How could you rewrite the Sailor Moon manga to make it suitable for adult audience?

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ChibiNehellenia

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She rejected the 1993 toonmakers adaptation as well.
She had nothing to do with that.
Mamoru asks Usagi why should he be forced to love her now because of their past life (even if he really didn't mean it)
You know I wanted to write a fanfic with that premise where she has feelings for him but he doesn't have feelings for her.
 

Nadia

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Honestly if people really want a more mature Sailor Moon and somehow feel the manga isn’t enough I would look to PGSM, as I feel that’s the version with the most “adult” take on Sailor Moon yet, at least when it comes to dealing with concepts such as past lives and reincarnation.
PGSM had its moments of both maturity and smarts. One of my favorite moments was Kunzite being smart and targeting Sailor Moon to become a Youma. Like, actual tactics were used for once. Take out the healer!

Then it also had people running around in goofy costumes portraying Youma as well as a quiz recap, and Usagi going "London...London...London" for a whole episode.

That wasn't just cheese or camp like Sailor Luna. That was straight-up kiddi-fied. If it had a little more focus on the duality of Usagi and Princess Sailor Moon and how the past life and the present life clashed instead of making it a simple possession plot, then maybe it could have gotten somewhere, but towards the end it seemed like they tried to throw too many subplots in (like Mio) instead of pushing the really good ideas (like Jupiter being willing to sacrifice herself because she knows a next incarnation will be available to fight).
 
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PGSM had its moments of both maturity and smarts. One of my favorite moments was Kunzite being smart and targeting Sailor Moon to become a Youma. Like, actual tactics were used for once. Take out the healer!

Then it also had people running around in goofy costumes portraying Youma as well as a quiz recap, and Usagi going "London...London...London" for a whole episode.

That wasn't just cheese or camp like Sailor Luna. That was straight-up kiddi-fied. If it had a little more focus on the duality of Usagi and Princess Sailor Moon and how the past life and the present life clashed instead of making it a simple possession plot, then maybe it could have gotten some where, but towards the end it seemed like they tried to throw too many subplots in (like Mio) instead of pushing the really good ideas (like Jupiter being willing to sacrifice herself because she knows a next incarnation will be available to fight).
I tend to think Takeuchi's materials collection plot for Sailor Cosmos in Stars was shelved and implemented as Princess Sailor Moon.
 
Likes: SM458
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Another thing I just thought of that could potentially make Sailor Moon more mature: What if the Miracle Romance wasn’t such a “Miracle Romance?” As in what if Endymion wasn’t such a great person and was simply pretending to love Serenity because he knew what kind of access to power being her husband could bring? What if he intentionally seduced her so as to secure his people the Silver Crystal’s longevity abilities and become King of the what is in canon known as the single most powerful empire of the Galaxy? (Silver Millenium)

Of course once Mamoru himself learns about the truth of his past he’s horrified (because he is in fact a different person from Endymion) and it puts his and Usagi’s romance in a brand new light, now it feels even more fake than ever.

This scenario could fit within either the 90’s anime or Manga/Crystal, because you could even use it as a justification for the former King Endy’s incredibly shady behavior (being the cause of the Break-Up arc) as well as NQS’s uncharacteristic racism towards the BMC which is honestly something Usagi would never do if she were still herself.

This would not only deconstruct the hell out of the Miracle Romance but it also brings political intrigue into play which I always dig and wish the franchise would’ve done more with considering all these powerful Galaxy spanning empires/kingdoms we have here.
 
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B sizzle

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Well honestly they did some pretty adult things in the manga. I finally saw Jupiter and mercury melting, they were melted alive!!! They look on their faces as they were being melted is so scary to, that is horror
movie level. Honestly siren is a much scarier villain to me than galaxia, because the melting she did to mercury and Jupiter is the most unforgettable I think have ever seen in sailor moon.

Still Venus and mars death are graphic to as they are being disintegrated alive to. So I think the manga is mature enough, epically stars.

Now mamarou’s death was not as graphic as it seemed like he got shot with the beam and body turned to dust pretty fast. I don’t know about Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus. Pluto all you see is a blast, and, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are done off screen.
 

