What do you think?
コードネームはセーラーV [Codename wa Sailor V] #1
Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 1
Like Sailor Moon, Minako Aino is a normal 13-year-old schoolgirl until a fateful day when a white cat introduces himself to her and tells her she has the power to transform into the hero, Sailor V. Using a magic pen to transform, Sailor V fights the evil agents of the Dark Agency as she strives to protect the earth.
280 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2004
About the author
Naoko Takeuchi
198 books2,159 followersNaoko Takeuchi (武内直子) born March 15, 1967, a manga artist (mangaka), lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime/manga fans. She has become a well-known mangaka worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga/anime figures to date.
Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of the YuYu Hakusho series and Hunter × Hunter series.
Please note that anime related books are listed under Kōdansha.
Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of the YuYu Hakusho series and Hunter × Hunter series.
Please note that anime related books are listed under Kōdansha.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 404 reviews
February 4, 2024
The first part of the adventures of Minako Aino - Sailor Venus, from the Sailor Moon anime, known as Sailor V. It is a book that tells the adventures and stories from the life of this sailor senshi. She was the first of all senshi. The manga is drawn beautifully. The illustrations are delicate and sweet. Minako is presented in a beautiful way. I like that are funny situations here. If you want to check out the Sailor Moon series, I recommend reading this book along with the other two.
November 4, 2014
This was my first time reading Sailor V and I absolutely adored it!
It was so much fun reading the story from Minako's POV and getting to know her.
I especially liked:
- the similarities between Minako and Usagi
- Minako's enthusiasm for video games and popstars
- the bickering between Minako and Artemis
Soo excited to read Volume 2!
It was so much fun reading the story from Minako's POV and getting to know her.
I especially liked:
- the similarities between Minako and Usagi
- Minako's enthusiasm for video games and popstars
- the bickering between Minako and Artemis
Soo excited to read Volume 2!
December 26, 2018
Se siente el alma de la historia que un tiempo después sería Sailor Moon. Personalmente no soy la más fan de Minako pero igual es una historia re divertida
December 14, 2025
A classic fun reading
September 25, 2015
Review for complete series
I have been an avid manga reader for close to 12 years now and yet I have never had any connection to the Sailor Moon universe; When it was shown on TV in Europe I moved to New Zealand and by the time I went back to Europe Sailor Moon was long gone. With that, I only got my hands on copies of the Sailor Moon manga series about 20 years after its first release.
Sailor V is a lovely prequel to Sailor Moon. I love when stories have crossovers or when characters make a guest appearance. It was always fun discovering Usagi and the others in the odd panel here and there. I believe the Sailor Moon universe was mainly created for a younger audience. For those who are a bit older, it may be more difficult to connect with this story if one, like me, has not grown up with it.
But nonetheless, as long as you do not take it too seriously and pin down everything that does not make sense (after all – it is a magical girl shoujo manga… they hardly ever make much sense) it can be a very enjoyable read. Minako is a nice lead character who is both feminine and strong and always delivers hilarious scenes. Naoko Takeuchi’s artwork is gorgeous. Some years back I did not appreciate older manga style as much as I do these days but I had to stop on so many pages to admire her line art – she always manages to make sure graceful poses for her characters as well as the movement of hair and clothing!
I thought the ending was rather sad despite the overall comedic tone of the manga. Still – I thought it was a lovely setup for its transition to the sequel.
P.S.:
I feel lucky to own the older 3 Volume edition as I find the cover art to be so much nicer.
June 24, 2017
"Menunggu bukan gayaku. Aku yang memutuskan! Aku akan menyerang duluan! Mina akan berusaha!"
"Benar! Aku mengerahkan SEMUA ENERGIKU. Itu membuat perasaanku segar."
"Mina benar-benar full engine, ya."
***
Aku nggak pernah nyangka kalau akhirnya bakal sangat menyukai Aino Minako. Sejujurnya aku dulu sangat meremehkan serial ini. Tapi anehnya aku nggak bisa berhenti menyukainya. Padahal, dulu aku benci dengan cerita remaja cewek yang melulu memikirkan cinta. Buat aku yang dulu semasa sekolah sibuk mengejar prestasi akademik dan nonakademik hal-hal seperti itu sangat asing.
Tapi pada akhirnya aku tahu kenapa aku nggak pernah bisa lepas dari serial ini walau terus mempertahankan hubungan love-hate relationship dengan serial Sailor Moon dan Sailor V. Karena secara alam bawah sadar, diriku yang cewek ini menyukai dinamika perkembangan psikologis cewek yang dialami para tokohnya. Meski aku selama ini menolak dianggap menye, aslinya aku tetap menyukai hal-hal manis, imut, sparkling, obrolan soal cinta, yah hal-hal yang tadinya kuanggap menye itu.
Dan baru setelah aku membacanya lagi di penghujung usia yang sudah kepala 2 ini, aku jadi sadar bahwa Sailor Moon dan Sailor V bisa dibilang justru sangat manusiawi dan membumi. Meskipun tokoh Usagi Tsukino dan Aino Minako bisa dibilang sama sekali bukan tipe cewek ideal (Usagi bodoh dan cengeng, Aino Minako tidak cengeng tapi nilai-nilainya tetap jeblok), tapi dengan mudah kami para gadis bisa menemukan fragmen diri kami dalam tokoh-tokoh remaja perempuan yang ditampilkan pada serial ini.
***
Seperti Sailor Moon, Sailor V dimulai dari ketika tokoh masih menjadi "zero" dengan segala sifatnya yang kasar, berantakan, tapi penuh semangat. Namun, sepanjang cerita berlangsung Aino Minako lambat laun semakin menyadari tugasnya sebagai pelindung bumi dan pembasmi penjahat. Lazimnya remaja perempuan lainnya, ia pun masih suka bermain-main seperti ke game center, nonton konser artis idola, mengejar kakak kelas yang cakep, tapi pada suatu titik tertentu, ia pun bisa bersikap sebagaimana seorang Soldier.
Yang menarik di sini adalah keberadaan kucing Artemis dan sosok tak terlihat yang dipanggil sebagai "boss", yang berperan sebagai mentor Aino Minako selama ia menjalani pelatihan sebagai Soldier. Dengan karakter seperti Aino Minako, ia jelas tidak bisa dipaksa untuk terus serius berlatih dan belajar setiap saat. Artemis sampai berkali-kali frustrasi akibat sifat Aino Minako yang playful.
Tapi dengan bijak akhirnya sang boss menyuruh Artemis "mendidik" Aino Minako via video game Sailor V. Karena sering memainkannya, kemampuan Minako dalam berstrategi dan bertarung pun meningkat pesat. Ini bukan hal yang mengherankan. Aku tahu ada beberapa teman di komunitas otaku yang benar-benar belajar martial arts karena terinspirasi game. Atau menguasai berbagai hal seperti sejarah dan politik karena sering memainkan game-game bertema serupa.
Jika pernah menonton film Ender's Game, maka apa yang dialami Ender dan teman-temannya pun mirip dengan Minako, latihan bertarung dengan game simulasi. Hehehe...
Intinya Artemis dan sang Boss dengan sabar mengikuti alur Aino Minako dan pelan-pelan mengarahkannya ke fokus hidupnya. Dan kurasa harusnya ini yang perlu dipahami oleh orang-orang dewasa agar mereka tidak memaksa anak-anak dan remaja mereka untuk menuruti kemauan mereka dengan jalan paksaan.
Yah, siapa sangka kalau dalam komik kita bisa mendapatkan pelajaran tentang dinamika perkembangan remaja terutama gadis remaja.
Pada akhirnya aku bisa menyimpulkan bahwa Sailor Moon dan Sailor V memang dibuat berdasarkan permasalahan remaja di sana: fenomena idol dan fans, game, budaya pop, perusahaan yang menggerakkan perekonomian dan tren dunia, geng dan kenakalan remaja, tekanan dalam dunia pendidikan, independensi remaja cewek. Dan semua permasalahan itu relevan sampai kapan pun.
Tak heran kalau serial ini bisa begitu awet sampai kapan pun sejak pertama kali dirilis, hingga sekarang sampai versi premiumnya keluar.
"Benar! Aku mengerahkan SEMUA ENERGIKU. Itu membuat perasaanku segar."
"Mina benar-benar full engine, ya."
***
Aku nggak pernah nyangka kalau akhirnya bakal sangat menyukai Aino Minako. Sejujurnya aku dulu sangat meremehkan serial ini. Tapi anehnya aku nggak bisa berhenti menyukainya. Padahal, dulu aku benci dengan cerita remaja cewek yang melulu memikirkan cinta. Buat aku yang dulu semasa sekolah sibuk mengejar prestasi akademik dan nonakademik hal-hal seperti itu sangat asing.
