We've got new folks! Might as well bring out a classic: Who is your favorite Sailor Senshi? Why? What do you love most about them?

I wrote way to much on this a while ago. Side note, I also ran a best guy/girl thread a while ago, and there's a good case for Sailor Mercury in there that you may want to reference. Anyway, here's a cross-post of my breakdown:

ClearandSweet’s best girl thread - Sailor Moon edition

First off, I want you to understand the scope of what the Sailor Soldiers mean to me, for perspective. I watched this show as a child. Whether this show instilled in me my love of female protagonists and heavy character-based narrative, or I connected with this show because of that innate love, I’ll never know. But I know that most of what I expect from women and most of what I value in a potential real-life mate can be traced back to the qualities represented in these characters.

Second off, no one expects perfection. None of the girls come close, even the Outers. It's one of the things that makes the show and the characters relatable and believable.

Surely the girls, as a whole, showcase an ideal of beauty that could be read as unobtainable. However, I’ve ready many, many, responses from women fans who instead drawn inspiration from beauty of the senshi. I also could point to numerous parts of the series that prove the message isn’t “look at how hot these girls are and how short these skirts are!” but instead “every girl has beauty”.

What’s more attractive then is how they accept their weakness and their strengths, utilize them and work on their flaws. Their attitudes toward life and themselves and others. My assessment of them contains equal parts pure analysis as to whether their strengths/weakness appeal to me personally, as well as how the character chooses to deal with her own struggles.

And forgive me if I may make it sound sexual. I am a heterosexual male and one of my first sexual thoughts ever was of Sailor Mercury. I think sexuality is relevant, not in some creepy otaku fetishistic way, but in the larger context surrounding the choice. It is a part of life that this show about romance touches on.

I don’t want to make it sound like age isn’t a factor for the Sailor Soldiers; indeed, a lot of their character stems from the naivety and purity that teenage-dom brings. But for the purposes of determining which one I like the most, since you asked, I’m considering them all grown humans of sound mind who are able to make, understand, and accept the consequences of their decisions. That's my lolita disclosure.

I guess I just want to emphasize that I’m not trying to be a harem MC here, reducing these people to a few quirks and some measurements. I’m saying that Sailor Moon provides a detailed enough picture of these women that I can feel confident picking which one of them I would like to date, all The Bachelor style.

Please also consider all of this in the context of my flippant reoccurring day dream where I magically enter the scenario of the beach episode from R, but visual novel date-sim style. I’m a character with my real-life qualities. I have to win over the affections of “mai waifu” and success is never guaranteed.

Well, obviously, I fail miserably, just like high school and college. Let’s change that last bit to: “it’s Clearandsweet’s lucky day!”

First up, Usagi is downright out.

If you recognize and respect the whole theme of love in the series, if you respect the “miracle romance” as an integral part of her character, you would not only avoid that, but actively feel uneasy having romantic feelings towards her. Stars spoilers omg

Add to that exemption Haruka and Michiru. Not because they are canonical lesbians and I am not of the fairer sex, but because their bond is every bit as strong as Mamoru and Usagi. They are soulmates through and through, and it’s incredibly apparent. You don’t fuck with that.

Honorably mentioned are Setsuna and Hotaru.

Setsuna fairs better in the manga, but still just doesn’t get enough time to develop into an interesting character. She’s characterized mostly and duty-focused, and that’s not doing it for me. She’s just not as intriguing as many of the others options in this show.

Hotaru seems nice enough, but she is firstly, a terrifying cyborg, and two, riddled with issues. I’m not against troubled girls, per se, but I’d like someone who has it a bit more together than this fixer-upper. There’s a distance there that you would have to struggle to cross to become intimate, and the reward seems proportionally less, if any greater at all.

So the Inner Court to Princess Serenity.

I thought for the longest time I loved Makoto, or as I knew her, Lita. She’s tall and brown haired, with the largest rack and a butt so fine they had to censor its glory in the NA dub. She’s aggressive and proactive when threatened, and has a fierce defense instinct. She’s the perfect girlfriend for a weaker man, such as I was all throughout school. I got teased a lot, and I figured we could relate and bond quickly, complimenting each other well.

She, more than anyone, has a heart for loving. Our lives would be simple and happy. She wants to be a mother and loves plants and cooking. It’s easy to see her as the consummate wife.

Unfortunately, I’ve come to realize that’s not the future I want, and any compromise would be a disservice to a girl who deserves her own heaven on earth. I don't feel that I'm good enough for Mako, and I don't know if I could shake that.

Amy feels like settling. I value her intelligence and I think she would have some wonderful discussions, and, obviously, she’s a charming, complex girl. We’d share many hobbies and interests, like Kenny Loggins and swimming.

But there’s something about Amy that throws me off. Is she, perhaps, too innocent? I have a distrust of a teenage girl that affects composure over admitting her feelings. I don't feel like she would start conversations easily, and would obsequiously defer any opinions. But I guess she would know the word obsequious.

I don’t get the impression that she can ever be honest with her self (her episode in S), instead hiding things away internally behind a veneer of composure. That’s a flaw that might drive me away. I hate the word and concept of “demure.”

Shine Aqua Illusion is my favorite attack, but she’s the least attractive senshi and least appealing to me.

Rei is a gorgeous human being. She’s quick-witted, passionate and dutiful. She’s a leader through and through, and someone you can truly rely on (as if the others aren’t). I would feel confident not only that she’s someone worth moving heaven and earth for, but that she would move heaven and earth for those closest to her.

Her desires for herself and her life force me to respect and admire her (the first S episode omg), but the whole mysticism, Shinto thing doesn’t do anything for me.

She’d be up for it, and I'd do anything to make it work. She seems like she would be loads of fun in bed, and if you held a gun to my head, she'd be the one I'd choose, with no regrets.

Mina is the girl next door writ extravagant, but not overly so. Where I would be lucky to lick the dirt off the bottom of the other girl’s heels, Mina seems like someone I could easily recognize as an equal.

If I wanted to smile, she’s the girl I would choose. A serious sense of humor and a relentlessly positive attitude make it hard to ever be upset around her. That isn't to say she doesn't have a wide range of emotions and thoughts herself, but she constantly identifies when others are feeling sad and always acts to improve their mood. That's such a valualbe quality.

She, more than any of the others, feels connected to her teenage life and aware of what she wants out of her youth. She wants to live her current life to the fullest, which would lead to fun, adventure and happiness.

Still, she might get a little silly or air-headed at times. I dunno if she’s honest with herself either, as you can see in her S episode. Were she able to mature a bit more, or if I enjoyed adventure a bit more, I think we would be perfect for one another.

So I dunno. I’ll take whatever one is left over and give thanks.

/r/sailormoon Thread