Manga Monday is Mara’s effort to explore the world of Japanese comics. Through weekly reflection, she hopes to discover the appeal of manga to readers, the themes that run through them, and what readers can learn from them. If you have suggestions for future Manga Monday features, be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments!
The day has finally come! The original Sailor Moon anime is finally available on the streaming service Hulu thanks to VIZ Media. The episodes are uncut with new English subtitles and new English dubs to come later. New episodes will debut on Neon Alley and Hulu every Monday, and the DVDs and Blu Ray of the series will be available at a later date. In celebration of this incredible announcement, this is the perfect opportunity to kick off a new column, Manga Monday, with the legendary series.
Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon is a memorable part of the female 20-something’s life. Cartoon Network’s afternoon Toonami brought to life Usagi Tsukino, a klutzy middle-school girl with an average life. All of that is changed when Luna, a mysterious talking black cat, walks into Usagi’s world.
The main theme of volume one of Sailor Moon is confidence. From the very beginning, Usagi cannot meet any one’s exceptions. Her mother is constantly on Usagi about her grades. Usagi can’t seem to get everything together long enough to be to school on time. Her teacher and classmates do not take her seriously. She saves a cat from some punk kids, which changes her life forever.
Usagi doesn’t immediately gain confidence after Luna reveals her destiny. Usagi is the legendary Sailor Moon, but her attitude about herself doesn’t change. With intense prompting from Luna, Usagi faces her fears and takes down the demons invading her hometown.