Tapi pada akhirnya aku tahu kenapa aku nggak pernah bisa lepas dari serial ini walau terus mempertahankan hubungan love-hate relationship dengan serial Sailor Moon dan Sailor V. Karena secara alam bawah sadar, diriku yang cewek ini menyukai dinamika perkembangan psikologis cewek yang dialami para tokohnya. Meski aku selama ini menolak dianggap menye, aslinya aku tetap menyukai hal-hal manis, imut, sparkling, obrolan soal cinta, yah hal-hal yang tadinya kuanggap menye itu.
Dan baru setelah aku membacanya lagi di penghujung usia yang sudah kepala 2 ini, aku jadi sadar bahwa Sailor Moon dan Sailor V bisa dibilang justru sangat manusiawi dan membumi. Meskipun tokoh Usagi Tsukino dan Aino Minako bisa dibilang sama sekali bukan tipe cewek ideal (Usagi bodoh dan cengeng, Aino Minako tidak cengeng tapi nilai-nilainya tetap jeblok), tapi dengan mudah kami para gadis bisa menemukan fragmen diri kami dalam tokoh-tokoh remaja perempuan yang ditampilkan pada serial ini.
***
Seperti Sailor Moon, Sailor V dimulai dari ketika tokoh masih menjadi "zero" dengan segala sifatnya yang kasar, berantakan, tapi penuh semangat. Namun, sepanjang cerita berlangsung Aino Minako lambat laun semakin menyadari tugasnya sebagai pelindung bumi dan pembasmi penjahat. Lazimnya remaja perempuan lainnya, ia pun masih suka bermain-main seperti ke game center, nonton konser artis idola, mengejar kakak kelas yang cakep, tapi pada suatu titik tertentu, ia pun bisa bersikap sebagaimana seorang Soldier.
Yang menarik di sini adalah keberadaan kucing Artemis dan sosok tak terlihat yang dipanggil sebagai "boss", yang berperan sebagai mentor Aino Minako selama ia menjalani pelatihan sebagai Soldier. Dengan karakter seperti Aino Minako, ia jelas tidak bisa dipaksa untuk terus serius berlatih dan belajar setiap saat. Artemis sampai berkali-kali frustrasi akibat sifat Aino Minako yang playful.
Tapi dengan bijak akhirnya sang boss menyuruh Artemis "mendidik" Aino Minako via video game Sailor V. Karena sering memainkannya, kemampuan Minako dalam berstrategi dan bertarung pun meningkat pesat. Ini bukan hal yang mengherankan. Aku tahu ada beberapa teman di komunitas otaku yang benar-benar belajar martial arts karena terinspirasi game. Atau menguasai berbagai hal seperti sejarah dan politik karena sering memainkan game-game bertema serupa.
Jika pernah menonton film Ender's Game, maka apa yang dialami Ender dan teman-temannya pun mirip dengan Minako, latihan bertarung dengan game simulasi. Hehehe...
Intinya Artemis dan sang Boss dengan sabar mengikuti alur Aino Minako dan pelan-pelan mengarahkannya ke fokus hidupnya. Dan kurasa harusnya ini yang perlu dipahami oleh orang-orang dewasa agar mereka tidak memaksa anak-anak dan remaja mereka untuk menuruti kemauan mereka dengan jalan paksaan.
Yah, siapa sangka kalau dalam komik kita bisa mendapatkan pelajaran tentang dinamika perkembangan remaja terutama gadis remaja.
Pada akhirnya aku bisa menyimpulkan bahwa Sailor Moon dan Sailor V memang dibuat berdasarkan permasalahan remaja di sana: fenomena idol dan fans, game, budaya pop, perusahaan yang menggerakkan perekonomian dan tren dunia, geng dan kenakalan remaja, tekanan dalam dunia pendidikan, independensi remaja cewek. Dan semua permasalahan itu relevan sampai kapan pun.
Tak heran kalau serial ini bisa begitu awet sampai kapan pun sejak pertama kali dirilis, hingga sekarang sampai versi premiumnya keluar.
September 21, 2011
Minako Aino was an Ordinary Schoolgirl until one day she encountered a talking cat who informed her that she has the power to transform into Sailor Venus, a Pretty Guardian in a Sailor Suit, and fight the forces of Darkness. If this sounds familiar, it should. Sailor V is the predecessor to the more famous Sailor Moon. The two series have a complicated relationship -- SM is effectively a reboot of SV, with Usagi, Luna, Umino and Naru being stand-ins for Minako and her pals, but at the same time, Sailor V is part of the same continuity as Sailor Moon. You can tell when the Sailor Moon manga started because Usagi and Naru appear briefly at Minako's favorite arcade, and of course later on Minako and Artemis transition over to Sailor Moon.
Still, the two series aren't identical. Sailor V is much, much, much -- I cannot stress this enough -- much sillier. The art is hyper-frenetic, with every inch of page covered in action with no time for such niceties as character development or world building. The villain exists to be villainous, and her plan is simply to keep producing more mooks to do the same thing over and over again, no matter how often it fails. And those failures are rather pathetic. There aren't any significant fight scenes. Sailor V just shows up, uses her magical compact to attack the Mook of the Day, and that's it -- the mook never dodges or fights back.
While it's nice to finally have Sailor Venus's backstory in the US, it's sadly disappointing.
Still, the two series aren't identical. Sailor V is much, much, much -- I cannot stress this enough -- much sillier. The art is hyper-frenetic, with every inch of page covered in action with no time for such niceties as character development or world building. The villain exists to be villainous, and her plan is simply to keep producing more mooks to do the same thing over and over again, no matter how often it fails. And those failures are rather pathetic. There aren't any significant fight scenes. Sailor V just shows up, uses her magical compact to attack the Mook of the Day, and that's it -- the mook never dodges or fights back.
While it's nice to finally have Sailor Venus's backstory in the US, it's sadly disappointing.
November 18, 2011
I've never actually read the Codename: Sailor V manga before now, and I don't actually think I ever saw it in stores, but you bet your ass I read the Sailor Moon manga.
Codename: Sailor V isn't as good as Sailor Moon (or as my memory of Sailor Moon...we'll find out if I'm just remembering it fondly or not soon), but it's the seed Sailor Moon sprouted from, and comes at the themes Sailor Moon initially tackles from a different angle. For a goofy, episodic manga, I loved it. There was obviously never going to be any big plot payoff (unless you count the fact that you're getting to see Sailor Venus's first year of being a sailor senshi) but it was utterly charming all the same. I just know that, unlike some other books I could name, I felt so cheerful when I was reading it. Minako is such a likable character.
Something must be said about Naoko Takeuchi's drawing style and that something is: guh. She draws her women so beautifully, and every sailor senshi comes out looking so elegant. Which is a great contrast to some of their personalities, particularly Usagi's.
Codename: Sailor V isn't as good as Sailor Moon (or as my memory of Sailor Moon...we'll find out if I'm just remembering it fondly or not soon), but it's the seed Sailor Moon sprouted from, and comes at the themes Sailor Moon initially tackles from a different angle. For a goofy, episodic manga, I loved it. There was obviously never going to be any big plot payoff (unless you count the fact that you're getting to see Sailor Venus's first year of being a sailor senshi) but it was utterly charming all the same. I just know that, unlike some other books I could name, I felt so cheerful when I was reading it. Minako is such a likable character.
Something must be said about Naoko Takeuchi's drawing style and that something is: guh. She draws her women so beautifully, and every sailor senshi comes out looking so elegant. Which is a great contrast to some of their personalities, particularly Usagi's.
August 4, 2020
I really love this short series with Sailor Venus also known as Minako Aino she is my favorite Sailor Senshi and I loved reading about how she became Sailor Venus and her adventures in fighting the evil of the Sailor Moon universe. I really loved the characters especially Minako and Artemis I liked Mina's happy go lucky attitude and how she fights to save the day. I just really like Artemis for how interesting he is an cool talking cat. I really liked the plot it showed how Mina became Sailor V and her adventures in saving the people of Japan one step at a time. So overall I really liked this manga will finish it sometime soon.
August 3, 2015
Del 2015
Yo durante todo el manga.
Pues, qué puedo decir. Mina es mi favorita. La amo. Y todo lo que tenga que ver con este tema siempre le daré mil estrellas. Te amo Naoko, gracias por haber creado tanta belleza T o T
Del 2022
Sigo insistiendo en que Minako es mi personaje favorito. Y sí tiene ciertas similitudes con Usagi. Minako actúa tal cual una niña de trece años y me divierte mucho. Demasiado diría yo. Porque su irresponsabilidad me recuerda a la mía cuando estaba de esa edad. Digo, lo sigo siendo pero ya menos...creo.
Yo durante todo el manga.
Pues, qué puedo decir. Mina es mi favorita. La amo. Y todo lo que tenga que ver con este tema siempre le daré mil estrellas. Te amo Naoko, gracias por haber creado tanta belleza T o T
Del 2022
Sigo insistiendo en que Minako es mi personaje favorito. Y sí tiene ciertas similitudes con Usagi. Minako actúa tal cual una niña de trece años y me divierte mucho. Demasiado diría yo. Porque su irresponsabilidad me recuerda a la mía cuando estaba de esa edad. Digo, lo sigo siendo pero ya menos...creo.
