Manga Commentary

Seiya: Manga vs. Anime

Image: Seiya being Seiya. There are big, big changes in Seiya's character between the anime and the manga. In the anime, Seiya is initially interested in Usagi because she reminds him of Kakyuu, but later on, Seiya develops a genuine love for Usagi herself. In the anime, there are only very vague hints that Seiya feels anything for Kakyuu deeper than the normal bond between a soldier and her Princess. Seiya is primarily in love with Usagi.

The manga, however, places Seiya squarely in the middle of a twisted love triangle. Seiya admits that she cares for Usagi mostly because Usagi reminds her of Kakyuu. And Seiya is in love with Kakyuu. It is questionable whether Seiya ever actually falls in love with Usagi herself, the way he does in the anime. So Seiya in the manga definitely pines primarily for Kakyuu. However, Kakyuu already HAS a lover. Or, HAD a lover. Her beloved was murdered by Sailor Galaxia, as Seiya explains to Usagi.

Regardless of the fact that Kakyuu's lover is dead and gone, Seiya's love for her still remains hopeless just the same. Judging by "rules" established in the manga, Seiya and Kakyuu could never be in a romance together. Kakyuu's Sailor Crystal is very powerful, equivalent to Usagi's Silver Crystal or Mamoru's Golden Crystal. Seiya's mere Sailor Crystal is not on an equal level with these more powerful entities. One can see the rules of "crystal ranking" (for lack of a better term) at work in the Silver Millenium in this solar system. Serenity and Endymion were paired together, while the less-powerful Sailor Senshi that guarded Serenity were paired with the less-powerful Generals that guarded Endymion. This ranking system is used by Ilsevet and Nishi to explain why Seiya and Usagi could never be together; unfortunately, the same rules exclude Seiya from ever being in a romance with her beloved Kakyuu.

"We are of different stations in the universe. This might be an unrequited love," Seiya thinks while watching Usagi leave her apartment. Is Seiya reflecting about Usagi, or about Kakyuu? My guess is the latter. Poor Seiya...

Other than the messed-up love life, manga Seiya also has a very different personality than her anime counterpart. Manga Seiya is quiet, serious, and intensely focused on her mission. The only "distraction" that she allows herself to indulge in is, of course, Usagi. Oh, and she does play a little football every now and then. But in the manga, Seiya exhibits few of the traits that define her anime counterpart - there's none of that cocky arrogance, none of that happy-go-lucky attitude. She's as somber as can be. It could be argued that manga Seiya has a constant air of morbid, gloomy depression surrounding her. In that respect, she starts to remind me of anime Taiki.

Taiki and Yaten: Manga vs. Anime

Image: Taiki and Yaten. Yaten is still blunt and rude, and never hesitant to speak her mind. But a lot of the coldness is gone. Yaten is more outgoing in the manga. Sure, she insults Michiru's lipstick, but she also tells Michiru that she is a big fan of her music, and that she owns all of Michiru's CDs. And she's just so darn cute and funny when she apologizes for insulting Usagi's kanji... Yaten seems to play the role of the perky, happy Light - in other words, the role that Seiya played in the anime.

Just like in the anime, Taiki is quiet, distant, and very intellectual. However, the manga never really explores what's going on inside Taiki's head as much as the anime does. The anime paints a portrait of an extremely depressed individual who is bordering on the edge of hopelessness, hiding his pain beneath a facade of silence and aloofness. The manga doesn't seem to delve as far into Taiki's character, and we don't really get an accurate picture of her personality. Sure, she's smart. She likes tarot cards, that's pretty cool. She likes flowers, computers, poetry... But what else? How does she think, how does she feel, why does she act the way that she does?

Because we don't get to know manga Taiki very well, she comes across as a very calm, assured, confident, and well-put-together individual, with a whole lot of mental stability to her credit. But is she really as happy as she seems, or is there something darker lurking beneath the surface of her character? The manga never answers this question - it doesn't even bother to ask.

But then again, Taiki could have purposefully been portrayed that way. Perhaps she was meant to be a mysterious individual, someone whom we aren't meant to know that much about in the first place. It provides a sharp contrast to Seiya, who always wears her heart on her sleeve; and to Yaten, who always says exactly what she thinks.

