Sailor Moon Eternal edition vol 1 by Naoko Takeuchi

This review series will focus on the newly published Eternal Editions of Sailor Moon​.  I have also reviewed the entire series previously.

Usagi Tsukino is a 14-year-old 2nd-year middle school student who wants nothing more than to play games, sleep all the time, and eat delicious foods.  She's not a great student, and she's not sure about what high school she wants to go to.  One day, she meets a talking cat with a crescent moon spot on her forehead, and the cat, Luna, reveals that Usagi is a legendary guardian, Sailor Moon!  Together, Luna and Sailor Moon must track down the rest of the guardians and protect the Princess of the Moon Kingdom.  Along the way, they meet a strange figure named Tuxedo Mask, and it's not abundantly clear if he's an enemy or not.  Sailor Moon and her Guardian friends must fight against the sinister Dark Kingdom and keep the Mystical Silver Crystal from falling into their hands.

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Continuing the trend of re-publishing some of my childhood favorites, Kodansha is here with the Eternal Edition of Sailor Moon.  These editions are 30% longer than the first printing back in the 90s, and 20% longer than the Pretty Guardian edition that started its publication in 2011  (original = 200 pages, Pretty Guardian = 240 pages, Eternal = 304 pages).  They are also quite a bit bigger: the originals were 4.5x6.8, and the Eternal edition is a whopping 7.1x10.  These will look massive on the shelf next to your other manga.

Like many series I read earlier in my life, this series moves extremely fast. While some readers may be dissatisfied with the brevity, this makes the storyline overall very economical for library shelves.  The Pretty Guardian edition is 12 volumes, and the Eternal Edition is 10 volumes.  

There are also some really informative and extensive end notes in this edition, some of which I am sad to hear are necessary for today's audience.

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Usagi starts off as a really annoying character, but she actually has growth over the series and matures along the way.  Within this first volume, she is already starting to grow into the leader role that Luna tasks her with.  The budding love story is also well done.  Although it was love at first sight for our costumed heroes, they slowly learn more about each other and have to come to terms with their real-life selves.  This story still has appeal regardless of its 90s references, and is still one that readers today will enjoy. 

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Rating: Grades 7-12

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Magical Girl, Romance, School Age