Sailor Moon has an enduring popularity. Though it wasn't the first magical girl anime by a long shot, it set the tone for many magical girl and shojo anime to follow. Usagi Tsukino's long and complex journey is legendary. Naoko Takeuchi wove together a rich and sweeping world, and though both the original anime and the Sailor Moon reboot cover all her story arcs from the original manga series, there's so much backstory that could be explored. Takeuchi finished writing her series as the original anime aired, so it's obvious there were many threads Takeuchi dreamed up that deserve further unpacking in an anime.
The original anime covered the entire Sailor Moon manga series and included some interesting filler arcs (like Kunzite and Zoisite's romance), and the reboot Sailor Moon Crystal is about to finish off the manga, as well. Sailor Moon Cosmos is a two-part movie that will conclude the last major Sailor Moon plot line. But Naoko Takeuchi may have more stories to tell through an anime adaptation, and fans are hopeful that they could see more content and storylines in the future.
Is the Entire Sailor Moon Story Completed?
The simple answer is yes, but the more nuanced answer is that there's more story to tell that could be based on Naoko Takeuchi's manga series. Though American audiences don't have the final two-part Sailor Moon Cosmos movie released yet, it's only a matter of time as it was released in Japan in 2023. Sailor Moon Cosmos will then officially conclude the full anime adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi's Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon manga series. While the two-part series finishes off all five of the Sailor Moon manga arcs, there's more official Sailor Moon-related manga content that could be adapted.
Sailor Moon Cosmos covers the final arc in Sailor Moon where the Senshi face off with Sailor Galaxia and Chaos, their most formidable opponents yet. Chaos is the complete antithesis of everything that Sailor Moon stands for. Where she fights for love and justice and heals with compassion, Chaos consumes worlds and propels violence wherever it travels. The arc challenges Sailor Moon to her core and reveals her final evolution. The Sailor Moon Crystal version of the Sailor Galaxia arc promises to be more comprehensive storytelling than the original anime, which changed some key details from the manga.
Beyond the Sailor Moon series, Naoko Takeuchi also wrote a canon prequel series. Codename: Sailor V follows the leader of the Sailor Senshi, Sailor Venus, who was awakened to her Sailor Senshi identity before Sailor Moon and the rest of the Inner Senshi. There are also parts of the Sailor Moon manga that could use more exploration and unpacking. Given the success of fantasy TV prequels like House of the Dragon in the Game of Thrones 'verse, perhaps one or two Sailor Moon anime prequels could do well.
There's No Anime Adaptation of Codename: Sailor V
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is Naoko Takeuchi's most famous and influential work, but Usagi Tsukino's story wasn't her first creative dive into the Moon Kingdom and Sailor Senshi/Guardian world. Takeuchi first created the world and characters centered around Sailor Venus in what is now the Sailor Moon prequel series, Codename: Sailor V. Similar to Usagi, Minako Aino is a middle school girl with a regular life until she finds out that she was born to be the superhero Sailor Venus, Soldier of Justice. Where Luna guides Usagi in her transformation, Artemis mentors Minako. She even has her own romance with a planet Venus soldier and Prince Endymion ally, Adonis.
The prequel series leads into the central Sailor Moon timeline as Sailor Venus begins her search for the lost Moon Princess, Serenity, and the rest of her fellow Sailor Senshi. This ending would tie in perfectly with the central anime's opening plot line. Sailor Venus is the last Inner Senshi to join the group, so she gets the least amount of screen time of the Inner Senshi. Adapting the prequel manga into an anime would be a welcome addition to Sailor Venus' character development.
As of right now, there is no anime for Codename: Sailor V. There have been two attempts to produce a Sailor V anime, but neither attempt made it past pre-production before it got canceled. Fans are disappointed and scratch their heads, wondering why no Sailor V prequel anime successfully got off the ground. Sailor Venus may not be as much of a fan favorite Sailor Senshi as Sailor Mercury is, but she still gets plenty of love from audiences and devoted Sailor Moon fans. Surely now could be a great time to start a Codename: Sailor V anime in a similar style to the Sailor Moon reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal. The Sailor Moon franchise is certainly fresh in audiences' minds as the final movie has only just been released in Japan. The timing would be great, and magical girl nostalgia is neverending.