Sailor OMGWTFBBQKakyuu

The correct manga translation of Kakyuu's Senshi name is "Sailor Kakyuu," based on the kanji used in the name. Sometimes I wonder why she isn't referred to as "Sailor Kinmoku." Isn't that more accurate? If Kakyuu is the Princess of the planet and its guardian Sailor Senshi, then she ought to be Sailor Kinmoku, right? Just like Sailor Moon is really Princess Serenity, the ruler of the Moon Kingdom, and its guardian Senshi, too. But Usagi is named Sailor Moon, not Sailor Serenity or Sailor Usagi or anything. Hmmm. Unless, if you infer from Kakyuu's self-introduction in the manga ("I am the first order imperial Princess Kakyuu of the Tankei Kingdom!") that there might be more than one kingdom, and more than one Princess, on the planet of Kinmoku. But wouldn't that just throw the entire Sailor Moon universe out of whack? Also, Princess Kakyuu DOES use the phrase "Kinmoku Star Power, Make Up!" in order to transform. So, shouldn't she still be called Sailor Kinmoku?

Well, we really don't know enough about the Kinmoku system to say for sure. As Naia Zifu points out:

Well, here, our Senshi pretty much all live on Earth, so maybe the Senshi from all the different worlds in their system live on Kinmoku? There could be a world in their system called Kakyuu, which the princess might represent, but it might not be habitable (like most of the planets in our system), so she'd live on Kinmoku instead? Of course, it's just a theory, no way we'll ever find out either way, but it's an option to consider.

Also, Rhia adds:

I think I may have finally figured out how it is Princess Kakyuu/Sailorkakyuu can be the soldier of Kinmoku-sei (though I'm probably not the first). I think most people tend to think in English terms, that Sailorneptune = Soldier of Neptune, when in actuality it's more like Sailorneptune = Soldier of Kaiou-sei, Neptune's proper name Japanese is Kaiou-sei. Thus, the sailor soldiers' names do not necessarily have to correspond with their planets names. Though this does lead to the question of why are Sailormau, Sailorcoronis and Sailormermaid's names the same as their planets'?

The page Mother Planet has more information and speculation about the role that Kakyuu plays on Kinmoku.

