What is Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon?

Tsukino Usagi just wanted to be a normal girl, and she would've had her way until one fateful day she finds a black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. Little did she know that meeting alone would unfold into a superhero lifestyle full of fukus, romance, and transformation sequences . As the series progresses, Usagi gains control over her powers, and evolves from a klutzy teenage drama queen into a mature young lady. We learn about her past, and see glimpses of her future as she fights for love and justice along with her fellow senshi. That is what a general summary will tell you about the world of Sailor Moon.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, which translates into "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon", is a fictional magical girls story created by Naoko Takeuchi. The shoujo manga first published in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine in 1992, and finished 18 volumes later in 1997. Fans in North America had their manga translated by Tokyo Pop (Mixx Translations).

The story...

The story takes place in Tokyo as it follows a girl named Tsukino Usagi who transforms into the heroin Sailor Moon and fights with her team of Sailor Senshi. In the first arc, we find out that the senshi had past lives, and lived in a utopia known as the White Moon Kingdom. They were reborn; hoping that they could find happiness in their new lives.

There are five arcs total, which spans over from the beginning of Sailor Moon all the way to Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. In each arc, the Sailor Moon universe is expanded, and they meet many allies and defeat many foes. This series not only expands our imagination, but reaches the reader on a personal level as they interact with the vast amount of characters and situations.

The anime was also developed around the same time as the manga, and had 200 episodes in its reservoir. There were also three movies, a total of five specials and five memorials. Because of its vast popularity, Sailor Moon became an international series, loved by fans in several different countries. In 1995, DiC dubbed the first season. Later on in the year 2000, Cloverway/Toei's bought the rights and dubbed Sailor Moon S and Sailor Moon SuperS. In 2003, the series was re-released in Japan with new cover art and corrections in both the art and dialogue. The Stars arc was never dubbed for North America, and it seems that Toei never plans to do so.

Although Sailor Moon has a grand history, this barely scratches the surface!