Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 8

美少女戦士セーラームーン [Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon] #8

by Naoko Takeuchi

Chibi Usa’s sickly friend Hotaru isn’t just Sailor Saturn, Deity of Destruction. She’s also possessed by Master Pharaoh 90. Facing this cataclysmic power will be impossible--unless Sailor Moon can unite the powers of every Guardian of the Solar System.

Then, when the moon eclipses the sun, a mystical unicorn begs for help. An elaborate ship floats through the sky, and Usagi and Chibi-Usa have trouble seeing eye to eye...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Romance, Comics, Young Adult, Fiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2004

About the author

Naoko 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.

Reviews

[Macarena Yannelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infinito/10
Me encanto este volumen. Me encanto como termino el arco de Pharaon 90 y la nueva y misteriosa sailor scout. Y me encanta como se introduce el nuevo archivo arc y el nuevo theme de la serie.
Y aprecio por fin un personaje que estuve esperando por mucho porque había hablando de él. Y EL FINAL ADDGHJKLÑ de nuevo son todas cosas de las que había leído/escuchado y verlas me hacen la fangirl más feliz del mundo.

[Lady An ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo compré porque es el final de una de mis temporadas favoritas del animé. El Santo Grial, Sailor Uranus and Neptune.
Bring back the 90's!!! Fangirling 💯

The IVREA edition is so lovely, Michiru is gorgeous!💕

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew, this volume gives us the end of Infinity arc, and they are quite fast-paced! The first act of the Infinity arc is also included here, and leaves us on a nice cliffhanger of mystery and intrigue.

This volume picks up with the transformation of Hotaru-chan. Mistress 9 is becoming Master Pharoah 90, is trying to become one with the planet earth, is battling with Sailor Moon and is trying to suppress the soul of Hotaru-chan. I think that Hotaru-chan is the real hero of this arc. I love all the forms she takes and all the sacrifices she makes.

There is a lot of really beautiful art with the awakening of Sailor Saturn. Lots of those "soft" images (I really don't know how else to explain them) at the start of the acts, and throughout the pages, but I think my favorite is the sparse, simple line drawing of Saturn with her Glaive (page 100 in my book). It's simple and elegant and I think it just captures the moment perfectly.

Oh, speaking of sacrifices...Super Sailor Moon makes a pretty big one herself. When Mamo-chan realizes what Super Sailor Moon has done, and thinks that she has left him forever, his reaction is gut-wrenching. So is Super Chibi-Moon's. When she calls her "Mama," I honestly had tears in my eyes. Uranus doesn't take it well, either, lamenting that all she wanted to do was protect her Princess with her own two hands. But, thankfully, all is not lost. And hey, the senshi get another fuku upgrade!

I was a little confused about one thing, though, as that arc came to a close. Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out how much time has passed in these comics. If the characters don't make a specific reference to what month it is, or how long something has been going on, it feels like it's only been days, not months. For example, it was Rei-chan's birthday (April 17th) during act 28/Infinity 2. At the end of act 38/Infinity 12, Chibi-Usa is preparing to go back to the 30th Century on April 1st. So a whole year has passed! It certainly didn't feel like that arc took a whole year.

One funny thing I noticed had come to mind before, but had never really been addressed until now. Usagi calls her mother to tell her she's staying at Mako-chan's house, when she's really staying the night at Mamo-chan's. I had wondered several times whether her parents knew/noticed that she and Chibi-Usa were sleeping over at Mamo-chan's house. Mamo-chan's nervous reaction to the girls' insistence that they spend the night was hilariously endearing. "Your parents will lose their trust in me!" I also liked Usgai's reaction to Chibi-Usa's continued obsession with Mamo-chan seeing her as "100% woman." She reminds her that that is her father she's talking about. I don't know why that made me laugh so hard, but it did. I also loved the envy they have for each other; Usagi wishing for youth, Chibi-Usa wishing for adulthood. And, thanks to the (rather creepy) Amazon Quartet, have they gotten their wishes fulfilled?