September 8, 2014
Minako es perezosa, de bastante mal carácter, egocéntrica y está más preocupada por los cantantes y las estrellas de tv que por ser Sailor V, pero eso obviamente es parte de lo simpático.
Los villanos y sus mensajes hipnóticos son muy cómicos. En general todas las historias son más de humor que de acción, es una precuela simple para ver qué era de la vida de Mina antes de unirse con el resto del grupo.
Las historias de los capítulos son prácticamente iguales, salvo la del último que me gustó mucho más. Este manga es más un fanservice para quienes nos gusta Sailor Moon que otra cosa, Minako no es mi preferida pero de todos modos está lindo... y me gustan los pequeños guiños hacia Sailor Moon :)
Los villanos y sus mensajes hipnóticos son muy cómicos. En general todas las historias son más de humor que de acción, es una precuela simple para ver qué era de la vida de Mina antes de unirse con el resto del grupo.
Las historias de los capítulos son prácticamente iguales, salvo la del último que me gustó mucho más. Este manga es más un fanservice para quienes nos gusta Sailor Moon que otra cosa, Minako no es mi preferida pero de todos modos está lindo... y me gustan los pequeños guiños hacia Sailor Moon :)
April 22, 2012
Of course I was bound to love this. Sailor Moon was my introduction to manga, after all, and I think I still love Naoko Takeuchi's art best. Codename: Sailor V came first, though this is the first time it's been available (legally, at least) in America. You can definitely see in reading it that it came before Sailor Moon. You can even see the art improve just over the course of this one volume. The story itself is very light and episodic, and Minako is just such a fun character to read. I usually like cheerful characters in manga. It's a fun, quick read, with a couple of very short Usagi cameos.
December 18, 2022
This was a really cute collection of Sailor V stories! The origins. It was kind of interesting to see familiar characters in the background as well.
Also, who's Boss? It can't be Luna because she's the one who calls Artemis Boss and takes directions from him in Sailor Moon. Hmm.
Also, who's Boss? It can't be Luna because she's the one who calls Artemis Boss and takes directions from him in Sailor Moon. Hmm.
November 27, 2019
[REVIEW TO COME UPON RE-READING.]
December 16, 2023
I love Minako so much!!
January 26, 2012
~3/5
I had rather low expectations for this. I watched the anime when it was on TV and I was really little, so I don't remember any of it, and I never read it. But then, not too long ago, I watched it online, and was very unimpressed. Really unimpressed. Which made me wary to read the manga. But I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I know that it was big when it first got translated and people were really excited about it coming back, me included. And I'd already decided that I was going to give both series a try, only I'm still not sure for how long.
Now, with those low expectations, I kind of enjoyed the manga. I wasn't all that impressed, and none of it was beyond what I was expecting, but it wasn't bad. Which is actually pretty good, in my book.
We meet Minako Aino, also known as Sailor V. She isn't very smart, is pushy, falls 'in love' with guys way too easily, plays video games a lot, and doesn't really believe the cat when he talks to her. Minako is alright as a character, but I'm not all that attached to her. I think it's mostly how easily she becomes obsessed with things that bothers me, as it does with anyone, in books and not. Also, she was fighting when told, except for at certain points when she would say that she'd never really chosen, or agreed, to fight for them. And she seems exactly like the people she's inadvertently saving, an annoying teenager that would fall for anything people are saying. It might be more cliché, though, if she were to be annoyed by it all originally, though. I don't know which I would prefer.
Pretty much all of the book consists of Minako fighting villains rather easily for a chapter each, most of which (if not all) are from the Dark Agency. One of the villains is a boy from her school, several others are pop-stars, one's a tourist hostess. Except for the last one, where she helps out a guy that she has a crush on and a gang he's involved in. But it kind of bothers me that she's winning so easily, and how she's doing it seems a little... dumb? But, you know, whatever. Don't want to complain or nitpick the logistics too much.
She's also, kind of, rivaling with the police, one of whom hates her and another that admires her. I didn't mind the police, found them (or, the one that admires her) a bit entertaining. We didn't get much of the personality of her friend, except that she's a lot like Minako, but we did get to see a bit from the geeky boy at her school, Amano, who was just alright. I did like Artemis, the cat, for however much we did get of him. Oh, and I noticed the small appearances that Usagi made, which I found interesting. Nice to know that she'd planned that (assuming that she did write Codename: Sailor V first, which I believe she did?).
I'll be reading the next one when I get it, which I'm not sure when that'll be. Soon, maybe? There are only two volumes of Codename, though, right? Since they're in an extended version, or whatever? I hope so, since I haven't heard anything about a third volume being released. And I want to start Sailor Moon, which I already have one volume of, but I want to finish Codename first. It's the prequel, and I like going in order, so it bothered me a bit that Kodansha was releasing them at the same time. But, that's alright.
I'll be reading it, nonetheless, and hope I don't have to skip ahead to Sailor Moon.
[Taken from my blog.]
I had rather low expectations for this. I watched the anime when it was on TV and I was really little, so I don't remember any of it, and I never read it. But then, not too long ago, I watched it online, and was very unimpressed. Really unimpressed. Which made me wary to read the manga. But I've heard a lot of good things about it, and I know that it was big when it first got translated and people were really excited about it coming back, me included. And I'd already decided that I was going to give both series a try, only I'm still not sure for how long.
Now, with those low expectations, I kind of enjoyed the manga. I wasn't all that impressed, and none of it was beyond what I was expecting, but it wasn't bad. Which is actually pretty good, in my book.
We meet Minako Aino, also known as Sailor V. She isn't very smart, is pushy, falls 'in love' with guys way too easily, plays video games a lot, and doesn't really believe the cat when he talks to her. Minako is alright as a character, but I'm not all that attached to her. I think it's mostly how easily she becomes obsessed with things that bothers me, as it does with anyone, in books and not. Also, she was fighting when told, except for at certain points when she would say that she'd never really chosen, or agreed, to fight for them. And she seems exactly like the people she's inadvertently saving, an annoying teenager that would fall for anything people are saying. It might be more cliché, though, if she were to be annoyed by it all originally, though. I don't know which I would prefer.
Pretty much all of the book consists of Minako fighting villains rather easily for a chapter each, most of which (if not all) are from the Dark Agency. One of the villains is a boy from her school, several others are pop-stars, one's a tourist hostess. Except for the last one, where she helps out a guy that she has a crush on and a gang he's involved in. But it kind of bothers me that she's winning so easily, and how she's doing it seems a little... dumb? But, you know, whatever. Don't want to complain or nitpick the logistics too much.
She's also, kind of, rivaling with the police, one of whom hates her and another that admires her. I didn't mind the police, found them (or, the one that admires her) a bit entertaining. We didn't get much of the personality of her friend, except that she's a lot like Minako, but we did get to see a bit from the geeky boy at her school, Amano, who was just alright. I did like Artemis, the cat, for however much we did get of him. Oh, and I noticed the small appearances that Usagi made, which I found interesting. Nice to know that she'd planned that (assuming that she did write Codename: Sailor V first, which I believe she did?).
I'll be reading the next one when I get it, which I'm not sure when that'll be. Soon, maybe? There are only two volumes of Codename, though, right? Since they're in an extended version, or whatever? I hope so, since I haven't heard anything about a third volume being released. And I want to start Sailor Moon, which I already have one volume of, but I want to finish Codename first. It's the prequel, and I like going in order, so it bothered me a bit that Kodansha was releasing them at the same time. But, that's alright.
I'll be reading it, nonetheless, and hope I don't have to skip ahead to Sailor Moon.
[Taken from my blog.]
February 27, 2019
Having been a fan of Sailor Moon for many years, I was so excited when I learned the manga was getting a new English version by Kodansha Comics and especially the prequel series, Codename: Sailor V. Sailor Venus' adventures prior to joining the main group are not often talked about, so I was looking forward to reading it.
You follow the protagonist Minako Aino, a 13-year-old middle school student who lives in Tokyo, Japan. She learns she is a magical hero known as Sailor V, codename for her real hero name: Sailor Venus. She fights daily battles against the villainous organization called the Dark Agency while trying to juggle her school life and social life at the same time.
For those who have read the Sailor Moon manga before, it follows the same kind of episodic format, at least for this first volume. It feels fresh though thanks to Minako Aino, the protagonist, and how her personality differentiates from that of Usagi Tsukino. She's not a klutz or a crybaby. She's athletic, strong-willed, and determined. She know what she wants and does everything in her power to get it, even if it may get her into trouble. Her interactions with Artemis, her own cat guide, are different as a result.
For those who like to decide on manga based on art style, I think you will find the quality to quite good. Naoko Takeuchi's style comes off as simple yet detailed, capable of portraying her characters as adorably cute or serious without deterring from from the story or pulling you out of it. Action scenes are well-drawn and it are easy to follow. The colours of the cover and first six pages (which are full-coloured) are warm and vibrant.
While I wouldn't necessarily called this a required read, I would recommend it for fans of the series and those who want to get a better grasp of Minako/Sailor Venus' character and what drives her.
