As popular as anime is, only some titles became international icons. One of which is the seminal magical-girl series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Originally conceived by manga creator Naoko Takeuchi, the series premiered in Japan in March of 1992. The show quickly became a hit and four more seasons followed.
Since then, the Sailor Moon manga has been adapted again and again for television, musicals, video games, and now two new movies. Fervent fans of the first anime will find it hard to forget about the series that began their lifelong affection for the sailor-suited fighter from the Moon, but the premiere episode did air almost three decades ago. There are certainly details about it that fans might have forgotten.
10 A Slightly Different Opening Sequence
One cannot deny the mesmerizing opening sequences for the classic anime. The first season alone had two different and unique sequences directed by the character designer Kazuko Tadano. In the first one that was used until episode 27, only Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars appear along with Luna, Tuxedo Mask, and the Dark Kingdom. The European and whimsical motif is beautifully haunting, not to mention a preview of the uncanniness to come in the series.
What fans might not have noticed in the original opening, however, is that when the three silhouetted Sailor Guardians fly through the air, they don't toss off their veils as expected. This changed in episode 6 as the animation was updated to show the trio completely removing their veils.
9 Usagi's Father Kenji Doesn't Appear Until the Next Episode
Like in the manga, Usagi's father Kenji Tsukino doesn't appear in the introductory story. As Usagi rushes off to school, the only parent seen is the matriarch of the Tsukino house, Ikuko. Kenji's name does appear on the family nameplate (hyōsatsu) outside the house, though.
Kenji shows up in the next episode, but in the manga, his official debut is delayed until the fourth act when he goes to the same ball as his daughter. Eventually, Kenji stops appearing in person in the anime after episode 66.
8 A Different Car
With this being the first episode, inconsistencies between it and the remainder of the series were inevitable. The Tsukino house looks different from its usual self in future episodes, but the most glaring thing is perhaps the car parked under the carport.
Usagi's parents are known to own a red hatchback; the first episode instead shows a purple vehicle. It's unclear if the Tsukinos actually have two cars — which is doubtful seeing as there's no place to park an additional car — or they upgraded to a new one later.
7 The Sailor V Manga in Usagi's Bedroom
Towards the beginning of the episode when Usagi is talking to Naru and Umino on campus, Usagi is clueless when Naru brings up Sailor V. She acts impressed, but then she quickly reveals she doesn't know who the city's latest crimefighter is.
Yet when Luna shows up in Usagi's bedroom later on, a Sailor V book or manga is clearly visible on Usagi's dresser. The episode's events all take place in the same day; so unless Usagi stopped somewhere along the way to buy the book, it's unclear why she'd have it and still not know who Sailor V is earlier on.
6 Usagi's Transformation Sequence is Different
For the first six episodes, Usagi's "Moon Prism Power, Make Up" transformation sequence started off a little differently than what became standard. Whenever Usagi originally prepared to transform into Sailor Moon, she raised her hand so that her palm faced the audience at home. Her sleeve would also match whatever outfit she was wearing at the time.
Starting in episode 7, the animators replaced this with something more stock. This was possibly done to avoid having to draw Usagi's current sleeve every time she raised her hand to transform.
5 Rare Moment Where Usagi Appears As Sailor Moon in Her Own House
Most Sailor Guardian activity in the series took place outside the main characters' homes — with the exception of Rei's Hikawa Shrine, which became a regular battleground — so it was rare to ever see Usagi transform into or appear as Sailor Moon inside her own house.
When Luna showed up to tell Usagi she is Sailor Moon, it was understandable she would transform in her own bedroom. Another time Usagi changed into Sailor Moon in her house was in episode 184 when Sailor Aluminum Seiren and Sailor Lead Crow showed up in search of another true Star Seed.
4 Sailor Moon Had Super Hearing
After Usagi first transformed into Sailor Moon in the manga, she could suddenly hear Naru's cry for help from afar. She then removed her eye mask to see an image, of Naru being attacked by the Yōma, in one of the lenses.
In the anime episode, Sailor Moon hears Naru's panic through the red accents on her hair buns, but with her not having any sort of eye mask or glasses like her manga counterpart, Sailor Moon didn't have the vision ability. She also would never use this power of super hearing again.
3 Supersonic Waves
As in the manga, Sailor Moon stunned her opponents with a blast of supersonic waves emitted from the gems on her buns. This was triggered by Sailor Moon's distress.
After this episode, she only did it one more time: in episode 153, she and Sailor Chibi-Moon both unintentionally used the supersonic wave attack against PallaPalla and her Lemures. The combined force was enough to shatter a giant aquarium and make the entire building almost come apart.
2 "Moon Tiara Action" Looks Different
Being on her own for seven episodes, Sailor Moon needed a way to defeat all the enemies without the support of her fellow and future Sailor Guardians. Just when Yōma Morga was vulnerable, Luna told Sailor Moon to remove and throw her tiara at the monster while shouting the incantation "Moon Tiara Action." The rest is history.
For the first two episodes, though, the background colors for this attack sequence is different. Rather than the later-standard blue-pink-purple one fans were accustomed to, the backdrop was initially sea-foam green and white with some pinkness to it.
1 Usagi's First and Last Lines in the Series
At the start of the episode, audiences see Usagi sleeping in her bed before getting up for school. Her first lines are actually a voiced narration where she tells viewers her age and some notable traits about herself.
Anyone who has watched the series in its entirety may have noticed Usagi repeats this in the final episode at the very end as she embraces Mamoru. Of course, what she says there is a bit different in light of all the time that's passed and how much growth Usagi has endured.
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January 08, 2021 at 04:30AM
