is a
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
created by
Naoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the author of ''Sailor Moon'', one of the most popular manga series of all time.
She has won several awards, including the 1993 Kodansha Manga Award for ''Sailor Moon''.
Takeuchi is married to ...
. The series revolves around the character
Minako Aino
, better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Codename: Sailor V'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. Minako is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Soldiers, female supernatural figh ...
, a cheerful schoolgirl who finds out that she has magical powers that she must use to protect the people of the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. ''Codename: Sailor V'' is the basis for its sequel, ''
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
''.
Plot
Minako Aino is a 13-year-old young middle school student who is slightly distracted, out-spoken and dreams about someday finding her true love and boyfriend. One day, she encounters a talking white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead named
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
. He reveals that Minako possesses the magical ability to transform into a much stronger, more powerful, and more beautiful girl than anyone.
He calls her "Sailor Venus" and tells her she has a mission to protect Earth in the name of her guardian planet Venus. To help her with her new mission, Artemis gives her two items, a crescent moon shaped compact and a magical pen. The magical pen allows her to transform into the Soldier of Justice: Sailor V.
Minako begins fighting the evil agents known as the
Dark Agency, who fight under Danburite's command. He is in charge of sending his many talented idols to enslave the public.
Minako has many adventures as a Soldier of Justice, some sparking the envy and admiration of the police force. She also later gains the aid of Saijyo Ace, who had for a moment taken her spotlight due to his popular TV show.
Eventually, Minako realizes that her duty is more important than romance and discovers her true identity as Sailor Venus. From there, she decides to search for the other four Sailor Guardians and the Moon princess.
Release
''Codename: Sailor V'' made its debut as a
one-shot
One shot may refer to:
Film and television
* One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so
* ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake
* ''One Shot'' (2 ...
in the summer vacation issue of the
manga magazine ''RunRun'', published on August 3, 1991.
It returned as a
serial in ''RunRun'', which lasted until July 3, 1997.
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
compiled the fifteen chapters into three
Tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
or "Bound Volumes" and published them from December 18, 1993 to November 6, 1997.
In 2004, the series was re-released in Japan as a two-volume
Shinsōban or "Deluxe Edition" with revised artwork and dialogue. This release also saw the final, fifteenth, chapter split into two giving this release sixteen chapters total. The two volumes were released on October 28, 2004 and November 20, 2004. On May 27, 2014 ''Codename: Sailor V'' was published in a two-volume
Kanzenban or "Complete Edition". This has a premium release with A5 sized paper and has new covers based on the covers of the original release. On February 28, 2019, ''Codename: Sailor V'' was published in a two-volume
Bunkoban or "Takeuchi Naoko Bunko Collection" edition of the manga which is a smaller version of the Kanzenban with similar covers.
An
OVA
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
series was teased in promotional materials, but never came to fruition, the
''Sailor Moon'' anime being created instead.
In North America, the original Japanese release was never officially localized into English.
Kodansha USA licensed the "Deluxe Edition" of ''Codename: Sailor V'' for an English-language release, alongside its re-printing of the ''Sailor Moon'' manga.
The two volumes released on September 13, 2011 and November 15, 2011.
On March 18, 2020, Kodansha USA announced ''Codename: Sailor V Eternal Edition'' that features new cover art, a new translation, and color pages from the original serialization. It is an English-language release of the Japanese "Complete Edition." Both volumes were scheduled for release on January 5, 2021, but they were delayed with the first volume releasing September 28, 2021 and the second on November 9, 2021.
The series has also been translated into other languages, including Indonesian by
Elex Media Komputindo, French and Spanish by
Glenat; German by
Egmont Manga & Anime; Italian by Star Edizioni and later by GP Publishing, serialized in its manga magazine ''Amici''; and Polish by
JPF JPF may refer to one of the following
*Journeyman Pipefitter
*Japonica Polonica Fantastica
Japonica Polonica Fantastica, also known as JPF, is a Polish manga publisher. It is located in Mierzyn near Szczecin, Poland. The founder of JPF is Shin Y ...
.
Chapters
Tankōbon editions
Shinsōban editions
Kanzenban editions
Reception
For the week of 11 September 2011 to 17 September 2011, ''Codename: Sailor V'' was second on
''The New York Times'' Manga Best Sellers list, behind the first volume of ''Sailor Moon''. The following week, it was again second on the list behind the first volume of ''Sailor Moon''. The week after that, it slipped to third place. For the week of 9 October - 15 October, it reappeared at eighth place, the next week appearing at ninth. For the week of 6–12 November 2011, the first volume appeared at #2 on the list, above ''Sailor Moon'' for the first time. The following week, the second volume of ''Codename: Sailor V'' appeared at #2 on the list, and the first volume did not appear. For the week of 20–26 November, the second volume placed third on the list. On the
BookScan
BookScan is a data provider for the book publishing industry that compiles point of sale data for book sales, owned by The NPD Group in the United States and the Nielsen Company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, South ...
Top 20 Graphic Novels of November 2011, the second volume placed third, and the first volume placed thirteenth.
Brigid Alverson of MTV Geek described ''Codename: Sailor V'' as feeling like a rough draft of ''Sailor Moon''. Ed Sizemore felt from Comics Worth Reading ''Sailor V'' had less character development than ''Sailor Moon'', feeling that this was not a drawback.
Sean Gaffney of Manga Bookshelf notes that unlike Usagi, Minako performs her missions alone, and describes the tone of the manga as an " action comedy".
Writing for
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
, Rebecca Silverman noted that most of ''Sailor V'' is episodic, but feels it is worth reading due to the insights it gives into Minako's character, and the groundwork it lays for ''Sailor Moon''.
Katherine Dacey wrote for Manga Critic that while an adult may see the series as "repetitive, hokey, and poorly drawn", a child would see it as an "appealing fantasy in which an ordinary girl can assume a new, powerful identity" to defeat bullies and evil. Dacey sees ''Codename Sailor Vs strength as being Minako's enthusiastic character. The Fandom Post's Matthew Warner saw the book as being a "lighthearted spoof" of magical girl titles.
References
External links
Code Name: Sailor V- a novelization of the manga a
The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko*
{{Sailor Moon
1991 manga
1997 comics endings
Japanese idols in anime and manga
Kodansha manga
Magical girl anime and manga
Manga series
Romance anime and manga
Sailor Moon
Shōjo manga