Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, Vol. 2

美少女戦士セーラームーン [Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon] #2

by Naoko Takeuchi, Alethea Nibley (Translator), Athena Nibley (Translator)

The guardians in sailor suits return in this definitive edition of the greatest magical girl manga of all time! Features all-new cover illustrations by creator Naoko Takeuchi, a glittering holographic coating, an extra-large size, premium paper, French flaps, and a newly-revised translation!

Teenager Usagi is not the best athlete, she's never gotten good grades, and, well, she's a bit of a crybaby. But when she meets a talking cat, she begins a journey that will teach her she has a well of great strength just beneath the surface and the heart to inspire and stand up for her friends as Sailor Moon! Experience the Sailor Moon manga as never before in these extra-long editions (about 300 pages each).

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Romance, Young Adult, Comics, Fiction

343 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2013

About the author

Naoko Takeuchi (武内直子) born March 15, 1967, a manga artist (mangaka), lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime/manga fans. She has become a well-known mangaka worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga/anime figures to date.

Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of the YuYu Hakusho series and Hunter × Hunter series.

Please note that anime related books are listed under Kōdansha.

Reviews

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Chibi-usa..you slick little shit.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a comfort read

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even begin with this volume?

The twists and turns, the emotional turmoil of the characters, the depth of Usagi’s heart and courage, all of this and so much more just drew me in until I was totally lost in this world with these characters and loving it the whole way even as my heart was being ripped out of my chest.

And can I just say Usagi and Mamoru are so cute together? They’re perfect and sweet and balance each other out so well, and the beautiful way Mamoru encourages Usagi every single time has my heart melting, not to mention what he does in this volume to save her? Yeah, I totally don’t get how anyone can call him weak or useless—this dude’s as hardcore as each of the girls are! Each of these characters are special in their own way and I love each and every one of them.

This volume is amazing and shows true and pure sacrificial love in the best of ways, not to mention has a killer forbidden love plot line…er, I didn’t mean that literally… *nervous laughter*

There are a couple scenes where characters “pray” to the moon for strength, but there are really no words to these prayers said out loud so I was able to ignore it. Also there is reincarnation which is a big part of the plot, not to mention the end scene where a little girl ends up kissing a man who later turns out to be his daughter from the future…yeah, that’s super weird but I’m going to keep reading and see how the mangaka handles this weirdness before writing the series off—hopefully this is shown as a bad thing and I won’t have to stop reading, because I’ll be very sad if I have to.

I’m really, really enjoying this series and am curious to see where things go from here! These poor characters cannot catch a break, lol!


‼️Content‼️

TRIGGER WARNING: a girl commits and attempts suicide by stabbing herself in the chest with a sword (PG); death and intense grief; a kid pulls a gun and puts it to a girl’s forehead

Language: jeez; damn

Violence: a character is hit with a blast of light/energy; fighting with magic, weapons, and hand to hand (PG); in a dream a body melts into a zombie like form (PG); a man is slashed with a sword (PG); a girl commits and attempts suicide by stabbing herself in the chest with a sword (PG); a cat bites a man; a cat is thrown; a woman is stabbed with a sword (PG); a man tries to choke a girl; dark like vines tie up and try to choke a girl; a child falls from the sky and smashes onto a girl’s back; a kid pulls a gun and puts it to a girl’s forehead; bad people vaporize

Sexual: kissing; a child kisses a teenage guy on the mouth by accident

Other: magic; magical abilities/objects/creatures; reincarnation; death and intense grief; characters are brainwashed and brainwash others

[William Brownridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I had thought the first volume was a little goofy when it started but volume 2 does away with pretty much all of that for a far more serious tale.

I didn't expect the final battle to rush in so quickly. I figured these villains would be the kind of ongoing foils that so many heroes face off against. If this was just the first set of villains, surely far greater threats will rise up against Sailor Moon. There's at least a tinier threat to deal with by the end of this volume.

Still sticking with Sailor Mars as my favourite, although many of the guardians take a backseat to Sailor Moon and the discovery of her true power and position. Now I could have done without the power of love kind of providing the real tipping point in the battle of good versus evil but I suppose this really is a tale of love and friendship so I'll just have to let it slide.

Plenty of great splash pages of beautiful artwork and a few really outstanding colour pages, my favourite being a two page layout of all the characters. I'll be spending some Christmas money to pick up a few more volumes now.

[b ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(july 2022 review): the ending? what the fuck?

i love these books but i wish tuxedo mask / mamo / endymion wasn’t a thing i cannot stand him and the age gap makes me cringe

(november 2023 review): yeah i still agree about the age gap 14 and 18 is weird!

however the ending is funny as hell idc

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dropping out of the sky and pulling a gun on your mother, GAGGED.

