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Monday, April 7, 2014

Sailor Moon in Little Tokyo: Sailor Moon and Sailor Senshi Art Show




The one named Sailor Moon was underneath a crescent moon and starry sky in Little Tokyo at Q Pop's "Magical Girls Heroines: Sailor Moon and Sailor Senshi" art show, Saturday. The newest art show at Q Pop paid tribute to Sailor Moon, the 90's icon anime cartoon and manga about a magical girl with a talking cat who fought the Negaverse. So many girls wore their hair up like the high heel, mini-skirt wearing Sailor Moon  that you could have a spaghetti hair feast of meatball heads. Though it would taste horrible as it would be human hair.

The show had more than a mere solar system of artists, but a galaxy of stars in sheer numbers and styles. Artists, many from an animation background, thanks to the curator and owner of Q Pop, Chris Mitchel coming from that world. Pieces varied either showing off the beauty of Sailor Moon and her sailor scouts or took parts from the over-a-hundred-episode series. Jokes on Serena's ever-loving non-stop appetite. Putting Luna and Artemis, two-talking guardian cats, in as cute as positions as possible. An evil mirror to nodes to how both cute and scary Chibi-Moon was and her love for a unicorn. Many mediums of capturing young heroic girls beating up bad guys or just looking good made a rainbow of colors inside of Q Pop's walls.

Check out the video below for interviews with some of the nights artists in attendance and links to TTDILA's Fan and Art Gallery covering the opening night of the show.





 Magical Girls Heroines: Sailor Moon and Sailor Senshi Art Gallery
 Magical Girls Heroines: Sailor Moon and Sailor Senshi Fan Photo Gallery

The wait for the show was impressive as more than six hundred people said they were coming via Facebook. Before the show started around seven p.m, a line was well past the adjacent Weller Court with cosplayers in sailor uniforms standing about with their phones and 3DSes out stretching all the way to 2nd Street.

Fans came dressed up and in memory of their beloved anime and manga series many go to far lengths to have their hair just right, that meatball head style coming up every few heads.

Fans were caught in the glow of the pieces remembering episodes and making jokes about how much Serena was a klutz. They would shout out names of past characters or go over how the show differed from the manga together as they slowly walked through the gallery looking at every piece at a snail's pace.

Before entering Q Pop or after finally making it past the long line in, fans could grab some ice cream for sale in front of the gallery for the opening night. Ice Cream, a favorite of  Serena's/ Sailor Moon's, would cool you after how much body heat was generated inside the small gallery/store. Q Pop was packed as fans studied every piece looking for their favorite Sailor Scout and then maybe purchasing a piece.


TTDILA's favorite piece was Lissa Treiman's "Light Night Snack", already sold by the show starting
for $250. The piece has Sailor Moon on a late night donut run after what must have been a massive battle by how cut up she is. The other Sailors tired and glazed over looks to Sailor Moon's happy hungry demeanor stood out among that night's opening. It's only this reporter's interest and love of women and donuts that it did stand out, you had so many wonderful pieces that I have to write it's been the best Q Pop opening I've attended so far, sorry Godzilla.

Sailor Moon merch was not in short supply with many Moon goodies to grabs. If you wanted Luna, Sailor's Moon's faithful talking cat, as both a pencil holder and a tissue box cover you had it. Keychains with way too colorful press on nails and other assorted moon fan gear was up for grabs as music from the series playedi n the background.

Sailor Moon is going through a bit of a revival with a new series coming out July in Japan with a worldwide simulcast, so every Sailor fan can see their favorite moon princess kicking butt. The new series is called Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal and is to be a total reboot . The reboot is to take a more stylized tone from the original manga.

The series about a young girl who can transform into a magical princess with super powers has been synonymous with anime since the 90's. Sailor Moon and her friends the sailor scouts are to be welcomed back into the arms of fans who might know have kids of their own.

Magical Girls Heroines: Sailor Moon and Sailor Senshi isn't the only tribute art show for Sailor Moon in SoCal, Moon Crisis: A Sailor Moon Tribute Art Show will be taking place at the Rothick Art Haus Gallery in Anaheim starting July 5th, closer to the release of the new series. The shows share some artists. Moon Crisis was funded through a IndieGoGo Campaign for a mere $520 and will feature just a sprinkle of artists.