One of my favorite stories of all time is Sailor Moon. I first saw the English dub of the anime when I was a teen and since then, I’ve come to love Sailor Moon in every form. (The live-action TV show, the movies, the musicals, the manga, and more!) Writing fan fiction about my favorite characters let me explore my own imagination and hone my storytelling abilities. So it isn’t a surprise that I wanted to write a book that has all the things I love about Sailor Moon.
Divine Warriors is my series of books that I call a steampunk magical girl adventure. It contains a lot of my favorite elements from many different magical girl series, but it has the most in common with Sailor Moon herself. You may recognize these themes as you read about Riwenne and her friends.
A Group of Friends
A central theme of both stories is the bonds of friendship that help the main characters. Sailor Moon has a core group of four female friends on her team, but she’s happy to include new friends along the way, like other sailor guardians or even enemies who have a change of heart. Sailor Moon is willing to do anything to protect her friends, even sacrifice her life to save theirs. And her friends feel just as strongly about her.
Riwenne also starts with a core group of four female friends who each have their own magical abilities and human strengths to aid the team. But she also is willing to add more as she meets new people and welcomes former enemies who want to join forces. And just like Sailor Moon, Riwenne is very loyal to and protective of her friends, who share her feelings.
The Power of Love
Sailor Moon has a love story that spans multiple lifetimes. Her soulmate, Tuxedo Mask, is an important character who also fights against evil. Sometimes he saves her and sometimes the roles are reversed. Their love gives them both strength to face down the worst enemies. It survives beyond the boundaries of death. Other characters try to flirt with Sailor Moon and other boundaries come between them, but she never gives up her first love.
Riwenne also falls in love with a fellow warrior and this love sustains her through many battles. Despite boundaries that try to separate them, she never falts in her love for Kyra. Even death isn’t enough to come between them.
Good Triumphs Over Evil
Sailor Moon doesn’t just want to beat her enemies so she can win. She believes there is good in everyone, and she gives people second chances to redeem themselves. Although she kills a few of her enemies, she also helps some rehabilitate and start over. Even when her fellow Sailor Guardians tell her that she must kill a girl who will become Sailor Saturn to prevent the end of the world, she finds a way to save the girl. Some people call her weak or soft-hearted for having sympathy for her enemies. But I think this is one of Sailor Moon’s greatest strengths.
Riwenne also struggles with the idea of killing her enemies. She is willing to give anyone a second chance if she thinks they can be saved. Her struggles with morals and her feelings of guilt are important themes across the whole series. She must decide who to kill and who to save.
There are other similarities, like exploring the boundaries of gender roles, accepting LGBTQ+ characters, and even the songs. But these are the central themes. If you like Sailor Moon, then I hope you’ll try my homage to the series!
Get the first Divine Warriors book for free:
