Bishoujo Senshi Sera Muun
~ How it was Westernized ~
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon © Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, and Toei Animation.
“…You must fight evil when it confronts you, you
must not be afraid.”
The Background:
Bishoujo Senshi Sera Muun (a.k.a. Pretty Soldier
Sailor Moon or BSSM) is a story about a klutzy,
crybaby, 14 year underachiever named Tsukino Usagi
who is given transformation items and super powers.
Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon to fight against
evil. Usagi is joined by other girls to form a team of
sailor suited fighters.
The Characters - Sailor Moon
Tsukino Usagi
(“rabbit of the moon”)
Usagi doesn’t have many
qualities that make for a super
heroine. Being Sailor Moon is
more of a growing experience.
She is also the Moon Princess
of the Moon Kingdom.
Her dubbed name is Serena.
<--- click to see transformation
The Characters - Sailor Mercury
Mizuno Ami
(“friend of water”)
Ami is the brains of the
team. As a sailor senshi
(soldier), she also fits the
description of the idiom
‘Brain power over
firepower’. Her attacks are
more defensive the
offensive.
Her dubbed name is Amy.
The Characters - Sailor Mars
Hino Rei
(“spirit of fire”)
Rei, in her opinion, has the
best leadership qualities of all
the senshi. At first, she
dislikes Usagi and found her
unfit as being the leader.
Later, she realizes her error
and helps Sailor Moon out
during troubled times.
Her dubbed name is Raye.
The Characters - Sailor Jupiter
Kino Makoto
(“wisdom of trees”)
Makoto is the practical
minded senshi. She
generally serves as a morale
booster (in combat only).
She has an independent and
strong willed personality.
Unlike Ami, she fights rather
then thinks.
Her dubbed name is Lita.
The Characters - Sailor Venus
Aino Minako
(“of love”)
Minako has the most
personality. She can be
friendly to everyone. She
shows genuine concern for
the well being of others. She
has no enemies, however
that does not mean she can’t
do her own share in combat.
Her dubbed name is Mina.
The Characters - Sailor Chibimoon
Chibiusa
(“little rabbit”)
Chibiusa’s real name is
actually Usagi, although for
the sake of not confusing the
two, she’s called Chibiusa.
She is the future daughter of
Usagi and Mamoru. She
came from the future to help
save her mother.
Her dubbed name is Rini.
The Characters - Tuxedo Kamen
Chiba Mamoru
(“protecter of earth”)
Mamoru transforms into
Tuxedo Kamen, and offers
moral support to the senshi
when in danger. He can
project roses, which often
stun creatures.
His dubbed name is Darien and
is called Tuxedo Mask
instead of Kamen.
The Characters - Sailor Pluto
Meiou Setsuna
(“king of dead”)
Her powers are over the
control of time. She wields
the Time Staff (looks like a
long key). As the guardian
of the passage of time, she is
very isolated, and only liked
to reveal herself in most
desperate situations.
Her dubbed name is Trista
The Characters - Sailor Neptune
Kaiou Michiru
(“full, king of the ocean”)
Michiru’s intellect is the
greatest of her assets. Unlike
her partner Haruka, she
considers the implications of
her actions before going into
action. She is very serious
and willing to die for her
cause.
Her dubbed name is Michelle.
The Characters - Sailor Uranus
Ten’ou Haruka
(“swinging cloud and sky king”)
Haruka is almost
indistinguishable from a boy,
and adding to the fact she
acts like a boy by driving on
her motorcycle makes up
confusion to those who don’t
know her. She is serious and
devoted to her mission,
willing to sacrifice herself or
others.
Her dubbed name is Amara.
The Characters - Sailor Saturn
Tomoe Hotaru
(“glowing, of earth”)
Hotaru is a very shy and
isolated person. In her
normal form, she has the
ability to cure wounds, but
also has a weak body. As
Saturn, she wields the
fearsome Silence Glaive,
using the weapon can slice
through anything.
Her dubbed name is also
Hotaru.