Oh, and another thing that bothered me - there were no translation notes! There wasn't even the usual "STOP - TOMARE" warning at the "front" reminding you to start at the "back." There wasn't even an ad for the other volumes or a preview of the next volume. This has happened once before in one of my volumes, and I wonder if it's a flaw of the books grouped in the box set? Doesn't seem like it should matter, but I can't help but wonder.

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sailor Moon is my ULTIMATE guilty pleasure. I live and breathe this series and will crawl on my knees begging for more content. Honestly, I've loved Sailor Moon since I was a little girl. I looked up to her, wanted to be pretty much any of the Sailor Guardians (they all have such cool outfits!) and wanted my own Tuxedo Mask. Also, Luna and Artemis! Who can forget about having their own little kitty sidekicks!!

As I was cleaning my house, I noticed I had bought #8 in this series and never actually read it. It ended up lost in a pile of books (honestly, not surprised). Lucky for me, I found it and totally needed a good manga in my life! So it was time to indulge!

One narrative arc in this series is closed, but another is just opening. Sailor Moon and the numerous Guardians (Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus as well as Pluto, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune) are all battling the big meanies who might destroy the earth. Sailor Chibi Moon and Tuxedo Mask also help out, because obviously. The girls get their Neo Queen Serenity-esque outfits, there's lots of action and drama quick, and the final little section of this book starts the new narrative up (creepy clown like creatures are coming, beware folks!).

I am SO PUMPED for the last few volumes in this series. I honestly want to rebinge the entire series once I get my hands on the remaining few. I just can't get enough of these books and I would give them 10, 20, 30 stars if I could! These books are just too magical, too fun, and so whimsical. Naoko Takeuchi has crafted such a lovely little series!

Highlights:
1. Fast paced, easy to read
2. Super cool outfits
3. Awesome pictures - colour and black & white, soft lines and designs at softer times in the story, harder lines during tougher times
4. Friendship, romance, and fun!

I 100% recommend this series. If you're a crazy fan girl like me, if you love fantastical romance, if you want some goofy, whimsical fun or just love manga - this book will knock your socks off. I'm totally biased, but hey - that's not a bad thing.

Five out of five stars! If not more! Gimme more Sailor Moon ASAP!

[Repellent Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cerramos un arco potentísimo y abrimos uno nuevo. Quizás un tomo bastante más de transición que el anterior, pero a estas alturas los disfruto todos como un niño chico. De hecho, no me duró ni una tarde jajaja. ¡A por el noveno!

[Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó esta historia, especialmente por Sailor Saturn *_*. Ojalá hubiese durado más esta parte, sigue siendo mi preferida de todas las "temporadas".

[Jen • Just One More Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also posted on my blog.

Aaahhhh it feels so good to finally be understanding things I’d never understood before.

I hereby present you with my normal Sailor Moon all-caps word vomit:

SAILOR SATURN. HOTARU-CHAN. YOU LITTLE ANGEL YOU DESTROYED MISTRESS 9 ALL BY YOURSELF. OH MY GOD YOU ARE NOW JUST A BABY. A PRECIOUS LITTLE CUPCAKE OF A BABY.

AND BEING RAISED BY THE OUTER SENSHI OH MAN THAT MAKES SENSE NOW.

SUPER SAILOR CHIBI MOON, AND SUPER SCOUTS, AND USAGI NEARLY SACRIFICING HERSELF TO SAVE THE WORLD OMG. MAMORU’S SHRIEK FOR HER. SO MUCH RAW EMOTION EVERYWHERE.