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	Manga Commentary Seiya: Manga vs. Anime There are big, big changes in Seiya's character between the anime and the manga. In the anime, Seiya is initially interested in Usagi because she reminds him of Kakyuu, but later on, Seiya develops a genuine love for Usagi herself. In the anime, there are only very vague hints that Seiya feels anything for Kakyuu deeper than the normal bond between a soldier and her Princess. Seiya is primarily in love with Usagi. The manga, however, places Seiya squarely in the middle of a twisted love triangle. Seiya admits that she cares for Usagi mostly because Usagi reminds her of Kakyuu. And Seiya is in love with Kakyuu. It is questionable whether Seiya ever actually falls in love with Usagi herself, the way he does in the anime. So Seiya in the manga definitely pines primarily for Kakyuu. However, Kakyuu already HAS a lover. Or, HAD a lover. Her beloved was murdered by Sailor Galaxia, as Seiya explains to Usagi. Regardless of the fact that Kakyuu's lover is dead and gone, Seiya's love for her still remains hopeless just the same. Judging by "rules" established in the manga, Seiya and Kakyuu could never be in a romance together. Kakyuu's Sailor Crystal is very powerful, equivalent to Usagi's Silver Crystal or Mamoru's Golden Crystal. Seiya's mere Sailor Crystal is not on an equal level with these more powerful entities. One can see the rules of "crystal ranking" (for lack of a better term) at work in the Silver Millenium in this solar system. Serenity and Endymion were paired together, while the less-powerful Sailor Senshi that guarded Serenity were paired with the less-powerful Generals that guarded Endymion. This ranking system is used by Ilsevet and Nishi to explain why Seiya and Usagi could never be together; unfortunately, the same rules exclude Seiya from ever being in a romance with her beloved Kakyuu. "We are of different stations in the universe. This might be an unrequited love," Seiya thinks while watching Usagi leave her apartment. Is Seiya reflecting about Usagi, or about Kakyuu? My guess is the latter. Poor Seiya... Other than the messed-up love life, manga Seiya also has a very different personality than her anime counterpart. Manga Seiya is quiet, serious, and intensely focused on her mission. The only "distraction" that she allows herself to indulge in is, of course, Usagi. Oh, and she does play a little football every now and then. But in the manga, Seiya exhibits few of the traits that define her anime counterpart - there's none of that cocky arrogance, none of that happy-go-lucky attitude. She's as somber as can be. It could be argued that manga Seiya has a constant air of morbid, gloomy depression surrounding her. In that respect, she starts to remind me of anime Taiki. Taiki and Yaten: Manga vs. Anime Yaten is still blunt and rude, and never hesitant to speak her mind. But a lot of the coldness is gone. Yaten is more outgoing in the manga. Sure, she insults Michiru's lipstick, but she also tells Michiru that she is a big fan of her music, and that she owns all of Michiru's CDs. And she's just so darn cute and funny when she apologizes for insulting Usagi's kanji... Yaten seems to play the role of the perky, happy Light - in other words, the role that Seiya played in the anime. Just like in the anime, Taiki is quiet, distant, and very intellectual. However, the manga never really explores what's going on inside Taiki's head as much as the anime does. The anime paints a portrait of an extremely depressed individual who is bordering on the edge of hopelessness, hiding his pain beneath a facade of silence and aloofness. The manga doesn't seem to delve as far into Taiki's character, and we don't really get an accurate picture of her personality. Sure, she's smart. She likes tarot cards, that's pretty cool. She likes flowers, computers, poetry... But what else? How does she think, how does she feel, why does she act the way that she does? Because we don't get to know manga Taiki very well, she comes across as a very calm, assured, confident, and well-put-together individual, with a whole lot of mental stability to her credit. But is she really as happy as she seems, or is there something darker lurking beneath the surface of her character? The manga never answers this question - it doesn't even bother to ask. But then again, Taiki could have purposefully been portrayed that way. Perhaps she was meant to be a mysterious individual, someone whom we aren't meant to know that much about in the first place. It provides a sharp contrast to Seiya, who always wears her heart on her sleeve; and to Yaten, who always says exactly what she thinks. Sailor OMGWTFBBQKakyuu The correct manga translation of Kakyuu's Senshi name is "Sailor Kakyuu," based on the kanji used in the name. Sometimes I wonder why she isn't referred to as "Sailor Kinmoku." Isn't that more accurate? If Kakyuu is the Princess of the planet and its guardian Sailor Senshi, then she ought to be Sailor Kinmoku, right? Just like Sailor Moon is really Princess Serenity, the ruler of the Moon Kingdom, and its guardian Senshi, too. But Usagi is named Sailor Moon, not Sailor Serenity or Sailor Usagi or anything. Hmmm. Unless, if you infer from Kakyuu's self-introduction in the manga ("I am the first order imperial Princess Kakyuu of the Tankei Kingdom!") that there might be more than one kingdom, and more than one Princess, on the planet of Kinmoku. But wouldn't that just throw the entire Sailor Moon universe out of whack? Also, Princess Kakyuu DOES use the phrase "Kinmoku Star Power, Make Up!" in order to transform. So, shouldn't she still be called Sailor Kinmoku? Well, we really don't know enough about the Kinmoku system to say for sure. As Naia Zifu points out: Well, here, our Senshi pretty much all live on Earth, so maybe the Senshi from all the different worlds in their system live on Kinmoku? There could be a world in their system called Kakyuu, which the princess might represent, but it might not be habitable (like most of the planets in our system), so she'd live on Kinmoku instead? Of course, it's just a theory, no way we'll ever find out either way, but it's an option to consider. Also, Rhia adds: I think I may have finally figured out how it is Princess Kakyuu/Sailorkakyuu can be the soldier of Kinmoku-sei (though I'm probably not the first). I think most people tend to think in English terms, that Sailorneptune = Soldier of Neptune, when in actuality it's more like Sailorneptune = Soldier of Kaiou-sei, Neptune's proper name Japanese is Kaiou-sei. Thus, the sailor soldiers' names do not necessarily have to correspond with their planets names. Though this does lead to the question of why are Sailormau, Sailorcoronis and Sailormermaid's names the same as their planets'? The page Mother Planet has more information and speculation about the role that Kakyuu plays on Kinmoku. << Return to Melody \| Main Index >>		Melody: Info Main Index The Mission Seiya Kou Taiki Kou Yaten Kou Items Powers Kakyuu-hime The Truth Mother Planet Kinmoku Pun Music Listing Discography Materials Fuku Study Seiyuu International Articles Seiya and Usagi Taiki's Love Yaten's Love Taiki x Yaten Seiya v. Haruka Others Manga Synopsis Quotables Commentary English Manga Mixx Nitpicks Mythology Astronomy Shinto Hindu Zodiac Blood Type Roses Names Birth Stones