is a Japanese

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

based on the ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The se ...

'' manga created by

Naoko Takeuchi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time. She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''. Takeuchi is married to ...

. It was produced by

Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by ...

. ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' (commonly referred to as ''PGSM'') was first broadcast by

Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is majorly owned by the ''Chunichi Shimbun''. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network (JRN) and its television service affiliate ...

, airing on that station in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

and on the

Japan News Network The , or JNN, is a Japanese commercial television network run by TBS Television. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to its regional affiliates, and news exchange between the stations. Its ...

nationwide from October 4, 2003 to September 25, 2004. The series was a retelling of the first ''Sailor Moon'' story arc, albeit with considerable plot divergences. The opening theme, titled , was performed by

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

singer Nanami Yumihara under the name . The series lasted 49 episodes (called "Acts") and also included two separate made-for-DVD specials.

Plot

In the

Dark Kingdom The is a group of fictional characters in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usagi ...

, an organization of great evil, Queen Beryl, her generalsーthe Four Kings of Heavenー, and an amorphous evil power named Queen Metaria reside. They attempt to steal energy so that Beryl can take over the world. Standing in their way are the Sailor Guardians, five middle-school-aged girls - perky

Usagi Tsukino , better known as , is a Japanese superheroine and the main protagonist and title character of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. She is introduced in chapter #1, "Usagi – Sailor Moon" (originally published in Japan' ...

, genius Ami Mizuno, paranormally gifted

shrine maiden A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perform ...

Rei Hino, tomboyish

Makoto Kino , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi. Makoto is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural fighters who protect the Solar ...

, and J-pop idol Minako Aino - are sworn to protect the Princess of the Moon and defeat the Dark Kingdom. Two beings that appear to be sentient, stuffed toy cats, Luna and

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified with ...

, serve as the girls' mentors. The Guardians also encounter Tuxedo Mask, a jewel thief in search of an immensely powerful, mystical Silver Crystal belonging to the Princess of the Moon. While searching together for the Princess of the Moon and the Silver Crystal, the initially disparate girls develop a strong bond of friendship. Additionally, Usagi struggles with her feelings for the irksome and mysterious

Mamoru Chiba Mamoru (まもる, マモル) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Marcus Mamoru Toji (born 1984), American actor *, Japanese composer *, Japanese composer best known for his work with animator Hayao Miyazaki ...

. Later in the series, Metaria and Sailor Moon each get too powerful to be reined in, and the conflict shifts to one in which the Sailor Guardians attempt to postpone the inevitable destruction of the planet Earth.

Alterations to the original story

While the first few episodes of the television series are based directly on the manga and anime storylines, by the time the introduction of Sailor Jupiter was broadcast, the television show began to spin off in its own direction. Many divergences between the television series and the manga and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

were introduced. Overall, the storylines for television were more character-based and character-driven. They focused more on the girls' civilian lives and their connection to the past than on action sequences. One of the most profound changes in the television version was made to the character of Minako Aino, who, rather than being an ordinary girl among the other Sailor Guardians, was portrayed as a famous

pop idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

. When introduced, she is fighting crime as "Sailor V", and makes subtle reference to this double life in her music. Her most popular song, , is a Japanese

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

: and are pronounced nearly identically. Also, for the television series, Minako was given a debilitating head condition that causes her to have headaches, blurry vision, and fainting spells, which plague her through most of the series. She agrees to have an operation, but dies before the operation can be performed. This introduces a major change to the Sailor Guardian makeup as well, although Minako does later return for the final act. In addition to plot changes, some updating was made to minor elements of the series, bringing them more in line with modern culture. For example, in the original anime and manga, there were scenes involving Ami and a

cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ott ...

. In the new version, the tape is replaced by a

MiniDisc MiniDisc (MD) is an erasable magneto-optical disc-based data storage format offering a capacity of 60, 74, and later, 80 minutes of digitized audio. Sony announced the MiniDisc in September 1992 and released it in November of that year fo ...

. Instead of a transforming pen and communicators, each Guardian is given a bracelet and a magical

camera phone A camera phone is a mobile phone which is able to capture photographs and often record video using one or more built-in digital cameras. It can also send the resulting image wirelessly and conveniently. The first commercial phone with color ca ...

. Also, their secret hideout is not hidden in a video arcade, but rather in a magic karaoke room. With the new adaptation of the series, certain characters were modified to give it freshness and originality. The new characters included

Sailor Luna is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' media franchise. She is a black cat who has the Talking animals in fiction, ability to talk, and serves as a mentoring figure for the Sailor Moon (character), titular character and her companions, ...

