Sailor Stars
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Sailor Stars is the shortened title of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars (美少女戦士セーラームーン セーラースターズ Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn Sērā Sutāzu?), which is the fifth and final major story arc in the anime Sailor Moon.
The manga version, created by Naoko Takeuchi, is called simply Stars. It was first published in book form by Kodansha in 1996-1997, encompassing Acts 43-52 (volumes 16-18 of the original manga, 11-12 of the re-released editions). Starting in 2001, the manga series was released in English by Tokyopop, though as of May 2005 it is out of print.[1]
Because the series was already so popular, Toei Animation started adapting Stars into an anime before it was even finished. The series spans episode 167 through episode 200—34 episodes in all. The anime series has never been officially translated into English, but it has been broadcast in several other Western markets, including parts of Latin America and Europe.
This arc is characterized by the introduction of new characters such as the Sailor Starlights, Princess Kakyuu, and ChibiChibi. The primary villain is Sailor Galaxia, queen of an organization called Shadow Galactica, who seeks to rule the galaxy by collecting "Sailor Crystals" (also called "true star seeds") from its Sailor Senshi.
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[edit] Story
In the manga, the protagonist (Usagi Tsukino) and her friends had entered high school during the previous story arc; in the anime, it is delayed until the beginning of this one. All five of the girls have passed the entrance exams, and Minako has joined Usagi, Ami, and Makoto at Jūban High School. Rei continues at her private Catholic school as before.
As the story begins, Usagi must say goodbye to her boyfriend, Mamoru Chiba, who is leaving Japan to study abroad at Harvard. While in the airport, he gives Usagi a ring to show his intention to marry her when he returns. The evil Sailor Galaxia appears for the first time and immediately destroys Mamoru, who (despite being male) bears the Sailor Crystal of Earth.
In the manga, Mamoru is killed right in front of Usagi with many spectators. Unable to cope with this, she represses the memory and forgets that he has died. In the anime, he is not attacked until after the plane leaves; it is struck by a bright light while in the air, but his fate is unclear until the end of the series. Throughout both versions of the story, Usagi writes numerous letters to him but receives no reply.
Shortly after these events, a new pop band rises to popularity: the Three Lights. Its three attractive members start attending high school with Usagi and her friends, but their personalities clash; only one of them, Seiya, gradually becomes Usagi's friend. Around the same time, the mysterious Sailor Starlights appear in battle, fighting the same foes as the Sailor Team but claiming different motivations and no hope of alliance. They are searching for their princess, Kakyuu, and do not care about the fate of Earth. In fact, they have disguised themselves as the Three Lights, and as males, in order to try and find her. (In the manga, they merely cross-dress; in the anime, they physically take on male bodies when in civilian form.)
As the story progresses, a tiny girl called ChibiChibi also appears and attaches herself to Usagi and her family. Sailor Moon and the other Senshi continue their fight against the Sailor Animamates and gradually come to learn more about the Starlights; in the anime, this spans many episodes, but in the manga it happens fairly rapidly.
As each series approaches its conclusion, the plot divergences become wider and wider. In the anime, Sailor Crystals are simply called "true star seeds," ChibiChibi's true identity is completely different, and the final battle and objectives of the enemies ultimately are different. Of all the anime arcs that followed the manga, this last deviated the most sharply from the original story.
[edit] Manga version
In the manga, the Sailor Senshi are destroyed one by one, with Usagi entirely helpless to stop it. She starts to receive mysterious cards with pictures of the universe on them. Luna, Artemis and Diana are attacked by a corrupted, fake Senshi who had come from their own home planet, and are later killed by another Senshi. The Outer Senshi return to their Castles to try and set up a defense shield, but are destroyed as well.
The future becomes uncertain, and a flash-forward is shown of the 30th century, where the skies have turned black and stormy. Small Lady (Chibiusa) is concerned by this, and asks her mother if she can go to the past so that she can try to protect it.
