Manga Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 4, by Naoko Takeuchi

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5-3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Publish Date: March, 2012

Volumes: 12 +2 short story collections

Spoilers?: Not really.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf!

Goodreads Synopsis:

A new group calling themselves Black Moon is after Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Guardians, wielding a new power known only as the Malefic Black Crystal. Chibi-Usa may be the key to it all, but to find the answers and rescue her kidnapped friends, Usagi will have to journey through time to the 30th century and discover what fate has in store.
This new edition of Sailor Moon features:
- An entirely new, incredibly accurate translation
- Japanese-style, right-to-left reading
- New cover art never before seen in the U.S.
- The original Japanese character names
- Detailed translation notes

Review:

I really, really want to like this series. I mean, I liked it at the beginning. I was even a little impressed. But I’m really not enjoying it anymore, and will probably be giving it an indefinite break.

It took me forever to read this volume. I mean, I think I got it last year, even. And then when I told myself to finish it seriously, it still took me several weeks to do so. Because I was just not enjoying it.

The art is fine. I like some of the characters, like Tuxedo Mask and Sailor V, and maybe some of the other Sailors if I could get to know them better. The storyline is interesting, when it’s serious and we’re not moving from minor villain to minor villain for a three page kill.

But then the characters freak out and cry and get kidnapped over a villain, the villains have minions who they send out one by one, all confident and muahahaha, only for them to be killed within a couple pages of battle. The villains aren’t scary or intimidating or believable. They’re up to some evil thing, but I know the Sailors are going to save the day at the last second, even if they get kidnapped along the way. Maybe I’m not the right demographic, and I’ve moved beyond this at this point? I mean, I probably would have loved this when I was younger.

And don’t even get me started on Sailor Moon/Usagi (or do, because I’m going to talk about her, either way). She’s so whiny and selfish, always crying about something, and getting jealous over her kid in the future because Tuxedo Mask is paying attention to her. When the girl is a child, her own child, it’s not like her boyfriend is going to run off with her or something. She’s jealous and upset every time the girl is around, and it drove me crazy every time. 

I think I’m kind of done with this series. Maybe I’ll pick it up in the future, if I change my mind or want to give it another try or find it for a good price, or if I hear something really good about it. But for now, I’m taking a break.

Manga Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 3, by Naoko Takeuchi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics (USA)

Volumes: 18; 12 omnibus (which is this one, I think?)

Goodreads Synopsis:

 Tuxedo Mask gone bad?! As more of her closest allies fall under the power of the evil Queen Beryl, Usagi comes closer to discovering the truth behind her past. The stage is set for an all-out battle for the fate of Earth between the Sailor Guardians and the forces of evil. But when the dust settles, a little girl calling herself “Usagi” falls from the sky and right into the arms of Mamoru. What is her connection to Sailor Moon and why does she want the Legendary Silver Crystal?

Available on Amazon.

Review:

I read volume two of this forever ago (meaning: over the summer), and was a little blurry as to what had happened, and I hadn’t reviewed it, but I didn’t want to re-read it. So, I just went ahead and read this one. It took me a tiny bit of time to get back into it, but once I was, it went by rather quickly.

I said in my first review that I was impressed with this series, given how not impressed I had been with the prequel and what little I had seen of the anime, and that’s still true. I’m rather surprised with how good this series is, and really pleased and enjoying it a lot.

In the last volume, the evil Metalia turned Tuxedo Mask evil, which was horrible, and I thought he would be stuck that way for several more volumes, but he changed in this volume. I was very pleasantly surprised by this, but am so glad, since he’s one of my favorite characters, if not my actual favorite.

There was some fighting with Queen Metalia, and she started darkening the world for a bit before she was overthrown. I wasn’t surprised by this when it happened, but was curious as to where the series was going to go from there. The girls all got more powerful after that happened, the crystal was fixed and the moon kingdom was repaired. The girls have a tiny bit of time to relax, and then a little girl, claiming her name is Usagi, interrupts Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask by falling from the sky and landing on top of them. Also, a man, who I believe to be Sailor Mars’ love interest, shows up, named Asanuma, and I’m looking forward to the development there.

