We're getting a (Japanese) novelization of the Sailor Moon story ?!?

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Here is everything noteworthy from MOON IV. MASQUERADE:

- When Usagi talks to Motoki about Princess D, she calls him "Furu-chan," even though she doesn't learn his name until the next chapter. Oops!

- Rather than Umino showing up at Crown with his ultra-rare poster of Princess D, Motoki shows Usagi, Ami, and Rei the photo of Princess D from the newspaper.

- Princess D is described as such: "More than half of her face was covered by big glasses. Because of the thick, retro lenses, her eyes were like watermelon seeds."

- Papa Kenji is completely omitted from the chapter. A moment of silence, please.

- So instead of Usagi being jealous that her dad gets to go to the embassy party, in the novel, she just starts pestering Luna to go once she gets home from the arcade. When asked what she's going to do there, Usagi tells her, "Wear a dress, eat something delicious...and check out Princess D and the D Kingdom's National Treasure." Luna's reluctant to go because Rei had said she had a bad feeling about the party. Usagi points out, "We're sailor-suited soldiers; we'll be fine!" Luna reluctantly agrees to go and contact Ami and Rei. It was weird, but sort of refreshing, for Usagi to be the reasonable one and Luna the scaredy-cat.

- "Three cute princesses" arrive at the embassy: Princess Usagi (in a baby pink dress with roses), Princess Ami (in a light blue dress like a neat goddess), and Princess Rei (in a passionate crimson dress matching her powerful beauty).

- Princess D wears a brilliant blue dress. Atop her golden hair rests a tiara that reflects the light of the chandelier, shining seven colors

- Princess D and her aides speak in a foreign language, so Luna has to translate what they say for Usagi. I thought that was kind of neat.

- After they defeat Nephrite's shadow, Ami goes around checking all the unconscious partygoers' pulses. We also learn that Ami understands foreign languages, such as the one Princess D speaks.

- As they wake up, the party guests all wonder why they'd fallen asleep, but chalk it up to collective hypnosis (um, okay...)

- Tuxedo Mask DOES NOT kiss unconscious Usagi!
Thank you for the notes, Memento.
 

Memento

Stella Nova
Mar 8, 2012
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Here is everything noteworthy from MOON III. REI - SAILOR MARS:

- The scene towards the beginning, where we first see Rei doing a fire reading, and Mii and her friend get on the bus, is omitted

- We learn Luna hides in Usagi's jacket so she can be snuck into school

- The funny moment where Haruna freaks out about a cat in the classroom was omitted

- The scene where Usagi first sees Rei on the bus is described as follows:

"The sorrowful and mysterious profile of the flawlessly beautiful girl captured Usagi's attention, who dreamily looked at her with adoration."

Usagi then thinks to herself:

美しいものは、男女問わず好きだもん……。"I love beautiful people, whether they're men or women."

Bisexual Usagi confirmed (in the novelization canon)

- Mii is renamed "Misaki"

- The scene of Jadeite brushing Rei's cheek and saying he's attracted to her is omitted

- When Phobos and Deimos appear after Rei has transformed, they are described as follows:

"Like the messengers of God, the two crows immobilized Jadeite by bathing him in holy light."

- In order to teleport everyone out of the crumbling dimension, Usagi calls out "Moon Power!"
 

MariaTenebre

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Jul 22, 2009
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I don't know if Usagi saying that she likes beautiful people whether they are men or women means she is bisexual. I mean I love looking at beautiful men and women but I am only attracted to men. This quote sounds as flimsy as Usagi's quote in the 90s anime where she says she wouldn't mind doing that part time as evidenced for her attraction to Rei.
 
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Memento

Stella Nova
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Here is everything noteworthy from MOON II. AMI - SAILOR MERCURY:

- When recapping the battle from the first chapter, Morga is called 怪物ババアゾンビ Kaibutsu Babaa Zonbi "Monster Old Hag Zombie"

- Instead of making the famous princess / pudding pun, Usagi remarks that searching for a princess "sounds like a fairy tale..."

- The following scene of Luna in the secret command room researching Ami is omited

- When the kids at school are gossiping about Ami, someone says, "She's not a human, she's a cyborg!" I wonder if that was an intentional shout-out to Ami's protoytpe...

- In the manga, Usagi mentions that Crystal Seminar is near the arcde. In the novel, Umino mentions that it's located near an Italian restaurant. #TotallyNecessaryChange

- Ami doesn't know what an arcade is and has never heard of video games before. She still manages to quickly beat the Sailor V game, however.

- Ami's pen is described as "light blue with a crystal cap shaped like Saturn." Which is true (though I feel like it's more made of gold than crystal?) but still a little confusing.

- The scene of Ami at Crystal Seminar after leaving the arcade is omited

- In the manga, Usagi and Luna use a school computer to test the crystal disc. In novel, Usagi uses her own personal computer at home.

