina comes to aspire to. I love Natsuna Sakurada, the superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board (and the sister of Haruna Sakurada, Usagi Tsukino's schoolteacher in 'Sailor Moon'). She is very funny, and her relationship with Mina/Sailor V is great once they come to know one another and find out how much they have in common. Natsuna wants Sailor V to join the police force, and Mina might just consider it...
All in all, this manga might not be all that special, nor even stands the test of time. It overdoes the classic "villain-of-the-week" formula, the villain origins are vague and slightly confusing, and compared to Naoko Takeuchi's more famous work it is very light and unfocused. But any 'Sailor Moon' fan should still check out the two volumes centering around the origin of Sailor Venus, to see how she became the headstrong leader we know her best as; how much she sacrificed to get to that position as a Sailor Soldier and Guardian.
She remembers her past life and learns to become a less selfish person, and this character development made going through the silly first three-quarters of the manga worth it.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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