Crystals in the Moonlight: Sailor Moon? What is that?

Earlier in the decade, a Japanese woman named Naoko Takeuchi came up with the idea to make a story about a group of ("magical") girls who were heroines of the universe. The story would be based somewhat upon the fairy tale of Tsuki Hime (the Moon Princess), as well as include several tidbits of Greco-Roman mythology. Going with her idea, she developed it into a series of manga (Japanese comic book) issues, which quickly became popular.

Months later, a television production company saw that Takeuchi-san's story, called "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" had potential to be a big hit on television. What was the result? A very successful program. Check out Hitoshi Doi's Sailor Moon Encyclopedia for more info about the Japanese version.

Beginning in March of 1992, the anime series of "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" (based on the manga of the same name) began its debut on Japanese television. It became a big hit, gaining favor from people of all ages. That fame spread throughout the world.

Then, a television production company in the United States thought they could do something with Sailor Moon on American television. In September of 1995, "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" began its one-and-only season on American television, under the name "Sailor Moon." It ended thirteen weeks later, with sixty-five episodes being shown. A sixty-sixth never showed in the United States (though a "second series" of the show aired in Canada in September of 1997). Nevertheless, the show has gained lots of support from Americans of all ages. And, of course, there is a site on the internet discussing the future of "Sailor Moon" in America. Click here to go to the Save Our Sailors page

"Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" also premiered on the televisions of people in many other countries, including the Philippines, Canada, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany, as well as some others I don't know about.

Today, both the anime and manga series are active. There are a few slight differences between the film and book versions. "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon" has progressed into its fifth season/volume, named "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars," or simply "Sailor Stars." The divisions of the anime seasons are shown below.

Sailor Moon: 3/7/1992 through 2/27/1993, Episodes 1 through 46
Sailor Moon R, Part 1: 3/6/1993 through 6/19/1993, Episodes 47 through 59
Sailor Moon R, Part 2: 6/26/1993 through 3/12/1994, Episodes 60 through 89
Sailor Moon S: 3/19/1994 through 2/25/1995, Episodes 90 through 127
Sailor Moon SuperS: 3/4/1995 through 2/27/1996, Episodes 128 through 166
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: 3/5/1996 through 2/8/1997, Episodes 167-200

There have also been three movies. The Sailor Moon R movie was released in December of 1993, the S movie in December 1994, and the SuperS movie in December 1995.

In America, we've seen only episodes 1-72, with 7 of them being deleted (Japanese episodes 2, 5, 6, 20, 42, 46, and 67), giving us a total of 65. Click here for the episode list. In Canada, 17 more episodes (73-89) have been shown, bringing the total to 82.

So, for about half a decade or so, Sailor Moon has lived a wonderful, prosperous life. The fifth season, Sailor Stars, is the last. Throughout that time, the show has entertained thousands of people world-wide with its interesting storyline. And...

...Here's how the story begins...well, at least the North American version...

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One thousand years ago, the universe was at a state of total peace. This period of time, called the Silver Millenium, was a happy and prosperous time for human kind. The universe was ruled by Queen Serenity, who lived on the Moon. The Moon Kingdom led all of the planets during the Silver Millenium.

However, a threat to this long-lasting peace existed in the form of the Negaverse. The Negaverse was the direct opposite of the universe of the Moon Kingdom. It was a place of hatred, deceit, cruelty, torment, and evil. At the core of the Negaverse, an entity existed which was the main force in the Negaverse, called "The Negaforce". The Negaverse itself was ruled by an evil woman, Queen Beryl. With the help of the Negaforce, Beryl planned to conquer the universe, starting with the Moon.

During a lunar eclipse, Queen Beryl led her minions to the moon, and quickly began their attack. It ended almost as quickly as it had started. The warriors of the Moon Kingdom were no match for the overwhelming, relentless forces of the Negaverse. The Moon Kingdom tried to retaliate. Four young girls, the princesses of their respected planets, attempted to fight off the tremendous Negaforce, but their attempt proved to be futile. In the end, there were many casualties. Two of these deaths included an Earth Prince who fought bravely against the Negaverse warriors. The other was Queen Serenity's only daughter.

After the decisive battle, the Negaverse claimed victory. Queen Serenity knew that she could not let the Negaverse win. She resorted to one final act. Using the power of her Imperium Silver Crystal, Queen Serenity purged the universe of its invaders. Queen Beryl, the Negaforce, and the Negaverse's army were all sent back to the Negaverse. Also, she sent many of her people away, so that they may live in peace once again. Her daughter, along with her court of princesses, was sent one thousand years into the future, to the present-day earth. Queen Serenity gave her life, so that her people, and her universe could live in peace once more. She knew her daughter must live on, because she was destined to be the next Queen of the Universe.

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Enter Serena. Serena is a fourteen year-old girl who lives in the city. She goes to junior high school, has a family and friends, hangs out at the arcade, listens to music, reads comic books, and does other things. She likes to eat, hates homework, and is very clumsy. She's just a normal teenage girl...or is she? That's what Serena thought, at least until the day came when her life would change forever.

On her way to school, Serena met a black cat. Much to her surprise, this cat talked! The cat was named Luna, and she was a messenger from the Moon. She was one of the survivors of the attack on the Moon Kingdom. Luna's mission, as she explained it, was to guide a group of warriors--the Sailor Scouts--and find the lost princess of the Moon. Serena had a difficult time accepting this, but after saying those magic words, "Moon Prism Power", she realized that this cat must be telling the truth. Serena discovered that she was the sailor scout of the Moon. Soon after, she and Luna began their mission: to find the other Sailor Scouts, and to find the Moon Princess.

If you want to read on, then click here for the complete document.

Excerpt from "A Small-Sized Summary of the Sailor Scout's Splendid Story", written by Karl Peralta, 4-12-96 (2nd revision)