- After using "Moon Power! Change!" Usagi asks if she's a nurse. Luna says her name tag says she's a doctor. What was the point of adding that dialog?

- The chapter's monster-of-the-day is called a バケモノ bakemono, not a kaibutsu like Morga / Old Hag Zombie was.
 

Memento

Stella Nova
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Here is everything noteworthy from MOON I. USAGI - SAILOR MOON:

- When Usagi trips over Luna, she thinks she's a dirty black mop at first. (I just thought that was funny.)

- Usagi doesn't start eating her lunch while she's standing out in the hall. Instead, she eats her lunch (Mama's fried chicken) during recess. She justifies eating early to Naru by telling her she overslept and missed breakfast, and, after all, she needs food to think.

- Apparently Usagi's very healthy and seldom catches colds

- When discussing the recent string of jewelry store robberies, Yumiko and Kuri (who go unnamed) don't empathize with the robbers. Instead, Naru mentions that when she first heard about the break-ins, she was afraid her mom's shop would be hit, and her mom warned her to be careful.

- As Usagi walks away from Mamoru, she thinks to herself, "Wearing a tuxedo in the middle of the day... What a jerk... But... I wonder... I feel like I've seen him before."

- Usagi calls Motoki "Furu-chan" even though, again, she doesn't learn his name until Moon V.

- Crown is described as being practically deserted / devoid of customers and in danger of going out of business. Usagi likes to go because it's cozy and no customers means she gets to be alone with Motoki, though she's worried he'll soon be out of a job. (Since arcades are now kind of obsolete, I thought this was interesting, if sad, way of updating the story a bit.)

- Usagi doesn't see any posters for the Sailor V game or the game itself until she's inside Crown. While playing it, she says, "Sailor V's so cool! It's awesome the way V-chan fights in a sailor uniform! And high heels, too! And her weapons are the cutest items! I love V-chan! She's so strong, I really admire her!" (I thought this was cute additional dialog)

- The novel goes straight from Usagi's leaving crown after Luna shows up to Old Hag Zombie gloating over all the energy she's stolen, thus entirely skipping the scene of Usagi coming home, getting yelled at by Mama Ikuko, and getting kicked by Shingo. (Shingo, Papa Kenji, Rei's grandfather... RIP Male Relatives!)

- When Old Hag Zombie speaks, she has the voice of a man

- "Moon Prism Power! Make-Up!" is described as follows:

"Usagi was enveloped in seven colors of light. Something was happening to her. From the back of her body, she felt a warmth, a mysterious feeling she'd never felt before. Then, in an instant, the band of light vanished... Usagi saw the uniform she was wearing. 'What... This...' It wasn't her usual uniform. Her skirt length had become ultra mini, and she was wearing boots. Not only that. Standing in front of her mirror, she surprised herself. On her forehead was a glittering tiara. There were hair ornaments...and she had on goggles. 'Who is this person? It's...me...'"

-------------------------------------------------------

And there you have it. "The Chosen Soldier," the first of the manga novelizations, has now been reviewed. There were some interesting minor changes here and there, but most of them were completely arbitrary. Still, it was interesting to read, I guess. If/when MissDream scans the second book, I'll go through it as well.
 

Memento

Stella Nova
Mar 8, 2012
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"The Holy Battle"

Cool title, I guess. Predictable piece of reused artwork for the cover.

I wonder if these books have sold well? Not that it really matters. Even if they decided to novelize the rest of the manga, Naoko still wouldn't be involved and they'd just go on recycling old artwork for the covers anyway.
 
Oct 11, 2003
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Well the ranking is written in the details - No 10 in Kodansha's bluebird sales, 1133 in Childrens books and 14,000 odd in overall book sales.

It didnt get posted on the official site which is surprising.

If anyone wants these I'd get them sooner rather than later I don't think they'll survive to a 2nd print run
 
Likes: Starlight
Oct 11, 2003
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It must've sold sufficiently well so far for them to publish the 3rd book. lol
Considering the amount of art re-use that's going on it doesn't surprise me that a 3rd novel has been published. I wouldn't suspect theres a huge amount of editing work needed to get this ready for publication.

What will be interesting though is how long these novels stay in print - long sellers will be available for years I suspect in a year or two these novels willbe hard to get hold of
 

Rika-Chicchi

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May 7, 2009
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Considering the amount of art re-use that's going on it doesn't surprise me that a 3rd novel has been published. I wouldn't suspect theres a huge amount of editing work needed to get this ready for publication.
Yeah, that makes it much easier for it to sell sufficiently well to cover its production costs & make a profit. lol
 
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Here is everything noteworthy from MOON I. USAGI - SAILOR MOON:

- When Usagi trips over Luna, she thinks she's a dirty black mop at first. (I just thought that was funny.)

- Usagi doesn't start eating her lunch while she's standing out in the hall. Instead, she eats her lunch (Mama's fried chicken) during recess. She justifies eating early to Naru by telling her she overslept and missed breakfast, and, after all, she needs food to think.

