The only bad thing about finishing a good story is wondering where to go next. Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi is a classic shoujo currently enjoying another round of popularity for good reason. If you’re a fan, here are some suggestions for what to enjoy next.
The Manga
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Volume 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
High school student Usagi Tsukino adopts a talking cat, regains the magic power of her previous incarnation, maintains a secret identity, meets the man of her dreams, and starts building a team of heroes to fight the forces of evil—all in a single volume! Beautifully illustrated, the series continues as an endearing, fast-paced story of romance, epic battles, sometimes random occurrences, and introduces a cast of wonderfully complex characters. If you liked the 90s anime, know that the manga has different elements and pacing (and is generally better, in my opinion).
Read-Alikes
Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP
The cast is younger than that of Sailor Moon, but this is another manga series about a magical girl discovering her power and saving the world. CLAMP’s artwork is stunning, with flowing lines and fantastical costumes.
Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
This manga series is a high school shoujo that focuses on family, high school life, and young love. The main characters are similar and both manga offer a large cast of complex characters. The artwork and story develop throughout the series.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
For something outside of manga, this young adult novel features magic, strong female characters, and a fast-paced, complex storyline. While it shares elements with Sailor Moon, this novel is meant for a slightly older teen audience and does contain some violence.
Related Reading and Entertainment
Escaflowne, the movie
Based on a manga series with the same title, this is another fan favourite. Like Sailor Moon, the main character is a high school student coming into her magic powers though the two characters have different personalities. There are dynamic characters, fantastical worlds, magic, and creatures of all kinds. The movie does contain some animated violence.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Drawing Manga by John Layman and David Hutchison
This is a great resource to help you learn how to create your own manga. The recent edition contains even more images to the accompany the text as an introduction to creating and developing your own manga characters, landscapes, and stories.
Interested in one of the items? Click the title links to view on WorldCat—under the book information, enter your location to find a copy in a library near you.
Header image edited from Library Shelves by Lydia Liu. Cover art from Goodreads.
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