AND HELIOS?? OOH MAN SO MANY NEW PLOT POINTS

SO THAT’S WHAT CHIBI-USA’S BELL IS FOR

AND THAT’S HOW THE MOON CRISIS TRANSFORMATION CAME ACROSS

AND THAT’S WHERE THE MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION WEAPON COMES FROM

HOLY CRAP I’D ALWAYS THOUGHT USAGI AND CHIBI-USA SWITCHING AGES WAS AN ANIME-ONLY THING WOW

SOOO MANY NEW PLOT POINTS

I LOVE BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY *GET* THINGS

ONLY FOUR VOLUMES TO GO OH MAN OH MAN

C'MERE VOLUME NINE I WILL ATTACK YOU SOON <3

[Seamaiden · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to give such low ratings to a series I love but honestly the manga is a disappointment. Everyone is like caricatures being there to fill the pages and lend power to sailor moon. The anime had depth. The only thing I liked was that there was more Hotaru.

Ps: in the.manga I barely see Haruka and Michiru as a couple. Haruka seems to care only for Usagi.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es, por lejos, el arco que más me ha gustado. El aura que irradian las Sailor Scouts del Sistema Solar Exterior es potentísima; me encanta lo místicas que son, la presencia que tienen y cómo van preparando, con una calma casi ritual, la llegada de Sailor Saturn, para luego dejar la cagada en la historia. Todo eso seguido de un giro hermoso que desemboca en una familia con tres mamás y una hija. Sinceramente, me encanta, lo disfruté muchísimo. Después, el nuevo arco funciona bien como introducción, aunque todavía no sé si me convence del todo la idea del circo. Habrá que ver cómo se desarrolla, aunque debo decir que el diseño de las y los personajes me gustó bastante.

[SwedishGeekGirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good volume.
Sailor moon volume 8 by Naoko Takeuchi get a 8.7/10 stars.

[Hazel McNellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein weiterer ganz toller Band über Sailor Moon! Und das Ende (wieder ein kleiner Cliffhanger) ist einfach nur witzig! Tragisch, ja, aber trotzdem auch witzig. Ich bin gespannt, wie es weitergeht (auch wenn ich die Reihe und den Anime längst kenne). ;D

Also: Auch hier gibt es von mir wieder 5 von 5 ☆☆☆☆☆. :)

[Caryn - iam.caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The issue with these bind-ups of the Acts is the final rating.

The first three are the final for the Death Busters story arc, is a four star.

The last act is the beginning of the Dead Moon Circus story arc (my favourite), which is a big ol’ five star.

So I’ll rate this a four since the majority of the book was a four. But please note that the Dead Moon Circus is a five.

[Bine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phänomenal. Mega Abschluss des Arcs, sowas von emotional 😭
Hab bissi überlesen, was aus Dr. Tomoe geworden ist, aber der Band hatte einfach null Längen. Bin sehr happy!

[Stephanie Roxane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fast paced, and the cliffhanger was fantastic!

[Tar Buendía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me está sorprendiendo bastante que, quedándome ya tan pocos tomos para acabar, las tramas sigan siendo tan conclusivas. Estoy acostumbrada a que este tipo de historias empiecen en aventurillas y terminen en un hilo conductor fijo. Aquí parece que la trama de verdad empezó casi al principio y lo demás son aventuras paralelas. No relleno, eso sí.

[Najaé · Rating 5 out of 5]

The love between Chibi and Saturn alone was a 5 star. My gay queens lol, like they truly are so precious. Now this ending make more sense to the S3 arc compared to the 90’s. Let alone we are starting S4 arc, queen Neh. Coming for Mamoru l fear.

[Yasmin Halliwell Fraser Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny ending! Looking foward to the next one.

[Megan (Bookish_Raider) · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favs because of Sailor Saturn! And the beginning of the dream arc!

[♡˖ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otro de mis favoritos de la saga! Me encantó. Me reí bastante y también lloré. ❤️🤩

[Blue Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saturn is breathtaking. The power change at the end was a bit odd.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY into the circus enemies!! I love this era so much!!

[jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There’s no need to feel despair. With every ending comes hope and rebirth. And the one to bring that forth is you, Super Sailor Moon.”

The eighth volume of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon wraps up the Mugen/Infinity arc as our Guardians – both Inner and Outer – battle against Pharaoh 90, who threatens to take over the world. Space-time warps around the triangle where Mugen Academy lies, the skies tearing open to reveal the far-away galaxy through which Pharaoh 90 has been planning to invade Earth. One of its minions has taken over Hotaru Tomoe’s body, making her a formidable opponent against our friends.