The Characters - Sailor Chibi Chibi
Chibi Chibi
(“small small”)
Chibi Chibi shows up in the last season of
BSSM. She is Sailor Galaxia’s star seed
(but didn’t know), the light of hope that
everyone was looking for (a star seed is the
life source of a person). Galaxia was once a
senshi at one time, but an evil force (Chaos)
took over her body, thus Galaxia hid her
star seed in hope she would be saved.
The season she appears in is not yet dubbed.
The Characters - The Starlights
Kou Seiya (“light of the star arrow”)
Kou Taiki (“light of the big air”)
Kou Yaten (“light of the night sky”)
In the last season (which has not
yet been dubbed), the Starlights
come into the picture. As women
senshi, they un-transform into men
to attract their princess, Kakayuu,
which is their mission to find. As
the human men, they also become
a singing group.
The Seasons - Sailor Moon
The first season introduces the
first 5 senshi (the inner
senshi) and Tuxedo Kamen.
This is when Sailor Moon first
appears in the series, which
shows this season is basicly
on character building, and for
Usagi; self-understanding and
self-reliance.
Each season, Sailor Moon transforms into a
more powerful heroine, and can be shown by
her fuku (uniform). Be sure to check it out!
The Seasons - Sailor Moon R
The season, Sailor Moon R,
introduces Chibiusa (but she doesn’t
have the ability to transform into
Chibimoon until next season) and tells
about the future (since Chibiusa is
from the future) and about Sailor
Pluto briefly. The first two season
have been dubbed by DiC.
The “R” in the season title means
Romance or Revenge.
The Seasons - Sailor Moon S
The season, Sailor Moon S,
introduces all of the outer
senshi (Neptune, Uranus,
Saturn, and Pluto). It tells
about the differences between
the inner and outer senshi.
SM S and SM SS have been
dubbed by Cloverway.
The “S” in the season title
means Super.
The Seasons - Sailor Moon SuperS
The season, Sailor Moon
SuperS, introduces
Helios/Pegasus, a winged
horse that protects peoples
dreams, and uses Chibiusa for
help (this season is based
around her). The senshi also
are more powerful, thus their
fuku are slightly altered.
The Seasons - Sailor Moon Stars
The season, Sailor Moon
Stars, introduces the
Starlights and Princess
Kakayuu (whom they were
seeking for, their mission to
find). Also introduces Chibi
Chibi.
This last season has not been
dubbed yet.
How it was Westernized
DiC and Cloverway did the dubbing for BSSM. Many
changes were made. A few are shown below.
 All names were changed except for Hotaru (Cloverway).
 Relationships were altered.
 Fewer episodes were shown.
 Learned less background stories of the senshi.
 Overall changed to be more American then Japanese.
Names Changed
 Usagi - Serena
 Rei - Raye
 Ami - Amy
 Makoto - Lita
 Minako - Mina
 Harkura - Amara
 Setsuna - Trista
 Michiru - Michelle
Chibiusa/Chibimoon - Rini/Minimoon
 Mamoru/Tux Kamen - Darien/Tux Mask
The inner
senshi and
Mamoru’s
names were
changed by
DiC. The
outers were
changed by
Cloverway.
The Relationships
At least two relationships were changed.
Kunzite and Zoisite (evil villains from the
first season) were both males and partners.
DiC changed Zoisite female because they
thought it was inappropriate.
Neptune and Uranus were also partners,
however Cloverway decided to change
their status into cousins.
Episodes Lost
For example, most episodes were skipped (and not dubbed) in
America and Canada, because the “Monster Of The Day” (known
in the original as the daimon Uchoten in picture) was, "...Again
too naked!" And also that some other edits should have been
made, but weren’t.
Less Background Stories
Example: Sailor V
Sailor Venus was once Sailor V in England, before moving
to Japan. The dubbed version does not recognize any of
her past events and only mistakenly uses the episode title
“Sailor V Makes the Scene” on accident when she first
arrives.
To Look American?
When Sailor Moon was
dubbed, it changed the entire
outlook of the anime for the
viewers that had never seen
the original series.
Westernizing anime is a good
idea, but only to a certain
point. Showing new cultures
is educational, yet rarely is
original anime seen in its
entirety because the editors
think differently.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon © Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, and Toei Animation.