Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal Edition, Volume 1 is, in a word, gorgeous. It’s also enormous.

It’s almost fitting that the English-language version of the 20th anniversary edition is huge, as America is kind of known for super-sizing things.

On glossy paper, with a brand new translation and a shiny version of the new-for-the-20th-anniversary covers, this edition is pretty much the definitive edition of Sailor Moon.

From Tsukino Usagi’s discoveyr that she is Sailor Moon, through the gathering of three of her four teammates, the story told in this volume is now well-established among the canon of legendary series. So what is left to say? The Nibleys are re-re-re-translating a series that is already practically mandatory for anime and manga fans, so you wouldn’t imagine that there’d be a lot of room to wiggle, but their translator notes are still interesting. (And their notes about disks and VHS tapes fascinating. This series is now officially so old that the cutting-edge technology of the time has all but disappeared from daily use. Hah!)

For those of you who remember Sailor Moon from the old Tokyopop recycled paper pages, the new all-glossy, very white pages might seem weird, but really, it’s just your lost youth you’re pining for. ^_^

Ratings: (Same as the Japanese volume)

Art – 8 Visibly better. So much has improved in 20 years.
Story – 7 Still silly. It’s never going to be not silly. So what?
Characters – 9
Yuri – 0
Service – This is so hard to parse. Mamoru in a tux is ostensibly service for the original readership of girls, but the costumes have ridiculously short skirts. Let’s call it a 5

Overall – Oddly, 9. Did I ever like it this much or am I getting soft in my old age?

I can now answer that question from 2014 – I am officially getting soft in my old age. 

Thanks very much to Kodansha Comics for the review copy. I look forward to having to find a huge space on my shelves for the remainder of the series. ^_^

I will be out of the office for the next few days at AnimeNYC, come look for me at Booth 334 on Friday and I’ll see you at the Kase-san and Morning Glories screening on Saturday!