Ask John: What Makes Sailor Moon Fans So Obsessive?

Question:
I’ll admit that I’m a big Sailor Moon fan. But I’m also a fan of mahou shoujo in general, and there are other titles I like just as much. Something I’ve noticed is that there seems to be a huge number of Sailor Moon fans out there who are more than a little obsessed. They have no interests in life outside of it. They’re fanatically loyal to anything Sailor Moon and label any other mahou shoujo as a “ripoff.” I’ve seen you mention this kind of fan before. What do you think of them, and why do you think it is that they’re so clingy?

Answer:
After some discussion of this question, and more precisely an answer, among a few AnimeNation employees, I’ve come to the conclusion that there may not be an actual, singular explanation for intense Sailor Moon fanaticism. I’m aware that there’s a very devoted fan following for Sailor Moon among Americans, even though Sailor Moon hasn’t been broadcast on American television in years and no new Sailor Moon DVDs have been released in America in years. I’ve personally stated in previous “Ask John” articles that I remain surprised that America’s loyal Sailor Moon fans haven’t embraced other similar magical girl shows like Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch and Futari wa Precure. In fact, shows like Pichi Pichi Pitch and Pretty Cure seem like a natural progression from Sailor Moon. Pichi Pichi Pitch features a large cast of color coordinated magical girls, just like Sailor Moon. And Pretty Cure places a strong emphasis on “girl power,” as Sailor Moon is often cited as doing. I agree that it seems inexplicable that Sailor Moon fans prefer to focus their obsession on prolonging their devotion to Sailor Moon instead of expanding their interests with other magical girl shows. I don’t resent the Sailor Moon anime or its fans, but I do find the obsession curious.

Obsessive Sailor Moon fandom may be comparable to Star Trek and Grateful Dead fandom. Star Trek fans love Star Trek (and sometimes not even all of it) generally to the large exclusion of other sci-fi adventure series like Battlestar Galactica, Babylon Five, and Star Wars. “Deadheads” have created a virtually religious cult following for The Grateful Dead, even though the musical group itself no longer exists. In all of these cases, much of the lasting loyalty these subjects engender may have more to do with their fan communities than the subjects themselves. In the case of Sailor Moon, obviously it’s qualities in the show itself that first attract fans, but it may be the camaraderie between fans that maintains the loyalty. For Sailor Moon fans, shifting their attention from Sailor Moon to another program like Wedding Peach, Pichi Pichi Pitch, Pretty Cure, or Tokyo Mew Mew is a separation from the community that they identify so much with. In fact, it may be that obsessive Sailor Moon fans fiercely oppose other magical super heroine anime series or refer to them as “rip-offs” because such shows represent a threat to the solidarity and identity of the Sailor Moon fan community.

I have no desire to separate any anime fans from the show they most love, and I don’t mean to imply that hardcore Sailor Moon fans are any more or less respectable than any other variety of anime fan. But I do think that a respect for all types of anime, regardless of what anime an individual does or doesn’t like, is a more responsible and positive attitude for anime fans than a narrow-minded belief that one particular show or genre is superior to all others.