sailor moon

Sailor Moon Book: An Update

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Hey gang, so the latest on the Sailor Moon Book (y’know, we really need to make sure we finalize the title so I have something to call it).

Me, I’m now up to my neck in research, which is to say, reading stuff and seeing it it’s useful and sticking it in the bibliography.  The sad part is the information isn’t “spread out” consistently – a few things are best found via wikis first then drilled into.  I wish someone would write a book on Sailor Moon’s history with a giant bibliography, and I have the terrifying fear someone will want us to do that next (I actually have a few other plans in mind).  So this is a pretty erratic experience, but I think I’ve discovered enough useful information.

Two things that came up are:

  • The exact history of the first Sailor Moon dub is a bit erratic (indeed, one book, Sailor Moon Reflections) was the best source.  Really this early history is kind of a mess, of options, of handoffs, hard-working actors and cultural adaptions, and strange broadcast hours.  It’s a bit of a wonder it happened.
  • The history of Magical Girl shows isn’t that well documented.  I found some intriguing bits and pieces on a manga called Princess Comet, which sounds like a proto-Sailor Moon story (including a lost handsome prince, space magic, and some rivalry) but can’t find much else on it.

Bonnie did her first run through the book and it’s shaping up.  It went from “reads like a collection of blog posts” to “reads like an book that needs polishing” due to her extensive efforts.  Once I finish my research (this week hopefully) I’ll make a go, then she and I will go over it together later in February.

It’s got a feel of being a kind of extended convention panel, filled with anecdotes and human bits, as well as a clear outline of progression (which was fairly obvious).  It took work to get it going, but now it’s really enjoyable as we see the different facets of how this show affected people.

Oh, and we’ll hopefully be speaking at some cons in 2016, stay tuned . . .

The artist is signed on.  No spoiling yet 😉

  • Steve

 

Sailor Moon Update: Oh Thank Goddess

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Well the big announcement for the Sailor Moon book is we’re sort of done with the initial draft. However, let me qualify done:

  • We decided to make room for more interviews. So we’ve got more to integrate.
  • We’re editing the heck out of it . . . well, Bonnie is, because . . .
  • I’m doing research for the book. We debated how much is going to be used and the resulting choice was “enough for the book” and “to point people in the right direction”

 

So where is it now?

We’ve got a pretty good sense of the impact of the show and how the various “sub-impacts” tie together. It needs to be fleshed out a bit, arranged a bit differently, and of course include some more research and data on the show. But frankly, it’s pretty good for an unpolished book.

(As I jokingly put it, it’s currently at “blog post” quality and we’re going to get it into ‘book quailty.”)

And what did I learn?

Well, the last big lesson from finishing up is its very hard to extract the show’s impact on WHAT people did – from fanwriting to learning Japanese to finding carers. Originally we deconstructed the impact to three major influences – activities, careers, and an interest in Japan. However after we examined it, we realize the impact more clearly split on “inspired me or led me to do X” and “I got really interested in Japanese stuff.”

And boy, you shouldn’t underestimate those impacts. People were led to cosplay, fanfic, entire careers, counselling others, and more. People learned Japanese, launched careers in languge, and had their interest lead them to living in Japan. Again Sailor Moon was some kind of ur-anime for inspiring people.

Much more so as it was targeted at women, and as we know from the latest Star Wars merchandising debacle, people forget women in fandom.

Now that it’s in a rough draft, I feel a bit iritated there weren’t more studies done of its impact, even in our “pschological travelogue” style. There’s so much that should have been done – but at least we’re doing it now.

More, I feel a kind of profound awe. THis crazy weird show/series, this fairy tale soap opera sentai drama comedy, changed lives. I knew it, but I never knew the depth – now I do.

I just want to do it justice. Because it deserves it.

  • Steve

Sailor Moon Book Update

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We’re actually getting into the end part of writing the Sailor Moon book – but we’re not out of the sparkly crystal woods yet – or for awhile.

So first up, we had two chapterson how Sailor Moon affected and inspired people in hobbies and to change their lives.  We wrote them separately – only to find they were really one.  In fandom it’s hard to separate personal growth, fannish hobbies, and careers – it may look like it from the outside, but as soon as you start diving in . . . well, it doesn’t.

You’d think, I, Mr. Geek Job Guru would have thought of that, but I also thought you could abstract them – you can’t.  So we’re merging the new chapters together and moving part of that chapter to one on how people got more interested in Japan due to Sailor Moon.

Now what did we find?  Well, again a LOT.

Sailor Moon is almost a kind of ur-Fandom, an archetypical one.  You know the idea fandom inspires you to create, gets you involved in things, sets your career?  Pretty much Sailor Moon for many people was that, especially people who found it int he 90’s.

The thing is Sailor Moon, though it may seem goofy or odd, presents a lot to work with.  You can be inspired by the art, or inspired by the characters to try things.  You can take an interest in Japan and languages.  The complicated plotline inspires fanfic.  The references inspire analysis.  Sailor Moon in short provides a LOT to inspire people to try things.

Then throw in a growing fandom that blossomed in the age of the internet and the strong camaraderie, and again – you have a near archetypical fandom experience.

I think for many Sailor Moon set patterns in fandom.  It had all the elements necessary to inspire and engage, happened at the right time, and dug some deep roads.  It’s another chapter that leaves us kind of humble – moreso because we saw some people go through this experience directly.

Now next up, more editing and research, but also we’re probably going to do some more interviews.  We found a lot, but I’m wondering if a few more interviews can add more to it.

  • Steve