Michiru Kaioh
Encyclopedia
is one of the central characters
in the Sailor Moon
metaseries. Her civilian name is , an artistic schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi
.
Introduced in the third story arc, Sailor Neptune fights alongside her partner and lover Sailor Uranus in defending the Solar System from outside threats. In both versions of the story, she is elegant, sophisticated, capable of sharp anger, and sometimes cold. She is fully dedicated to her duty as a Sailor Soldier.
She is portrayed as a very polite, calm character in the series. She dislikes being patronized even if not doing so would hurt her feelings, and subsequently will not indulge people. This is alluded to in her backstory, explaining that she was congenial but generally not social. Michiru is also graceful and delicate, with an aura of sophistication. She is clearly intelligent, and this usually manifests itself through art and music. Usagi (to whom this observation is especially relevant) once commented that Michiru was the ideal example of a princess.
Michiru attends Infinity Academy with Haruka (and the younger Hotaru Tomoe) when she is first introduced. In the manga, after Infinity is destroyed, she and Haruka later attend the same high school as Usagi and the other girls. It is never mentioned where they go after this in the anime, but the two of them are shown driving away in their last appearance in Sailor Moon S, and during a made-for-TV special set during the following season, they are shown staying at a hotel elsewhere in Japan. According to the musicals, Michiru had experience studying abroad.
Michiru's closest bond is with Haruka, and Takeuchi has explicitly stated that the two are in a lesbian relationship in both the manga and the anime as well as the musicals. This was changed in the American dub done by Cloverway (see Censorship).
In the anime, Michiru briefly flirts with Kou Seiya
, at that time a man, asking him to help her unzip her dress. Her stated intention, earlier in the episode, is to learn Seiya's motives out of fear that he is a threat to the planet. This flirtation does not occur in the manga, where Seiya is always a female and plays a much more minor role. However, in the Infinity arc, Michiru appears as temptation for Mamoru, paralleling Haruka being used as temptation for Usagi. Though she never makes any of the advances on Mamoru that Haruka makes on Usagi, Usagi is jealous of her because she sees them together.
Michiru is deeply artistic and is the Senshi most associated with the arts. Her known skills include the violin
, swimming, and painting
; of all her skills, her strongest is as a violin
ist, which is also her greatest dream. She likes all her classes, especially music, and belongs to the Music club at school as well as the Swimming club. In the manga, she collects cosmetics; in the anime, she loves to swim, often using the water as a way to relax. Her favorite food is sashimi
, while her least favorite is kikurage mushrooms. She also dislikes sea cucumbers for unclear reasons, and her favorite color is Marine blue
.
era and the 30th century, Michiru gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.
and cerulean
, and unlike most of the other Senshi, her gloves extend only to her mid-forearms and has a jewel on her teal-colored choker. She is given specific titles throughout the various series, including Soldier of the Deep Waters (or "Depths" in the English manga), Soldier of Embrace, Soldier of Affinity,, Soldier of the Sea, and Soldier of Comprehension. Her personality is no different from when she is a civilian, although certain special abilities and powers are unavailable to her in her regular civilian form. Just like her partner, Hakura/Amara Tenoh, Michiru/Michelle has some precognitive abilities while in her normal form. She is able to prophetically predict who the next target of the Death Busters is likely to be next.
Sailor Neptune uses ocean-based attacks (not just water
), and carries one of three Talismans carried by the Outer Senshi; Neptune has the Deep Aqua Mirror, which always reveals the truth. She takes a black-and-white approach to her role as a soldier, one shared by Sailor Uranus, who is virtually always at her side.
As she grows stronger, Sailor Neptune gains additional unique special abilities, and at key points her uniform changes to reflect this. The first change takes place in Act 39 of the manga, when she obtains the Neptune Crystal and her outfit becomes similar to that of Super Sailor Moon. She is not given a new title. A similar event takes place in Episode 167 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Neptune. A third, manga-only form appears in Act 42, also unnamed but analogous to Eternal Sailor Moon (sans wings).
, Sailor Neptune was also the Princess of her home planet. She was among those given the duty of protecting the solar system from outside invasion. As Princess Neptune, she dwelt in Triton Castle and wore a sea-green gown. She appears in this form in the original manga Act 41, as well as in supplementary art. It is unknown whether she had a romantic relationship with Princess Uranus at that time.
Even in civilian form, Michiru has some precognitive gifts, as she occasionally states that "the sea is stormy" when there is an evil presence at work. She is not shown using any other special powers in her civilian form, and must first transform
into a Sailor Senshi by raising her hand or a special device into the air and shouting a special phrase, originally "Neptune Planet Power, Make-up!" In the manga she eventually gains her Neptune Crystal and this phrase changes to evoke Neptune Crystal Power. In the anime, although she does upgrade to Super Sailor Neptune, the Crystal is never mentioned and her transformation is never shown on screen after the upgrade.