HappyMoon

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Aging them up and having them to deal with actual adult problems.

Paychecks that are coming late. Being fired. Not getting that promotion. Being evicted. Dating extremely lame dudes BC of Ikuko mama's pressure to get married. Dealing with aging parents. Not getting that mortgage bc of the recession.
 
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An easy one....not all monsters can be healed. Moon and co. have to kill most of the monsters that were once humans as the various demons possessing them already took full control.
 
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Aging them up and having them to deal with actual adult problems.

Paychecks that are coming late. Being fired. Not getting that promotion. Being evicted. Dating extremely lame dudes BC of Ikuko mama's pressure to get married. Dealing with aging parents. Not getting that mortgage bc of the recession.
:clap: Exactly. :thumbsup: But I'll add some humour too, like Usagi fighting a PMI daimon, a youma robbing her bank savings or increasing her taxes. :rofl:

People tend to think: Gloom and Doom = Adult. They're completely wrong, I must say.
 

Nadia

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An easy one....not all monsters can be healed. Moon and co. have to kill most of the monsters that were once humans as the various demons possessing them already took full control.
That...actually is the case for the existing manga, though.

Except for very special cases like random Daimons, monsters -- even ones that used to be human -- are killed.

The strictest comparison I can recall offhand is the difference between the anime and the manga version of the first Chibi-Usa's Picture diary. The anime adaptation has the little girl antagonist possessed by a monster which is destroyed. In the manga, the girl and her mother were actual vampires and were killed off.

That's to say nothing about the higher-ranking enemies the Senshi killed in the manga but had completely different plots in the anime.

The manga did not hesitate to kill enemies off. And, yes, it was still for for kids (albeit a slightly older audience than the anime was).
 
Likes: MsImagination
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Maybe 12 episode anime.

With transformations like Cutey Honey at one point where there is only one Senshi, Yes, her name is Cutey Usagi who can turn into different Senshi with different powers and looks depending on the situation with a different type of transformation for each time she does this. She is a descendent of the Great light of the Universe.

Queen Beryl is reborn through the will of Chaos' hatred that has existed for eons.

Queen Beryl goal is to take Cutey Usagi's virginity and corrupt the offspring before Usagi and her friends track down the Silver Crystal.

The generals are the ones given the duty of conceiving with her so that she can give birth to the Seed of Destruction, the Messiah of Silence allowing Chaos to crossover and bring total ruin to everything. The generals cannot force themselves on her though and must take the form of civilians to try and win her over through charm in their own particularly way. She has to willingly accept the offer and make way for her body to bear the burden or be the garden for the resurrection of Silence.

However, Cutey Honey's friends often aid her (or she has to aid them) when trouble arises.

Ami would be the tech genius. Able to use her skills to pinpoint locations. She also helps with creating blueprints for weaponry which Cutey Usagi can fuse her holy moon powers with to make them much more powerful. From swords, staffs, guns, and much more. Ami also holds the record over any human for being able to hold her breath underwater. She is always looking for new things to develop and even has a little defensive/bodyguard AI assistant bot named Mercurius.


Ms. Rei would be would be a young fortune teller priestess who had been feeling evil energy disruptions in the city. She doesn't know why she feels this way but the truth is her family have been devil hunters for centuries. Her family has always known of the existence of yokai as her mother was killed by one when Ms. Rei was only an infant. Her father felt responsible for the death and left Ms. Rei with her grandfather telling her grandfather never to disclose this to her. He then leaves and is never seen again. Ms. Rei believes her parents died in an accident. She eventually ends up becoming an ally with Cutey Usagi and with her accute spiritual abilities and shrine training, she can seal Yokai into the dark realm after Cutey Usagi destroys them.

Busty Makoto is a close friend of Ami and can construct any weapon Ami chan gives her the blueprint for. She is also known for being quite strong and proficient in judo and wrestling. One of Mako's other great abilities is that she is a professional herbalist. She can create all kinds of potions by mixing different plant species. This becomes particularly useful when a spiritual boom of potions is found and only Mako knows which particular plant and how much of that plant would be right to add to the potion for it to become effective. Busty Makoto is very close to Tech Ami and is always there to give her a comforting embrace when she may be feeling down about something.

