Sailor Moon, known in Japan as Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン, Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn, which is translated into “Pretty Soldier Sailormoon" or "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon."
The protagonist of Sailor Moon, Serena Tsukino (Usagi Tsukino), an ordinary, ditzy, 14-year-old girl — or so she thinks — discovers a talking cat named Luna, who reveals Serena's identity as "Sailor Moon", a special warrior with the destiny of saving the planet Earth, and later the entire galaxy. Now Serena must now find the Moon Princess and protect Earth from a series of villains, beginning with the Dark Kingdom that had appeared once before, long ago, and destroyed the Kingdom of the Moon.
When the dark nemesis attacked the kingdom, the Queen sent the Moon Princess, her guardians and advisors, and her true love into the future to be reborn, as a result Sailor Moon must help Luna awaken members of the court of the kingdom of the Moon, and the people dedicated to protecting it. As Serena and Luna battle evil and search for the Moon Princess, they meet the other Sailor Senshi, incarnations of the Moon Princess' protectors, and the mysterious Tuxedo Mask.
As the series progresses, Serena and her friends learn more and more about the enemies they face and the evil force that directs them. The characters' pasts are mysterious and hidden even to them, and much of the early series is devoted to discovering their true identities and pasts. Luna, who teaches and guides the Sailor Senshi, does not know everything about their histories either, and the Senshi eventually learn that Serena is the real Moon Princess. The Moon Princess' mother had her reborn as a Sailor Senshi to protect her. Gradually Serena discovers the truth about her own past life, her destined true love, and the possibilities for the future of the Solar System.
The series features an extensive cast of characters. Initially, the main protagonists are title character Sailor Moon, her love interest Tuxedo Mask, and the Guardian Senshi (Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus). They are later joined by Chibiusa, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask's daughter from the future, and the Outer Senshi (Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn).
The complete original manga spans 52 chapters, known as Acts, as well as ten separate side-stories. Its main series appeared in serial form in Nakayoshi, Kodansha's shōjo manga magazine, from 1991 to 1995; the side-stories were serialized in Kodansha's Run Run. Kodansha has published all the chapters and side-stories in book form. The first edition came out as the series was being produced, from 1992 through 1997, and consisted of 18 volumes with all the chapters and side stories in the order in which they had been released.
The second edition, called the shinsōban or "renewal" edition, began in 2003 during the run of the live-action series. Kodansha redistributed the individual chapters so that there are more per book, and some corrections and updates were made to the dialogue and drawings. New art was featured as well, including completely new cover art and character sketches (including characters unique to the live-action series). In all, the new edition consists of 12 main volumes and two separate short-story volumes.
By the end of 1995, the thirteen Sailor Moon volumes then available had sold about one million copies each, and Japan had exported the manga to over 23 countries, including China, Mexico, Australia, most of Europe and North America.
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