, Dark Sailor Mercury, and Princess Sailor Moon. A new antagonist, Mio Kuroki, was also introduced.

Development

The popularity of the ''Sailor Moon'' musicals contributed to the decision to produce another series of ''Sailor Moon'', and Takeuchi was more closely involved in the production than she was for the anime. The new series was first announced on September 27, 2003, after the final episode of '' Kirby of the Stars''.

Episode list

Television

Direct-to-video

DVD specials

''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Special Act''

A sequel to the series, set four years after the defeat of Dark Kingdom, portrays the wedding of

and

. Before their nuptials they do battle with Mio Kuroki, who has been resurrected and claims to be the new queen of Dark Kingdom. She kidnaps Mamoru and Usagi and intends to force Mamoru to marry her. The ''Shitennou'' are revived, however, and help their master to defeat Mio's

monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

, Sword and Shield. Meanwhile, the Sailor Guardians, excluding Sailor Mars who is hospitalized with injuries from battling Mio while in her civilian state, use the Moon Sword provided by

Queen Serenity The ''Sailor Moon'' manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Naoko Takeuchi. The series takes place in Tokyo, Japan, where the , a group of ten magical girls, are formed to combat an assortment of antagonists attempting ...

to restore their power, enabling them to transform and defeat Mio. The story ends with Usagi and Mamoru's wedding, as well as Motoki and Makoto's engagement.

''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Act Zero''

The last special made for the series is a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

that leads directly to the first episode. Minako Aino meets

and at Christmas becomes Sailor V. She must use her newfound powers to foil a stage magician/jewel thief called Q.T. Kenko and his Killer Girl assistants. Meanwhile, Usagi and her friends decide to dress in their own homemade

sailor fuku The Japanese school uniform is modeled in appearance similar to that of the European-style naval uniforms. It was first used in Japan in the late 19th century, replacing the traditional kimono. Today, school uniforms are common in many of the ...

(Usagi as Sailor Rabbit, Naru as Sailor N, and their other friends, Kanami and Momoko as sailors K and M) in order to scare the thieves away from the jewellery store owned by Naru Osaka's mother, only for Usagi to get kidnapped by Kenko. The actors who portray the Four Kings of Heaven are featured as the inexperienced

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

's group self-dubbed the "Police Four Kings of Heaven" for

comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

. They consist of Captain Kuroi (Kunzite), Officer Akai (Nephrite), Officer Shiroi (Zoisite), and female Officer Hanako (Jadeite). The story ends with Luna burning through the atmosphere to come to Earth and give Usagi her powers.

Mini-episodes

''Act Zero'' also comes with two mini-episodes. Each one is approximately five minutes long and tells a brief

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

. "Hina Afterward" shows what happened to Hina after breaking off her engagement to Mamoru Chiba. "Tuxedo Mask's Secret Birth" shows the origin of the Tuxedo Mask persona. It includes a joke-transformation sequence in which, rather than transforming magically, he pulls on his clothes with dramatic flair.

''Super Dance Lesson''

This is a short video hosted by Luna, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Moon, which instructs the viewer how to perform the dances from different songs from ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon''. The dances included are for the songs ''Romance'' and . Demonstrations are also given for and although no formal instructions are provided for how to dance to them.

Kirari Super Live!

A Special Live Event occurred on May 2, 2004 at Yomiuri Hall. This Special Event was held for the 1,000 winners of the Sailormoon Campaign (a contest held earlier in the year, in which viewers had to send in UPC symbols to enter). The event combined musical performances, in which the cast members sang and danced to songs from the ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' soundtrack, and a dramatic storyline with spoken dialogue, in which the Sailor Guardians had to stop the Four Kings of Heaven from stealing the energy of the audience members. The concert was recorded and released on DVD. It also included bonus behind-the-scenes footage of the performance and interviews with the cast members.

