Makoto Kino
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Sailor Jupiter | |
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![]() Makoto as Super Sailor Jupiter |
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Profile | |
Name: | Makoto "Mako" Kino (木野まこと[1]) |
English: | Lita Kino |
Birthday: | December 5 (Sagittarius)[1] |
Age range: | 14-16 |
Aliases: | Princess Jupiter |
Affiliations: | Sailor Team, Shadow Galactica (manga) |
Powers: | Can manipulate certain aspects of nature, particularly lightning and wood |
Performers: | (see below) |
Makoto Kino (木野まこと Kino Makoto?, or Lita in the English versions) is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. She is best known by the name Sailor Jupiter, one of the series' primary heroines — the Sailor Senshi.
Makoto is the third member of the Sailor Team to be discovered by Sailor Moon, and serves as the "muscles" of the group.[2] In addition to being physically tough, she is able to manipulate electricity and uses some plant-based powers. Her friends rarely use her full given name, normally shortening it to Mako-chan.
Aside from the main body of the Sailor Moon series, Makoto features in her own manga short story, Mako's Depression. A number of image songs featuring her character have been released as well, including the contents of three different CD singles.[3]
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[edit] Profile
Makoto's most striking physical feature is that she is 168 centimeters in height, tall for a Japanese girl.[4][5] This is downplayed in English translations (as a 5 ft 6 in girl is not all that uncommon in the West), but considerable notice is taken in Japanese. She is also physically very strong, and in fact was kicked out of her previous school for fighting. When she transfers to Azabu Jūban Junior High, where Usagi and Ami are students, she stands out because of her tall stature, and even more so because her school uniform is different from everyone else's; unable to find anything in her size, the school's administration tells her to wear her old one. She also wears pink rose earrings and a green hair-band, even when transformed.
Makoto is juxtaposedly the most masculine and feminine of the Inner Senshi. She is tall, strong, physical, and practices martial arts and other sports, but at the same time is rather busty and an excellent cook and house-cleaner. She dreams of one day becoming a baker, a florist and a bride. In the manga, the explanation for this duality is very simple: despite her youth, Makoto lives alone. Her parents died in a plane crash when she was very young and she has since then looked after herself. She is self-sufficient almost to a fault, and becomes extremely nervous anytime an airplane passes overhead.
In the anime, Makoto lives alone, but it is never explicitly stated that her parents are dead — in the English dub, she even claims she cannot take care of a cat because her mother is allergic, and does not have a fear of airplanes.[6] In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Makoto's parents' death is told in a flashback in Act 6, though how they died is not mentioned.[7] Makoto's character is among the most consistent in the series. The exact balance of her tomboyish and feminine sides varies, but both parts of her are always present. In the manga, the character feels too tomboyish, and tries to prove herself by having many domestic talents. In the anime, she is still an excellent cook, and highly prone to random crushes, but portrayed mostly as a tomboy. In the live-action series she enjoys shopping, but eschews "girly" things; she cooks, but also physically overpowers bullies; she reorganizes her home, but does so with a sledgehammer.[8] She insists that she is not the least bit feminine at all, and seems surprised and touched when someone tells her so.
A special episode of the manga is dedicated to her, titled Makoto's Melancholy.[9] It is a slightly surreal story of coping with the high-school entrance exams. Makoto claims not to care whether she gets into high-school, and the other girls worry about her while she laughs it off by eating lots of delicious food. Eventually this leads to her being possessed by an evil 'sugar spirit', which must then be defeated.
