As most fans of Sailor Moon know, Usagi was not Takeuchi Naoko’s first super-powered schoolgirl. That honor belongs to Aino Minako, who made her debut in Nakayoshi magazine as Sailor Venus, Codename: Sailor V, before Sailor Moon.

And, now that Sailor Moon was given complete, new, “perfect”  editions, it seems only fair that her predecessor get her due as well.

Code Name ha Sailor V Perfect Edition, Volume 1 (コードネームはセーラーV 新装版) is a really good look at the early career of an incredibly talented woman who had one idea that changed the world…but only ever really had one idea.

While it is true that Minako is established as a an academic underachiever right away, she bears two unique qualities from her successor – Minako is ahtletic and an actively dedicated do-gooder. Unlike Usagi, who kind of skips over the petty crime-fighting phase of superherodom, Minako leaves gift-wrapped presents for the police all the time. Which is where the smidgen of Yuri in this series comes in.

Yes, it seems to us that – of all the Senshi – Sailor Venus is likeliest to be pansexual and desired by many, but Nakayoshi is still a children’s magazine. Nonethess,  although Sailor V is publicly derided by the local police, the female police captain is actually a huge Sailor V otaku. As well she should be.

Bad guys are many and varied, such as the pop idol, the pop idol’s younger sister who is a pop idol, the three brothers who are pop idols and the two sister who are pop idols. Puts the Starlights in perspective, doesn’t it? ^_^;

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 5
Characters – 7
Yuri – 1
Service – 1

Overall – 7

It’s always fun to re-read Sailor V and remember the roots of the series that changed my (the) world.