Pages

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Manga Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1, by Naoko Takeuchi


Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5
Publisher: KodanshaUSA
Volumes: 12 (I think? 18, originally, but these are omnibus, so, 12?)

Goodreads Synopsis:

  Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!

Review:

So, um, I actually enjoyed this one a little bit. I was surprised by how much, though.
We meet four of the Sailor’s in this volume, of course starting with Sailor Moon (or Usagi), and then Sailor Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. I don’t know who I like most yet, and am looking forward to getting to know them all, but none of them really annoy me yet, which is good. Particularly Sailor Moon. She’s a bit of a crybaby and maybe a little weak, but I’m not too bothered by it yet, so hopefully that will continue.
Most of the chapters introduced the characters to us, and I’m sure some of the coming ones will do that as well, so I’m just looking forward to getting to know them and finding out who I like most. And, maybe, who I don’t.
Although, my favorite character at the moment might possibly be Tuxedo Mask. I don’t remember much of the show from when I was younger and watched it (like, early elementary school, maybe), and my more recent experiences haven’t been very good, but I’ve always been intrigued by Tuxedo Mask. Probably because I’m a romance/shojo junkie, but still. I’ve wanted to know what his and Sailor Moon’s connection was, how they met, and while I was surprised he showed up so early, I definitely didn’t mind it. I was expecting not to see him until, maybe, well into the second volume, if not later, but he was in one of the first chapters. I’ve enjoyed seeing him each time he’s shown up so far, and look forward to every encounter in the future. And, to be honest, his name kind of bothers me. I always kind of thought of him as Tuxedo Man, and now knowing that it’s Mask bothers me. It just… doesn’t sound as good, I guess.
There wasn't too much going on aside from meeting the characters and fighting minor villains. There's some hints to a bigger villain but not much has been given up, and they are all on a search for something.
Takeuchi seems to have put more effort into this book, as opposed to Sailor V, which I appreciated. There was actual plot development, and the artwork seemed better, like the smaller panels and side characters seemed to have actually been drawn instead of sketched or scratched on the pages. That was nice to see, and really makes me look forward to the next book, instead of dreading it or just thinking that I should get to it at some point. I was surprised, but glad.

No comments:

Post a Comment