Makoto's hobbies include cooking, shopping, and reading romance novels. She likes all foods, but her favorites are cherry pie and meatloaf.[10] Predictably, her favorite school course is Home Economics; she also belongs to the cooking and gardening clubs at school.[11] Other likes include horses[10] and the colors green and pink. She dislikes physics class and cheaters.[10]. She is blood type O.[1]
Makoto has at least one former boyfriend; the importance of this subplot, as well as her level of obsession with cute men, varies wildly between adaptations. Fans of the anime typically have a perception of Makoto as extremely boy-crazy. A recurring gag is her obsession with people who look like the sempai who broke her heart. In the English dub, his role was changed to being an ex-boyfriend (named Freddy). In the manga, "sempai" is mentioned only once or twice, and in the live-action drama is an integral part of why Makoto feels she needs to be alone.[12] In each version, there are mentions of other men who were very briefly a part of her life. Makoto is generally attracted to Motoki Furuhata, especially in the anime, but only in the live-action show do they become close.[13] By the end of the Special Act, they are engaged to be married.[14]
A famous quirk among English-speaking fans is the translation of a particular anime scene. The girls are arguing over which of them should play the part of Snow White in a play. In Japanese, Makoto insists that she would be best for the role because she has the largest breasts. In the English dub, she still points at her chest, but states instead that she has the most "talent." As a reference to this, anime fans occasionally use the term "talented" as a euphemism for "busty."
Early on in her character design, Naoko Takeuchi made Makoto a smoker.[1] This trait was not used in any of the series.
The kanji of Makoto's surname translate as "tree" or "wood" (木 ki?) and "field" (野 no?). Her given name is in hiragana (まこと makoto?) and therefore difficult to translate. Possible meanings include "truth," "wisdom," and "faith." Her entire name is structured as a pun, as the syllable "no" indicates a possessive, so that her name can also be understood as "Makoto of Trees." In an early DiC promotional tape that advertised Sailor Moon to television stations, Makoto was called Sara.[15] Another preliminary name, appearing on Kodansha's English website in an advertisement for the series, was Maggie.
[edit] Aspects and aliases
As a character with different incarnations, special powers, transformations and a long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver Millennium era and the 30th century, Makoto gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.
[edit] Sailor Jupiter
Makoto 's Senshi identity. She wears a uniform colored in green and pink, with rose-shaped earrings, and in the manga and live-action series wears a belt attached to a small ball of potpourri. She is given specific titles throughout the various series, including Soldier of Protection,[16] Herculean Jupiter,[17] and Soldier of Thunder and Courage.[18] Her personality is no different from when she is a civilian, although certain powers are unavailable to her in that form.
In Japanese, the name for the planet Jupiter is Mokusei (木星?), the first kanji meaning 'tree' and the second indicating a celestial object. Although the Roman planet-name is used, Sailor Jupiter's dominant element is wood[19] due to this aspect of Japanese mythology. Unusually, most of her attacks are based in her secondary power, which is lightning in reference to the Roman god Jupiter. She is by far the physically-strongest of the Inner Senshi, able to lift a full-grown man above her head[20] or to stop a stone pillar from falling.[21] In the early manga, she always has a short antenna coming from her tiara, which serves as a lightning rod; eventually this takes on the same role as in the anime, and extends upward only when she summons lightning. It does not appear in the live-action series.
As she grows stronger, Sailor Jupiter gains additional powers, and at key points her uniform changes to reflect this. The first change takes place in Act 37 of the manga, when she obtains the Jupiter Crystal and her outfit becomes similar to that of Super Sailor Moon. She is not given a new title. A similar event takes place in Episode 154 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Jupiter. A third, manga-only form appears in Act 42, also unnamed but analogous to Eternal Sailor Moon (sans wings).[22]
[edit] Princess Jupiter
During the Silver Millennium, Sailor Jupiter was also the Princess of her home planet. She was among those given the duty of protecting Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. As Princess Jupiter, she dwelt in Io Castle and wore a green gown — she appears in this form in the original manga, as well as in supplementary art.[23][24] Naoko Takeuchi once drew her in the arms of Nephrite, but no further romantic link between them was established in the manga or anime.[25] In the stage musicals where Nephrite is present, he and Makoto have a flirtation.
