Moonlight Anniversary

25 years ago today, TV audiences in Japan first met a slightly snarky talking black cat, a dashing, impeccably-dressed man with a penchant for throwing roses and corny speeches, and most importantly, a hopeless goofball crybaby of a schoolgirl with a hidden destiny. Readers of Nakayoshi got to know them a few months earlier, of course, but it was through the anime that Sailor Moon became iconic.

You've seen me gush about magical girls time and time again, but I would not have my love for the genre, or for anime, or for Japanese culture at all, were it not for Sailor Moon. The series sparked a fire in me that very few things can equal. It's been inspirational to me in more ways than I can count. Its messages still resonate within me even after twenty years: even the most unassuming of people can grow to do great things. Love and friendship and hope can overcome the impossible. The past need not dictate the present, or the future. And my favorite message from any version of the series, the one that's become a cornerstone of my philosophy: "Do not despair, for always with the end comes hope and rebirth."

And of course, where would I be without my fellow fans? I remember a time long ago when I thought I had to be the only boy in the world who loved Sailor Moon so much. Even my parents didn't understand why I was obsessing over a "girl show". I was a scrawny, nerdy fifth-grader, prime bully bait, who felt such a passion for this series but was terrified of my classmates finding out and mocking me for it. One of them did find out... and to my shock, not only did she love it too, but she became a trusted friend whom I still talk to to this day. As I grew up, I slowly learned that I wasn't the only one spellbound by Sailor Moon, that there were people like me all over the country, all over the world... it blew my mind to find out that I wasn't alone.

And now here we are. Writing everything that speaks to me about Sailor Moon would take hours if not days, but this is my tribute. A small gesture to honor something that changed my life.

Here's to Sailor Moon. Thanks for everything.

The second part of my tribute is now up on YouTube and Soundcloud. I composed "Starry Sky Orgel (25th Anniversary Version)" entirely from scratch in Anvil Studio, without using any MIDI conversion software. The melody is "Moonlight Densetsu", of course, from the orgel/music box seen in the anime's first season. I've expanded it to full-length and added cues inspired by other renditions of the song. The song is available for free download via Soundcloud.