Summary
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories gives fans a fun and light-hearted spin-off focusing on other beloved characters. The episodes offer a deeper look into the lives and backstories of the Sailor Scouts, adding more layers to the iconic series. While no new projects have been announced, Sailor Moon's legacy remains strong, influencing genres and pop culture around the world.
Sailor Moon is one of the most iconic and beloved anime and manga series of all time. Netflix recently released the final season of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos to Western audiences, concluding its reboot of the series. Both the 1992 and 2014 anime adaptations were charming and entertaining, with the latter being a bit more faithful to the manga. Luckily for fans, There are even more stories about Sailor Scouts. That could satisfy the thirst for Sailor Moon content after Cosmos.
“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories” is a two-volume spin-off manga that expands on the lives and stories of several Sailor Scouts. The original Japanese manga was released 20 years ago, but an official English translation of both volumes was published by Kodansha in 2013. These stories are only in mangaSo they definitely carry Takeuchi's original style for those who have only seen the anime version of Serena and other characters.
Backstory, Comedy and Romance: Short Stories That Have a Little Bit of Everything
Created by Naoko Takeuchi
The main story in Sailor Moon itself is one of the pinnacles of shojo anime, and it has its fair share of ingredients in its story. Romance, drama, action, and slice of life are pillars that run through it all. In Short Stories, it has a little more Takeuchi has fun with his characters without the consequences of conforming or affecting a main plot.. And while the main story of Sailor Moon focuses clearly on Serena, all of the short stories focus on other characters.
In addition to being separate volumes, the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Short Stories are now also included in the third generation of the Sailor Moon Eternal reprint manga, for a total of 10 volumes.
The short stories are not directly related to the main story, however, it is still better to read them after completing the plot because most of the main characters appear, and it is much more fun to have the context of some of the situations and jokes. The outer Sailor Scouts also appear in one of the stories to help defeat a bad guy, which is worth reading. Overall, this side manga is a fun change of pace after saving the galaxy in the main plot.
Side Stories Bring Other Sailor Scouts Into the Spotlight
Amy, Lita, Raye, and even Luna the cat are all main characters in their own stories. Mina shares another very interesting story with Raye, which is fair, since she already has her own manga: Codename: Sailor V, and Rini is the main character of no less than three short stories in volume one. Overall, Both episodes have a cheerful tone.But it's also true that some stories, like “Casablanca Memories,” which delves into Raye's past, are much more mature stories than the story of Rini and Serena's struggles with tooth decay.
The first story in volume 2, “Princess Kaguya's Lover”, has been The plot is similar to the 1994 film Sailor Moon S: The Movie. This is Naoko Takeuchi’s take on the classic Japanese folk tale of Princess Kaguya, with elements of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” It is the only story to have had some form of adaptation. The author also explored the idea of the Sailor Scouts as mothers in her final story, “Parallel Sailor Moon,” which is also the silliest of all the short stories.
Sailor Moon's Unfading Legacy – The Beautiful Guardian Continues to Impress
Franchising has lost none of its appeal after three decades.
Overall, the short stories portray the same cute, girly energy and imagery of the Sailor Moon series as a whole, with added notes of fun and not-so-seriousness. Both “Short Stories” volumes are additions to the global phenomenon that the series has become, and it wouldn’t be unrealistic to hope to see all of these vibrant parts come to life in animated form one day. No new projects have been announced since the release of Cosmos' second season last year.But considering how many classic anime series have been brought back over the past decade, Sailor Moon probably isn't ready to leave the stage just yet.
Even if no new Sailor Moon content is released, the series will never be forgotten. It has become a mainstay of the romance and magical girl genres, both of which are seeing a resurgence in the current era. Not only are other anime and manga heavily influenced by Sailor Moon, Many Western anime, such as Star vs. The Forces of Evil and Bee and Puppycat, clearly show inspiration from Takeuchi's creations.. Besides being entertaining, Sailor Moon has also become a powerful symbol for female empowerment.
It's hard to believe that it's been a decade since Sailor Moon Crystal first aired. Seeing the story come to an end once again can evoke strong feelings of nostalgia for some fans, but luckily, some lesser-known media like “Sailor Moon Short Story by Pretty Guardian“There are still volumes for fans who haven't given up on Sailor Scouts. Serena and her friends are so charming that they make readers wish they were friends too, just like Naoko Takeuchi herself said.
