Sailor Moon Anime Celebrates 20th Anniversary, New Anime in the Works

Twenty years ago, the very first Sailor Moon manga was published in Japan. The novel, which centered around schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino (Serena Tsukino in Western release) and her friends, only ran for six years. However, its popularity led to several adaptations of the series, most famously the highly popular anime spin-offs, Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon SuperS, and Sailor Moon Stars. The Sailor Moon universe is credited for changing the magical-girl genre in Japanese media, and for introducing a generation of children, specifically young girls, to anime and manga. The series has been used for several cultural critiques, and the series has been cited in the Western world as a feminist work for depicting women as powerful, independent superheroes.

Today, at a 20th anniversary event at Japan Expo, it was announced that the Sailor Moon franchise will be expanding; Japanese publisher Kodansha announced that a new Sailor Moon adaptation would see simultaneous international release by summer 2013.

A lot of details have yet to be made known thus far, as it was just announced earlier today. Hopefully, fans of the champion of love and justice will not be disappointed by this adaptation.

The Sailor Moon manga, and its predecessor, Code Name: Sailor V,  are available for purchase at most book stores or locations that sell graphic novels.