The battle that follows is intense, leading to the eventual full awakening of Sailor Saturn – who swings down her Silence Glaive to bring about both the annihilation of Earth and of Pharaoh 90. I loved the intensity of this particular battle; the entire world is at stake, and Usagi has to make some pretty difficult choices. The importance of friendship and love for the people around you shines through as well, and Chibi Usa goes through a solid bit of character development.

All taken together, the Mugen/Infinity arc ends on a satisfying note, and I really enjoyed the huge impact and stunning visuals that the final battle brought. You can definitely feel the stakes increasing with every battle Sailor Moon is involved in throughout the series (even though the enemies stay generic, the presence of the ‘new’ Sailor Guardians and the expansion on the Guardian’s mythology and lore is fantastically engaging).

I also thought it was pretty damn badass that they make Usagi out to be the messiah. As she heals an almost-destroyed Earth back to life, bringing about the rebirth after Sailor Saturn’s destruction, I was both awed and amazed. Props to Naoko Takeuchi for going that far.

The new Dream arc starts off pretty lightheartedly with a new circus coming to town, even though its name is ominous: the Dark Moon circus. Usagi, Chibi Usa, and Mamoru visit the circus just for fun initially, though all of them can sense that something is not right with the new folks in town. Things turn sour once Chibi Usa tries to get back to the thirtieth century and finds out that she simply can’t, and starts having visions of a beautiful horned Pegasus which is trapped somewhere.

The Mugen/Infinity arc ended beautifully and the start of the Dream arc starts off a bit playful and fun, giving you some needed downtime after such an intense battle. However, the Dead Moon circus can almost immediately be placed in the incredibly generic line-up of villains – though their circus-theme makes for some sillier costumes and powers.

It didn’t make me that curious about the next instalment, weren’t it for the quite interesting swap that happens to Usagi and Chibi Usa right at the very end.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading along with the volumes so far and I've enjoyed them for the most part. I do, however, have to comment that there's just something about the translation for this volume that just feels a little lifeless and awkward at times. I can't entirely put my finger on where exactly this happens, just that at times the story feels a little dull. Perhaps it's just that I'm an older reader and am comparing this to my initial thrill for the series in my late teens/early twenties, but this just lacks the spark that (cringe) the TokyoPop versions did. I'm cringing as I write that because the TP versions were pretty bad in various places. I see from other reviews that there are still issues with translation in this volume, as there were in previous volumes, so this might explain it. Goodness knows that there were some spelling/grammatical errors in here, something that always frustrates me with a supposedly finished project.

As far as the story goes, it's the ongoing adventures of Sailor Moon. If you've enjoyed the series so far then you're likely to enjoy this one as well despite it focusing fairly heavily on Sailor Chibi Moon. (Not nearly as much as the anime adaptation did, thankfully.) If you haven't been liking the series' focus on science fiction as opposed to the more magical girl feeling that the anime has, then this probably won't sway your opinion much.

Artwork-wise, this is Takeuchi and that means that her artwork is either incredibly gorgeous or incredibly adorable. Or both, as that tends to be Usagi's one saving grace in most cases. I don't think I'd have liked her character half as much if she'd been drawn with less skill or by a different artist.

