Synopsis:
Like the popular anime, Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon is the story of a young girl name Usagi who, with the guidance of a talking cat named Luna, becomes Sailormoon -- a fighter for love and justice. Along the way, she is joined by nine other sailor soldiers to fulfill their destiny...

Review:
If I were to use one word to summarize this manga, I'd say brilliant.

It starts out the way the anime does -- Usagi rescues Luna, Luna reveals Usagi's destiny, yada yada... but majority of the plot is different from the anime. For starters, the manga is not 'start day, monster-of-the-day attacks, transform, zap monster'. It's not redundant. The characters are also portrayed differently, with each having his/her own unique qualities that enhance the story. For instance, Rei Hino (Sailormars) in the anime is a real b*tch, whereas in the manga she is generally more quiet and reserved. The main character Usagi (Sailormoon) is depicted as a braver and more serious heroine too, which is in my opinion, better characterization. Even the annoying Chibi-Usa / Rini is a more likeable person in the manga. The manga is also more straightforward in handling situations and relationships. Haruka and Michiru (Sailors Uranus and Neptune) are more open about their feelings for each other. Other differences include power attacks that you never see in the anime, such as 'Mercury Shine Snow Illusion'', "Venus Wink Chain Sword", and ''Pluto Chronos Typhoon".

The artwork is excellent for most part, with only a few sketchy details here and there. Spanning 18 volumes, manga volumes 1-11 are equivalant to the anime's first season and R series. The next four, SuperS 1-4, are equal to the anime's SuperS series (it's a lot better in the manga!) and Stars 1-3, is equal to, well... the Sailorstars series. At times there are little inserts in the backs of the volumes from Naoko Takeuchi's sketch books. These feature stuff like original senshi costume ideas (which were quite on the hideous side) and short add-ons like "Rini's Diary". All and all, this is a manga series you don't want to miss!

Miscellanies:
The US version of the manga changes Usagi's name to "Bunny" to keep the original pun (since "usagi" means bunny or rabbit in Japanese). The title was also shortened to "Sailor Moon".

Sample Panels:

Shopping - click on title to purchase:

Amazon Sailor Moon (Graphic Novel Vol. 1)
AnimeNation Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon (Import Graphic Novels)

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