Codename: Sailor V

Plot

Minako Aino is a 13-year-old young middle school student who is slightly distracted, out-spoken and dreams about someday finding her true lover and boyfriend. One day, she encounters a talking white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead named Artemis. He reveals that Minako possesses the magical ability to transform into a much stronger, more powerful, and more beautiful girl than anyone.

He calls her "Sailor Venus" and tells her she has a mission to protect Earth in the name of her guardian planet Venus. To help her with her new mission, Artemis gives her two items, a crescent moon shaped compact and a magical pen. The magical pen allows her to transform into the Soldier of Justice: Sailor V.

Minako begins fighting the evil agents known as the Dark Agency, who fight under Danburite's command. He is in charge of sending his many talented idols to enslave the public.

Minako has many adventures as a Soldier of Justice, some sparking the envy and admiration of the police force. She also later gains the aid of Saijyo Ace, who had for a moment taken her spotlight due to his popular TV show.

Eventually, Minako realizes that her duty is more important than romance and discovers her true identity as Sailor Venus. From there, she decides to search for the other four Sailor Soldiers and the moon princess.

Release

Codename: Sailor V made its debut as a one-shot in the summer vacation issue of the manga magazine RunRun, published on August 3, 1991. It returned as a serial in RunRun, which lasted until July 3, 1997. Kodansha compiled the fifteen chapters into three bound volumes and published them from December 18, 1993 to November 6, 1997. In 2004, the series was re-released in two deluxe volumes with revised artwork and dialogue. In 2014, Codename: Sailor V was published in a two-volume Kanzenban or "Complete Edition".

In North America, Kodansha Comics USA licensed the deluxe editions of Codename: Sailor V for an English-language release, along with its re-printing of the Sailor Moon manga. The series was published from September 13, 2011 to November 15, 2011. The series has also been translated into other languages, including French and Spanish by Glenat; German by Egmont Manga & Anime; Italian by Star Edizioni and later by GP Publishing, serialized in its manga magazine Amici; and Polish by JPF.

An OVA series was teased in promotional materials, but never came to fruition, the Sailor Moon anime being created instead.

The Codename: Sailor V - The Game - a side-scrolling beat'em up video game was a prototype of an imaginary arcade game in the Sailor Moon anime. It was developed by Vladimir Kutiakov's collective named "Caroline Software Incorporated" and released to the NEC PC-88 and NEC PC-98 system in September 14, 1993.

Reception

For the week of 11 September 2011 to 17 September 2011, Codename: Sailor V was second on The New York Times Manga Best Sellers list, behind the first volume of Sailor Moon. The following week, it was again second on the list behind the first volume of Sailor Moon. The week after that, it slipped to third place. For the week of 9 October - 15 October, it reappeared at eighth place, the next week appearing at ninth. For the week of 6–12 November 2011, the first volume appeared at #2 on the list, above Sailor Moon for the first time. The following week, the second volume of Codename: Sailor V appeared at #2 on the list, and the first volume did not appear. For the week of 20–26 November, the second volume placed third on the list. On the BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novels of November 2011, the second volume placed third, and the first volume placed thirteenth.

Brigid Alverson of MTV Geek described Codename: Sailor V as feeling like a rough draft of Sailor Moon. Ed Sizemore felt from Comics Worth Reading Sailor V had less character development than Sailor Moon, feeling that this was not a drawback. Sean Gaffney of Manga Bookshelf notes that unlike Usagi, Minako performs her missions alone, and describes the tone of the manga as an " action comedy". Writing for Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman noted that most of Sailor V is episodic, but feels it is worth reading due to the insights it gives into Minako's character, and the groundwork it lays for Sailor Moon. Katherine Dacey wrote for Manga Critic that while an adult may see the series as "repetitive, hokey, and poorly drawn", a child would see it as an "appealing fantasy in which an ordinary girl can assume a new, powerful identity" to defeat bullies and evil. Dacey sees Codename Sailor V's strength as being Minako's enthusiastic character. The Fandom Post's Matthew Warner saw the book as being a "lighthearted spoof" of magical girl titles.