You follow the protagonist Minako Aino, a 13-year-old middle school student who lives in Tokyo, Japan. She learns she is a magical hero known as Sailor V, codename for her real hero name: Sailor Venus. She fights daily battles against the villainous organization called the Dark Agency while trying to juggle her school life and social life at the same time.
For those who have read the Sailor Moon manga before, it follows the same kind of episodic format, at least for this first volume. It feels fresh though thanks to Minako Aino, the protagonist, and how her personality differentiates from that of Usagi Tsukino. She's not a klutz or a crybaby. She's athletic, strong-willed, and determined. She know what she wants and does everything in her power to get it, even if it may get her into trouble. Her interactions with Artemis, her own cat guide, are different as a result.
For those who like to decide on manga based on art style, I think you will find the quality to quite good. Naoko Takeuchi's style comes off as simple yet detailed, capable of portraying her characters as adorably cute or serious without deterring from from the story or pulling you out of it. Action scenes are well-drawn and it are easy to follow. The colours of the cover and first six pages (which are full-coloured) are warm and vibrant.
While I wouldn't necessarily called this a required read, I would recommend it for fans of the series and those who want to get a better grasp of Minako/Sailor Venus' character and what drives her.
April 18, 2012
Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore the Sailor Moon series. It's been an obsession ever since the show was on when I was younger. I love all the new manga with the updated translations. So when I heard the Sailor V manga that wasn't released in the US was going to be translated, I was super excited. However, this really feel flat for me which is really disappointing. I was hoping to see more of Minako as an individual character, but she just seemed like a carbon copy of Usagi except with a big affinity for idols. I know in the shows, Minako and Usagi are very similar but honestly they were practically the same people in this manga installation. I liked the random appearances of Usagi and Rei throughout the story, and it was nice to see the back story before the first Sailor Moon starts up but I wish it had had more of the Sailor Moon magic to it.
August 14, 2012
2026: Randomly in the mood to reread Sailor Moon so I'm starting with Codename Sailor V. This was before the Sailor Moon manga I think? Usagi and Rai do make cameos in here however. You can see the almost cut/paste as Minako has a lot of the same personality traits as Usagi gets (lazy, bad student, eats a lot). The narrative isn't particularly interesting either with each chapter being it's own isolated adventure instead of a longer-form story. But cute enough.
___________
Original Review 2012: It's nice to finally get Sailor V's side of the story. Clearly, Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor V before Sailor Moon, there was quite a few similarities as well as inconsistencies. (Mina shouts, Moon Power in order to transform). But it was nonetheless a nice read. I can't wait to read the end of Sailor V's saga before she hooked up with the other Sailor Scouts.
___________
Original Review 2012: It's nice to finally get Sailor V's side of the story. Clearly, Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor V before Sailor Moon, there was quite a few similarities as well as inconsistencies. (Mina shouts, Moon Power in order to transform). But it was nonetheless a nice read. I can't wait to read the end of Sailor V's saga before she hooked up with the other Sailor Scouts.
September 24, 2011
It was great to finally read the precursor to Sailor Moon! Reading this volume, I could really tell that Naoko Takeuchi definitely was planning Sailor Moon as she was writing Sailor V, what with the cameo appearances from Usagi and Naru, and also Rei.
Sailor V is a pretty worry-free character. She's bright and cheery, a young girl who's too obsessed with idols and doesn't really train once she becomes a "guardian of justice." Her adventures are somewhat nonsensical but in this book it all works. I find it personally amusing that Sailor V's solutions to most initial problems is a kick to the face.
I'd wondered how well this sort of material would hold up, since the last time I'd read Sailor Moon I was in high school, but I really enjoyed it and was easily drawn in.
Sailor V is a pretty worry-free character. She's bright and cheery, a young girl who's too obsessed with idols and doesn't really train once she becomes a "guardian of justice." Her adventures are somewhat nonsensical but in this book it all works. I find it personally amusing that Sailor V's solutions to most initial problems is a kick to the face.
I'd wondered how well this sort of material would hold up, since the last time I'd read Sailor Moon I was in high school, but I really enjoyed it and was easily drawn in.
December 30, 2019
I didn't know this prequel series to Sailor Moon existed until many years after I was sucked into the fandom. As a massive Sailor Moon fan, I NEEDED to read it. It's very clear that it was created before Sailor Moon - the art style isn't as clean, there are a LOT of characters that are VERY similar to those in Sailor Moon, and many of the story elements are in the same vein.
This wasn't as good as I had hoped, mainly because of the repetitive storylines in such a brief series, but considering it was created and published by a 14 year-old, it's also an astonishing piece of work. Definitely recommended for any avid Sailor Moon fans who want to get a little bit more of the origin story.
This wasn't as good as I had hoped, mainly because of the repetitive storylines in such a brief series, but considering it was created and published by a 14 year-old, it's also an astonishing piece of work. Definitely recommended for any avid Sailor Moon fans who want to get a little bit more of the origin story.
February 10, 2013
2026 REREAD:
WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER MOON!
We have now arrived, way back at the beginning, of 'Sailor Moon' before Sailor Moon - 'Codename: Sailor V' (I know for certain now there's a colon in that title).
Wow is 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 1' - translated into English by Kodansha Comics - silly, cartoony, chaotic and OTT. It is rather messy, rough and repetitive. I wouldn't say it's derivative, since, while the sentai formula in Japan had been established for twenty years up until the manga's release in 1991, it was unusual at the time for the genre to star a female protagonist. Even keeping in mind that you are clearly not supposed to take 'Codename: Sailor V' seriously in the slightest, and it is mostly a comedy, the comedic elements don't always land well.
You can definitely tell Naoko Takeuchi was getting started on the writing and art departments, and that she would iron out her flaws, and refine her craft, through continuous practice - in time to create 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' as we know it.
Both 'Sailor Moon' and 'Sailor V' star very flawed young heroines. Usagi is academically lazy, sensitive, and a crybaby, and Minako is almost like Harley Quinn, in how OTT, jokey, outrageous, selfish, and athletic she is. She is also not bothered with schoolwork, in a devil-may-care kind of attitude, and is unabashedly and unashamedly lovesick and boy crazy - not shy at all. One big difference between the girls is that Usagi is nice, friendly, genuine, and unselfish when she needs to be, while Mina is... not so much. She is much more self-centred, rude, and borderline mean, and even as narcissistic as you'd expect someone connected to the goddess Venus would be. Mina is not above cheating and stepping over and on people to get what she wants. She can be obnoxious, which I understand can be a turnoff for some readers. But these are flaws she is working on herself, slowly but surely, as realistically as a modern thirteen-year-old can - for her to be the future responsible leader of the Inner Solar System Sailor Guardians. Through all her faults, Mina/Sailor V can be legit funny sometimes, too. Many of her disguises are hilarious.
The noticeable things the two Sailor protags have in common are their gender, age, hair, eye colour, hatred of studying, and love of video games.
The manga is sexist and problematic for its time, even though Mina/Sailor V does subvert a lot of gender norms and stereotypes. There is the obsession with feminine beauty and upholding conventional attraction standards. One notable feature in 'Vol. 1' that holds up, however, is the entirety of the second chapter, 'Minako in "Game Center Crown"', which is about incels, and the toxic, exclusionary male gamer community. Over twenty years later, it would have been a great response to #GamerGate. The chapter depicts so many areas of misogyny in gaming culture, and other mediums in pop culture, and the internet, back when the internet was barely a thing. It is deeply tragic and depressing how much it still resonates today, in current year 2026.
Other notes:
Takeuchi-sensei would reuse characters designs and draw characters too similarly, especially for her light-haired human males. Mina's best friend Hikaru looks exactly like Ami/Sailor Mercury, and Amano is Umino, pretty much. None of Mina's friends are seen or mentioned in 'Sailor Moon'. How much of her old life disappears or doesn't matter in the sequel series?
Usagi and Naru make a couple of cameo appearances, as schoolgirls who go to the arcade. Rei appears once as well. I can't believe I didn't remember that. Takeuchi-sensei really did plan ahead. She must have always intended Sailor Moon to be a thing, with this manga's moon theme; such as Sailor V's crescent moon mark on her forehead, and her crescent moon-shaped, mirror-true-form compact, that shoots out a "Crescent Beam", and her "Moon Power: Transform" and communicator pen.
Furuhata, the arcade guy who nearly all the Sailor girls have a crush on, has been working there even back in 'Sailor V'.
Mina - and the manga and Takeuchi-sensei - are/were obsessed with video games and pop idols, and they are the primary source of inspiration and conflict in the whole manga volume.
However, there are parody elements when showcasing both subjects, and when it comes to idols, we get this pointed and relevant line from the villain Fluorite: "Using idols... to brainwash the people is the perfect method! We can suck out nearly limitless energy... and rake in the money at the same time." It's an accurate way to describe capitalism.
It is established early on that Mina's number one ambition is to be an idol, which doesn't change throughout 'Sailor V' and 'Sailor Moon'.
