Sailor Moon, the anime for girls, created by a woman who wanted to have friends... (that she never had)
So, I don't know if we are really aware of how risky it was, at the time, to go for a manga, and later anime, of the shonen type, whose sole premise is based on the relationship of a group of Japanese high school girls and how they go through adventures that will challenge their friendship in every way? It's no surprise now, but more than 30 years ago when the first Sailor Moon manga saw the light of day, these themes didn't get much attention; certainly not in a traditionally macho society like Japan has been, and still is. For me, the creative and script mastery of this anime has everything to do with its author: Naoko Takeuchi.
This post is both a confession of the little girl who still lives in me, and who always felt directly identified with the girls of Sailor Moon, and partly also a tribute to the simplicity and power of an idea really well carried out. In this sense, what the author always wanted (in real life, when she was young) was to have a group of friends who really wanted to be with them. This fact, though trite and perhaps somewhat corny, from our Western perspective, speaks volumes about a society that can be as advanced as it is cruel in equal proportions.
A seemingly simple wish of a lonely girl ignited the spark of creativity to the top. The suffering and social isolation that Takeuchi endured as a young girl was such a scar on her that as soon as she graduated from university she began to create a manga that would reflect (masterfully) the most longed-for and strongest wish she could ask for..... This leaves a lot to be desired. For a girl to have only girlfriends as the longing of her existence is hard enough. But things in Japan are quite different from what we are used to admitting and accepting.
While all Japanese anime productions have that existentialist component in their character development, it is no less true that the loneliness and suffering that both the main character (Usagi, original name) and the other members of the group of friends, is noticeable, is evident. Perhaps in America, we may not have noticed this because of the cultural differences that exist between the two poles of the planet; but when you watch the 200 episodes of the anime again, you realise that it is not only a story with romantic overtones and very girlish, but that it hides the fears of female adolescence and is a unique exploration of femininity.
As part of the cultural heritage that Sailor Moon has left us, there is the struggle against fears, the normalisation of courage, even the courage to overcome adversity; always supported by the moral strength that only friendship between girls (which, let's remember, is not very common in the world of animation) can offer you. I would say, perhaps I could be wrong, that Sailor Moon is not just another entertaining anime, but it is a beautiful, recommendable and tremendously fun way to deeply educate yourself. There is no doubt that from the very first episode to the only one, we are aware of the imprint that its creator has put on the story.
Sailor Moon is much more than adversity and overcoming villains and antagonists. It is an exercise in empathy, philosophy and even a sociological study of loneliness and cruelty. This is beautiful. I know that perhaps in this community, there are not many girls, but it is also curious to know that many men also enjoyed this series. I hope you do, and that you leave it in the comments. I am grateful to have grown up with this anime. Even, from mother to daughter, I have "passed the torch", and my daughter who was born in 2015 is a fan of this anime. The woman who had no friends has inspired millions of us to treasure friendship.
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