When the Starlights finally find Princess Kakyuu, Sailor Moon and ChibiChibi join them in travelling to the Galaxy Cauldron—the source of the Sailor Wars, and the location of Sailor Galaxia's castle. Once they arrive, they have to defeat a series of evil Sailor Senshi who are protecting the way. Sailor ChibiChibi manages to save Sailor Kakyuu and Sailor Moon, but they must watch the Sailor Starlights die. During another fight, they are barely rescued by Sailor Chibi Moon and the Sailor Quartet. Shortly thereafter, Sailor Kakyuu is killed. Her last dying wish is to be reborn along with everyone else.
Sailor Moon, heartbroken, now must face her dearest friends, the Sailor Team, who have been twisted along with Mamoru into Sailor Galaxia's minions. Sailor Galaxia dissolves them back into nothing and the final battle between Galaxia and Sailor Moon begins. With Mamoru destroyed, Sailor Chibi Moon cannot be born, so she vanishes. Sailor ChibiChibi asks Sailor Moon to destroy the Galaxy Cauldron, but Sailor Moon refuses, as it is the source of all life. When Chaos appears in the midst of the battle, Sailor Moon realizes that all her past enemies have just been incarnations of Chaos. Galaxia says that she wanted a better planet just before she dies at his hands.
ChibiChibi grows older and kisses Usagi in a gesture of thanks and power. Usagi plunges herself into the Cauldron, and the older ChibiChibi reveals to the Sailor Quartet her true identity of Sailor Cosmos, a Sailor Senshi from a ruined future that fought Sailor Chaos. The Sailor Quartet join the others in the Cauldron.
Usagi meets everyone else within the Cauldron, and then Guardian Cosmos. Guardian Cosmos says that she can return to being a star in the Cauldron forever, or return as she is back to the life she had before. Usagi decides to go back to her human form. She sees Chibiusa just before she leaves, who says she will be waiting in the 30th century.
Usagi wakes up next to Mamoru in bed, in a place that appears to be the new Crystal Tokyo. She asks him to "say it again," and he does--"Marry me, Usagi." Their wedding is shown, and afterward Usagi thinks to herself that she can sense a "new star" which is soon to be born (possibly referring to Chibiusa). Mamoru looks at her and thinks to himself that Sailor Soldiers will come and go, but that Sailor Moon will be eternal, and will be the brightest star of them all.
[edit] Anime version
The anime series actually begins with a continuation of the previous plot arc, perhaps to fill time while Takeuchi worked on the manga. In these episodes, Queen Nehellenia is unsealed and prompted by a voice to attack Sailor Moon. Mirror shards rain down on the earth, getting stuck in people's eyes, including Mamoru Chiba. The victims become more and more withdrawn, surrounding themselves with mirrors. Nehellenia's monsters attack and awaken Sailor Saturn. Nehellenia kidnaps Mamoru, and the Sailor Senshi split up and attempt to rescue him. The Sailor Senshi are all captured and sealed in mirrors. Usagi falls under an enchantment that causes her to forget her mission, as she plays in a garden of flowers. She sees a rose (actually the earring of the defeated Sailor Jupiter), which restores her memories of Tuxedo Mask. Now aware of what she must do, Usagi manages to save Mamoru and her friends, and heal Nehellenia.
In truth, it was Sailor Galaxia who had released Nehellenia from her seal. She did this in order to force the reawakening of Sailor Saturn. (This is not revealed until the final confrontation with Sailor Galaxia.) The story begins as described above, with Mamoru leaving and being killed on the way, and the arrival of the Starlights and ChibiChibi.
Unlike their manga counterparts, the Sailor Animamates of the anime do not know who the bearers of the Sailor Crystals (here called "true star seeds") are. Their method is to find individuals with exceptional talents, attack them, and take their star seeds. If the star seeds are unexceptional, the Sailor Animamate abandons them to turn into a monster, a (phage) which the Sailor Senshi must fight to distract the phage so that Eternal Sailor Moon can heal the monster.
Conflicts erupt between the Inner Senshi, Outer Senshi, and Starlights, both as civilians and as Senshi. The Outer Senshi view the Starlights as invaders and are suspicious of them because, as they say, the Animamates are also Sailor Senshi. As this plays out, Seiya develops strong romantic feelings for Usagi; this is the primary romantic subplot of the season. From his point of view, Usagi is pining after someone who has abandoned her, and he feels he could give her more. Seiya's interest in Usagi causes Michiru and Haruka to think ill of him. The other two Starlights, Taiki and Yaten, form only tentative friendships with specific Inner Senshi.
