Shannon Thompson's Reviews > Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 7

A continuation of the Infinity Arc brings us a dazzling reveal right at the beginning. She’s a character I’m happy to see again, although her character is very different this time around. Even better, I LOVE that we finally get to see more information on the outer scouts—where and what they protected—and how they felt about it during their past lives. Personally, my favorite panel is in Act 45, Infinity 9, where we see Haruka at her guardian point and how she stayed hopeful back in the Silver Millennium days. That being said, there was an awkward translation surrounding Haruka (and we know how much I love her) being both a male and a female. I’m assuming they meant personality-wise, considering Takeuchi has made it very clear that the sailors are all females (and we later see her female as both a human and a sailor scout). Shout out to the scene where the window in her apartment breaks. Too funny.
In regards to the male characters, this volume is a great example to give to those viewers of only the anime who think Mamoru’s character is the one to “always come in and save the day.” (Which, by the way, is hardly the case in the manga.) In this particular instance, he initially stays away from the battle (not once, but twice) to watch his future daughter in this volume. (Not that he doesn’t have his powers and purposes too, but they are very different, and that difference is one of the reasons I love the manga overall, as well as the relationships between all of the characters and their positions as scouts.)
Now that I’ve said all that, I’ve realized I haven’t mentioned the star of this show once. Sailor Saturn. The artwork around Hotaru is beautiful, and I think Hotaru has always been one of my all-time favorite “gray” characters in manga, but I still don’t think she really comes full-circle until the next volume. Still, she’s just too darn sweet—and strong in her own way. Like Chibi-Usa, I always look forward to seeing Hotaru, even though she breaks my heart every time.
A great continuation, as usual. The 4-star thing is mainly because the ending. I feel like the section leading up to the main battle is a little rushed, especially considering one death in particular. You can almost skip right over the panel…which makes me sad, because the deaths are such pivotal points in the characters’ lives. But I look forward to volume 8!
~SAT
Recommended to: Sailor Moon fans and shojo readers. If you’re new to manga, you might like this if you love fantasy, female superheroes, friendship stories, human hybrids, possession situations, cyborgs, and a few panels filled up with science around planets and crystals (sometimes even flowers). Oh, and the Holy Grail! And of course I recommend reading the first six.
Favorite Quote: The light would always guide us forth, reassuring us and telling us not to give up.