Mistress Minako appears as an escort who seduces and sleeps with men all over the world if they are willing to pay the right amount of money for her services. However the truth is that, Minako is an assassin hired by the Dark Agency, contracted to kill off men who haven't paid their debts. Minako is also a master of disguise and has evaded capture for several years, going so far as posing as the elderly and even men.

However, Minako is tired and wants to end her work with the agency and do what she's always wanted since she was a little girl, become a singer. She also realized that having a family while being an assassin is not what she wants for her future. However, Dan, the organization leader doesn't approve of this and summons henchmen to end her life on the spot. She successfully defeats them, and is confronted by Dan, who she also kills but not without injury. Before she can stumble away for help, Malachite appears. Minako knows she is dead now as this man has strange powers. He then uses his power to life her up and he says, "The way you defeated those men, even a General like Dan, I'm impressed." Minako has no idea what he's talking about but he then says, "I have an offer you'd be foolish to refuse."


Detective Mamoru. Strange events have led him to many incidents not knowing how some people are dying and what is killing them. He does notice a strange girl though, with bun hair. He notices her quite often and becomes suspicious. He follows and he see her with Ms. Rei confronting a man, holding him at arrow point with threatening gestures.

Mamoru quickly intervenes and tell them to drop the weapon. The man changes his appearance into Jadeite and summons a hideous tree like Yokai who disables Ms.Rei and subdues Mamoru with the intent of quickly devouring him.

Cutey Usagi has no choice but to CHANGE into Cutey Usagi Flame in front of him and defeat the monster and Jadite. Rei seals the Yokai in the dark dimension as Jadite flees.

Mamoru is shocked. Over time he becomes closer to her and even saves her life a few times over the course of several episodes.

Minako has been observing the closeness between Usagi and Mamoru and reports it back to Queen Beryl and she considers him a threat to her goals of he ends up sleeping with her.


So there is more to this and this is unrefined as I thought of it on the spot but I would tell the story in a super completely different way that Naoko did and make it something a traditional but darker in tone and Cutey Usagi realizing how things unfold.

Minako doesn't stay under Queen B for too long though..she also becomes interested in the wealth attached to this Silver Crystal.
 
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That...actually is the case for the existing manga, though.

Except for very special cases like random Daimons, monsters -- even ones that used to be human -- are killed.

The strictest comparison I can recall offhand is the difference between the anime and the manga version of the first Chibi-Usa's Picture diary. The anime adaptation has the little girl antagonist possessed by a monster which is destroyed. In the manga, the girl and her mother were actual vampires and were killed off.

That's to say nothing about the higher-ranking enemies the Senshi killed in the manga but had completely different plots in the anime.

The manga did not hesitate to kill enemies off. And, yes, it was still for for kids (albeit a slightly older audience than the anime was).
I always felt like the anine was definitely more lighter when it came to the killings main villains.They were very hesitant to have sailor moon kill a main villain.Opting more for redemption or have them be killed by other fellow villains.
 

HappyMoon

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:clap: Exactly. :thumbsup: But I'll add some humour too, like Usagi fighting a PMI daimon, a youma robbing her bank savings or increasing her taxes. :rofl:

People tend to think: Gloom and Doom = Adult. They're completely wrong, I must say.
And having a group of villain that is actually inside the Japanese government and trap the Senshi into filling forms to get their energy!
 
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I think the Black Moon, Infinity and Stars arc are for mature readers (personal opinion)…

but it is always possible to make the story explicitly mature by adding some more pages and giving it the same tone as CLAMP’s X/1999 (a josei story).
 
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I just realized that Utena is basically an adult Sailor Moon. Would Utena even exist if Ikuhara was given full control and allowed to make Sailor Moon as dark and mature as he wanted?


I think the Black Moon, Infinity and Stars arc are for mature readers (personal opinion)…
Dark Kingdom is pretty dark too, if only for that suicide.
 
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