After many years of wanting to read the manga, I finally managed to grab copies of it last year and experienced a revitalizing journey for eight months. It wasn't an easy road. Everywhere I go, the manga is either out of stock or sold out. Some bookstores offered "special orders" but I felt it was too long a wait. Sailor Moon wasn't even my first choice. Given that Sailor Venus is my ultimate favorite, I initially wanted to read Codename: Sailor V prior to reading the main story. But there were turns of direction from here and there and I finally landed with ordering the first three volumes from Amazon Japan. The shippng and customs fees were outragous but at least they came in less than a week. I ordered four to five on November, six to ten on January, and finally eleven to twelve last April. My usual schedule is to read one act a day or one volume a week. Anyhoo, the reason I joined here is because of the manga. I memtioned it a LOT in my introduction post so I'll spare some repeated words.

So last April, I planned on rereading volumes one to ten and then finally read the Stars arc one act a day but because volume twelve took weeks to come (you failed me, Amazon Japan ) I decided to just read the last story arc this May so as to get more fluidity and less interruption in terms of reading experience. So from April 1 to 11 I read the eleven acts. I could have gone to a more convenient direction and just read all of them at once but I know myself too well that taking things slow creates a much better build up. That's why instead of reading the whole series from October to December, I decided to leave the rest for 2015. Dark Kingdom and Black Moon for October and November of 2014, Infinity and Dream for January and February of 2015, and finally Stars for April May. 

So what is my initial impression?


It was a brutal and life-sucking experience! I'm obviously talking about the Stars arc in its own self as my reactions with the previous story arcs are already a few months old. But one thing I can be honest about: all this leads up to my anticipation with Stars arc. In a way, it is my ultimate goal. Thankfully, my anticipation and hype were fully pleased. It went beyond my expectations. All the tension, epicness, and depression I wanted were met. The story pulled my heartstrings and the art captivated me once again. All throughout the story, it was nothing but losing and losing one's self. It even went deeper to my core as the topic of isolation resonated with me. What Sailor Moon, Cosmos, and Galaxia have in common is that standing alone can make you and/or break you. It was that part of the story alongside the explained inception of everything that really pulled me in. The mesmerizing story between light and darkness and the shadows in between gave the story an even unusual experience. Somehow, that element was hinted during the previous story arcs but it was in this one that gave out a even significant role. It is true what they said, that Sailor Moon is an emotion driven story rather than a logical one. Some might find it frustrating but the overall meaning of the story is that finding one's self is essential. It is that certain element that pushed the character and the story both called Sailor Moon. Some loses it like Galaxia. Some finds it in the end like Cosmos. And some fought tooth and nail to never let go of it like Sailor Moon herself. By the time the last act and page came to an end, a sense of satisfaction came inside me. I thought I would cry or go through depression (like what happened in some of the previous story arcs, don't ask me:bunnyangry:) but the sense of finality and the feeling of eternal acceptance in the story gave me a somewhat unusual yet captivating impression. It's not exactly happy nor is it sad. It is somewhere in the middle. A certain emotion not too easy to explain. But that feeling, I will probably remember it for as long as I can live. I will look back in this manga and smile at the journey of Usagi's bravery and acceptance. She is an imperfect girl but she knows where she belongs and what she must do. The Stars arc, as of this moment, is my favorite story of this series and its effect still lingers around me.


I'm sorry if I blabbered on and on.  I just can't help myself from sharing what I just witnessed today, this month, this year, and last year. It has been an amazing eight months of reading the manga. I have never felt this close to Sailor Moon until I finally decided to pick up this manga and took on a long and exhausting journey. All the time spent was worth it in the end.

Thanks for reading if you managed to read this far.  I'll be using the rest of the week as some sort reflection with the manga and maybe within this month, I'll be writing my final thoughts and reviews.

Now that you've finally read the final acts, you should check out the other versions of hte story (anime and musicals, Eien Densetsu specifically). The musicals take a nice twist on the anime version but add in a couple flairs from the manga.

What did you think about Cosmos and the Cauldron and all the unanswered questions that Naoko leaves us with?

Also isn't the ending perfect? Sailor Moon ends best when its a wedding i think.

Oh. My. Gosh. A post to explain my Stars/finishing basically anything feels. I felt this way too. I didn't cry, I just sat there smiling and happy A. That everything was okay and B. My OTP finally tied the knot. Also a bit confused.

Small Lady wrote:

Now that you've finally read the final acts, you should check out the other versions of hte story (anime and musicals, Eien Densetsu specifically). The musicals take a nice twist on the anime version but add in a couple flairs from the manga.

What did you think about Cosmos and the Cauldron and all the unanswered questions that Naoko leaves us with?

Also isn't the ending perfect? Sailor Moon ends best when its a wedding i think.

Oh believe me, I have watched the 90s anime multiple time before I even touched the manga. Crystal is actually the one that triggered to finally read the manga but having read it actually made my viewing experience with Crystal less and less exciting so that's a bummer. I can't help myself from comparing both versions and feel frutrated with the differences. Lol! I'm actually quite intriqued with the musical. Many people here recommended it to me when I did my introduction post here but I failed to have a time watching at least one of them. One of these days I will and I'll try to make it special just as how I treated my reading schedule with the manga or I how I tried treating Crystal. Haha!

Oh, and as for the open case with the story, I do find some of them quite irksome but at the same time I can understand. The whole manga series itself likes to be vague and mysterious when it comes to storytelling, specially if we're talking about the past and the future. One good thing about it is that it leaves us a wide open space of interpretations and imaginations. One bad thing about it is I constantly fantasize on Naoko Takeuchi making two or more story arcs. Lol! Ooh, and the Galaxy Cauldron! By the time we went to that part, it all become quite intense and mind boggling. The whole concept of it is very symbolic and philosophical. I just adore the part with Chibi Chibi, Moon, Galaxia and their topic on ending the main root of life itself and the possible outcomes that come after. Is it truly the end after we erase the life maker or will it trigger something more? Just the three characters debating on the concept of war and peace really makes the story more enganging. As for Cosmos, I simply enjoy her character. We were given so much yet so little of her but her story gives more space to the possible stories after the arc. 


And yes, the ending is perfect. But like I said, some unanswered questions left me irksome and one of them is the lacking presence of the cats. Where the hell are they? Just thinking about it gives me a depressing taste on me. But hey, that's the beauty of the story. It might have ended happily but it's not truly the happily ever after ending. We were given details on what might happen next and putting them alongside the ending makes the overall story more and more intriguing. In my very own interpretation, the true ending of the story is when Cosmos finally accepted her eternal burden to side with Chaos. To forever engage in the never ending battle of good and evil just to keep the balance of the universe intact. That's how things work in her universe. Eternal Sailor Moon mangaed to finally realize her own burden but if she truly will become Cosmos, then there will come a time wherein her path will be lost and she will lose the battle. Thankfully, she managed to find her way again. But that's not the main story of the arc. It's a possible aftermath that comes after the arc. Or rather another layer of the plot that compliments the main focus of the story which is Sailor Moon. My curiousity will never end with the possibilities. Haha!

Good for you!  I've read it a couple times at a bookstore a couple years ago.  Now I want to actually get it.