A new enemy shows up, and the goings-on seem to be very much like what happened with Metalia. Including some kidnappings, another thing I’m suspecting is going to happen often. I hope something happens to shake the story up, but I’m kind of expecting nothing will. Still, I’m enjoying it.

I still don’t think I know any of the girls enough to say who I like most and who I don’t. I have a soft spot for Venus, and I enjoy reading all of the love stories, and am looking forward to reading more of those in future volumes. I’m having a hard time remembering what all of their names are, and am just getting down what planet they are.

I’m interested to find out more about little Usagi, since she seems to maybe be lying, and she’s lost, and I really want to know what her connection with Sailor Moon is. I really like Tuxedo Mask, but I’m not a fan of any of his names. There’s Endymion, his past name, Mamo-chan (as Sailor Moon calls him, but I guess Mamoru is all right), his present name, and then Tuxedo Mask, his superhero name, which I maybe like most, but still think should be Tuxedo Man.

Overall, I rather enjoyed this volume. There was a bit of a cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

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.

Manga Review: Codename: Sailor V, Volume 2, by Naoko Takeuchi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: KodanshaUSA

Volumes: 2 (in omnibus)

Goodreads Synopsis:

  Its Valentine’s Day and chocolates are being exchanged, but Minako Aino can’t decide if she wants a crush to give her chocolates to, or just to eat them all herself. If stress of Valentine’s Day wasn't already enough, now Sailor V has to contend with a chocolate shop fatting everyone up, and an evil spa draining people of their life force. It’s up to her to defeat the Dark Agency and their servant deVleene and maybe even find a Valentine of her own.

Review:

So this book took way too much time for me to get through. I started it around the same time I finished the last one (or, um, maybe a bit after), but then it took me quite a while to finally get around to reading all of it. Mostly I think it was because every chapter had a new villain that Sailor V had to go defeat, in which most of it was filler type stuff. That just doesn’t interest me enough.

I am glad that I finally got around to finishing it, though, particularly because the last two chapters had an actual plot and point. Honestly, the fact that Takeuchi decided to wait until the last two chapters to show me that she could actually write a story with plot and character development and a point, kind of infuriated me. I mean, I somewhat suffered through one and a half volumes before she showed that she could write something worthwhile.

And I was kind of suffering, too. I don’t know if it was just the mood I was in while reading it or something, but I was nitpicking almost everything that was happening. Not that I didn’t have reason to.

The first half, or maybe six chapters, in this volume were terrible. Dumb. Sailor V was shallow, as was every other chapter introduced. There was one chapter in particular, where a villain used chocolate to make everyone fat and then a spa or workout place to make them think that they were getting skinnier, and every single person was obsessed with it and upset about being fat. It was utterly ridiculous and unrealistic. Another chapter showed that everyone wants to be in love, and how Sailor V needed to find another guy to fall for, which is also dumb. (Really? You can’t just be happy on your own?) Another thing that bothered me was how Takeuchi kept making Artemis pushy and whiny about how Sailor V needed to be focused and couldn’t have any fun, ever. Which, yea, she should have been more focused and actually trying to save people, but some of the things he tried stopping her from doing was just useless, and there was no reason for him to be so pushy.

Another thing that bothered me: how she seemed to only care about being Sailor V in order to be popular and get attention. When Phantom Ace, another superhero or whatever, showed up and began stealing Sailor V’s spotlight, she was all ready to give up being Sailor V and worship him instead, which was just dumb. She’s supposed to be focusing on saving people, but she acted like she couldn’t care less about that.

I try not to nitpick how fighting the villain goes, but I just can’t help myself: the fighting only takes place for a couple of pages, and when it does, Sailor V pretty much only uses her crescent beam mirror with no problems, which it seems like anyone could do, so I don’t understand the significance to why she has to. I’m sure there are tons of people better for the job than she is. It just…

Ugh. Almost everything about this book seemed to bother me.

The last two chapters are what bumped my rating of the book up, though. Originally it would have been a three, but I was a little impressed by the last bit.

