best series ever!
The American version of the anime is awful... I can understand why a lot of people criticize it. Please consider watching the original japanese video with english subs and you'll love it!
My first manga/anime ever, the best so far.

Manga version is much better than the anime one, for instance in the characters' development department (well, at least concerning the 'good guys'). Among the biggest and better differences, Usagi/Serena actually grows up as a person, Mamoru/Darien has both a more than decent personality -ok, I love the guy ;p - and more than decent powers not to mention a better fashion sense. And Chibi-Usa/Reenie is a quite likeable character, and so on... .
Moreover, the monsters-of-the-day are almost absent (hooray), and the 'Power Ranger' factor is thankfully very low (double hooray): you can appreciate more and more the lack of these elements as the story goes on ;).

Emphasis on 'as the story go on' because the story starts as fairly episodic, it's only later that you start to see the big picture.
And, boy, what a BIG picture turns out to be, and a surprisingly coherent one (considering the number of characters alone, it's impressive. Add to this the work overload - the author ended up working contemporarily on the manga, the anime, the musical version, then the live action... all of them with some major plotline and characterization differences -. Sometimes it's quite easy to see the artist just went with the flow with her golden egg goose, but she managed to wrap basically everything together in the end (and the loose ends are absolutely yummy: no wonder Sailor Moon has a huge fandom and fanfiction base even now. With some good-to-excellent writers on top of it).
Some plot-twists and settings in the manga were just great and unexpected (especially in the last two arcs -aka the (in)famous Super S and Stars anime seasons) and IMO basically balanced out and/or even redeemed some of the plot devices repetitions and shoujo clichès.
On the other hand, of course there are some plot-holes and the aforementioned loose ends; the villians are not developed as they could have been (and sometimes as they should have deserved too); the art may not be pleasant to everyone (both style and quality can vary a lot too. My appreciation of it varies a lot too up to the moment, and I 'm supposed to be a hard-core fan).

In the end, it's a series with an amazing and fascinating potential, that puts together both East and West in regards to myths, folklore, and literature references/influences, not to mention it weaves together different manga genres. Sometimes the mix doesn't blend very well, but when it does, it's great. Personally, I still love this story: both thanks to and in spite of the contradictions due to all the different cultures' elements and the 'Romeo and Juliet + superheroes action' core.

So, yes, I'd suggest you to try the manga (unless you can't stand romance at all, because you'll find plenty of it ). The hard copies for English audience (and not only for English people :/) may be hard to find due to the whole matter of copyrights controversy between the mangaka and the publishing/anime companies. But the manga has now been completely scanlated by Royal Orange, and you can still found the torrents for the Mixx version around the web (hint: Google search for 'Sailor Moon Center' or 'Anime Avatar')

Overall Rating: 8.0/8.5. It had the *potential* for a 10 though.
I'm rating it 10 nonetheless for the sake of global rating in the page.

... Last updated on March 31st, 2008, 4:56am

This is an unabashedly girl-power read. But hey, that's the whole point! This series began in the early 1990s as a girl counterpoint to the male-centric entertainment at the time (think Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles). Although Sailor Moon was my first introduction to manga, it still rates at the top of my list. So then, why does it still seem so fresh after all these years?

Although written with a young teenage audience in mind, Sailor Moon is surprisingly deep. Takeuchi-sensei incorporated astrology, Greek mythology, and complex symbolism to create the backdrop for her school-girl champions of love and justice. This manga's art is cute and girly, but the story is rich in detail and sometimes quite dark. Each character is well-developed and each personality is distinct (with each sailor senshi corresponding to the different signs of the Western zodiac). Everyone in Sailor Moon has believable flaws and strengths (villain and hero alike), so that you become invested in what happens in the plot.

Of course, the romance between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask is worth noting. It is sweet and romantic without ever becoming explicit. (Again, this was written for a young audience, but that doesn't mean a chastely depicted romance can't be enjoyable! In my opinion it's nice not to have the explicit smut that seems to pervade shoujo these days...)

The conclusion is a little rushed but oh-so-satisfying. I think, if you come in knowing what kind of genre you're in for, you'll come away with a special place in your heart for this classic series, as I do.

