Trivia / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

• Adaptation Sequence: Manga —> Anime —> Musicals —> Non-canon video game —> Live-action television series —> Another anime.
• Author's Saving Throw:
  • A major complaint of the original anime was that The Reveal Usagi was the Moon Princess wasn't really a twist (given that Tuxedo Mask had a dream of the princess and she had Usagi's exact hairstyle). This series gets much more mileage out of the storyline that Sailor Venus is pretending to be the princess, including the choice to modify the flashback princess’s voice and face (complete with a different hairstyle that carries over in future appearances).
  • While Tuxedo Mask still plays a part in the fights over the span of the series, the Senshi are able to destroy a fair amount of monsters on their own even early on in the show.
  • The fact that the Senshi look no different in uniform than they do in civilian gear is a common source of criticism among fans (to the degree that Fanon says an enchantment prevents anyone from recognizing them). Here the girls all have normal hairstyles in their civvies and then transform into the more colorful and elaborate anime styles. This makes it more plausible that they wouldn't be recognized in public. Even so, Minako recognizes Rei as Sailor Mars instantly upon seeing her out of her senshi mode, and Nephrite recognizes Ami as well, though she doesn't recognize him.
  • Naru, Ikuko, Shingo and Motoki were base-breakers to some degree in the original anime. Most fans agree that the changes made to them in this series fixed those issues and made them much more interesting and likable characters.
  • The show provided a more manga-accurate version of Rei Hino after the original anime shifted her character to be more boy crazy.
• The Cast Showoff: Yoshito Endō, Zoisite's actor, gets to show off his piano-playing skills in the series.
• Contest Winner Cameo: The PGSM campaign winners during the series' first half were the live audience for the Kirari Super Live concert.
• Corpsing: The live concert audience doesn't take the Shitennou's threats seriously, much to their (hilarious) chagrin.
• Creator-Preferred Adaptation: Naoko Takeuchi was more involved with this than the 90s anime, and prefers it as a result.
• Dawson Casting:
  • Miyuu Sawai, Keiko Kitagawa, Mew Azama and Ayaka Komatsu were in their late teens when filming began.
  • Naru's actress, Chieko Kawabe, was a former Sera Myu actress and was in her 20s at the time of production.
• Descended Creator: Usagi's father Kenji Tsukino in the Special Act was played by veteran Toku director Ryuta Tasaki (who directed the first 2 episodes). The wedding guests were played by the show's staff as well.
• Executive Meddling: Wonder why the ending feels a little rushed? The series was supposed to go a full 52 episodes plus the specials. The ratings led the network to chop the episode order down to 49 episodes late in production.
• Genius Bonus: Zoisite's piano pieces are actual compositions: Ludwig van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Frederic Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu and Etude in C minor.
• Looping Lines: Yoko Soumi looped Queen Serenity's lines in the Special Act.
• Method Acting: Ayaka Komatsu had never read the manga or watched the anime when she was cast. She opted not to read it during filming - as they were going in a drastically different direction. This helped her with Minako's sense of isolation towards the others.
• Never Work with Children or Animals: Luna and Artemis are changed from cats to talking plush toys due to the myriad of problems stemming from working with cats in live action.
• No Export for You: This is the only Sailor Moon property that has yet to be licensed in the US, nor everywhere else where the nime aired, with two exceptions: A one-time airing in Mexico, and a recent airing in the Philippines on the digital subchannel Yey!. Fan subtitled versions do exist online - some with helpful explanations of Japanese cultural aspects that don't translate to Western audiences.
• The Other Darrin: For reasons unknown, the casting agency cast Kappei Yamaguchi as Artemis instead of his original anime VA, Yasuhiro Takato.
• Production Posse: Given the series was produced by Toei Company, many of the Sailor Moon staff members have worked on the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider franchises, including director Ryuta Tasaki, screenwriter Yasuko Kobayashi, and special effects director Hiroshi Butsuda.
• Promoted Fangirl: Miyuu Sawai (Usagi) and Keiko Kitagawa (Rei) were both avid fans of the manga and anime, so one can assume they were overjoyed when they got to be a part of the show.
• Prop Recycling: One set of Mooks is togged out in long robes and hoods over some very familiar masks. Super Sentai/Power Rangers fans will remember them as the Golem Hei/Putty Patrollers from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger/Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
• Role Reprise: Keiko Han reprises her role as Luna six years after her last appearance in Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, and is the only surviving original cast member to make a return.
• Self-Adaptation: Naoko Takeuchi wrote the lyrics for the opening theme.
• Star-Making Role: Keiko Kitagawa as Sailor Mars. This was her acting debut, which led directly to her career in film. It probably helped that, of the Sailor Senshi, most of the fandom agreed she was the best match for her character. While the other cast members are in different fields, Keiko is still the one most widely known. And two decades later, she even came back to the franchise to voice Sailor Cosmos in Sailor Moon Cosmos.
• Word of Gay: According to Word of God, Ami had a crush on Usagi but respected her decision to date Mamoru. Given her later Ship Tease with Nephrite, she is likely bisexual.

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