Years ago, Mixx Entertainment released English versions of Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon manga. The main issue I had with the release was that they opted to call Usagi “Bunny,” which sounded silly and didn’t mesh with the English anime version of her name, Serena. Her name, Usagi Tsukino, does actually translate to “Rabbit of the Moon,” but I suspect a lot of people purchasing the manga were already familiar with the show, and consistency between the two English versions would have been nice.
Now, thankfully, the manga is being re-released by Kodansha USA in 12 bi-monthly volumes, and the updated editions feature new cover artwork and bonus material from creator Naoko Takeuchi, according to Anime News Network. Beginning with Sailor Moon Vol. 1, the new volumes will have the original Japanese names of the characters. This may be a bit jarring for those familiar with the anime (and as I’ve said, consistency is nice), but this keeps the translation as close to the original material as possible.
Anything has to be better than “Bunny.” How can anyone named Bunny be the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo?
Besides the names, the text of the stories has also been updated with a “new, incredibly accurate translation,” according to the Amazon page. List price for the first book is $10.99, but Amazon offers it for $6.86.
The schedule for the next books in the series is as follows:
Volume 2 November 15, 2011
Volume 3 January 17, 2012
Volume 4 March 13, 2012
The cover artwork is gorgeous, with a single Sailor Scout shown on each volume.
And if that isn’t enough for you, Codename: Sailor V Vol. 1 is also currently available, with Volume 2 releasing in November. This is a prequel series to Sailor Moon and follows the adventures of Minako Aino (Sailor Venus in the Sailor Moon series) as she fights for love and justice as Sailor V.
This is a great time for Sailor Moon fans. Retail chain Hot Topic recently began selling T-shirts, and I’ve heard that they will also be offering a Sailor Moon costume for Halloween. And the characters continue to be popular at conventions like Dragon*con.
Hopefully someday I’ll have good news about the show being re-released on DVD, or even Blu-Ray. But for now, the manga is all we have, and by the time this article is posted, I’ll probably have ordered the first volume.