Sailor Moon

“I’m Usagi Tsukino. I’m 14 years old, and in my second year of middle school. And I have to admit…I’m kind of a crybaby.”

This quote is the first instance in the book of Usagi’s internal monologue, the main narrative device throughout the story. Usagi’s cheerful, friendly, and honest tone sets the mood for the rest of the story, where the 14-year-old’s emotions act as just as much of a driving force as the space epic in which she finds herself embroiled. Usagi’s tears also act as a humanizing factor, showing her emotional immaturity alongside her deep empathy for others.

“Only the only person anybody can talk about! The famous sailor-suited guardian of justice! There are rumors she’s actually a special investigator for the police.”

This quote, from Umino, the “nerdy” classmate, is about Sailor V, the mysterious vigilante who is famous enough to inspire her own arcade game and is often featured in headlines in the newspaper. Sailor V is an inspiration for Usagi’s transformation and alternate identity as Sailor Moon, and her mysterious presence continues to shadow Usagi throughout this first volume. When Usagi plays the Sailor V arcade game, she identifies so much with the character that she dreams as Sailor V, and Sailor V’s avatar comes to life to give her advice.