Yuki The Snowman

The Jumpman.  When you see this iconic silhouette, you think of  Micheal Jordan and his Jordan’s shoe line.  The long-running  Jordan brand has this…magical effect on its fans. Because of the name and man behind the shoes, and their limited supply at each release, people will line up for hours their local shoe store  – just to obtain them. Few fans are so passionate about Jordan’s that they will risk the safety of others to obtain a pair.  That’s the power of Jordan’s.

Sailor Moon: The iconic champion of love and justice.  She is recognized by her blonde, twin tail odango and sailor suit.  Sailor Moon inspired many around the world to better themselves, fight for good and be a kind-hearted person to their friends.   Sailor Moon is a character many look up to and draw inspiration from.

It seems that being an inspirational,  long-running recognizable brand from the 90s is something both Sailor Moon and Jordan have in common. And that’s about it.  Sailor Moon is a role model of kindness and selflessness.  Jordan…yeah.  Just type “Micheal Jordan Asshole Stories” on Google and have fun reading the stories about how much Jordan is a piece of shit on the court and off.  You never heard any stories of Sailor Moon being a horrible person to others.

For a week, I ran a giveaway on my Yuki The Snowman Facebook page for the Loot Crate exclusive Sailor Moon Bottle Opener.   The requirement for entry was that you must state your favorite Sailor Scout and why she is as such. I expected nothing more but basic replies such as “Sailor Mercury is my favorite because she’s smart”,  “I love Sailor Jupiter because she’s my tall waifu.” and “Sailor Pluto is the best Scout because I like older women and I want her to mommy dom me”.  I wasn’t expecting that people will go in-depth with their favorites.  It’s a simple Sailor Moon Bottle Opener; there’s no reason to write a motivation post on their favorite character just to win a tool to support their alcoholism.

After adding some final details (and shameless sharing on Facebook and Instagram), the contest started. The first few comments were basic answers as I expected. However, as time went on there were a few that caught me by surprise.

One commenter stated that her favorite Sailor Scout was Uranus (Haruka).  Uranus was the first positive queer icon she saw on TV – and seeing her as such helped shaped sexual identity.

There was a fan who revealed that as a child, she imagined herself as Sailor Moon to help her get through an abusive childhood.  During the time of her abuse, she would pretend that her parents were monsters from the Negaverse and that as Sailor Moon, it was her duty to defeat the monsters (her parents).  She went on to say that being recused from her parents felt like she was Sailor Moon being recused from the grasp of Prince Demande.

On the lighter side, a Sailor Moon cosplayer revealed the reason why Sailor Moon is her favorite because she aimed to be like her: caring, loving, and a supportive friend to all.  She took the (rather cheesy) Sailor Says PSA took heart and let them mold her into becoming a better person in life.

After reading these comments it hit me: The Sailor Moon brand touched so many lives.  The series gave power to these fans; may it be to do better with their lives, inspire them to do good for others, or help them through troubling times.  It’s not uncommon for fans of fictional media to have a favorite character based on traits they see in a character they relate to.  For some Sailor Mercury fans (like myself), they connect to her because they might have been bullied and outcasted during childhood for having great grades and/or spending time reading books.  Seeing a superheroine like Mercury reading books made their childhoods a little easier, and inspires them to hit the books – regardless of what their peers may think.

It’s goofy to say, but these Sailor Scouts empowered us.   They inspired us to do better or to find ourselves.  This I believe is why the Sailor Moon brand has a strong, 25 yearlong following – netting new fans every day.  I wonder: did Naoko Takeuchi ever thought she would create such a legendary and empowering series when she started creating the series back in the 90s.    I wonder if she’s proud and happy that she made such an impact on the lives of her fans because of her brand.

If you’re out here reading this article and you have a brand, please – keep working on it.  You never know if it could help people and make them a better person.