Cast

Miyuu Sawai is a Japanese actress, model, and gravure idol.http://www.box-corporation.com/?portfolios=沢井美優 Her best-known role was Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon in the live-action adaptation of ''Sailor Moon'' which ran from 2003 to 2004. Personal ...

as Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon/Princess Serenity/ Princess Sailor Moon * Rika Izumi as Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury/ Dark Mercury * Keiko Kitagawa as Rei Hino/Sailor Mars *

Mew Azama , born December 26, 1986, in Hiroshima Prefecture and raised in Okinawa Prefecture, is a Japanese model and actress. Azama signs her name "Mew" using romaji characters. She explains it in her profile: "美優 is read Mew. I was named from Kyōko K ...

as Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter * Ayaka Komatsu as Minako Aino/Sailor V/Sailor Venus * Rina Koike as

Keiko Han is a Japanese actress, voice actress and western astrologer. She sang the theme songs in productions such as '' Story of the Alps: My Annette'' and '' Kazoku Robinson Hyōryūki Fushigi na Shima no Furōne''. Han is a fortune teller of western ...

as Luna (voice, cat form) * Kappei Yamaguchi as

(voice) *

Jouji Shibue is a Japanese actor and model. His first major acting role was as Mamoru Chiba (Tuxedo Kamen/Prince Endymion) in the live action ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon''. After finishing PGSM, Shibue has appeared in ''Kamen Rider Hibiki'' as Ibuki (Kamen ...

as Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Kamen/Prince Endymion * Aya Sugimoto as

Queen Beryl The is a group of fictional characters in the '' Sailor Moon'' manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. They are the chief villains of the first story arc in every version of the series, and were first introduced in the first chapter of the manga, "Usag ...

* Jun Masuo as

Jadeite Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition Na Al Si2 O6. It is hard (Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0), very tough, and dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. It is found in a wide range of colors, but is most often found in shades ...

* Hiroyuki Matsumoto as Nephrite * Yoshito Endō as

Zoisite Zoisite, first known as saualpite, after its type locality, is a calcium aluminium hydroxy sorosilicate belonging to the epidote group of minerals. Its chemical formula is Ca2 Al3( Si O4)(Si2O7)O(O H). Zoisite occurs as prismatic, orthorho ...

* Akira Kubodera as

Kunzite Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, Li Al( Si O3)2, and is a source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite (see below), yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite, pri ...

* Alisa Durbrow as Mio Kuroki * Chieko Ochi as Naru Osaka *

Masaya Kikawada is a Japanese actor. His most prominent role has been as Takeshi Hongo in the film ''Kamen Rider The First'' and its sequel ''Kamen Rider The Next''. He was also in ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' as Sailor Jupiter's love interest Motoki Furuha ...

as Motoki Furuhata * Kaori Moriwaka as Ikuko Tsukino * Naoki Takeshi as Shingo Tsukino * Moeko Matsushita as Hina Kusaka * Narushi Ikeda as Sugao Saitou, Minako's manager * Katsumi Shiono as Youma

Music

In March and April 2004, singles for each of the five Sailor Guardians were released with image songs on them. ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Original Song Album ~ Dear My Friend'' was released in June 2004. A 3-CD box set, ''Moonlight Real Girl'' was published in September 2004.

''DJ MOON''

* ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon DJ MOON 1'' * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon DJ MOON 2'' * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon DJ MOON 3''

Koro-chan Packs

* ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Koro-chan Pack 1 * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Koro-chan Pack 2 * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Koro-chan Pack 3

''Moonlight Real Girl''

* ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Moonlight Real Girl Memorial CD Box'': Disc 1 Original Soundtrack “Rare Track Collection”: Michiru Ōshima * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Moonlight Real Girl Memorial CD Box'': Disc 2 One night limit of the special radio program series ''DJ Moon'' * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Moonlight Real Girl Memorial CD Box'': Disc 3 Minako Aino's original album ''I'll Be Here''

Other albums

* ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Original Song Album "Dear My Friend"'' * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon ~ Complete Song Collection ~''

Singles

* ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Sparkling * Sailor Dream! * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Character Songs Sailor Moon Usagi Tsukino (Miyū Sawai) * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Character Songs Sailor Mercury Ami Mizuno (Rika Izumi) * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Character Songs Sailor Mars Rei Hino (Keiko Kitagawa) * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Character Songs Sailor Jupiter Makoto Kino (Myū Azama) * ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' Character Songs Sailor Venus Minako Aino (Ayaka Komatsu)

Distribution and reception

There are several radio programs called ''"DJ Moon"'' based on the show that originated from

radio and which were broadcast on other radio networks in Japan. The shows were a combination of a

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

and promotional tool for the TV series, often foreshadowing upcoming events. These shows were later sold on CD. In addition to the series, there was also a stage musical

performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

, Kirari Super Live!, by characters on the show. Some footage from the filming of the stage show was used in the television broadcast. A special limited-edition promotional video, Super Dance Lesson, was available for purchase only through order forms found in the magazines ''Youchien'', ''Mebae'', and ''Shougaku Ichinensei'' in July 2004.Act.38 バックナンバー - 美少女戦士セーラームーン（東映公式
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