Also, outer senshi, my beloved, where are you....

[Derek Royal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first volume of these new Eternal Editions. There seemed to be less story cohesion, and more hokieness, than there was in the earlier volume.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

Wow! This volume was so jam packed with action! It was suspenseful and tense, but also dreamy and romantic. I loved every bit of it! 🥰✨

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was wild because it totally felt like the finale to the entire series?! Like everything was coming together, epic battles were had. I’m so curious as to where we gonna go from here.

[Puff · Rating 5 out of 5]

So nostalgic, and I forgot so many things. The colour pages really are dreamy. I wish all the American catchphrases and songs that play in my head when I see Usagi in fighting stance, holding up a pen, etc, would have the correct words/names, but alas. I'm excited to see where the story goes since the SM classic covered a lot less and then to watch Crystal eventually. Also, loving how not fit to be a guardian/princess Usagi is to loving Bryce Quinlan (not in cc3) pipeline is real.

[Mélaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alors là, je suis assez choquée.

Dans l'ensemble, je pense que j'avais préféré la conclusion de l'anime sur cet arc

Mais je suis CHOQUÉE d'à quel point l'animé a dérivé du manga (pour moi le manga fait foi quoi qu'il arrive). Les sailors ne se sacrifient pas du tout de la même façon, et il y a pas cette histoire d'amnésie générale??
Par contre, le récit du manga est beaucoup plus dramatique et explicite, l'histoire de Mamoru et Usagi est beaucoup plus intense et dramatique, là où dans l'anime j'avais pour hobby n°1 de détester Mamoru

Bon et alors il y a des incohérences qui me font rire. La manière dont les parents se posent 0 questions ptdrr

[Hades ( Disney's version ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

of course I would need a second to overthink it but I'm pretty sure if I was stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere & could only bring one series.. it would be this one. Either this series or Crescent City. The wholesomeness in this series & sense of what true girl-hood should be is simply just unmatched. These books are the very definition of a comfort read

[megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great to learn more about the backstory of Princess Serenity, loved that storyline and can't wait to see more between everyone. Sailor Venus is way more fierce than I expected and I LOVE that.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This expanded upon the story introduced in volume one to create a much more intense, dramatic, and emotional volume two. I very much enjoyed it. I was surprised by how quickly the conflict was resolved, considering how many volumes are left, but I'm looking forward to what's next.

[annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible. I ate this up!!! I love the story and the characters so much 💕 It’s funny and silly, yet still has intrigue and drama. And the plot honestly moves so quickly and I loved every second of it!

[Kristen Kuntze · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the nostalgia! I love these editions with the beautiful color pages.

[Åse Berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one felt all over the place, and the romance is a bit icky. Besides from that, still a good read.

[meghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked where things went in this volume, though it did feel like it moved so quickly at times it was hard to keep up. And the ending made me laugh. A lot was resolved in this, so I'm curious to see what happens next. It's been so long since I watched the show as a kid that I don't remember much of what happens this point forward. But that's more fun anyway.

[MissMajuu · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5/5🌟


This went way harder than it had any right to be??? I teared up?? I yelled in shock? A five year old pulled a gun?! They committed murder suicide???
There are 8 more volumes please chill

[Amanda (BookLoverAmanda) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review - Sailor Moon Book 2 - 2.5 to 3 Stars

So, as I have said before, Sailor Moon is such a nostalgic anime/manga series for me. It was a favorite of mine when I was young. I initially thought this would be a 4 star, but really sitting with it, it's really 3.

As an adult re-reading the series, there are things that make me giggle and smile - such as Usagi with her friends saving earth, Luna and Artemis together and the Serenity/Moon back story. The artwork is also amazing. It's probably my favorite artwork from any manga series.

However, there are things that make me cringe. Specifically, the ending of this makes me cringe with the whole Chibi-Usa thing coming down from the sky and her lips end up on Tuxedo Mask's - issa no for me. Especially since technically he is her father in the future, sooo yeah.

I also still have an issue with the age difference of Usagi and Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask....I think she's 14 and he's 16 or 17. It looks like the anime portrays him as a college student and 18 but the manga is more like 16/17-ish. I know this was back in the 90s when this was created but yeah I wish they were closer in age. Many of the scenes of them together are fairly intimately shown and she just obsesses with him and throws all the responsibilities to the wayside sometimes. It also bothers me there is suicide displayed in this book in relation to their relationship.

I will also mention the general themes in this book are Sailor Scouts who are basically like warriors based on the planets and a lot of astrology plays into this series. Generally, it hasn't bothered me so far but some of what Rei does in her psychic abilities/seeing into the future have a little bit. There is also re-incarnation in this series and that is shown a lot in this book because we see the Sailor Scouts previous lives on the moon and their back stories where their memories were erased.