A major repetitive element and pattern is the villains - who we know nothing about at this point, other than they are called "the Dark Agency", and are aliens (?) - and their plots-of-the-week. It's all about draining human energy and brainwashing them into slaves, in hopes of taking over the world. It's similar to the first arc of 'Sailor Moon', only it's much more egregious, hectic, predictable and poorly planned out in 'Sailor V'. Who are Danburite and Fluorite? Why is Kunzite mentioned? Is the Dark Agency related to the Dark Kingdom after all? How, exactly? Do we find out for sure in the next volume?
Toshio Wakagi, a cute but angry and serious young police detective, has it in for Sailor V, for making cops look bad. And he's suspicious of her overall. He's the Chase Devineaux to Sailor V's Carmen Sandiego. His boss, who is just called Inspector General, is a capable and enthusiastic woman, and a secret fangirl of Sailor V. Lots of comedic potential is met in this area of the manga. Plus it's a sign of how Sailor V is exposed and open to the public, not only in how she has fans, but in how the law enforcement in Tokyo would be on her case. This doesn't carry forward to 'Sailor Moon' in the least. Police barely exist in the sequel series.
Mina has both parents who are present, and she never seems to get along with her family.
When Artemis first explains to Mina that she is Sailor Venus, and is destined to be a Champion of Justice on Earth, he actually shows her, from space, both Earth and Venus. He also shows her she has her own castle floating around Venus, called "Magellan". I recall this only ever coming up again at the end of the Dead Moon Circus arc in 'Sailor Moon', which is ages away. This much comes back, huh?
Is Artemis's "Boss" Queen Serenity? Is that where this is going? Was planned from the beginning?
After Sailor V defeats her first enemy in the first chapter - a guy she had a crush on who turned out to be a literal monster to girls - she cries. Art comforts her. It's a brief but human moment for her.
In the particularly silly, chaotic, yet still pretty funny seventh chapter, 'Sailor V on Vacation--Desire for Hawaii!', Mina ends up in Greece by accident, and finds she likes it there. The ruins, the temples, the air, she describes it as a recollection, or "a memory of a previous life", as Artemis puts it. And a tourist tells Sailor V that a temple suits her, like she belongs to the place. This is clearly meant to be a part of Mina/Sailor V's connection to the goddess Venus, as she was "born under the protection of the Goddess of Beauty" (Art again, in the first chapter). But was it intended to be foreshadowing her future role as Sailor Venus, the reincarnated Sailor Guardian, Protector and Princess of the planet Venus? The goddess Venus herself is hardly mentioned, if at all, throughout 'Sailor Moon'; where does she fit into the planetary Guardian and Princess business?
I quite like the eighth and final chapter, 'Love on the Boulevard--Full Throttle Turbo'. It contains smatterings of sincerity and character development. Except, Sailor V describes the female villain-of-the-week as: "An evil woman who pollutes the world of duty and obligation felt by the manliest of men!" There are so many things wrong with that line, and how it has not aged well, I don't even know where to begin. So I won't. Moving on. But at least it then demonstrates how the male juvenile delinquents in question continue to be violent even when they are no longer under the woman's control, so all the blame cannot be placed on her. It's toxic masculinity, male entitlement, and the enabling, condoning and encouraging patriarchal system that favours men and hates women that are the true cause of men ruining the Earth, for themselves as well as others.
Mina uses her transformation pen to disguise herself as a male idol at one point. Girls crossdressing as guys has always been a recurring feature in this franchise of Takeuchi-sensei's. Down with gender norms, and the gender binary!
Yeah, 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 1 ' is a stupid mess, that's like a Saturday morning cartoon from the '80s to the early '90s. But it is a guilty pleasure for me. There are genuinely funny moments here and there, and I am forever for unconventional and "unlikeable" heroines; from the early '90s and beyond.
It's reasonable to assume that 'Codename: Sailor V' never grew in popularity, nor received an anime adaptation, nor helped define a generation and practically create and influence a whole genre of manga and anime, like 'Sailor Moon' did, because it is unserious, unfocused and haphazard. 'Sailor Moon' has its unserious, comedic, light breather moments, too, but not to the extent of taking over everything; over the parts that should be taken seriously, in high stakes situations. 'Sailor Moon' also has much better, more refined artwork, to aid in its success.
Read my original review below for further thoughts and points of discussion.
Welp, on to 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2' next, where we might see glimpses of the Minako/Sailor Venus we know and love from 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon', even if it'll take a while. She will eventually mature, while remaining goofy and a little selfish and self-centred, and become someone who has rightfully earned the titles of Champion of Love and Justice, and Sailor/Planetary Guardian. It requires patience, experience, learning and confidence - for both her and her creator.
FYI, don't put so much pressure and expectations on a thirteen-year-old's shoulders.
Happy September Moon.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Before Sailor Moon, there was Sailor Venus, or Sailor V as she was called back in her old adventures (I'm not sure why, personally).
'Codename: Sailor V, Vol 1' (really, why the codename? She already has a superheroine alter ego. I guess one less syllable to her name would make her more marketable). Anyway, 'Sailor V, Vol 1' was where Naoko Takeuchi started off in what would become her biggest, most phenomenal hit about cosmic girls in cute sailor outfits fighting the forces of pure evil and darkness. Despite being a 'Sailor Moon' fan, I'd been reluctant to buy the prequel, because I never thought much about Sailor Venus as a character. But the manga ended up being a very entertaining and hilarious read, where almost nothing makes sense and concepts such as logic and prioritizing are Sailor V-kicked right in the crotch.
Sometime in the future, I plan to write a review of each of the renewed manga volumes of 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'. The prequel volumes seem like a good place to start. It won't be much, since 'Codename: Sailor V' isn't deep at all, but I'm excited to get started.
The first thing to talk about regarding this manga is Sailor V herself. Minako "Mina" Aino is a thirteen-year-old Japanese middle school student. She's beautiful, but isn't a typical girl of the late eighties: She's athletic but lazy in the brain department; she likes to sleep and eat and go shopping; but above all she loves video games and the arcade. For even back when video games were not such a globally-recognised medium, girls made up a lot of their players and fanbases. Mina faces scrutiny for being so unlike a girl because she is tough and good at games, and a few people even accuse her of being a boy (gender stereotyping at its finest!).
One day Mina is met by a talking cat named Artemis, and her life changes overnight as she reluctantly becomes the Champion of Justice - and the protector of the Earth and Venus - Sailor Venus!
Minako is an absolute hoot in this manga. We get to see what she was like before she became the brave, smart and competent Sailor warrior we know her from 'Sailor Moon'. She was a fairly normal teenage girl who liked to goof off a lot. People like to point out her similarities to Usagi Tsukino. But I don't think they're that derivative of one another. Mina is an athlete; confident, graceful, and very silly. She rarely cries, and when she does she is ashamed of showing weakness and learns to overcome it. Usagi is much more clumsy and less confident; with no obvious talents or restraints. She is the sort of person to let all her feelings out and cry on the spot.
Reading 'Codename: Sailor V' definitely made me like Sailor Venus a whole lot more than in 'Sailor Moon'. I just love Mina's ridiculousness, and her screwed-up priorities.
Examples of said screwed-up priorities include:
- After taking a shower, she finds a cat. The cat talks to her. Her first reaction to this is kicking it out of the window... because it's a "pervert".
- She wears a red ribbon in her hair because a boy she'd known was a villain-of-the-week had suggested it to her.
- She spends most of her time in the game center instead of studying and training to fight her enemies (quite ingeniously, Mina's cat mentor Artemis turns the 'Sailor V' arcade game into a means of training for Sailor V herself).
- She transforms into Sailor V to stop some kids bullying other kids on the street... because they'll make her be late for school. (She gives the bullies possible concussions with her V-kicks - in the words of Little Kuriboh, "Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen!").
- She cares more about bands and pop idols than potential (meaning: bloody obvious) threats from monsters out to brainwash and suck her hometown and the people she loves dry.
- She exclaims that brainwashing people of all demographics is... Immoral? Sick? Evil? A violation? Nope - she says it's greedy!
- She wants to go on a trip to Hawaii... when there is the certain matter of evil space aliens in Japan who she must fight.
There are other case-and-points of Minako's exploits (and no doubt she takes after her hypocritical mother). But my point is that they make this thirteen-year-old all the more fun and enjoyable to read about.
'Codename: Sailor V' has a parody element to it that I did not expect. It came out at a time in Japan when computers, video games, pop idols and teenage delinquents really were a big thing, and it shows. But not in a way that looks dated through today's lenses. Naoko Takeuchi took popular Japanese pop culture references and both celebrated and made fun of them (to the point where "otaku-ism" is rather shamelessly targeted). Even American icons such as Jason Voorhees and the Terminator are referenced at one point. However, structurally Takeuchi-sensei never forgot to just write a silly, episodic and cool Sentai manga - which happens to have a female hero.
