As Kodansha has wound down the last of the releases of the 15th anniversary volumes of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, I want to take a moment to discuss, at long last, the Sailor Moon Short Stories. These shorts were included with the original artbooks and with the Japanese collected volumes. They have never made it over here as a whole before, so this was new for Kodansha’s English-language release.

Some of the stories in the two short story volumes are known to fans through the Sailor Moon movies. Probably best known is  “Princess Kaguya’s Lover,” which became the basis for the Sailor Moon S movie, while one of the Chibi-Usa’s picture diary stories, “Beware of the Transfer Student” made it into the legendary SuperS Special, which I believe we are getting as part of the Viz release, at last. (I’ve worn my old VHS out watching that, because the Uranus and Neptune short on it is so very wonderful. ^_^) These are both in Volume 2 of the Short Stories.

Volume 1 has one story of especial interest for us at Okazu. In this volume each of the Inner Senshi faces a crisis about their lives. Some of these are very poignant, especially Rei’s story. (And again, Ami’s chapter, “Ami-chan’s First Love” was an animated special and is also quite wonderful.) Interestingly, Rei features in Minako’s crisis chapter and the story was the basis of many a Rei x Minako fanfic back in the day – and will no doubt be again, for the opening color artbook picture alone, if nothing else.

Minako find Rei’s perfection vexing, and who wouldn’t? So she asks the question that set a million fans a-tittering, ala Beevis and Butthead. But that *still* isn’t why we should care about this story. We should care, because when Rei is possessed by the genus loci, she starts to kiss all the other girls at school, including Minako…perhaps forseeing their reincarnations’ smoking hot romance in a live action drama, 15 years later. Or not. ^_^; It’s service, but fun. ^_^ Also fun is Sailor Venus’ reveling in the adoration and crushiness of the girls’ school students.
Ratings:

Art – 7 Standard PGSM art
Story – 6 Sloppy storytelling, but I don’t care because…
Characters – 9
Yuri – 2
Service – 2-ish

Overall – 8

So, while it’s confined to service and light akogare, Short Stories, Volume 1 has some Yuri.