Review: Sailor Moon Vol. 10 by Naoko Takeuchi
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Sailor Moon Vol. 10
by Naoko Takeuchi
To see reviews of previous books in the Sailor Moon series, click here.
This review contains spoilers for the previous volumes in the series.
Queen Nehelenia and the Dead Moon Circus have proven so formidable that Sailors Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto have returned from their retreat into civilian life to help even the odds. But even their added power may not be enough to defeat Nehelenia. Sailor Moon has been infected with the same deteriorating disease that has kept Tuxedo Mask sidelined, and without her there is no hope of victory. To protect the future, Sailor Moon and her friends must delve deep into the past to uncover the true identity of the Dark Moon Circus and save the Earth once more.
Once again, Usagi and her Moon family steal the spotlight. I was hoping we’d get to see more of the background of the outer planetary guardians, since in the previous volume we got backstories for Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter. Nope. Instead, the focus swings back to Usagi, Chibi-Usa and Mamoru. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Usagi and Chibi-Usa both show considerable growth and maturity in this story arc.
I’m always impressed by how deeply influenced by mythology Takeuchi’s book s are. Some of the character references here are pretty darn obscure - the Germanic goddess Nehalennia definitely lacks the name recognition of Aphrodite or Isis. But that perfectly suits the forgotten shadow queen from the dark side of the moon, right?
The art is really lovely in this volume. There are a lot of pages with women standing around, striking poses and looking pretty. There’s not a lot of action, even though this is a battle, just a lot of transforming and “leveling up” into princess gowns and angel wings. Good grief, I’m making this sound incredibly girly. Well, it is what it is. But even though this is a very sparkly story, full of pretty dresses and glowing jewelry, it’s not just a story for little girls. (Indeed, the frequent nudity marks this as decidedly not a story for American children.) It’s a fairy tale, and a great story.
4.5 out of 5 stars
To read more about Sailor Moon Vol. 10, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.
Peeking into the archives...today in:
2012: Fashionista Piranha on vacation until June 9th
2011: Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
2010: LEGO: A Love Story by Jonathan Bender
2009: The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory