Really, I don't think my review could do justice to the breathtakingly beautiful 'Sailor Moon' story, 'Princess Kaguya's Lover'. But I'll try.
Welcome to my fourteenth and last 'Sailor Moon' manga review, 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Short Stories Vol. 2'.
The first short story is the above-mentioned 'Princess Kaguya's Lover', the longest of the three. Basically it's about Luna falling in love with a human man, centring on the classic Japanese folktale about the moon princess Kaguya (already it had inspired the entire ‘Sailor Moon’ plot), commonly known as 'Tale of the Bamboo Cutter' (the animation company, Studio Ghibli, recently made a film version entitled, 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya', which I highly recommend).
But it's so much more than that.
There are numerous great characters of old and new. Especially Himeko Nayota, an aspiring astronaut who achieves her dream on her own, not limiting herself or putting anything aside for the man she loves. She remains set in her ambitions and fights on, never giving in to sexism: women should pursue any career they choose, regardless of what's expected of them or is normalised. This is a fantastic message to send to young female readers - to see a smart, confident woman literally reach for the stars to live out her lifelong dream. In fact, she is more dynamic and practical to the story than her male counterpart, who, despite being the main focus, is sick and rendered bedridden for the most part. A clever role reversal that doesn't bring attention to itself in the least.
Kakeru Ohzora, the object of both Luna's and Himeko's affections, is a wonderful man who supports his childhood friend Himeko, and feels guilty when he finds he might be glad if she never becomes an astronaut - because that is also his dream, made impossible due to his own tragic, individual circumstance. Yet he never comes across as bitter, overbearing or "emasculated" (why does this word even exist?) He's just lonely - a main theme in the story. With his love of candy and belief in stories about princesses on the moon, Kakeru has a childlike charm to his character; extending the substance of his tragic tale. I could buy Luna falling for him completely, even though she is already with Artemis, as destiny would have it. (Don't worry, the defeated cat Art has his moments too in regards to Luna).
'Princess Kaguya's Lover' could be called a Christmas story, since it's set around that time, and winter plays an important part. But like everything else, this feature is underplayed, thus subtly emphasizing the story's rich complexities. It is a thing of beauty - a crystal charm.
Other highlights include Luna innocently eating KonpeitÅ (star-shaped candy), and asking Usagi about her relationship with Mamoru. There's homesick Chibiusa talking about playing the "lead role" in receiving a most-wanted gift in 30th century Christmas - seemingly included for funzies at first, but this becomes a plot point at the end. The Inner and Outer Guardians (minus the strangely absent Hotaru) team up and fight the enemy alien - Princess Snow Kaguya herself - in space. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Chibi-Moon even combine their powers into "Pink Sugar Tuxedo Attack!!" - This is so funny and adorable, and it shows how far they've come in their father-and-daughter bond.
One other thing that makes 'Princess Kaguya's Lover' a stand-out and dare-I-say revolutionary story in the 'Sailor Moon' ethos? Sailor Moon actually interacts and engages with a citizen!
I mean, we see this in the anime, with its fill of 200 episodes, but never in the manga format. Himeko, a side character, gets to not only meet Sailor Moon, but talk to her, and be entrusted with knowledge about the Soldiers' tactical plans of saving the world from an enemy invasion. Himeko is an ordinary woman who, on the verge of a larger-than-life dream of going into space and landing on the moon - on top of supporting her sick friend/lover Kakeru - finds out that magic and aliens exist. Even Luna talks to her! (The two are never perceived as rivals for a man's affections, thank Serenity). We see how she deals with all this, and it's one of the many reasons why I think Himeko Nayota is the best "normal" character in 'Sailor Moon'. Brave and determined, she is a remarkable woman in her own way - without Sailor Guardian powers, she still goes into space, and saves those she loves.
Together with Luna's truly selfless love (she is unquestionably the main character) and the ambiguous ending, there isn't a standalone 'Sailor Moon' story which comes as close to perfection as 'Princess Kaguya's Lover'.