It seems a bit meaningless to talk about the negatives, when of course nothing in 'Codemane: Sailor V' is meant to be taking seriously. But specifically I'll mention the main weakness: Its repetitiveness. The first six chapters are very formulaic and even a few of them revolve around evil pop idols doing the exact same thing (they even look alike and have similar names) - and yet Minako, even excusing her dimwitted-ness, is given no incentive not to catch on. I know villain-of-the-week plotlines are basically what made Sentai manga and anime what they are, but a different setting and varied villain plan would be called for at least. However, things really start to pick up in chapters seven and eight; where, respectively, Sailor V is in Greece, and crushes on a street delinquent.
Another negative is that the villains - of the "Dark Agency" - have no origin or backstory whatsoever. We know nothing about them, nor why they want to take over the world and make human slaves and drain their energy. At least we are given a hint of the Dark Kingdom's motivations in the first volume of 'Sailor Moon'. And Artemis's purpose is vague at this point in the saga as well. He mentions a "duty" which Sailor V has to get ready for, and there's a "Boss" who talks to Minako through her transformation pen. 'Sailor V, Vol 1' is just that: the first volume. So withholding information from the protagonist (and hence the reader) is forgivable. Plus it leads to another funny Minako moment where - after being dropped into the lair under the 'Sailor V' arcade game - she tries to persuade the Boss (a computer) to tell her what is going on. She cries - but it's only fake tears, and it doesn't work.
Also, there are quite a few grown men and creepy guys in this manga who are far too interested in Sailor V and her short skirt. I remind you that she is meant to be thirteen-years-old...
But back to the positives. The artwork in 'Codename: Sailor V' is great. Like in 'Sailor Moon', the style is stunningly graceful but very expressive and anime-esque - a perfect fit for a comedic and action-packed series revolving around a heroine who's related to the Greek goddess of Venus.
Usagi and her friend Naru - and Rei Hino - make cameo appearances in this volume, and the appearances of the Inspector General, Mina's best friend Hikaru, and her nerdy friend Amano, all show how Takeuch-sensei will develop her story in the future (the Inspector General looks like Sailor Mars, Hikaru like Sailor Mercury, and Amano is whom Umino will become an expy of). Even the game center owner, Furuhata, is in this.
The panels involving the police force are very funny as we get to see how angry the head of the police department is at Sailor V. For she always stops criminals before he arrives at the scene of the crime. And she gets into big trouble for screwing up and causing property damage.
The last chapter - about Minako's "first love" - is quite touching. That is, if you throw logic right out the window.
Really, 'Codename: Sailor V' is such an adorable, side-splitting and colourful read. And it is nice to see how everyone's favourite Moon princess in a sailor outfit came to fruition. It's plain silly fun, and just what a comic book from the golden years is like. I have a new-found respect for Sailor Venus, and I look forward to reading her final lone adventures in Volume 2.
Final Score: 4/5
WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER MOON!
We have now arrived, way back at the beginning, of 'Sailor Moon' before Sailor Moon - 'Codename: Sailor V' (I know for certain now there's a colon in that title).
Wow is 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 1' - translated into English by Kodansha Comics - silly, cartoony, chaotic and OTT. It is rather messy, rough and repetitive. I wouldn't say it's derivative, since, while the sentai formula in Japan had been established for twenty years up until the manga's release in 1991, it was unusual at the time for the genre to star a female protagonist. Even keeping in mind that you are clearly not supposed to take 'Codename: Sailor V' seriously in the slightest, and it is mostly a comedy, the comedic elements don't always land well.
You can definitely tell Naoko Takeuchi was getting started on the writing and art departments, and that she would iron out her flaws, and refine her craft, through continuous practice - in time to create 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' as we know it.
Both 'Sailor Moon' and 'Sailor V' star very flawed young heroines. Usagi is academically lazy, sensitive, and a crybaby, and Minako is almost like Harley Quinn, in how OTT, jokey, outrageous, selfish, and athletic she is. She is also not bothered with schoolwork, in a devil-may-care kind of attitude, and is unabashedly and unashamedly lovesick and boy crazy - not shy at all. One big difference between the girls is that Usagi is nice, friendly, genuine, and unselfish when she needs to be, while Mina is... not so much. She is much more self-centred, rude, and borderline mean, and even as narcissistic as you'd expect someone connected to the goddess Venus would be. Mina is not above cheating and stepping over and on people to get what she wants. She can be obnoxious, which I understand can be a turnoff for some readers. But these are flaws she is working on herself, slowly but surely, as realistically as a modern thirteen-year-old can - for her to be the future responsible leader of the Inner Solar System Sailor Guardians. Through all her faults, Mina/Sailor V can be legit funny sometimes, too. Many of her disguises are hilarious.
The noticeable things the two Sailor protags have in common are their gender, age, hair, eye colour, hatred of studying, and love of video games.
The manga is sexist and problematic for its time, even though Mina/Sailor V does subvert a lot of gender norms and stereotypes. There is the obsession with feminine beauty and upholding conventional attraction standards. One notable feature in 'Vol. 1' that holds up, however, is the entirety of the second chapter, 'Minako in "Game Center Crown"', which is about incels, and the toxic, exclusionary male gamer community. Over twenty years later, it would have been a great response to #GamerGate. The chapter depicts so many areas of misogyny in gaming culture, and other mediums in pop culture, and the internet, back when the internet was barely a thing. It is deeply tragic and depressing how much it still resonates today, in current year 2026.
Other notes:
Takeuchi-sensei would reuse characters designs and draw characters too similarly, especially for her light-haired human males. Mina's best friend Hikaru looks exactly like Ami/Sailor Mercury, and Amano is Umino, pretty much. None of Mina's friends are seen or mentioned in 'Sailor Moon'. How much of her old life disappears or doesn't matter in the sequel series?
Usagi and Naru make a couple of cameo appearances, as schoolgirls who go to the arcade. Rei appears once as well. I can't believe I didn't remember that. Takeuchi-sensei really did plan ahead. She must have always intended Sailor Moon to be a thing, with this manga's moon theme; such as Sailor V's crescent moon mark on her forehead, and her crescent moon-shaped, mirror-true-form compact, that shoots out a "Crescent Beam", and her "Moon Power: Transform" and communicator pen.
Furuhata, the arcade guy who nearly all the Sailor girls have a crush on, has been working there even back in 'Sailor V'.
Mina - and the manga and Takeuchi-sensei - are/were obsessed with video games and pop idols, and they are the primary source of inspiration and conflict in the whole manga volume.
However, there are parody elements when showcasing both subjects, and when it comes to idols, we get this pointed and relevant line from the villain Fluorite: "Using idols... to brainwash the people is the perfect method! We can suck out nearly limitless energy... and rake in the money at the same time." It's an accurate way to describe capitalism.
It is established early on that Mina's number one ambition is to be an idol, which doesn't change throughout 'Sailor V' and 'Sailor Moon'.
A major repetitive element and pattern is the villains - who we know nothing about at this point, other than they are called "the Dark Agency", and are aliens (?) - and their plots-of-the-week. It's all about draining human energy and brainwashing them into slaves, in hopes of taking over the world. It's similar to the first arc of 'Sailor Moon', only it's much more egregious, hectic, predictable and poorly planned out in 'Sailor V'. Who are Danburite and Fluorite? Why is Kunzite mentioned? Is the Dark Agency related to the Dark Kingdom after all? How, exactly? Do we find out for sure in the next volume?
Toshio Wakagi, a cute but angry and serious young police detective, has it in for Sailor V, for making cops look bad. And he's suspicious of her overall. He's the Chase Devineaux to Sailor V's Carmen Sandiego. His boss, who is just called Inspector General, is a capable and enthusiastic woman, and a secret fangirl of Sailor V. Lots of comedic potential is met in this area of the manga. Plus it's a sign of how Sailor V is exposed and open to the public, not only in how she has fans, but in how the law enforcement in Tokyo would be on her case. This doesn't carry forward to 'Sailor Moon' in the least. Police barely exist in the sequel series.
Mina has both parents who are present, and she never seems to get along with her family.
When Artemis first explains to Mina that she is Sailor Venus, and is destined to be a Champion of Justice on Earth, he actually shows her, from space, both Earth and Venus. He also shows her she has her own castle floating around Venus, called "Magellan". I recall this only ever coming up again at the end of the Dead Moon Circus arc in 'Sailor Moon', which is ages away. This much comes back, huh?
Is Artemis's "Boss" Queen Serenity? Is that where this is going? Was planned from the beginning?
After Sailor V defeats her first enemy in the first chapter - a guy she had a crush on who turned out to be a literal monster to girls - she cries. Art comforts her. It's a brief but human moment for her.
