Secrets of SAILOR MOON Revealed.

By: L. Jagi Lamplighter
Date: Tuesday, August 22, 2000

One of the great joys of any fan is getting a peek at inside information about the production or meaning of a favorite show. Recently, Kunihiko Ikuhara, director of Revolutionary Girl Utena and various Sailor Moon episodes, came to the Baltimore, Maryland, area and answered questions for fans regarding Sailor Moon and his experience as a director on the series.

Mr. Ikuhara was originally a disciple of Sailor Moon's first director, Junichi Sato. The two worked together on Kingyo Chuuihou! (Goldfish Warning!). When Sato began work on Sailor Moon, he invited Ikuhara to join him. Mr. Ikuhara's first directorial effort for Sailor Moon was episode Six, during which he became the first director to break away from the simplistic style of the early episodes. When Sato objected that episode Six was too serious, Ikuhara produced the extremely light and humorous episode Eleven. Sato then complained that episode Eleven was too far in the other extreme. Mr. Ikuhara went on to direct the Dark Moon section of the Sailor Moon R series, as well as the Sailor Moon R movie. He is credited with being the force behind the design for the second transformation sequence, the Moon Princes Halation sequence, and the burning mandala sequence. Currently, he is collaborating on a science fiction series called Shell Bullet.

While visiting, Mr. Ikuhara spoke about symbolism in Sailor Moon. The series contains symbolism that can be traced to numerous religions, including the Japanese Shinto religion, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, and more. When asked what the meaning of these religious images was, Mr. Ikuhara replied, 'We had no intention of meaningfulness in the religious references that appear in Sailor Moon. The country of Japan is a-religious. To the views of most Japanese people, religious references are not too different from fantastical elements. They were not added because of devotion. They carry no meaning.'


After a fan asked in particular about a scene wherein a villain strings up his victim upon a cross, Mr. Ikaharu reiterated, 'She looked good crucified, so we crucified her. Christ is an object of religious fantasy in Japan, so that is how it was used. He is just another character in fantasy to us. Even if references to crucifixion were made in Sailor Moon, it was not as part of an attempt to communicate a religious message.' (It should be noted that Mr. Ikuhara's concept of Japanese religious life is not shared by all his compatriots, at least one of whom snorted with contempt upon hearing his comments repeated.)

A witty man with a humorous charm, Mr. Ikuhara then amused his audience with his assertion that his only interest in religion was to spread the cult of Ikuharaism and increase the number of devoted followers he had as a director in particular, the number of devoted followers who happened to be girls.

Another subject Mr. Ikuhara discussed was the amount of control an anime director has when designing a series. Mr. Ikuhara explained that this varied dramatically, depending on the series. When creating Revolutionary Girl Utena, he explained, he had a great deal of control because the title was being produced by his own production company, Be-Papas (which means exactly what it looks like, 'be papas be a father'.) With Sailor Moon, however, things were very very different.

'The sponsor's involvement was very strong in Sailor Moon,' he explained. 'For instance, the toy stick Sailor Moon carried had to be in a moon shape. Just when we were getting used to that, the sponsor insisted that it be changed. It had to be a star shape. Just when that design was finalized, the sponsor said that the stick had to be destroyed. And I felt, 'If that is what you wanted, why have it in the first place?' I did not like this kind of thing...so I left to make Utena.'

As an example of the sponsor's interference, Mr. Ikuhara sited the Sailor Moon R series. Many fans wonder why the first half of the season contains material not found in the Sailor Moon manga. 'The sponsor was not able to finish production of the new toys in time,' Mr. Ikuhara explained. 'So they wanted a filler story with the old toys while they finished manufacturing the new toys. There was another reason as well,' he added sheepishly 'but I have forgotten it.'

According to Mr. Ikuhara, the sponsor also plays a part in the actual magic of Sailor Moon. Without cracking a smile, Mr. Ikuhara answered a fan's questions about how Sailor Moon's transformation magic works, where her costume comes from during the transformation, and where it goes afterwards with the following explanation: 'The magical properties of Sailor Moon's transformation is that children watching will have a strong urge to buy. The Sponsor magically produces the suits, sends then fresh from the factory in order to guarantee the success of next season. The old costumes are collected and bought up by rabid Sailor Moon fans.'

Another subject that Mr. Ikuhara addressed was the matter of censorship. Avid Sailor Moon fans are often dismayed at the amount of censorship the show underwent before it came to American TV (such as Zoisite receiving a sex-change and becoming a woman.) Mr. Ikuhara did not know if the original uncut version of Sailor Moon would ever become available on American TV, but speculated that perhaps it could be shown late at night, the way Cartoon Network currently shows Gundam Wing.

'I am personally resigned to the fact that certain material has to be modified before it can broadcast in other countries,' he said, adding, 'However, if it has to be cut too much, it is better not to show it.'

Mr. Ikuhara said that he himself had never been involved with modifying something for overseas use, but that he has never been satisfied with the quality of foreign language versions of his work. He is considering asking for more control in the dubbing of the Utena movie (his latest work).

Asked his opinion on American animation, Mr. Ikuhara admitted that he would love a chance at directing Powerpuff Girls. He also admitted to being the visual model for the villain Rubeus, who appears in the Dark Moon saga of the Sailor Moon R series. Unlike the icy-hearted Rubeus, however, Mr. Ikuhara assures us he is interested in 'stupid things like love.'