Overall this is a decent volume, but if you haven't fallen for the series yet then this volume probably won't be the one that loops you back in.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last part of the Death Busters saga and it ends with a bang. It was really a great ending to a pretty OK saga, though I wasn’t a fan that Chibi Usa got her Super powers so quickly. It felt cheap to Sailor Moon who had to work hard to get there and then her daughter just gets it quickly afterwards. I had a laugh that Chibi-Usa got better, changed in to sailor mode and just walked out the front door at Mamo’s place. It just looked ridiculous. I loved seeing Saturn awaken and make her grim decisions (I so love a girl who can wield a scythe). I did cry a few times because it does get a bit emotional at times. You know these girls will be all right but if you see them make the decision to go in the dark abyss… still a sad feeling. Plus, our three outer senshi (and Hotaru) disappear (in three separate helicopters which had me in stitches).
And the next part is right around the corner. Good lord, I miss the fillers of the anime because this is just ridiculous. These girls barely get any time between battles and enemies before the next one appears. This time it is the Dead Moon Circus and it brings with it amazing and spectacular things, but also a sick Mamo-chan, an unicorn, and a switcheroo at the end which just had me pissed off. Yes, Usagi is childish, hello she is 15 years old and she has had to grow up very fast. Chibi-usa being more adult is not weird given that the girl is 900 years old. Come on. Give Usagi some credit.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

And we've finished up the Mugen Arc! There is, for me, an abrupt and kind of strange transition when Mistress 9 kind of morphs into Pharaoh 90 that I think is a little awkwardly done. But apart from that there are quite a few great moments in the conclusion of this arc. First of all - Sailor Saturn! Her intro speech and when she brings the Silence Glaive down are freaking amazing. But, and this kind of surprised me, the most emotional moment during the end of this arc for me was when the world was ending (sort of) and Sailor Moon had made her heroic sacrifice, but the impact of that was just hitting the characters. Mamoru going, "Why did you have to go ahead of me? Why couldn't I have protected you?" actually choked me up. And, I'll be honest, anytime Chibi-Usa calls Usagi "mama" my emotions take a walloping. And then to top it all off you had my girl Haruka being all, "I just wanted to save you with my own two hands!" So it's a very emotionally charged scene.

Also, you have to respect a series where you can have two heroic sacrifices - but neither character dies and one raises the dead and the other gets reborn as a baby. That's just a lot of fun right there.

Volume 8 also has the first chapter of the Dead Moon Arc in it. I think the opening for this arc has to be my favorite (the eclipse!) but beyond that you don't really get much out of this arc yet, since it is only the first chapter. They picked a hell of a cliffhanger though, I'll say that.

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Infinity arc concludes, Dream arc begins. Definitely liked the ending of Infinity! We never really got much of a feel for Pharaoh 90 like we did with the the Black Moon Clan in the previous arc, but considering how silly everyone has been, maybe I don't want that close a look after all. These books have been fairly easy to breeze along, though the art still manages to confuse me sometimes (I really really wish Sailor Moon was in full color, though I guess that's what the anime is for).

The new Dream arc looks fun so far, though we only got one chapter of it in this volume. I can't believe we're dealing with an evil circus, though.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

AND SAILOR FUCKING SATURN HAS ARRIVED AND ALL MY BABIES ARE TOGETHER AGAIN! kind of, for a bit but everything gets fucked up but still a great ending. Sailor Moon showed how fucking awesome she is AGAIN and Hotaru is a baby again and being raised by the outers, it's amazing :D And now the Dead Moon Circus has appeared.
5/5

[Nalle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sailor Saturn es una de mis guardianas preferidas por la complejidad de lo que su presencia/existencia representa así que ahora que por fin apareció fui la más feliz. Este tomo finaliza un arco y comienza otro de mis favoritos, en el cual por fin aparece mi querido Helios.Sin duda el final de este tomo me dejo ansiosa por leer el próximo.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

was going to remove a star for chibiusa being so.....[gestures in possible incest] towards mamo. but then i had to add it back because mamo tried to explain away his curse illness with "i've been drinking a lot at university" lmao

also how metal is sailor saturn? "i am an emissary from the abyss of death. the protector of saturn, planet of ruin...the guardian of silence" Peak tinder bios

[Genres and Journals *Tia* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate this series for the icon it is in pop culture but have I mentioned that I don’t care for Chibi-Usa? Love the cats Luna, Artemis, and Diana. And I still get a kick out of the ridiculous phrases the Sailor Guardians use during battle. BUT I am SO glad this series only has 12 volumes and that I’m in the home stretch now.