... Last updated on January 23rd, 2012, 11:46pm

When I was a little girl I first saw the anime and when I was about 13 I remembered it and it opend a whole new world to me, so I'm just saying that a "cartoon" can really change a persons life --> Thanks to 'Sailor Moon' I've learnded to dream BIG

x

My first manga series was actually Hareluya II Boy, and I was like 7 when I started sneaking copies home (lived in Japan for the better part of my life), so I didn't start out on the girlie end of the spectrum either. I, too, was a huge tomboy and hated pretty much everything that was even remotely girlie. But I did read Sailor Moon as one of my best friends at the time--who was a boy, believe it or not--had talked me into reading it. For those of you who don't know this, I just want to state that there are some rather HUGE DIFFERENCES in the manga and the anime:




So even if you didn't like the Sailor Moon anime, then maybe give a chapter or two of the manga a try. The manga moves at a much faster pace than the anime, so that may or may not be a good thing s to some (I personally love that), and Usagi isn't made out to be a dimwitted wuss like she is in the anime. Actually, I didn't really like much of the anime series save for a few episodes.

But yeah...huge differences between the two.

... Last updated on January 17th, 2014, 7:13am

wow i saw the anime like 10 years ago and i loved it, but the manga seems so much better or at least different. i love it.
and even though i kinda know the story it still is veeeeeeeeeeeryyyy addicting

... Last updated on August 3rd, 2008, 2:03pm

Ok, so like anyone who was growing up/living in the 90s, you know the Sailor Moon series. Everyone loved watching it on Cartoon Network and it was probably some people's first exposure to anime. It certainly was mine and I fell in love!! Although the dub wasn't too great and doesn't do the manga justice, it was pretty good.
Ok, now onto the actual manga. (I doubt anyone is going to be reading Sailor Moon now though..You should!) The manga is SO much different than the anime. The characters are more mature, Darien/Mamoru actually has a use other than throwing roses and swishing a cape, and the art is just gorgeous! I love Naoko's full color works (look up her artbooks and original cover art!), they are just wonderful. I love the watercolors and different techniques. Also, for a early 90s manga, I find her art is pretty darn decent compared to some other works then like BB Fish, Baby and Me, and other such 90s art..Anyways!
The story has the same arcs as the anime, except the useless filler and Monster of the Day crap is cut out. The romance between Serena/Usagi and Mamoru is much deeper and mature than the anime and the manga even has some ''steamy'' scenes. The plot definitely feels much more involved and fast paced than the anime. My only irk about it was that it wasn't as funny as the anime, except for the side stories, but hey, what can you do?
In general, Sailor Moon is a great read for fun or just to immerse yourself in the legend that forever lives.

I love it! First manga and anime I ever read and i can still reread it over and over again. I'm glad that Starry Heaven is translating it since the English version of it is low quality and the flipping of the art ruined the pleasure of having an english copy for me.

It's wayyyyy better than the anime. Although there is a lot of excitement in the episodes of the anime version, it drags on in the latter version. But reading the manga, I'm half way done and the characters are so much different. Usagi is def. more mature and grown than in the anime, not always a cry baby...I think that was only in the first volume. Problems get solved quicker and it's not as it might be when watching the anime. I like it much better tha the anime version.
The characters are just so much better in the manga and you actually are more likely to believe in usagi and mamoru's love for one another through the manga. They constantly hold hands, kiss, etc...inseparable, which the anime doesn't show. Don't judge bishoujo senshi sailor moon solely on the anime. With the manga you may get a fuller picture of things.

It's sort of long, but I liked it a lot!

... Last updated on June 3rd, 2014, 6:27am

Luckily the German anime had the original episodes sans episode 89 which was nt shown.
Over a friend I had I also learnt off the Manga and bought it from that point on

I also think that the manga is brilliant because it is depper and can concentrate more on the characters and the arcs (obv because there is no need of a demon of the day) and I liek the maturing of the characters , and also like the short stories and side notes by the author

... Last updated on May 6th, 2010, 11:28am