In the particularly silly, chaotic, yet still pretty funny seventh chapter, 'Sailor V on Vacation--Desire for Hawaii!', Mina ends up in Greece by accident, and finds she likes it there. The ruins, the temples, the air, she describes it as a recollection, or "a memory of a previous life", as Artemis puts it. And a tourist tells Sailor V that a temple suits her, like she belongs to the place. This is clearly meant to be a part of Mina/Sailor V's connection to the goddess Venus, as she was "born under the protection of the Goddess of Beauty" (Art again, in the first chapter). But was it intended to be foreshadowing her future role as Sailor Venus, the reincarnated Sailor Guardian, Protector and Princess of the planet Venus? The goddess Venus herself is hardly mentioned, if at all, throughout 'Sailor Moon'; where does she fit into the planetary Guardian and Princess business?
I quite like the eighth and final chapter, 'Love on the Boulevard--Full Throttle Turbo'. It contains smatterings of sincerity and character development. Except, Sailor V describes the female villain-of-the-week as: "An evil woman who pollutes the world of duty and obligation felt by the manliest of men!" There are so many things wrong with that line, and how it has not aged well, I don't even know where to begin. So I won't. Moving on. But at least it then demonstrates how the male juvenile delinquents in question continue to be violent even when they are no longer under the woman's control, so all the blame cannot be placed on her. It's toxic masculinity, male entitlement, and the enabling, condoning and encouraging patriarchal system that favours men and hates women that are the true cause of men ruining the Earth, for themselves as well as others.
Mina uses her transformation pen to disguise herself as a male idol at one point. Girls crossdressing as guys has always been a recurring feature in this franchise of Takeuchi-sensei's. Down with gender norms, and the gender binary!
Yeah, 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 1 ' is a stupid mess, that's like a Saturday morning cartoon from the '80s to the early '90s. But it is a guilty pleasure for me. There are genuinely funny moments here and there, and I am forever for unconventional and "unlikeable" heroines; from the early '90s and beyond.
It's reasonable to assume that 'Codename: Sailor V' never grew in popularity, nor received an anime adaptation, nor helped define a generation and practically create and influence a whole genre of manga and anime, like 'Sailor Moon' did, because it is unserious, unfocused and haphazard. 'Sailor Moon' has its unserious, comedic, light breather moments, too, but not to the extent of taking over everything; over the parts that should be taken seriously, in high stakes situations. 'Sailor Moon' also has much better, more refined artwork, to aid in its success.
Read my original review below for further thoughts and points of discussion.
Welp, on to 'Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2' next, where we might see glimpses of the Minako/Sailor Venus we know and love from 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon', even if it'll take a while. She will eventually mature, while remaining goofy and a little selfish and self-centred, and become someone who has rightfully earned the titles of Champion of Love and Justice, and Sailor/Planetary Guardian. It requires patience, experience, learning and confidence - for both her and her creator.
FYI, don't put so much pressure and expectations on a thirteen-year-old's shoulders.
Happy September Moon.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Before Sailor Moon, there was Sailor Venus, or Sailor V as she was called back in her old adventures (I'm not sure why, personally).
'Codename: Sailor V, Vol 1' (really, why the codename? She already has a superheroine alter ego. I guess one less syllable to her name would make her more marketable). Anyway, 'Sailor V, Vol 1' was where Naoko Takeuchi started off in what would become her biggest, most phenomenal hit about cosmic girls in cute sailor outfits fighting the forces of pure evil and darkness. Despite being a 'Sailor Moon' fan, I'd been reluctant to buy the prequel, because I never thought much about Sailor Venus as a character. But the manga ended up being a very entertaining and hilarious read, where almost nothing makes sense and concepts such as logic and prioritizing are Sailor V-kicked right in the crotch.
Sometime in the future, I plan to write a review of each of the renewed manga volumes of 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'. The prequel volumes seem like a good place to start. It won't be much, since 'Codename: Sailor V' isn't deep at all, but I'm excited to get started.
The first thing to talk about regarding this manga is Sailor V herself. Minako "Mina" Aino is a thirteen-year-old Japanese middle school student. She's beautiful, but isn't a typical girl of the late eighties: She's athletic but lazy in the brain department; she likes to sleep and eat and go shopping; but above all she loves video games and the arcade. For even back when video games were not such a globally-recognised medium, girls made up a lot of their players and fanbases. Mina faces scrutiny for being so unlike a girl because she is tough and good at games, and a few people even accuse her of being a boy (gender stereotyping at its finest!).
One day Mina is met by a talking cat named Artemis, and her life changes overnight as she reluctantly becomes the Champion of Justice - and the protector of the Earth and Venus - Sailor Venus!
Minako is an absolute hoot in this manga. We get to see what she was like before she became the brave, smart and competent Sailor warrior we know her from 'Sailor Moon'. She was a fairly normal teenage girl who liked to goof off a lot. People like to point out her similarities to Usagi Tsukino. But I don't think they're that derivative of one another. Mina is an athlete; confident, graceful, and very silly. She rarely cries, and when she does she is ashamed of showing weakness and learns to overcome it. Usagi is much more clumsy and less confident; with no obvious talents or restraints. She is the sort of person to let all her feelings out and cry on the spot.
Reading 'Codename: Sailor V' definitely made me like Sailor Venus a whole lot more than in 'Sailor Moon'. I just love Mina's ridiculousness, and her screwed-up priorities.
Examples of said screwed-up priorities include:
- After taking a shower, she finds a cat. The cat talks to her. Her first reaction to this is kicking it out of the window... because it's a "pervert".
- She wears a red ribbon in her hair because a boy she'd known was a villain-of-the-week had suggested it to her.
- She spends most of her time in the game center instead of studying and training to fight her enemies (quite ingeniously, Mina's cat mentor Artemis turns the 'Sailor V' arcade game into a means of training for Sailor V herself).
- She transforms into Sailor V to stop some kids bullying other kids on the street... because they'll make her be late for school. (She gives the bullies possible concussions with her V-kicks - in the words of Little Kuriboh, "Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen!").
- She cares more about bands and pop idols than potential (meaning: bloody obvious) threats from monsters out to brainwash and suck her hometown and the people she loves dry.
- She exclaims that brainwashing people of all demographics is... Immoral? Sick? Evil? A violation? Nope - she says it's greedy!
- She wants to go on a trip to Hawaii... when there is the certain matter of evil space aliens in Japan who she must fight.
There are other case-and-points of Minako's exploits (and no doubt she takes after her hypocritical mother). But my point is that they make this thirteen-year-old all the more fun and enjoyable to read about.
'Codename: Sailor V' has a parody element to it that I did not expect. It came out at a time in Japan when computers, video games, pop idols and teenage delinquents really were a big thing, and it shows. But not in a way that looks dated through today's lenses. Naoko Takeuchi took popular Japanese pop culture references and both celebrated and made fun of them (to the point where "otaku-ism" is rather shamelessly targeted). Even American icons such as Jason Voorhees and the Terminator are referenced at one point. However, structurally Takeuchi-sensei never forgot to just write a silly, episodic and cool Sentai manga - which happens to have a female hero.
It seems a bit meaningless to talk about the negatives, when of course nothing in 'Codemane: Sailor V' is meant to be taking seriously. But specifically I'll mention the main weakness: Its repetitiveness. The first six chapters are very formulaic and even a few of them revolve around evil pop idols doing the exact same thing (they even look alike and have similar names) - and yet Minako, even excusing her dimwitted-ness, is given no incentive not to catch on. I know villain-of-the-week plotlines are basically what made Sentai manga and anime what they are, but a different setting and varied villain plan would be called for at least. However, things really start to pick up in chapters seven and eight; where, respectively, Sailor V is in Greece, and crushes on a street delinquent.
Another negative is that the villains - of the "Dark Agency" - have no origin or backstory whatsoever. We know nothing about them, nor why they want to take over the world and make human slaves and drain their energy. At least we are given a hint of the Dark Kingdom's motivations in the first volume of 'Sailor Moon'. And Artemis's purpose is vague at this point in the saga as well. He mentions a "duty" which Sailor V has to get ready for, and there's a "Boss" who talks to Minako through her transformation pen. 'Sailor V, Vol 1' is just that: the first volume. So withholding information from the protagonist (and hence the reader) is forgivable. Plus it leads to another funny Minako moment where - after being dropped into the lair under the 'Sailor V' arcade game - she tries to persuade the Boss (a computer) to tell her what is going on. She cries - but it's only fake tears, and it doesn't work.
Also, there are quite a few grown men and creepy guys in this manga who are far too interested in Sailor V and her short skirt. I remind you that she is meant to be thirteen-years-old...
But back to the positives. The artwork in 'Codename: Sailor V' is great. Like in 'Sailor Moon', the style is stunningly graceful but very expressive and anime-esque - a perfect fit for a comedic and action-packed series revolving around a heroine who's related to the Greek goddess of Venus.
Usagi and her friend Naru - and Rei Hino - make cameo appearances in this volume, and the appearances of the Inspector General, Mina's best friend Hikaru, and her nerdy friend Amano, all show how Takeuch-sensei will develop her story in the future (the Inspector General looks like Sailor Mars, Hikaru like Sailor Mercury, and Amano is whom Umino will become an expy of). Even the game center owner, Furuhata, is in this.
The panels involving the police force are very funny as we get to see how angry the head of the police department is at Sailor V. For she always stops criminals before he arrives at the scene of the crime. And she gets into big trouble for screwing up and causing property damage.