Within those chapters, we got a look at her past life and how she lived on Venus and what her significance there was, and how she and, ah, this guy had a special relationship. Sailor V actually grew just a little, I think, character wise, from meeting the guy she had loved again and realizing some things about herself. Some of her growing seemed a little farfetched to me, seeing how nothing like it was even hinted at in previous chapter, but I can mostly accept that. 

I actually kind of liked the guy, or at least was intrigued by him, so what happened with him was a little sad to me. Other than that, I actually enjoyed the end a little bit.

The main thing that bothered me about this, is that there wasn’t more of that throughout the series, and how the author decided to wait so long to show me something actually a little good. I have hope that Sailor Moon, which I plan to start soon, will actually have plot and a point, so I am looking forward to that. I’m just ready to move on to whatever is next, I guess.

Manga Review: Codename: Sailor V, Volume 1, by Naoko Takeuchi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Volumes: 3 (or maybe 2?)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Like Sailor Moon, Minako Aino is a normal 13-year-old schoolgirl until a fateful day when a white cat introduces himself to her and tells her she has the power to transform into the hero, Sailor V. Using a magic pen to transform, Sailor V fights the evil agents of the Dark Agency as she strives to protect the earth.

Codename: Sailor V, created by the author before she created the mega-popular Sailor Moon, has never before been available in the U.S.

Review:

I had rather low expectations for this. I watched the anime when it was on TV and I was really little, so I don't remember any of it, and I never read it. But then, not too long ago, I watched it online, and was very unimpressed. Really unimpressed. Which made me wary to read the manga. But I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I know that it was big when it first got translated and people were really excited about it coming back, me included. And I'd already decided that I was going to give both series a try, only I'm still not sure for how long.

Now, with those low expectations, I kind of enjoyed the manga. I wasn't all that impressed, and none of it was beyond what I was expecting, but it wasn't bad. Which is actually pretty good, in my book.

We meet Minako Aino, also known as Sailor V. She isn't very smart, is pushy, falls 'in love' with guys way too easily, plays video games a lot, and doesn't really believe the cat when he talks to her. Minako is alright as a character, but I'm not all that attached to her. I think it's mostly how easily she becomes obsessed with things that bothers me, as it does with anyone, in books and not. Also, she was fighting when told, except for at certain points when she would say that she'd never really chosen, or agreed, to fight for them. And she seems exactly like the people she's inadvertently saving, an annoying teenager that would fall for anything people are saying. It might be more cliché, though, if she were to be annoyed by it all originally, though. I don't know which I would prefer.

Pretty much all of the book consists of Minako fighting villains rather easily for a chapter each, most of which (if not all) are from the Dark Agency. One of the villains is a boy from her school, several others are pop-stars, one's a tourist hostess. Except for the last one, where she helps out a guy that she has a crush on and a gang he's involved in. But it kind of bothers me that she's winning so easily, and how she's doing it seems a little... dumb? But, you know, whatever. Don't want to complain or nitpick the logistics too much.

She's also, kind of, rivaling with the police, one of whom hates her and another that admires her. I didn't mind the police, found them (or, the one that admires her) a bit entertaining. We didn't get much of the personality of her friend, except that she's a lot like Minako, but we did get to see a bit from the geeky boy at her school, Amano, who was just alright. I did like Artemis, the cat, for however much we did get of him. Oh, and I noticed the small appearances that Usagi made, which I found interesting. Nice to know that she'd planned that (assuming that she did write Codename: Sailor V first, which I believe she did?).

I'll be reading the next one when I get it, which I'm not sure when that'll be. Soon, maybe? There are only two volumes of Codename, though, right? Since they're in an extended version, or whatever? I hope so, since I haven't heard anything about a third volume being released. And I want to start Sailor Moon, which I already have one volume of, but I want to finish Codename first. It's the prequel, and I like going in order, so it bothered me a bit that Kodansha was releasing them at the same time. But, that's alright.

I'll be reading it, nonetheless, and hope I don't have to skip ahead to Sailor Moon.