Just released on January 29th was the 20th Anniversary Memorial Tribute Album of the much-anticipated anime and manga series Sailor Moon which features music tracks of the Sailor Moon shows, seasons 1 to 5. It even has a bonus track which is the French version of “Moonlight Densetsu” and is sung by Clementine. Another version of “Moonlight Densetsu” is performed by idol group Momoiro Clover Z at the start of the album. Momoiro Clover Z also contributes another track called “Tuxedo Mirage”.
With a strong following not just in Asia but also around the western world, Sailor Moon enjoyed its original run from 1992 to 1997 as a manga magazine and from 1992 to 1993 as an anime TV series covering 49 episodes. The anime TV series continued on as Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon Super S, and Sailor Stars. The extreme popularity of the animated cartoon series led to 3 movies, musicals, live action series, and 9 video games.
Now that the album is out in the market, it’s impossible not to gloss over the album art. King Records has done a terrific job in incorporating the characters and blending in the importance of the product as being the highlight of the 20th anniversary celebration. The creator of Sailor Moon is Naoko Takeuchi who personally drew the album cover.
The other artists featured in the album are:
- Shoko Nakagawa who sings “Heart Moving”, the song used for the ending sequence for Sailor Moon episodes 1 to 26.
- Haruka Fukuhara who does the rendition of “Princess Moon” and is currently seen in another anime series called “Cooking Idol Ai! Mai! Main!” “Princess Moon” is another ending song for the show and was written by Naoko Takeuchi.
- Etsuko Yakushimaru sings the “Otome no Policy” which became one of the most used songs for Sailor Moon as its ending theme. It can be heard on 45 episodes and credit for its popularity goes to Yoko Ishida who originally performed the song.
- Tommy heavenly6 or Tomoko Kawase who uses this name as her alter ego sings “La Soldier”. Her alter ego sound is more punk than her Kawase sound and “La Soldier” was a song that was launched for the Sailor Moon Musical. It became so popular among the Sailor Moon fans that the song was eventually used for the TV series and films.
- Mariko Goto & Avu Chan from the pop/rock band Ziyoou-vachi perform the “Ai No Senshi” (Soldier of Love) song.
- Haruko Momoi performs “Rashiku Ikimasho” which is the second ending song for the Sailor Moon Super S series and one of the best-loved songs of fans.
- Mitsuko Horie, the voice of Sailor Galaxia in the anime series, sings the “Sailor Stars” track. This is the opening song for the Sailor Moon Sailor Stars season.
- Makoto Kawamoto who performs under the pseudo name Tiger Fake Fur sings “Kaze mo Sora mo Kitto”. This track was the final music heard in the last episode of Sailor Stars. It’s inclusion in the album is sure to make Sailor Moon fans swoon with delight.
Check a sneak peak preview for all the tracks here:
All artists in the album were carefully chosen as having some connection with the Sailor Moon franchise and Japanese anime. The album is selling for 3,000 Yen (tax included) and is already being tagged as a collectible. The official name of the CD album is “Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon: The 20th Anniversary Memorial Tribute” or in Japanese: 美少女戦士セーラームーン THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL TRIBUTE.
You can buy the CD from From Japan by visiting this link.
From Japan also offers a vast array of Sailor Moon merchandise. Click the links below to explore some rare Sailor Moon collectibles!