The last chapter - about Minako's "first love" - is quite touching. That is, if you throw logic right out the window.
Really, 'Codename: Sailor V' is such an adorable, side-splitting and colourful read. And it is nice to see how everyone's favourite Moon princess in a sailor outfit came to fruition. It's plain silly fun, and just what a comic book from the golden years is like. I have a new-found respect for Sailor Venus, and I look forward to reading her final lone adventures in Volume 2.
Final Score: 4/5
March 3, 2020
Sagas manga leídas: ''Sailor Moon'', y ''Sailor V'', de Naoko Takeuchi. Glénat, edición española. 18 y 3 tomos. Heroínas, superheroínas, magical girls, cómic, aventuras, acción, romance...
Otro de los mangas que compré en cuanto se editaron en España.
La serie de televisión la descubrí, en verdad, después...
El dibujo es precioso, detallado, divertido y elegante... Entre el manga clásico y moderno de hace una generación.
Debo aclarar que antes que ''Sailor Moon'', va ''Sailor V''. Una especie de 'episodio piloto' de 3 tomos, que ya avanza la trama de la serie.
Quizás inspirada en una época en la que las mujeres se hartaron de ser consideradas las 'segundonas' en un mundo más bien lleno de mallas masculinas...
En un Japón rodeado de seres malvados, unas estudiantes con traje de marinera, nos van a demostrar de lo que son capaces entre familia, amigos, colegio, chicos monos, gatos misteriosos, videojuegos, y que no se nos olvide el almuerzo... para que triunfen la paz, la justicia, la amistad y el amor.
Aparecerán muchos personajes, con una historia personal cada uno: los buenos y los malos.
La luna, siempre presente, nos mostrará sus varios rostros y secretos...
Buenos que se transforman en malos y extraños que se transforman en familia. Y máscaras que ocultan rostros que a veces no pueden ocultar el amor.
¿Quién no conoce ''Sailor Moon''?
***Edición leída: Glénat, española.
Otro de los mangas que compré en cuanto se editaron en España.
La serie de televisión la descubrí, en verdad, después...
El dibujo es precioso, detallado, divertido y elegante... Entre el manga clásico y moderno de hace una generación.
Debo aclarar que antes que ''Sailor Moon'', va ''Sailor V''. Una especie de 'episodio piloto' de 3 tomos, que ya avanza la trama de la serie.
Quizás inspirada en una época en la que las mujeres se hartaron de ser consideradas las 'segundonas' en un mundo más bien lleno de mallas masculinas...
En un Japón rodeado de seres malvados, unas estudiantes con traje de marinera, nos van a demostrar de lo que son capaces entre familia, amigos, colegio, chicos monos, gatos misteriosos, videojuegos, y que no se nos olvide el almuerzo... para que triunfen la paz, la justicia, la amistad y el amor.
Aparecerán muchos personajes, con una historia personal cada uno: los buenos y los malos.
La luna, siempre presente, nos mostrará sus varios rostros y secretos...
Buenos que se transforman en malos y extraños que se transforman en familia. Y máscaras que ocultan rostros que a veces no pueden ocultar el amor.
¿Quién no conoce ''Sailor Moon''?
***Edición leída: Glénat, española.
June 3, 2024
Sailor V es un clásico que debe de leerse si les gusta la demografía del shoujo. Es el título que popularizó las magic girls: chicas de la escuela que adquirían poderes y que pasaban aventuras. Aunque claramente era algo que, probablemente ya se había visto, la manera en que lo contó Naoko Takeuchi, revolucionó totalmente el genero. En los años 90 hacia los 2000, comenzamos a ver toda clase de historias al rededor de chicas que conseguían poderes y pasaban por aventuras.
Este título en particular es un poco confuso en cuanto a la continuidad y, es difìcil no compararlo con Sailor Moon. Sailor V tiene muchas similitudes con Sailor Moon. Minako comparte mucho rasgos de personalidad con Usagi. A su vez, algunas de las cosas que suceden en Sailor V se puede percibir que sirvieron como inspiración para darle sentido y continuidad a Sailor Moon.
Lo que no podemos ignorar es el dibujo tan hermoso de Naoko Takeuchi. Sus personajes tienen los rasgos muy finos, el detalle en la ropa es visible y es totalmente claro que antes Naoko tenía el hobby de diseñar ropa en su tiempo libre. Es esa clase de arte que te gustaría emular cuando estás aprendiendo a dibujar.
Me parece que es una lectura para apreciar el surgimiento del boom de la demogradía shojo y ver cómo surgió la idea de Sailor Moon.
Este título en particular es un poco confuso en cuanto a la continuidad y, es difìcil no compararlo con Sailor Moon. Sailor V tiene muchas similitudes con Sailor Moon. Minako comparte mucho rasgos de personalidad con Usagi. A su vez, algunas de las cosas que suceden en Sailor V se puede percibir que sirvieron como inspiración para darle sentido y continuidad a Sailor Moon.
Lo que no podemos ignorar es el dibujo tan hermoso de Naoko Takeuchi. Sus personajes tienen los rasgos muy finos, el detalle en la ropa es visible y es totalmente claro que antes Naoko tenía el hobby de diseñar ropa en su tiempo libre. Es esa clase de arte que te gustaría emular cuando estás aprendiendo a dibujar.
Me parece que es una lectura para apreciar el surgimiento del boom de la demogradía shojo y ver cómo surgió la idea de Sailor Moon.
February 14, 2021
So basically this manga is the prequel to the original Salior Moon series. We have a 13 year old girl named Minako Aino who is your typical school girl, always wanting a boyfriend and basically kicks weak-ass villains. This manga in my opinion didn't particularly age well considering that the art is rather off and for god sake, the author was quick enough to push Aino into having a "bad boy" boyfriend like WTF?????????? Yeah Ill just skip this one and continue with the orgninal series where its not really "fast paced".....................
November 26, 2018
Currently I am viewing an episode a day of the Sailor Moon cartoon from the 90’s. I read the first volume and LOVED it! Once I found out this was made before that series I decided to “backtrack” and read these before moving further with the Moon volumes.
This book is super fun and extremely enjoyable! So much that I could have easily read it in one sitting if I didn’t have to stop to leave for prior engagements. Takeuchi has a way of writing/illustrating Venus/Minako that gives her way more character and personality than what she has in the anime. Very excited to move onto volume 2 but will be saddened a bit to know that her story (as the lead) ends there.
This book is super fun and extremely enjoyable! So much that I could have easily read it in one sitting if I didn’t have to stop to leave for prior engagements. Takeuchi has a way of writing/illustrating Venus/Minako that gives her way more character and personality than what she has in the anime. Very excited to move onto volume 2 but will be saddened a bit to know that her story (as the lead) ends there.
April 13, 2019
A pesar de que es cierto de que la Mina del manga es más inmadura, egoísta y cascarabias que la del anime, me parece un número bastante gracioso. Como siempre, Artemis siendo la voz de conciencia de Mina, y el pobre a veces pasando páramos por culpa de ella. A pesar de todo, muy divertido y no puedo dejar de emocionarme cada vez que la veo transformarse en Sailor V.
No puedo dejar de identificarme con ella en varias cosas: hambrienta, enamoradiza,dormilona y cascarrabias :D
No puedo dejar de identificarme con ella en varias cosas: hambrienta, enamoradiza,dormilona y cascarrabias :D
January 8, 2021
Minako Aino is a student that could only be described as "mediocre-" however, she's a much better athlete and an even tougher girl. After an incident involving almost crushing a cat under her sneakers in gym class, she learns from that same cat, Artemis, that's she's Sailor Venus (Codename: Sailor V). After discovering this, she goes around fighting crime and taking out bad-guys, angering the police as she's doing "their job." She later learns some more about herself and what she's meant to do, and leaves her old love behind to fight more and eventually learn about her "true duty."
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Summary aside, it's a pretty great manga. In the main Sailor Moon series, Mina is probably my favorite character, so after reading her books I learned more about how the immature Minako was shaped into the serious and well-respected Sailor Venus in the main series. It's a pretty fun and light-hearted read, and that goes with the second one (and third as well if you're reading the original print).
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Summary aside, it's a pretty great manga. In the main Sailor Moon series, Mina is probably my favorite character, so after reading her books I learned more about how the immature Minako was shaped into the serious and well-respected Sailor Venus in the main series. It's a pretty fun and light-hearted read, and that goes with the second one (and third as well if you're reading the original print).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2018
I think I enjoy the main Sailor Moon story line more but it's great being able to see Sailor V before she meets everyone. Artemis is hilarious & of course the best part. Mina is a ton of fun and I can't wait to continue with volume 2.
December 12, 2019
Spiritose, carine, leggere e divertenti, le storie di Minako prima di unirsi alle altre guerriere Sailor mi sono piaciute tantissimo e sono state un ottimo modo per uscire da uno spaventoso blocco del lettore. Unico difetto: un po' ripetitive.
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