[edit] Special powers and items
Makoto is not shown using any special powers in her civilian form, although she is unusually strong for a teenage girl. She must first transform into a Sailor Senshi by raising a special device (pen, bracelet, wand, or crystal) into the air and shouting a special phrase, originally "Jupiter Power, Make-up!"[26] As she becomes more powerful and obtains new transformation devices, this phrase changes to evoke Jupiter Star, Planet, or Crystal Power.[27][28] In the anime, Sailor Jupiter's transformation sequence evolves slightly over time, whether to update the background images or to accommodate changes to her uniform or a new transformation device, but the animation remains essentially the same. They all involve electric charges forming an atom path which encircles her body.
Even when transformed, Sailor Jupiter makes frequent use of her physical strength. Her powers as a Senshi are influenced by both Japanese and Roman mythology, which associated the planet Jupiter with wood and lightning, respectively. In the manga, her first named attack is Flower Hurricane, which is immediately followed by calling down lightning.[29] Emphasis is quickly placed upon her electric-based powers, and these are the norm in all versions of the series.[30] Her primary attack for the first story arc and most of the second is Supreme Thunder,[31] for which she calls down lightning from the sky with a tiny lightning rod that extends from the stone on her tiara (or, in the live-action series, with her leg). Although she channels this power, she is not immune to its effects, and can use her body to focus the electricity in a suicide move.[32] It is briefly upgraded twice in the anime series: once to Supreme Thunder Dragon,[33] and much later to Super Supreme Thunder.[34]
In the second story arc Sailor Jupiter gains Sparkling Wide Pressure,[35] which, aside from a manga-only power called Coconut Cyclone, remains her primary attack for the rest of the second story arc, all of the third, and much of the fourth. When she takes on her second Senshi form (Super Sailor Jupiter in the anime), she acquires a special item, the Leaves of Oak, which appear as a wreath in her hair in the manga and enable her to use Jupiter Oak Evolution.[36]
Sailor Jupiter's earrings, small pink roses, are occasionally significant. She wears them in both her Senshi and civilian forms, and can use them as a projectile weapon if she needs to. When they first meet in the manga, Usagi thinks the roses have a nice fragrance, and late in the anime the sight of them brings her back from temporary memory loss because it reminds her of Tuxedo Mask. Much more important, in the manga, are the Jupiter Crystal and Leaves of Oak. The former is Makoto's Sailor Crystal and the source of all of her power, which becomes especially important in the fifth story arc. In the live-action series, she frequently uses unnamed electric attacks, and is given a tambourine-like weapon (the Sailor Star Tambo) by Artemis.
[edit] Actresses
In the original anime production of Sailor Moon, Makoto is voiced by Emi Shinohara.[37] For the English-language dub, the voice of "Lita" is provided by Susan Roman. She is the only significant human character in the English-language dub to be played by the same voice actor through the entire series run.[38] Patricia Tollett provides English vocals for songs sung by Lita in the English dub.
In the musical version, Makoto has been portrayed by 12 actresses: Noriko Kamiyama, Marie Sada, Takako Inayoshi, Emika Satoh, Akari Tonegawa, Chiho Oyama, Emi Kuriyama, Yuriko Hayashi, Ayano Sugimoto, Kaori Sakata, Karina Okada and Mai Watanabe.[39]
In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Makoto is played by Myū Azama.[40] Also, child actress Misho Narumi portrays Makoto in flashbacks, dream sequences, and childhood photos.[41]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Takeuchi, Naoko (June 6, 1995). "Back of volume", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 10. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178806-X.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko. Materials Collection, p. 12
- ^ Bacon, Michelle (September 9, 2006). SAILORMUSIC.NET. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
- ^ (April 1993) "Chapter 1: Stage", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon album I. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-177734-3. , The height is guessed at from page 103, and V2, page 94 and 111 since Usagi's height is given
- ^ Aromdee, Ken. Sailor Moon FAQ. Retrieved on October 17, 2006., estimates of heights from here.
- ^ In Episode 188 she is seen getting on a plane without fear.