- Apparently Usagi's very healthy and seldom catches colds

- When discussing the recent string of jewelry store robberies, Yumiko and Kuri (who go unnamed) don't empathize with the robbers. Instead, Naru mentions that when she first heard about the break-ins, she was afraid her mom's shop would be hit, and her mom warned her to be careful.

- As Usagi walks away from Mamoru, she thinks to herself, "Wearing a tuxedo in the middle of the day... What a jerk... But... I wonder... I feel like I've seen him before."

- Usagi calls Motoki "Furu-chan" even though, again, she doesn't learn his name until Moon V.

- Crown is described as being practically deserted / devoid of customers and in danger of going out of business. Usagi likes to go because it's cozy and no customers means she gets to be alone with Motoki, though she's worried he'll soon be out of a job. (Since arcades are now kind of obsolete, I thought this was interesting, if sad, way of updating the story a bit.)

- Usagi doesn't see any posters for the Sailor V game or the game itself until she's inside Crown. While playing it, she says, "Sailor V's so cool! It's awesome the way V-chan fights in a sailor uniform! And high heels, too! And her weapons are the cutest items! I love V-chan! She's so strong, I really admire her!" (I thought this was cute additional dialog)

- The novel goes straight from Usagi's leaving crown after Luna shows up to Old Hag Zombie gloating over all the energy she's stolen, thus entirely skipping the scene of Usagi coming home, getting yelled at by Mama Ikuko, and getting kicked by Shingo. (Shingo, Papa Kenji, Rei's grandfather... RIP Male Relatives!)

- When Old Hag Zombie speaks, she has the voice of a man

- "Moon Prism Power! Make-Up!" is described as follows:

"Usagi was enveloped in seven colors of light. Something was happening to her. From the back of her body, she felt a warmth, a mysterious feeling she'd never felt before. Then, in an instant, the band of light vanished... Usagi saw the uniform she was wearing. 'What... This...' It wasn't her usual uniform. Her skirt length had become ultra mini, and she was wearing boots. Not only that. Standing in front of her mirror, she surprised herself. On her forehead was a glittering tiara. There were hair ornaments...and she had on goggles. 'Who is this person? It's...me...'"

-------------------------------------------------------

And there you have it. "The Chosen Soldier," the first of the manga novelizations, has now been reviewed. There were some interesting minor changes here and there, but most of them were completely arbitrary. Still, it was interesting to read, I guess. If/when MissDream scans the second book, I'll go through it as well.
I don't know why they skipped showing Shingo and the other male relatives, but the whole "seven colors of light" thing does make sense considering a rainbow comes from a prism in seven colors.

The novel sounds OK, way better than the shitty American ones with product placements and references to other shows and breaking of the fourth wall (like shown here, they definitely haven't aged well in 20 years: Review: Mercury Rising) but you'd be better off getting the "Eternal Edition" versions of the manga.
 

Memento

Stella Nova
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Finally got around to wonkily Google Translating my way through the first chapter of the second novelization (which corresponds to Act 7 of the manga). It's pretty much a straightforward retelling, except, like in Crystal, the rental shop rents out DVDs instead of tapes. I forget if it was mentioned in the first novel, but it was stated that only the Sailors can understand Luna when she speaks; anyone else listening to her would just hear meowing.

ETA: Just finished the second chapter (Act 8.). It's a direct retelling of the manga chapter, nothing to report.
 
Last edited:
Sep 6, 2014
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Finally got around to wonkily Google Translating my way through the first chapter of the second novelization (which corresponds to Act 7 of the manga). It's pretty much a straightforward retelling, except, like in Crystal, the rental shop rents out DVDs instead of tapes.
even that’s becoming dated lmao

I forget if it was mentioned in the first novel, but it was stated that only the Sailors can understand Luna when she speaks; anyone else listening to her would just hear meowing.
Nice handwave! It’s funny how the fans have discussed and handwaved how nobody recognizes the Sailor Scouts but nobody really thinks too hard how Luna and Artemis like to talk loudly in broad public. (Although Luna seems to think any normal human can understand her in the anime)
 

Memento

Stella Nova
Mar 8, 2012
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Finished reading chapter 3 (a.k.a. Act 9). Overall another pretty straightforward retelling of the manga. Only a few noteworthy things:

- The moonlight magically repairs Mamoru's broken pocket watch.
- The novel says only that a female warrior killed Endymion; the text doesn't specify that it was Beryl (possibly saving that for a later reveal?)
- Beryl is described as having black hair, sigh.
- Princess Serenity invited Endymion to the moon when Earth's rebel army stormed the palace to steal the Silver Crystal
- When regaining his past life memories, Kunzite says he and the other members of the Shitennou "were Prince Endymion's close aides and commanded his army."
- Some of Venus's dialog in this chapter was given to Usagi.
- Luna says she was Princess Serenity's good luck charm.