When I was a young girl, my dad tried to get me into comics. He bought Daredevil, Spider-Man, and tried to introduce me to the rest. There was also X-Men, which was on TV, but I didn’t like any of the characters and only remembered Storm, because she was cool as hell. Then, one day, a new craze swept the city. I had tuned into the Chinese channel after school and saw a magical transforming teenager who beat up bad guys from outer space. That was Sailor Moon, and I wanted to be her.
I ended up watching Sailor Moon, and even though my mother thought I watched too many cartoons, she let me watch it. I was watching the series in Mandarin, after all, and that meant that I was learning the language.
Sailor Moon had her fair share of childish antics, but to seven-year-old me, she was practically grown up. Then again, I had a new favourite Sailor Scout every time a new member showed up–I was very much hot-headed like Rei (Sailor Mars), I wanted to be smart like Ami (Sailor Mercury), and I was so like Mako-chan (Sailor Jupiter), who was the tomboy. Oh and I totally wanted to be Sailor Venus because she had luscious long hair, something that I wasn’t allowed to have because my mother thought it would mess up my appearance.
In short, Sailor Moon and her friends were everything to me. I admired these characters for different reasons, and I thought it was awesome to finally have a cartoon that had girl superheroes. Who cared about Superman when I could see myself saving the world alongside them? That was awesome.
As the series grew, I began to identify with many different characters, straying away from Sailor Moon. To me, the other supporting characters were a lot more heroic. They had more agency, spent less time whining and crying, and got up to do stuff while the main character lagged behind. I was so confused as to why she was the main character, especially because she was spoiled and childish.
Now, revisiting the series, I see something different. Sailor Moon and her friends appear to be more childish, but I guess I am watching the series as an adult and not a seven-year-old. It also wasn’t the masterpiece that I’d thought it was–it was a lot more formulaic, with silly and ridiculous villains. I’d also missed out on Sailor Neptune and Uranus’ lesbian relationship, but I guess that is for another post.
But as I watched, my dislike for the main character, Sailor Moon (Usagi Tsukino), vanished. Sure, she may be childish, klutzy, and ditzy. Villains didn’t take her seriously, and were underwhelmed by her less than heroic qualities. Yet, these were the very same qualities that also made her heroic, because she is portrayed as a human being, flaws and all. She is not afraid to be herself and to say what she thinks, and her heart is so pure, (perhaps this is because she is still quite childlike) that she gives love freely. These qualities make her a hero, and no one else can be Sailor Moon because no one else is quite like her.
This is also true of the other characters, who kick-ass in so many different ways. They all have their own backstories that have faded in my memory, but they are strong in the way they are unafraid to be vulnerable, and they knew not to let anyone mess with them (for too long, anyway).
I have seen a few more Magical Girl animes since, but it was Sailor Moon and her friends who taught me that crying, confiding in your friends, and liking girly stuff was what made you strong. Oh, and that you could always save yourself and your boyfriend too. Now that’s girl power.