I don't always review manga but when I do it's Codename Sailor V!

This isn't the cover exactly but it's shown right before our chapter gets on the way so I'm counting it. We're shown a beautiful image of the left side of Sailor V's face accompanied with the title, what I'm assuming is the sky and flowers. I'm going to ignore the bath time for obvious reasons. I just really love this image of Sailor V. It may end up being my avatar in the future. You keep an eye on your inbox, Jupiter.

We open up with our title character doing a midair somersault when out of the blue a wild car appears

 

throwing off her balance and causing her to land flat on her butt. And on the cat.

Minako: Oh, come on! This isn't funny! Who put a cat right on the landing mat?! I could have crushed it under my sneakers!

Yes, because getting flatten by your Sailor Bum is so much better.

Minako's coach isn't at all happy about the stunt Minako pulled and scolds her accordingly. She then goes on to introduce herself to the reader.

Minako: Nice to meet you! My name is Minako Aino! I'm just starting my first year of middle school!

Jeez, Naoko Takeuchi really loves her hearts and flowers, doesn't she? After introducing herself she introduces us to her best friend since Grade School, Hikaru. She also informs us of her intention to deliver a love letter to a boy named Higashi-sempai. A recently transferred student to her school who joined the basketball team and quickly became an idol. And of course no idol is complete without a groupie that hangs around him all the time and scares off any other girl who tries to approach him.

Mina attempts to approach him during club practice but once again cross paths with...

 

You guess it. The mysterious white cat from before which distracts Mina just long enough for Higashi to run off.

Foiled again!

We cut to a panel of Minako eating during class and getting caught causing the teacher to yell at her and mention her low grades, a 27, which to my knowledge of Japanese school grades equal an F here in America. Needless to say Minako is not the brightest tool in the shed as our beloved white cat also notes:

Artemis: Good physical reflexes. In good shape and has a healthy appetite. Let's just say she gets a healthy amount of sleep... Her intelligence... Something of a problem there. I think. I think.

Must... Resist... Blond joke.

Artemis: She lacks a certain seriousness. She can't be counted on. It makes me worried for our future.

???: But it's her. There's no doubt, Artemis.

Artemis: Yeah, I know. Boss.

Boss?

The teacher informs Minako that due to her low scores a senpai from Middle-2 and 3 Course was asked to assist her. And of course that senpai is none other than Higashi himself.

Higashi: Heh.

Heh? What's next are you gonna go, "Oh."

Higashi: ...And this is how it's done. Got it?

Minako: Y-Y-Yes! I got it!

It's just so hard to see straight with these hearts in my eyes!

Higashi: Heh.

Again with the hehing?

Higashi: Your long hair is very feminine.

Huh, so what does non-feminine long hair look like?

Higashi: But I think you should be wearing a ribbon in back. Heh.

Seriously, stop with the hehs! It's annoying!

Higashi suggests that Minako wears a big red ribbon in the back of her hair, which honestly is probably the only good idea the man has ever had, and Minako is swooning over the idea. To the point that she ignores any news that Higashi is a skirt-chaser. Minako gets teased by some boys (boys can be so cruel) when she announces her intention to go after Higashi saying that her tough-girlness would scare him off. Minako doesn't take too kindly to that remark and beats the living crap out of them. Our hero, ladies and gentlemen!

Minako once again attempts to find Higashi to give him her love letter, but as you can probably guess by now...

 

Artemis for the block! After a small exchange of scat and Artemis creeping forward Minako runs to catch up with Higashi but is too late and goes on her way home planning to try again tomorrow. We find Higashi elsewhere with two girls who are giving him a gift swooning over him just as hard as any other girl in the school seem to.

Higashi: Hey, thanks! You know, if you two don't have anything better to do, why don't we go home together? Heh.

SHUT UP!

The girls are excited by the invite but our last panel before turning the page has a close up of Higashi with a mysterious mark on his forehead clearly indicating, "I'M A VILLAIN!"

We arrive to Minako's home where her mother is yelling at her for climbing over walls and getting her uniform dirty. She goes to get ready for a bath when Artemis shows up and finally introduces himself to Minako. That goes just about as good as you would expect.

Minako: Kyaaaa! A pervert!!

Artemis explains that she has been chosen and possess abilities beyond a normal person. Minako naturally doesn't believe any of this and Artemis gives her a compact shape like a crescent moon to prove it. It shows her true face as Sailor V in her reflection and then transport her to space overseeing the earth and of course...

Artemis: ...that's the world of broiling heat. The Goddess Venus. Your mother planet. Venus. Its size and mass is roughly that of Earth's. And its core and Earth's are two of a kind. Some say that Venus is Earth's twin.

Minako: What's that floating there?

Artemis: Magellan Castle. It floats in space above Aphrodite Terra.

Whoa now, hold it! How come NASA hasn't detected that? It's a castle orbiting Venus, we'd be all over that!

Suspending my disbelief, Artemis goes on to explain that Minako was born to fight and protect the world and that she has...

Artemis: A duty that no one but you can fulfill.

That's right, only you... And      

    

You know what, never mind.

Minako passes out and wakes up in bed thinking the whole ordeal was just one crazy dream. She finds her love letter on the floor and it's back to business as usual for her love life. We return to the school to learn that Higashi's real name is...

Evil Woman: Narcissus! I need more slaves! brainwash more slaves!

Narcissus: Heh.

*pulls out gun* Say "heh" one more time. I dare you!

Artemis catches wind of his little scheme and discourages Minako from her continued obsession over him. Minako doesn't remember Artemis from last night and still thinks that he's just a childish prank being pulled on her. She goes to find Narcissus, hoping that he'd notice her new red bow, only to find him telling another girl he loves her who has the same exact bow he said to love so much. Minako is heart broken by this but that is interrupted when Narcissus shows his true colors and attacks Minako for seeing what he did to the other girl.

Artemis throws a transformation pen to Minako hand introducing her to "Boss" who explains that Narcissus is her enemy. After the initial shock she finally transform into Sailor V. Sailor V fights off the students Narcissus has brainwashed and attempts to reason with him but it shown by Artemis that he isn't human and has to be destroyed, thus debuting her signature attack: Crescent Beam and obliterating Narcissus in one hit. Minako is devastated by this and mourns the loss back at her house. Artemis consoles her and leaves the window open to show off the full moon and allow it to recharge her compact.

The next morning Minako is off to school and swooning over a new guy that her friend introduced her to and wants to see him live at concert. And that's the end Sailor V Vol. 1.

It's a good story overall and does a good job at introducing us to the title character, her guardian cat and the premise of the story. I like how her castle is named after an earth's probe America launched in 1989 and the use of Greek Mythology when explaining about Venus. The pacing is pretty straightforward and doesn't give you much time to be bored, but at the same time it doesn't give you much time to really take in what's going on and it can be over in the blink of an eye. As for the artwork... While it isn't the worst artwork in the world it's not exactly the greatest either, and from the tidbits I've seen Naoko would probably be the first to admit it. But frankly no one reads a Sailor Moon manga for the artwork. It's a good story and if there's anyone here who hasn't gotten around to reading Sailor V yet, I would most definitely recommend giving it a shot.