美少女戦士セーラームーン/Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Volume 2 Manga Review

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*SPOILERS*

The story has Queen Beryl communing with her master, Queen Metalia, as the search continues to find a means to fully restore her to life and plans are laid to stop the Sailor Guardians. Sailor Moon and company continue their search for whom they think is the Princess, Sailor Venus. Eventually she shows up and briefly allows them to continue their misconception, but as their memories return, Sailor Moon realizes she’s the Princess Serenity as do the others. They continue their battles with the Dark Empire and Usagi/Sailor Moon continues to be enraptured by Tuxedo Mask, whom she eventually remembers from her former life as being someone she loved then.  The group takes a trip to the moon to gain more information about their past and current mission before returning to Earth. Beryl gains control over Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon now has to fight the man she has always loved.

One thing that has struck me about volume 2 of Sailor Moon is that it isn’t the fluffy bunny material that Sailor V is.  The story feels somewhat contrived to make it seem that Sailor Venus is the princess they are to protect before they all come to realize that Sailor Moon is the true princess. Takeuchi-sensei has a good excuse for it, but for some reason, I get the feeling that maybe this was part of her skillful retconning to work Sailor Venus into the story from her own manga series without truly diminishing her.

Speaking of Sailor Venus, she certainly isn’t the same as the “V-chan” from Sailor V.  Except for one moment, she was mostly pretty serious and mature and could easily be the leader of this group, especially since she has so much experience fighting the Dark Empire.

I’m sure the girls love the Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask romance angle, though it comes off kinda “meh” to me.  I see the “how romantic” stuff with Tuxedo Mask behaving as a gentleman rescuing his lady and Sailor Moon loving the attention of Tuxedo Mask.  Now that we have the, “we were lovers in our former life,” that gives things an air of tragedy as well since Tuxedo Mask is “under the influence” as the saying goes. ^_^;

So, all five of the original Sailor Senshi team is here, but I know more will come later, for whatever reasons.

On the Kodansha Comics side, there are color pages at the start, which is nice. I wish all original color pages were included but oh well (assuming there were more during the manga’s original run).  The standard Japanese honorifics are here, but sadly, the brother/sister honorifics are excised or translated. There are a few translator notes, which is always good.  Since Sailor Moon isn’t a manga that reaches out and grabs me, I didn’t notice any grammar errors if there were some.

So, certainly this manga has shed much of the fluffy bunny stuff without losing some of the shoujo elements to get the girls hooked on the romance and branching out from there.  Me, I’ll keep reading to continue my education in influential manga/anime.