The Sailor Moon Franchise Could Support a Moon Kingdom Prequel, Too
There's so much tradition and mystery surrounding the defeated Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millennium Era. The Moon Kingdom is run by a long line of powerful and wise queens who each have one daughter: the crown princess of the Moon Kingdom. Sailor Moon follows in her late mother, Queen Serenity's, footsteps, wielding the Legendary Silver Crystal to protect the universe and to heal the broken. However, audiences only see the history of these traditions on their home world (the Moon) through flashbacks.
With such a beautiful former world and rich matriarchal tradition, a Silver Millennium prequel would be a fascinating and gorgeous watch. Although any Sailor Moon fan will know that a prequel about the Moon Kingdom will end in its tragic defeat, it could make a great anime. The Moon Kingdom prequel anime could also end with a hopeful snippet of Serenity, Endymion, and the rest of the planet princesses being reborn on Earth as Usagi, Mamoru, and the Senshi/Guardians. A hopeful ending focusing on their rebirth after the fall of the Silver Millennium would make a great lead-in to the beginning of Sailor Moon Crystal. It would be worthwhile to see Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion meeting and falling in love on the Moon for the very first time—in real-time rather than through hazy but beautiful flashbacks.
The Sailor Senshi & the Shitennou
The Sailor Senshi were once princesses, all of their own respective planets. Audiences know this from the manga's exposition, but there are no detailed scenes that explore what their lives were like as celestial princesses and warriors because the main Sailor Moon timeline follows them as reborn teenagers on Earth in the modern day. A Silver Millennium prequel would provide so much room for exploring each Planet Princess's world.
All the Sailor Senshi's powers harken back to their past lives and their connections to their planets. Sailor Mars' planet would be awash in regal red and, no doubt, she'd be surrounded by training archers and fire-scrying psychics. Sailor Mercury would come from a planet of water and ice, perhaps full of harpists and ice dancers. The possibilities are endless and could be positively gorgeous given the overall Sailor Moon aesthetic. The Sailor Senshi also had their own forbidden and epic romances during the Silver Millennium. Jadeite loved Sailor Mars, Nephrite loved Sailor Jupiter, Zoisite loved Sailor Mercury, and Kunzite loved Sailor Venus.
The Senshi's love stories are just a footnote mentioned in the Sailor Moon Crystal backstory and the manga artwork. Each of the Sailor Senshi falls in love with one of Prince Endymion's noble knights, the Shitennou. Their love stories are equally tragic, as the Senshi perish alongside their princess when Queen Beryl storms the Moon Kingdom. That tragedy is further compounded when Queen Beryl brainwashes the Shitennou (Jadeite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Kunzite) to fight the Sailor Senshi and their former prince, reborn as Tuxedo Mask. The only other Sailor Moon licensed content that delved into these Senshi-Shitennou relationships were the Sailor Moon musicals.
Could Naoko Takeuchi Be Open to the Idea?
Naoko Takeuchi said in the past that she didn't wish to continue the Sailor Moon series. It's understandable because she's spent years going back and forth with anime production companies, and it's wise to know when a story is finished. Perhaps there could still be room for her to approve a prequel about the Moon Kingdom during the Silver Millennium, and a Codename: Sailor V anime adaptation. Takeuchi doesn't need to continue the story beyond what she already wrote to produce more excellent anime content. She didn't seem to mind revisiting her Sailor Moon world for Sailor Moon Crystal, so many hope she could be open to the idea of adapting from the work that she's already created in the manga and prequel manga.
Many loved the Sailor Moon Crystal reboot. The world that Naoko Takeuchi created for the Sailor Senshi and their allies is so rich and so full of possibilities. It's safe to assume that fans aren't ready to leave that world just yet.
