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“Sailor Moon” #50-55

By | August 1st, 2022
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Welcome back to our Summer Comics Binge of the “Sailor Moon” manga, today we begin looking at the fifth and final story arc, ‘Stars,’ which introduces the Sailor Starlights, a trio of Guardians from beyond the Solar system; Sailor Galaxia, the corrupt ruler of the interstellar empire Shadow Galactica; and Chibi Chibi, a mysterious youngster who resembles a two-year old Chibiusa. It’s a full on Sailor War, and none of Usagi’s friends are safe from Galaxia’s murderous ambition, setting the stage for the most emotional battle our heroine will ever embark upon.

Pictured: Endymion and
Serenity. Art by Naoko
Takeuchi
Created by Naoko Takeuchi
Translated by Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley
Lettered by Lys Blakeslee

[Official blurb is the same as the previous volumes. (“Teenager Usagi is not the best athlete, she’s never gotten good grades, and, well, she’s a bit of a crybaby…”) This volume begins with Chibiusa returning to the future, and Mamoru heading to college in the States, giving Usagi an engagement ring at the airport before he leaves, when Galaxia appears…]

As its name implies, ‘Stars’ expands “Sailor Moon” to a galactic scale, with Takeuchi introducing Guardians from other worlds, and gives us a glimpse of one world (where people co-exist, amusingly, with floating fish); she even establishes the planets Artemis and Luna, and Mars’s pet crows Phobos and Deimos, come from. She reveals the true origin of the Sailor Guardians, while laying out how Galaxia’s criminal enterprise works: all life originates from star seeds originating at the center of the galaxy (the Galaxy Cauldron), and the Sailor Crystals that each Guardian bears are especially powerful seeds responsible for the existence of their planets. Most worlds have been conquered by Galaxia, who encourages ambitious, young women to assassinate the Guardian of each planet she targets, falsely promising they’ll be reborn with powers along with their devastated homes, when all she does is enslave them by placing the crystals on their bracelets.

Galaxia taunting Usagi during her first attack on Earth

Galaxia is truly the antithesis of Usagi, a bitter, lonely character who resented the duty of protecting her homeworld, but craved more of the power it gave her. Her empire is a downright perverse spin on the magical girl concept, the entire fantasy reduced to backstabbing and franchising over power for power’s sake. It’s something conveyed by her golden Sailor armor: her violent avarice meant she rejected the soft femininity of the usual outfit, and all its tender, protective connotations, in favor of something that radiates wealth and aggression. She is easily Usagi’s most sadistic foe, beginning her conquest of Earth by seizing Mamoru’s Golden Crystal personally, instantly establishing she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, and that she enjoys killing — she even taunts Usagi with a quiet smile when “greeting” her at the airport. She kills most of Usagi’s friends; she kills her own Sailor Animamates when they fail her; and she toys with Usagi and Chibi Chibi by attacking them in civilian mode.

Superficially, the arc resembles a cross between the second and third stories, ‘Black Moon’ and ‘Infinity,’ with the previously established Guardians struggling to trust the mysterious Starlights, while getting picked off one-by-one (or in this case, at least two at a time) by their new foes. However, it goes much harder than its predecessors, as the heroines — and Mamoru — are physically murdered by Galaxia and her cronies to harvest their crystals. It’s brutal, and stupefying to witness these characters we’ve grown to know and love get disintegrated, even if the Starlights constantly reassure Usagi (and the reader) that they can be restored if they get their crystals back — no wonder our lead initially represses her memory of Mamoru’s death.

The Sailor Starlights' debut

The Starlights — consisting of Seiya (Sailor Star Fighter), Taiki (Sailor Star Maker), and Yaten (Sailor Star Healer) — are an intriguing bunch, who take the theme of gender fluidity to new heights, by posing as the boy band Three Lights. (Funnily enough, Haruka is the one most wary of the newcomers: consider it professional jealousy.) The Lights are searching for their princess, Kakyuu, and hope their lyrics will attract their attention. Their pop idol guise must’ve been fun for Takeuchi, who penned various songs for the anime, but it also makes Seiya a convincing potential rival for Usagi’s affection: the trio enrol at her school, and early on, while befriending her, Saiya recites one of their love songs — Mamoru is many things, but an artist he is most certainly not.

Continued below

There are two very curious design decisions with the Starlights: the first is how, even in boy mode, they have very long (almost calf length) rattails, a possible concession to the anime and merchandise creators, that nevertheless makes it less striking when they transform. Secondly, their uniforms are the most revealing of any Sailor Guardian, exposing their cleavage, midriffs, shoulders, and backs. It feels like fan service, although it does create more of a contrast between them and their male alter-egos, and reflects their alien nature, as well as the generally daring nature of women’s clothes in pop music. It goes without saying some of the girls who grew up reading the series probably appreciated the risqué look, but on the whole it’s a pretty dated design, especially if the characters are supposed to be the same age as Usagi and friends.

Last but not least (well, height aside), there’s Chibi Chibi, the tiniest Sailor Guardian ever, who enters this tale like a little Mary Poppins, with a magic umbrella. She could’ve been a terrible attempt to recapture the magic of Chibiusa (whose return to the future here establishes why all bets are off), but her dynamic with Usagi proves a great demonstration of how much our heroine has matured — while Chibiusa is Usagi’s biological daughter, their relationship was always a classic sibling rivalry, whereas Usagi and Chibi Chibi are genuinely like a mother and child, reflecting how, after a certain age, adolescents have to behave like an additional parent to any new siblings in the family.

Usagi playing with Chibi Chibi, while wondering who she really is
(scan taken from an earlier translation)

Speaking of mothers and daughters, before she leaves to confront Galaxia at her palace, Usagi asks her human mother, Ikuko, to look after the cats, since Minako can’t take care of Artemis and Diana. As she departs, Ikuko remarks she has the strangest feeling that she’s never going to see her daughter again. It’s a poignant scene that makes clear, whatever happens, Usagi’s world will never be the same again.

See you next week for the home stretch.


//TAGS | 2022 Summer Comics Binge | Mooniversity

Christopher Chiu-Tabet

Chris is the news manager of Multiversity Comics. A writer from London on the autistic spectrum, he enjoys tweeting and blogging on Medium about his favourite films, TV shows, books, music, and games, plus history and religion. He is Lebanese/Chinese, although he can't speak Cantonese or Arabic.

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