Overall, I still enjoyed this but not as much as I probably did as a young teen.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

So reading about the details that the show/anime did not get into is a lot more interesting. 🙌🏻💖🌕

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vlog review coming soon.

[Joce · Rating 5 out of 5]

mamo had me kicking my feet

[Saya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Madre mía, ya no recordaba el dramón. Leí el manga en español hace muuuchos años y apenas lo recuerdo. Como en japonés es demasiado difícil pero ya me había leído el equivalente al primer tomo, por eso sigo por el segundo, en un idioma que entiendo mejor xD

Lo que sí recuerdo de hace años es que las viñetas a veces se me hacían confusas y no me quedaba claro qué estaba pasando o dónde estaban los personajes. Pues sigo teniendo esa misma sensación. Además, es solo el segundo tomo de un total de diez, y ya han sido capaces de hacer muchísimo más que hace eones: todo pasa muy rápido y parece que el mundo se termina pero no... ¿Entonces cómo de jodidos serán los siguientes enemigos? Por último, todo el tema del amor perfecto y eterno para siempre nunca me ha gustado, pero... es Sailor Moon, no puedo esperar otra cosa. Sé a lo que atenerme.

En fin, lo leo más por refrescar memoria que otra cosa, porque la temática no me apasiona (pero le tengo mucho cariño al anime original, y mi sailor favorita es Marte).

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This arc is a pretty good arc, but. It wasn't my fav tbh. I hate the trope where suicide is romanticized and having Usagi the heroine choose to die ala Juliet, is a nope for me.

I would never die like that. As someone who once tried to do the unthinkable, I cannot empathize how much it means to me that I kept living.

I suppose I disliked it even more because I was also thrown by how quickly everyone who dies just...comes back. Because. Makes the death feel like a gimmick.

Generally, I just found this to be less than volume 1, but I did enjoy certain elements. I know it's a hot take tho, many people love this arc, and it is kinda iconic, I just didn't find the execution itself to be fantastic.

[Ben Zimmerman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have some nostalgia for this series, but it's proven exhausting to read as an adult. It's like watching little girls play pretend. New powers just show up out of nowhere. Dramatic turns appear unforeshadowed or are foreshadowed really repetitively before being revealed. Conflicts are dragged out in arbitrary ways. The whole thing is light on connective tissue. The story just leaps from beat to beat. I kind of think that's what makes it good for its target audience though. Everything is so glamorous and over the top. There's definitely something childlike and wonderful about that kind of storytelling. It's just not that enjoyable to read as a 30 year old man.

[... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 offers:

* Some real drama
* Some real carnage & blood, damn
* A loooot of beautiful panels for y'all Mamoru/Usagi shippers
* Chibiusa strutting in with a gun

My, my, what's to come! No, I'm serious, I barely remember the anime & have never read the manga so it's exciting!

[Milliebot · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's not to love about this series? There's regular girls being transformed into heroes, romance with a cute mysterious boy, talking cats, video games, star-crossed lovers, naps and snacks, mysterious bad guys attacking a city, hidden royalty, the fate of the world in peril, moon mansions, reincarnation, powerful gemstones, hidden memories, fantastic accessories and weapons and epic battles.

I love the characters, I love the cheesy drama, I love the even cheesier bad guys and their terrible plans. But I will never shut up about the fact that no one recognizes the scouts out of costume, when none of them wear masks. Also, what are their powers!? How did the girls learn to use them!? Occasionally Luna tells one of the girls to shout something, but other times they shout something new and there's no indication of why they thought to use that. I have no idea what the scope or limitations of their powers are, or those of the bad guys.

We already know I'm giving this series a pass anyway, because it's still entertaining and fantastic and my love for Sailor Moon runs deep. I honestly haven't read a lot of manga, maybe many of them are lacking in key details too. I'm still happy to have these gorgeous new editions and I recommend them if you're a fan.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whereas the first volume featured introductions to a large cast of characters and many episodic "baddie of the week" scenarios with a good bit of humor, this follow up seems quite different in tone much of the time. The story here is more serious with a deeper exploration of the mythos, and the focus is more squarely on Sailor Moon herself, with the supporting cast in more of a background role. (They do play an important part, but I did miss the characterization I saw in the first volume.) It does satisfyingly wrap up the initial story arc, with a bit of a teaser as to future at the end.

These Eternal Edition re-releases have more chapters per volume than the original tankobon releases, but the differences in theme I noticed really do make it seem like it worked out well. I read the first one in ebook format, so it wasn't until this paperback that I could really appreciate the high production values of this glossy, large-print tome.

This edition includes chapters 8-14 of the original manga.