- ^ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Act 6.
- ^ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Act 10.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko. "Makoto’s Melancholy", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 13. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178820-5.
- ^ a b c Bobagirl. Bandai Jupiter. Retrieved on November 18, 2006., from http://www.bobagirl.com/, uploaded on request for the Sailor Moon Wikiproject. Lists other stats as well.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (September 6, 1996). "Act 43", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 16. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178841-8.
- ^ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Act 6.
- ^ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Act 31. In this act, Mako and Motoki date, but they "break up" shortly thereafter.
- ^ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Special Act. Motoki catches Usagi's bridal bouquet and proposes to Mako on the spot.
- ^ Tyler L.; Zogg. Toonami Digital Arsenal. Retrieved on November 2, 2006.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (July 6, 1994). "Act 23", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 7. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178781-0.
- ^ The exact title given is "Kairiki Jupiter," meaning "Superhuman Strength Jupiter." This term was equated with the English word "Herculean" by Alex Glover. Takeuchi, Naoko. "Act 37", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 13. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178820-5.
- ^ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Act 6
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (July 6, 1992, September 5, 1996). "Act 5", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 1. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178721-7.
- ^ Episodes 25 and 39
- ^ Live-action Act 21
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (July 5, 1996). "Act 42", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 15. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178835-3.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (July 5, 1996). "Act 41", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 15. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178835-3.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (September 1996). Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Volume IV Original Picture Collection. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-324519-5.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (August 1994). Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Volume I Original Picture Collection. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-324507-1. , Naoko Takeuchi quote about it from the artbook: "This is the title page for the conclusion of the first series of Sailor Moon. It had a great deal of impact on the first series. Probably because the four couplings on the right side were very unexpected. I was thinking of love stories of the previous lives of these couples. I'd like to be able to draw that someday..."
- ^ First used in each of Sailor Jupiter's first appearances, except the manga, where it is delayed to Act 10. In the English versions, Makoto does not say 'Make up' when transforming.
- ^ "Star Power" starting in manga Act 15, anime Episode 62, when she acquires the Star Power Stick. "Planet Power" starting in Act 24 of the manga only. "Crystal Power" starting in Act 37, when she acquires the Jupiter Crystal and her second uniform, and in Episode 151, when when she acquires the Crystal Change Rod and becomes Super Sailor Jupiter.
- ^ Carroll, Elizabeth (September 9, 2006). The Oracle. Retrieved on October 1, 2006.
- ^ Act 5. In the rereleased edition of the manga, rather than simply calling lightning she uses the incantation Jupiter Thunderbolt. Neither this attack nor Flower Hurricane appears in the anime, but both are used in the live-action series.
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (September 22, 2003). "Act 5", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Shinzoubon Volume 1. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-334776-1.
- ^ First used in Act 7 of the manga, Episode 25 of the anime, and Act 6 of the live-action series. In the English anime it is variously called Jupiter Thunder Crash, Supreme Thunder Crash and Jupiter Thunderbolt Crash.
- ^ Episode 45.
- ^ Appears only in Episode 55, and in English is renamed Jupiter Thunder Dragon.
- ^ Episode 147 only.
- ^ Act 15 of the manga, Episode 65 of the anime. In the English adaptation, it was primarily called Jupiter Thunderclap Zap, but other names included the original name, Jupiter Thunder Power, Superior Sparkling Thunder, Supreme Thunder Crash, or, on one occasion, "Thunder!"
- ^ Takeuchi, Naoko (June 6, 1995). "Act 36", Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 10. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178806-X.
- ^ Doi, Hitoshi. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. Retrieved on October 31, 2006.
- ^ Chiang, Jackie. The Sailor Senshi Page: North American Dub. Retrieved on October 31, 2006.
- ^ eternal.legend. Retrieved on November 4, 2006.
- ^ Nae; wasurenagusa; Hui, Andrea. Shingetsu. Retrieved on October 31, 2006.
- ^ Sailor Dream. Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
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