Yes, for I know it isn't perfect. The villain Snow Kaguya is given a great opportunity for character development and actually being sympathetic. She was left alone in space for 4.5 billion years after being cast out of ruling the earth by (it's speculated) the Legendary Silver Crystal. She feeds off of people's loneliness, so it could be she wants to gain back memories of companionship and love, and isn’t just power-hungry, as would be expected. But Snow Kaguya is presented as a typical evil invader in almost all her too-few appearances, no less predictable than Queen Beryl or other alien monsters. There is no clear indication that she might have gone insane with loneliness after billions of years in deep space. Not helped by the Sailor Guardians - including the paragon of love and justice Sailor Moon - calling her "ugly" and "primeval" and a "has-been". A weak antagonist is sadly the main downfall.
There's also this line from Makoto: "Being alone on Christmas Eve is really lonely". Redundancy is really redundant, don't you think? Though maybe that's a translation flub.
But flaws aside, 'Princess Kaguya's Lover' stands the test of time. It may be not only one of my favourite 'Sailor Moon' stories, but one of my favourite stories, period.
The ending comes with journal entries from Naoko Takeuchi herself on actually going to NASA for research during the development stage of 'Princess Kaguya's Lover'. She also gives out details on her research into antiques, inspiring her villain designs. It gives an account of how passionate she was about this particular story, how far she went into making it a fully-fledged, authentic tale. Her passion and joy shows in the end result, reciprocated by the spellbound reader.
It is gorgeous - taking an old folk-yarn, mixing it with a modern spin; with new advanced technology allowing humans to go into space and see the moon from on high. Plus feminism. Nuanced and a real tear-jerker, I love it.
Now onto the last two stories, which are much shorter, so they'll get bit reviews.
'Casa Blanca Memory' is not as good as 'Princess Kaguya's Lover', but it's lovely all the same. Definitely recommended for Rei fans. It's her story of how she first fell in love, how it mostly made her melancholy, and whether or not it was one-sided and in her then-naive imagination. It’s about why she ultimately decided never to trust or associate herself with men. Despite its creepy vibe of men-following-underaged-girls that's in 'Sailor Moon' more often than is comfortable, 'Casa Blanca Memory' has an atmosphere overflowing with sad yet optimistic emotions, implemented in aid of the message about moving forward steadily in life and to not dwell on the past or past love. Flowers and budding are its core symbols. It gets a little confusing in where its flashbacks are placed, but this is no big deal overall. It's beautiful, mysterious and takes things slowly, just like Rei/Sailor Mars:
"If I were to ever fall in love, I'd likely want to claim everything of that person and keep it completely to myself. I might end up destroying that person. That's why I'm not going to love. The current me doesn't need love. Because I have comrades who share the same goal as me. Because I've got all of you."
She is awesome.
Then there's 'Parallel Sailor Moon', a non-canon alternate universe "story" that somehow got into this serious short story volume and not the previous, sillier one. Even for charity, it is just a load of messing around; sticking in parody bits here and there. In an alternate reality set in a sunny Suburb, every single character is a spoilt wretch, with the bonus of also being either an arsehole or an idiot. The Inner Senshi all have daughters who are named after them, and they are horrible brats who bully and leave to die a second daughter of Usagi's, Ko-Usagi. The only bizarre thing that happens that can be called entertaining is the ending, where the earth is under attack by a giant herd of rabbits from outer space. The Guardian children defeat it by merging a bunch of cats into a giant lynx to eat the rabbits in a meagre couple of pages. It's so insane it's genuinely funny. Doesn't save the rest from being mean-spirited and kind of a waste of time.
I'm giving the whole volume five Milky Way shooting stars for 'Princess Kaguya's lover' and 'Casa Blanca Memory' alone.
Well, that's it. I hope people have enjoyed reading my 'Sailor Moon' reviews as much as I've enjoyed writing and reliving them. Talking in detail about why you love the things you love is a triumphant experience, and I know how it is to care for something, warts and flaws and all. I adore the girl power, the characters, the artwork, the stories, the mixing of different elements of mythology. These are all special and give something - a role big or small - for everyone.
Nothing more to add.
Except, "The End".
But not really, because Sailor Moon, a classic fictional guardian of love and peace, still popular today, will always live in my heart.
Final Score: 5/5
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