As the end of the season approaches, Galaxia finally invades Earth, having conquered the rest of the galaxy at that point. Each of the three groups (Inners, Outers, and Starlights) confront Galaxia separately. The Inner Senshi die while trying to save the Starlights; Pluto and Saturn are killed by Uranus and Neptune when the latter two pretend to betray Sailor Moon. Uranus and Neptune are subsequently killed by Galaxia when they try to take Galaxia's starseed to no avail. The Starlights once again engage Galaxia in combat and successfully deal physical damage to the golden queen when they combine attacks, the first injury Galaxia sustains. Nevertheless, Galaxia is able to overpower them in the end.
It is revealed that Sailor Galaxia was once the most powerful force for good in the galaxy, and that she had made the sacrifice of sealing Chaos inside herself. To protect her own star seed from being corrupted, she sent it to Earth to become the Light of Hope and find the person who could defeat Chaos, should Galaxia lose control.
Finally, Eternal Sailor Moon and Sailor Galaxia engage in their battle, with Moon wielding ChibiChibi as a Sword of Sealing. During the battle, Galaxia is fully consumed by Chaos and sprouts demonic wings. Knowing the good Galaxia has done, Sailor Moon refuses to fight her and is almost defeated, reverting back to her normal form. Completely vulnerable and symbolically naked, Usagi offers Galaxia forgiveness, and through this effort is able to heal her. She uses the Silver Crystal to purify Galaxia's body and drive out Chaos, returning the Golden Senshi to her true form.
All those who had been killed during the war against Chaos are returned, whole, and Galaxia departs to help guide them home. ChibiChibi and the Starlights also must leave, and Usagi and her friends return to their lives, knowing that Chaos has been dispersed back into a small force within the hearts of individuals, where it belongs.
[edit] Trivia
- Of the five story arcs, Sailor Stars is the only one featuring recurring villains of only one gender (all female, because they are all Senshi). In the anime, it is also the only arc in which all the villains who die are killed by other villains.
- Originally, the Three Lights were females who merely cross dress as men, rather than mystically swapping genders. Creator Naoko Takeuchi was strongly displeased by this change to the anime, feeling that it undermined her rule that only girls could be Senshi.[2]
[edit] Music
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- Sailor Star Song is used as the opening theme, making Stars the only Sailor Moon series to replace Moonlight Densetsu with another song. The lyrics are by Naoko Takeuchi, and it is sung by Kae Hanazawa.
- Kaze Mo, Sora Mo, Kitto ("The Sky, The Wind, Surely") is the closing song for the series.
- Moonlight Densetsu makes its appearance as the closing song for the final episode.
- Nagareboshi He ("To the Shooting Star") figures in both the manga and the anime. It is the song the Three Lights perform in search for Princess Kakyuu.
- Todokanu Omoi ("My Friend's Love") is also sung by the Three Lights.
[edit] Notable guest voices
- Sumi Shimamoto as Akane Gushiken/Sailor Director (episode 176)
- Unshou Ishizuka as Tetsuro Yoshinogawa/Sailor Chef (episode 179)
- Junichi Kanemaru as DJ Jack/Sailor Deejay (episode 189)
- Akiko Hiramatsu as Reiko Nakagawa/Sailor Gamer (episode 191)
[edit] See also
- Sailor Moon (manga)
- Sailor Moon (anime)
- List of Sailor Moon episodes
- Sailor Moon musicals - the 1996 summer musical is also called Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. Its revised edition is called Sailor Moon Sailor Stars [Kaiteban] and was performed in winter 1997.
[edit] References
- ^ Tokyopop Out of Print. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.
- ^ BLACK MOON - Sailor Moon, created by Naoko Takeuchi. Retrieved on 6 October, 2006.
- The Oracle
- Takeuchi, Naoko (September 6, 1996). Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 16. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178841-8.
- Takeuchi, Naoko (December 6, 1996). Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 17. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178849-3.
- Takeuchi, Naoko (April 4, 1997, December 10, 1998). Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Volume 18. Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178858-2.
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