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Sailor V with Artemis.
Codename: Sailor V (コードネーム は セーラーＶ, Koodoneemu wa Seeraa Bui) is a manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It follows 13-year-old Minako Aino who uses her newfound magical powers to fight injustice guided by her feline companion Artemis. The positive reception of its first chapter spawned the entire Sailor Moon franchise.
Development[]
In 1991, Takeuchi, known for her previous manga The Cherry Project, was offered the opportunity to write a short story about anything she wanted. Being a fan of both the Magical Girl and Tokusatsu genres, she decided to combine the two. The result was a one-shot title, Codename: Sailor V, featuring a young girl who can transform into a hero to fight the forces of evil.
Toei Animation caught wind of the story and saw the potential it could have. They contacted Takeuchi with the intent to create an anime from this dual concept, except there would be more than just one character who could transform. That idea would later turn into Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
Due to Takeuchi writing both Codename: Sailor V and Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon simultaneously, the chapters of Codename: Sailor V were released more sporadically and ended up being much shorter than Sailor Moon. It concluded in 1997 with a total of fifteen chapters.
Plot[]
Codename: Sailor V tells the story of Minako Aino, a 13-year-old middle school student who is outspoken, absentminded, and dreams about finding her true love one day. Her calm and normal life changes after she encounters a white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. The cat introduces himself as Artemis and claims that Minako is a girl with the power to transform into a Guardian more powerful and more beautiful than anyone else. He tells her about her mission to protect the Earth in the name of her guardian planet, Venus.
To help her with this mission, Artemis gives her two items, a crescent moon shaped compact and a magical pen. The pen allows her to transform into her alter-ego, the sailor-suited and beautiful Guardian of Justice, Sailor V. Sailor V fights against the agents of the Dark Agency, headed by the mysterious Danburite.
At the end of the series, Minako remembers her previous life with the other Sailor Guardians and realizes that her duty to protect the moon princess is more important than romance. Shedding her identity as Sailor V, she begins her true mission as Sailor Venus.
Releases[]
The first chapter of the Codename: Sailor V manga originally released in RunRun magazine in Japan on July 18, 1991. After this it continued to be published in RunRun at the same time Sailor Moon was published in Nakayoshi and released its final chapter after the final chapter of Sailor Moon in two parts: in the July 1997 and November 1997 issues.
The chapters were not released in the same order they are presented in today. What's now known as Vol.3 was the original "one-shot" released in August 1991 and was followed in order to Vol.6. Vol.1 and Vol.2 were then released showing Minako's origins before the series continued in order from Vol.7 to its completion.
Since the original magazine publication, the chapters of the manga have been collected and re-released multiple times; though, the original magazine print and original volumes were never released in English. Whenever Codename: Sailor V is re-released it is always alongside and in the same format as the Sailor Moon manga and a detailed discussion of these editions can be found on the Sailor Moon manga page and they are listed below. A major difference between them is the 3rd Edition of the Sailor Moon manga. It was released digitally making it the first official digital version of the manga. Codename: Sailor V's; however, doesn’t have a digital release making it only available to purchase in physical formats.
Volume List[]
| Volume | Chapters | Pages | Release Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese (Original Release) - Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 | 192 | December 18, 1993 | |
| Japanese (Shinsouban) - Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | 276 | October 29, 2004 | ||
| Japanese (Kanzenban) - Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | 274 | May 29, 2014 | ||
| Japanese (Bunkoban) - Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | 270 | March 1, 2019 | ||
| English (Original Release) -Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | 272 | September 13, 2011 | ||
| English (Eternal Edition) -Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | 274 | September 28, 2021 | ||
| English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) - Act 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 | ? | 2025 | ||
| 2 | Japanese (Original Release) - Act 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 | 193 | October 22, 1994 | |
| Japanese (Shinsouban) - Act 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 | 290 | November 22, 2004 | ||
| Japanese (Kanzenban) - Act 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 | 288 | May 29, 2014 | ||
| Japanese (Bunkoban) - Act 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 | 261 | March 1, 2019 | ||
| English (Original Release) - Act 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 | 296 | November 15, 2011 | ||
| English (Eternal Edition) - Act 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 | 288 | November 9, 2021 | ||
| English (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) - Act 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 | ? | 2025 | ||
| 3 | Japanese (Original Release) - Act 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 | 188 | November 6, 1997 | |
Chapter List[]
- 1 - Sailor V is Born!
- 2 - Minako in 'Crown Game Center'
- 3 - Sailor V's Big Debut! Channel 44: Pandora's Ambition
- 4 - Petite Pandora's Ambition
- 5 - The Dark Agency Conspiracy
- 6 - Showdown! Sailor V vs. Cyber Galadiatrix Ruga
- 7 - Sailor V on Vacation: Ambitions Toward Hawaii!
- 8 - Love on a Tree-Lined Road: Super Turbo Full Throttle!
- 9 - Sailor V vs. Deburine
- 10 - Sailor V's in Trouble?! Enter the Phantom Thief Ace!
- 11 - Pet Perils Part 1: Nyan-Nyan's Ambition
- 12 - Pet Perils Part 2: Wan-Wan's Ambition
- 13 - Pet Perils Part 3: Chu-Chu's Ambition
- 14 - Staking the Springtime of Youth on a Hachimaki Stone!!
- 15 - A New Journey Begins!! Part One
- 16 - A New Journey Begins!! Part Two
Connections to Other Series[]
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003 - 2004)[]
Sailor V has a special episode dedicated to her in the live-action series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Act 0 - The Birth of Sailor V!. Her awakening, weapons, and attacks are different, but this depiction of Sailor V is similar to her original manga counterpart. She is awoken by Artemis and works to protect the city but the storyline is unique. She has a small following of young girls who wish to be like her, including Sailor K, Sailor N, and Sailor M. Sailor Rabbit, is a big fan of Sailor V and Minako saves her from a villain.
Sailor V to Sailor Moon Characters[]
Minako has a best friend named Hikaru Sorano and a classmate named Gurikazu Amano. These two character's appearances were later used for Ami Mizuno and Gurio Umino, respectively.
Manga Covers[]
Trivia[]
- The original manga release has 15 acts, while the shinsouban release has 16. This is due to Takeuchi deciding to take the final act, "A New Journey Begins" and call its two parts different chapters for the re-release. The actual content remains unchanged as the large final chapter was released in two parts in RunRun and it still retains the "Part 1" and "Part 2" naming scheme.
- The other initial Guardians from Sailor Moon make cameos:
- Usagi Tsukino has three; she appears at the end of Chapter 5 along with Naru Osaka, in Chapter 6, and in Chapter 16 as Princess Serenity in Minako's flashback of the Silver Millennium.
- Rei Hino makes an appearance later in Chapter 6 and Chapter 16 as Sailor Mars in Minako's flashback of the Silver Millenium.
- Ami Mizuno shows up in Chapter 15 alongside her Mother and in Chapter 16 as Sailor Mercury in Minako's flashback of the Silver Millenium.
- Makoto Kino appears twice in Chapter 16; first as Sailor Jupiter in Minako's flashback, and at the end of the chapter in her civilian form.
References[]
External Links[]
- Codename: Sailor V - Wikipedia
- Codename: Sailor V - Japanese Wikipedia
- Codename: Sailor V Eternal Edition - Kodansha