10 years of Kodansha Comics!
The year 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the first Kodansha Comics manga published in English. Please join us in celebration as we select one classic Kodansha Comics series each month for exclusive content, promotions, and other surprises!
Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volumes 1-2 are available now from Kodansha Comics;
Volume 3 coming March 19, 2019!
March Spotlight: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Our March Spotlight title is Naoko Takeuchi’s classic magical girl manga Sailor Moon, and with the release of Sailor Moon Eternal Edition 3, "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live making its U.S. Debut in Washington D.C. and New York this month, and the U.S. Bluray and DVD release of Sailor Moon Sailor Stars from our friends at VIZ, it couldn’t be a better month to celebrate this magical classic! So what kind of “special surprises” do we have waiting for you this month? Check these out…
Surprise 1: Exclusive Sailor Moon pin!
As a part of the 10 Years of Kodansha Comics project, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Rightstuf to bring you these awesome exclusive Sailor Moon pins!
Visit Rightstuf and order any volume of Sailor Moon, Sailor V, Sailor Moon Short Stories, or Sailor Moon Eternal Edition and you’ll receive a exclusive Sailor Moon pin for FREE! Available this month (March 2019) only or while supplies last.
Surprise 2: Sailor Moon Survey Sweepstakes!
Have you been longing to complete your Sailor Moon collection with the brand new, premium Sailor Moon Eternal Editions? Well here’s your lucky chance: for the month of March only, ONE lucky winner will win a set of Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volumes 1-3 and a Bluray/DVD Box Set of Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, courtesy of our friends at VIZ! All you have to do is take this survey by March 31.
Surprise 3: Interview with Sailor Moon Japanese Editor Fumio Osano
Kodansha Comics is also proud to present a special interview with Fumio Osano, the original Japanese Editor of Sailor Moon, exclusively for international Sailor Moon fans. We had the opportunity to reach out to Osano-san (aka OSABU), and had a chance to discuss Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live, and more!
Kodansha Comics (KC): What should fans of the new Sailor Moon Eternal Edition be looking forward to in 2019? What are some of the charms of the new edition?
Fumio Osano (OSABU) (FO): New volumes of the best-selling Eternal Edition are going to keep on coming. It's printed in an American size, which should make people with big hands very happy, and all the chapter title pages are being reproduced in full color. And they'll be the same size as when they first appeared in Nakayosi magazine, so this edition will give the fans a taste of what Takeuchi-sensei originally envisioned.
KC: What scenes are you looking forward to revisiting in the Eternal Edition release?
FO: I'm fond of Volume 1, where Ami-chan first shows up, and Volume 5, where we first see Hotaru-chan.
KC: How do you think fans of Sailor Moon have changed in the last 25 years? And how has Sailor Moon itself changed in relation to the fans?
FO: Fans who enjoyed Sailor Moon as children have now grown into full-fledged adults... I am extremely grateful that their love for Sailor Moon continues to this day. Many people have told me they see the series in a different light now that they've reread it as adults. For example, there will be a character they didn't like much before, but now they can understand how that character feels (such as Queen Beryl). Takeuchi-sensei started the series in her twenties and drew it into her thirties, so now that the fans who enjoyed it as children and teens are the same age she was, I think they're making new discoveries.
KC: How has your own relationship with Sailor Moon changed over the years?
FO: I was Takeuchi-sensei's editor for the entire five-year run of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. After that, I was transferred to another position and removed from that post, but when I went back to Nakayosi, I became her editor again. I was editor for her work on Toki*Meka!. Then I went back to Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon as its editor for its 20th anniversary. At first, I worked on Sailor Moon in addition to other titles, but now it's my main focus.
KC: What should U.S. fans expect from "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live? How is it different from ways U.S. fans have experienced Sailor Moon before (like the anime and manga)?
FO: In Japan, fans have enjoyed the series in three main forms—manga, anime, and musical theater—since the '90s. You might say these live shows are the third pillar of Sailor Moon, and I am nothing short of thrilled that Americans can experience one now, too. The Super Live was designed so that people from overseas could watch a Japanese musical and still follow it without any trouble. I really hope everyone gets the pleasure of seeing the Sailor Guardians live and in person.
KC: Is there anything we should especially be looking out for in "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live that U.S. fans otherwise might miss or might not know about?
FO: The biggest thing would have to be the characters' dramatic and spectacular dance moves! The lighting effects are another big highlight. Also, in France, the opening number got a huge round of applause.
KC: After attending Anime Expo 2018, what most surprised you or interested you about U.S. fans? Aside from their big hands ;)
FO: American fans really are very passionate. They all speak such good Japanese, and they understand the series so well. I wondered how they all knew so much about OSABU. Incidentally, the first time I went to New York was 1986. I was touring record stores. It was when CDs were starting to pick up steam. But nobody cares about that, do they?
KC: Sailor Moon is now in its mid-twenties. What do you think the Sailor Guardians would be up to in their twenties and thirties?
FO: Naoko Takeuchi-sensei wrote about this in a short story called “Parallel Sailor Moon,” which I would highly recommend. It's very funny. It should be published in volume 10 of the Eternal Edition.
KC: Which Sailor Guardian would have the most interesting social media account(s) and why?
FO: Usagi: Would always tweet things she shouldn't and get called out a lot. Oh dear.
Ami: Would alternate between really complicated and really clueless tweets.
Rei: Would focus on fortune-telling questions.
Makoto: Would be really popular on Instagram with all her pictures of food and flowers.
Minako: Nothing but idol gossip.
Thank you Osano-san!
But that’s not all! Did you know that "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live is coming soon to venue theater near you? If you live in Washington D.C. or New York, don’t miss your chance to see "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live to experience Sailor Moon like never before!
And if you’ll be seeing "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" The Super Live in New York, don’t miss your chance to stop by the Kodansha Comics pop-up shop in the Playstation Theater to pick up your copy of Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volumes 1 through 3 and exclusive Sailor Moon Store merchandise!
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars Part 1 is coming to home video very soon! The special Limited Edition version includes exclusive behind the scenes interviews, 17 episodes on 3 Blu-rays and DVDs, booklet and much more all in a gorgeous deluxe collector’s box! Sign up on viz.com to get updates on its release!
Celebrate 10 Years of Kodansha Comics with us all year long by following us on KodanshaComics.com!
Be sure to check back again next month, when we’ll be throwing the spotlight onto yet another Kodansha classic!