Sailor Moon (Tsukino Usagi)

OK, I admit it. She has an almost impossibly ridiculous hairstyle (for all you who have tried to imitate it, you REALLY ought to get out more) and has a tendency to consume rediculous amounts of food for no apparent reason. She is, however, the don of the show and is therefore central to its appeal. Having said that, she has no real authority over any of the other characters so the fact that she's the leader has no real effect on the flow of things, its just a status thing. She has an incredibly irritating guardian cat called Luna..... pardon? Guardian cat? Well, I suppose that gives you some idea of what kind of person we are dealing with here.

The way things stand, Usagi had a previous life in which she was one 'Princess Serenity', heir to the whole Moon, before the Dark Side turned up and kicked their ass so hard her mother was forced to kill herself just to summon enough energy to get Sailor Moon and her crew down to Tokyo, the venue of all the future violence. It has to be said that despite her strange obsession with video games, ice cream and camp men, Usagi is a reasonably caring person and at least makes an effort to make people feel better. I remember one quote from the German version which translates to: 'Got problems? If you want to talk, I love to listen.' I don't think you could ask for much more, really.


Usagi Info

Japanese Name
Tsukino Usagi

Meaning
Bunny of the Moon

DiC Name
Serena

German Name
Bunny Tsukino

First Appeared
Episode 1, SM ^_^

Born
June 30th 1978

Star Sign
Cancer

Height
4' 11"

Attack Influence
Soul, Purity

Blood Type
O Negative

Hobbies
Eating, Shopping, Video Games

Likes
Eating too much Ice Cream, Whining

Hates
School, Dentists, Work

Strong Points
Winning fights, Getting her way

Weak Points
Ghosts, challenges

Ambition
Bride. That's it.

Original Voice
Mitsuishi Kotono/Araki Kae

Attacks
Too many to list here :(

Extra Info
Usagi's name is based on the
'Man in the Moon' that people see
in the East, which is slightly different from ours.
In Japan, it is known as the 'Bunny in the Moon'.
So now you know.



Final Comments: I actually think that Usagi is really cool. I understand that people are sometimes frustrated by her occasional incompetence and the 'blonde and stupid' tag she advertises, but she is a surprisingly realistic character who does know how to sort things out and look after people. Rei especially is the one who 'questions' Usagi's leadership skills at times, but overall, Usagi fits the bill really well as the kingpin of this series.

Sailor Mercury (Mizuno Ami)

Still wondering what 'kawaii' means? I doubt it. Ami was Japan's favourite Senshi in her hayday, as she was seen as the perfect wife and a hard worker! Doesn't look like much af a geisha from here...

You may have noticed that Ami sports blue hair, or at least that's how it appears. Her hair is actually black, characters in anime are given bolder, unnatural hair colours so you can tell them apart easily. Well, it goes with her outfit anyway....

Ami is supposed to be a 'genius' with an IQ of nearly 300. She certainly displays more mental capability than the other senshi in both mediums and is seen as a strategist during battles, her powers causing more delusion than injury. Which makes a change. Ami focuses on the academic side of life during the series and used to be mocked for her commitment to education but this faded as she became more attached to the other senshi. The DiC dub, however, never fails to come up with such razor-sharp and witty names such as 'techno-dweeb' for the enemies to call her. How we laughed. Ha-ha.....h.....hmmm.

It has to be said, Ami's a bit of a swinger, and more laid back than the others. She enjoys chess, reading and swimming. This might sound a little mundane but basically, her personality is far more believeable than any of the others. Ami's role usually consists of doing all the tasks that require more than make-up and a magic wand to complete; which makes her pretty much unique in terms of this series. Hasn't got much of a sense of humour though- she hates practical jokes and time wasting.



Ami Info

Japanese Name
Mizuno Ami

Meaning
Beauty of Water

DiC Name
Amy Anderson

German Name
Ami Mizuno

First Appeared
Episode 8, SM

Born
September 10 1978

Star Sign
Virgo

Height
5' 2"

Attack Influence
Water

Blood Type
A

Hobbies
Reading, Chess, Swimming

Likes
Sandwiches, Puzzles

Hates
Practical jokes

Strong Points
Stategy, computers, puzzles

Weak Points
Romance, relaxation

Ambition
Become a Doctor

Original Voice
Hisakawa Aya

Attacks
Shabon Spray
Shabon Spray Freezing
Shine Aqua Illusion
Double Shabon Spray Freezing
Mercury Aqua Rhapsody

Extra Info
In the Manga, Princess Mercury was
coupled with Zoicite during the
Silver Millenium.



Final Comments: In most of the fanfic I've read, Ami always seems to be the one that gets taken to the cleaners. I think people see her as weak and a bit anti-social (in short, a geek) but, I suppose I ought to admit it, I think she's the funkiest. Lots of people like her because she's actually quite believeable and doesn't have many flaws in her character, which is a pretty accurate judgement. For a cartoon character, I think she she's good-looking (can't speak for the rest of you...:), which brings me to quite a sour point.

Sailor Mars (Hino Rei)



What would it be like, living in a temple? Would it make you a more peaceful person? Would you have stronger morals? Apparently not. Rei, who lives with her grandfather in his temple, is perhaps the most aggressive of the lot and is always keen to fight. She has a consistent tendency to let rip with her vicious fireball attacks even when it isn't called for. Her and Sailor Moon seem to be in constant competition with one another over, well, everything. Basically, she doesn't hide the fact she thinks she should be the leader of the group.

For example, in one episode, the one where the other four are involved in 'training' Sailor Moon (#43), Rei takes the opportunity (twice) to kick Usagi violently in the back, claiming that its part of the routine (this was- you've guessed it-cut from the American screening).

