Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon is an anime television series made by Toei Animation that began airing in March 1992 on TV Asahi. Naoko Takeuchi created the original manga that served as the basis for the animation. Junichi Sato directed the initial run of the series, working alongside character designer Kazuko Tadano and music composer Takanori Arisawa.

The anime spans 200 episodes across five distinct seasons that completed airing in 1997. Following the initial 46 episodes, Sailor Moon R delivered 43 episodes from 1993 to 1994. Sailor Moon S aired 38 episodes up to 1995, while Sailor Moon SuperS added 39 episodes through 1996. The final season, Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, presented 34 episodes to finish the broadcast. Three animated films also appeared in Japanese theaters during this run: Sailor Moon R in 1993, Sailor Moon S in 1994, and Sailor Moon SuperS in 1995.

Fourteen-year-old student Usagi Tsukino lives in Tokyo and rescues a black cat named Luna that has a crescent moon shape on its forehead. Luna reveals that Usagi is a mystical guardian and gives her a magical brooch that triggers a transformation into Sailor Moon. Her mission requires confronting evil monsters sent by Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom while gathering clues about the lost Moon Princess. Usagi also crosses paths with Tuxedo Mask, an enigmatic cloaked warrior in evening wear who intervenes during her most dangerous confrontations.

Kotono Mitsuishi voiced the lead character Usagi Tsukino in the original Japanese cast, while Tohru Furuya voiced Mamoru Chiba. The English-dubbed version first aired on television in North America in 1995. In 1993, the anime won the Anime Grand Prix award from Animage magazine after receiving the most votes in the favorite anime division. The theme song Moonlight Densetsu received first place in the song category during that same 1993 poll. Animage readers also awarded second place to the sequel season Sailor Moon R in the 1994 poll.