Sailor Moon is a fantasy and magical series, but there are ways the series helped kids watching it learn about space. The show is filled with puns and motifs that honor various aspects of the planets and other heavenly bodies.
While some aspects about planets were intentional, there are also times when things are just coincidental, but watching the show can still make a few things about space a bit easier to remember. Even if there are a few liberties here and there, like Pluto being treated as a planet, scientific discoveries happen all the time.
10 Remembering The Names Of The Planets Is Easy When You Put A Face On Them
Some people might find the names of the planets a little daunting to remember, but children who grew up with Sailor Moon might find it a little easier to remember their names when they're the alter-egos of the various characters.
Through this series, Western fans might have also discovered the meanings behind the Japanese names of the planets since they're often reflected in their powers. like Mars being the "Fire Star" or Jupiter being the "Wood Star."
9 The Symbols Of The Planets Appear Quite Often
Each of the planets has its own symbol and these appear fairly often in the Sailor Moon anime, making them easy for fans to remember.
When the girls unlock their powers, or in certain times of crisis, the mark of their planet's symbol appears on their foreheads. They also appeared as a motif on their transformation items. In Sailor Moon Crystal, they also appeared on the girls' foreheads during the transformation sequences to transform tiaras. Admittedly, the designs in the '90s anime are meant to be cuter than the actual symbols, often replacing circles with hearts. Added to that, some of the planets do have multiple symbols.
8 The Scouts' Powers Sometimes Reflect Planet Atmospheres
While most of the Scouts' powers align with Chinese and Roman mythology, they also sometimes resemble their respective planets' atmospheres. Jupiter is known for having big storms, complete with lightning; Uranus has had strong, record-breaking winds; Neptune is rich in water; Venus is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, fitting for a Sailor Scout who attacks with beams of light; and in the manga, Sailor V also had a "Venus Sulfur Smoke" attack, reflecting the planet's sulfuric gases.
There are some hiccups here and there, however. For example, Mars is believed to be cold and Mercury is rather hot.
7 The Planets' Moons Sometimes Get A Shout-Out
With all the focus on the Earth's moon, people can easily forget that other planets have satellites too. While Sailor Moon is the leader of the Sailor Scouts and the heroine of the story, there are times when other moons in the solar system get a shout-out.
In the original Japanese version, Rei's crows, Phobos, and Deimos, are named after her planet's moons. Even in the English dub, Sailor Jupiter's civilian name, Lita, seems to be a play on "Leda," one of her planet's moons.
6 The Solar System Castles Also Reflect What's In Orbit, Even Space Probes
In the manga, each of the Sailor Scouts has a castle given to them by Queen Serenity. As mentioned, many of them are named after their respective planet's moons. For example, Jupiter has Io Castle, named after another moon.
But there are some exceptions, especially since Mercury and Venus have no natural satellites. Mercury has the Mariner Castle and Venus has the Magellan Castle, both of which are named after space probes sent to explore those planets. Pluto also has Charon Castle, which was named after what was thought to be Pluto's largest moon, but its classification has been put in limbo since Pluto was deemed a dwarf planet.
5 The Planets' Colors Sometimes Play A Role
Some of the Senshi's costumes agree with their planets' actual colors, too. Mars is famously known as the Red Planet and Sailor Mars is naturally the Sailor Scout in red. Venus, while likely a yellowish-white, also notably shows up as orange in radar images.
Uranus and Neptune are both known for being shades of blue, also matching their respective Scouts, although there is a slight hiccup: Uranus is actually the greener shade of blue, not Neptune.
4 Uranus & Neptune Are Both Ice Giants
Uranus and Neptune are both ice giants, having similar internal compositions and are also similar in mass. This sets them apart from the other planets of the Solar system, which are terrestrial planets and gas giants.
This is also fitting for Sailor Moon's characters to both be based on ice giants, as, especially in the '90s anime, they initially come off as cold and distant towards the other Scouts and also work apart from the others.
3 Pluto Is Kept Farther Than The Others
Even though her planet was reclassified as a dwarf planet, it still makes sense to keep Pluto separate from the other Scouts. In the series, Sailor Pluto is originally the guardian of the Space-Time Door.
Likewise, during its stint as a planet, Pluto was seen as the farthest from the sun. Eventually, Sailor Pluto is allowed to get involved with the Outer Scouts, and the planet also gets a reprieve: there are periods where Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune.
2 Venus Is Perfect For A Body Double
Fans have noticed that Minako and Usagi somewhat look like each other. In the manga, she even poses as the Moon Princess to protect the real Princess Serenity, effectively serving as her body double. And in the '90s anime, she once poses as Sailor Moon when the villains are targeting Usagi.
Venus and the Earth's moon have very similar appearances. From the Earth's perspective, Venus goes through phases that have often been compared to lunar phases. In an indirect way, it makes sense to cast Venus as a body double, since it's also famous for its similarities with the Earth itself, in mass and size.
1 There Are Sailor Scouts For The Asteroids, Too
Not only do moons and space probes have names, but some people have also learned, thanks to this show, that asteroids have names too
Fans of the original manga learn that the Amazoness Quartet are actually the Sailor Scouts corresponding to the asteroids and are even named after them: Ceres, Juno, Vesta, and Pallas, with their proper names restored in their Sailor Scout aliases.
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