Despite her obnoxious anime-personality, a lot of fans like Rei and she is probably the most popular after Sailor Moon. That said, Rei is to an extent the one who keeps the others in line, but is certainly more mature in the manga than in the anime, in which she comes across as very impatient and rash. In fact, the differences in Rei's character between the two mediums verge on the schizophrenic. Seriously. Read the manga for a second, albeit better, opinion. Mind you, I feel sorry for Rei. Trying to fight enemies while wearing those high-heels must be a nightmare...




Rei Info

Japanese Name
Hino Rei

Meaning
Spirit of Fire

DiC Name
Raye Hino

German Name
Rei Hino

First Appeared
Episode 10, SM

Born
April 17th 1978

Star Sign
Aries (Yay!)

Height
5' 3"

Attack Influence
Fire

Blood Type
AB

Hobbies
Fortune Telling, Reading Manga

Likes
Fugu (Sushi)

Hates
Asparagus, TV

Strong Points
Meditation and Sensing Evil

Weak Points
Bad Temper

Ambition
Bride, Model, Head Priestess or a Singer

Original Voice
Tomizawa Michie

Attacks
Mars Power
Mars Star Power
Mars Crystal Power
Akuryou Taisan
Fire Soul Bird
Mars Fire-Storm Flash
Burning Mandala

Extra Info
Rei's Grandfather is rumoured to be an ODB.
If you don't know what this means, I'm not
telling ya- talk to someone who listens to hip-hop.


Final Comments: Come on, who doesn't like her? Rei, despite her often violent temper, is never actually enemies with anyone, although she is competitive. She can be cruel to Usagi at times- mainly about her appearance, leadership skills and anything else she messes up on. She never does things weakly and is always prepared to defend her friends. Sweet.

Sailor Jupiter (Kino Makoto)





Here, we have a slight contrast to the other senshi. Makoto is calm and reserved most of the time. Most profiles treat Makoto as a bit of a gung-ho ('fry it first, ask questions later' attitude), which is true in the DiC dub. In fact, there is little doubt that Makoto is an angry person, but she is usually quite reluctant to express this. She's in to cooking and lives on her own following a plane crash in which her parents were killed.

Makoto has an eye for the dozens of limp-wristed lads that move in and out of the series and is often associated with the so-called romance that Sailor Moon has to offer. Because the German version is translated word-for-word, as it should be, the scripts often include the frequent jokes at Makoto's heavier build. She is the strongest of the senshi physically and her attacks often inflict a lot of damage. She is perhaps the most protective of Usagi, God knows why...









Makoto Info

Japanese Name
Kino Makoto

Meaning
Wisdom of Trees

DiC Name
Lita

German Name
Makoto Kino

First Appeared
Episode 25, SM

Born
December 5th 1977

Star Sign
Saggitarius

Height
5' 6"

Attack Influence
Lightning and Wood

Blood Type
O

Hobbies
Cooking, bargain-hunting

Likes
Cherry Pie, Home Economics

Hates
Not much, actually...

Strong Points
Fighting, Cooking

Weak Points
Aeroplanes (obviously)

Ambition
Bride, Baker or Florist

Original Voice
Shinohara Emi

Attacks
Jupiter Power
Jupiter Crystal Power
Supreme Thunder
Supreme Thunder Dragon
Sparkling Wide Pressure
Jupiter Oak Evolution

Extra Info
In the manga, during the Silver Millennium,
Nephrite and Princess Jupiter were a couple.


Final Comments: She's definately got a very nice character, but Makoto can be quite a violent and angry person when provoked- the rest of the time she is just a very mature and sometimes lonely member of the inner senshi.

Sailor Venus (Aino Minako)



I suppose I have some reason to favour Minako, she was after all our resident scout in England for the first 13 years of her life. She was Sailor V and fought evil here before joining the other senshi in Tokyo.

A lot of the focus on Minako during the series revolves around her invariably problematic handling of people around her, which can be traced back to a curse put on her by her first boyfriend, who she subsequently killed. The curse was basically that she would never have another successful relationship, which kind of waves two fingers at the traditional view of Venus, goddess of love....

In the London-based episode (woo-hoo!), Minako gets involved with this Londoner called Alan (yes, he's camp, there are no exceptions here) but things go awry when she is almost blown away by some cockney with a hand grenade. She decides to fly back to Tokyo without telling anyone of her survival, presuming that Alan has also been a let down. Sigh......

There is no denying her similarity to Usagi: they are both academic misfits, absent minded and need cats to take care of them, but she is also accessible and caring towards people. Know what I mean?



Minako Info

Japanese Name
Aino Minako

Meaning
Beauty-Field-Child (Mi-Na-Ko)

DiC Name
Mina

German Name
Minako Aino

First Appeared
Episode 34, SM

Born
October 22 1978

Star Sign
Libra

Height
5' 2"

Attack Influence
Love and Metal

Blood Type
B

Hobbies
Acting, chasing idols

Likes
Curry, Ramen Noodles

Hates
Shiitake Mushrooms

Strong Points
Being friendly, Leadership

Weak Points
Police and Parents

Ambition
To become an idol

Original Voice
Fukami Rica

Attacks
Venus Power
Venus Star Power
Venus Crystal Power
Crescent Beam
Venus Love Me Chain
Venus Love and Beauty Shock

Extra Info
Sailor V was a manga character who went
around fighting crime in England and Japan.
The Sailor V manga wasn't that popular and it was
decided to introduce this character
into an anime, namely Sailor Moon.



Final Comments: Despite being knocked back on more than a few occasions, Minako is without doubt the nicest character in this series and had an immense personality. She does try to brighten things up with a diamond quote on occasion, although she only has a couple of episodes focusing on her. A don, by all accounts.