Sailor Neptune's powers are inspired by Roman mythology
, where Neptune
is the god of the ocean. She never uses the element of water
in a general sense, that being Sailor Mercury
's domain; instead, she draws energy from the "deep waters" and blasts this at her foes (rather than attacking with physical ocean water). She is given three major attacks in the series, and although they all have English names (like those of the other Sailor Senshi
), each is also given kanji
in the manga to denote the meaning to Japanese readers. For example, her first attack, Deep Submerge, is given kanji which translate precisely to and . The intended English pronunciation is given in furigana
. This is Sailor Neptune's primary attack for most of the anime series.
In the manga, Michiru owns a special hand mirror which supplements her precognition. This turns out to be the Deep Aqua Mirror, one of three powerful Talismans, the other two of which are carried by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Pluto. In the anime, she does not gain the mirror until she is revealed as one of the Talisman bearers; in either case, it is used in her second attack, Submarine Reflection . In both the anime and manga, she can use to launch an extremely powerful and devastating attack. In the anime, Michiru can also use it through and dispelling illusions, as seen in the SuperS movie. In the manga, she can also use it for astral projection
, and lends it to Chibiusa while she and the other Outer Senshi are away. Chibiusa invokes the Deep Aqua Mirror's strength and power by stating its name and is able to teleport to Sailor Neptune's location.
Michiru's violin
, a Stradivarius
worth some five million dollars, is called the Marine Cathédrale and is named after "the temple of the sea". Aside from playing it in concert, she uses it in her third and final attack, which (like the instrument itself) has a French
-inspired name: . This third attack is only used in the manga, and was never shown in the anime. This attack is also used by the evil Sailor Neptune in Act 50, where it is renamed Galactica Violon Tide.
The Neptune Crystal is perhaps her most important possession, as it is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all her power, which becomes especially important in the fifth story arc
. It is given to her by Sailor Saturn.
has said that she was shocked by the changes made to Michiru's personality in the anime series, but that she was glad fans still liked the character.
Sailor Neptune's visual design is intended to evoke images of her element, from the choice of colors to the wavy quality of her hair, which Takeuchi even joked might be thought of as seaweed
hair. In street clothes, Michiru is supposed to be an "artist type" and to dress accordingly; in fact, initial drawings are extremely elegant and "adult", because she was originally intended to be involved in the all-female Takarazuka Revue
with Haruka. Although this was not included in the series itself, Takeuchi stated in an interview that she feels Takarazuka is "the maximum level of feminine emancipation," that as such it was her inspiration for the character of Haruka, and that it seemed natural for Haruka to fall in love with another woman—namely Michiru.
The kanji
of Michiru's surname translate as and . Together, they constitute most of the name of the planet Neptune in Japanese, . Her given name is in hiragana
and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word itself means "to rise" . The packaging of Irwin
dolls released in Canada
in 1998 called Michiru by the name Nerissa.
In the French dub, the relationship was explained that Uranus poses as a man in civilian form, and Neptune only pretends to be "his" girlfriend, to help protect their identities.
Most European dubs portrayed their relationship to be merely platonic
. The Taiwanese dub also toned down the relationship.
In the North American anime, her relationship with Sailor Uranus was redefined as being cousins, and an ex-boyfriend was mentioned, further defining her as heterosexual.
Fan fiction
featuring Haruka and Michiru is among the most searched-for fan fiction on the Internet, and Erica Friedman of Yuricon
has described Haruka and Michiru as being "one of the most romantic, funny, and fun yuri couples, ever."
veteran voice actress Masako Katsuki
. In the English-language dub, the voice of "Michelle Kaioh" is provided by Barbara Radecki
, who had previously played Usagi's mother. Many fans believe this was due to her resemblance to Ikuko. According to Barbara Radecki, she recorded her Sailor Neptune lines together with her co-star, Sarah LaFleur
, the voice of Sailor Uranus, which is unusual, as anime voiceover in North America is usually recorded individually. Radecki also said that she had a lot of fun voicing Sailor Neptune.
In the stage musicals
, Michiru has been played by 8 actresses: Kaoru Sakamoto, Chikage Tomita, Miyuki Fuji, Hiroko Tahara, Sara Shimada, Yuhka Asami, Tomoko Inami, and Takayo Oyama. Asami, the longest-running of these actresses, knew nothing about Sailor Moon when she was given a role in the musical, but came to greatly admire the character of Michiru after reading the manga and watching the anime. Nao Takagi, who played opposite her as Sailor Uranus, has stated that certain scenes were specially created just for the two of them.
Michiru does not appear in the live-action series
.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
metaseries. Her civilian name is , an artistic schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi
Sailor Senshi
A appears as a type of heroine in the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. The name comes from sailor fuku, a type of school uniform, and senshi, which can mean "soldier" or "warrior". Naoko Takeuchi, the manga artist who originated the series, coined the term by fusing English and Japanese elements,...
.
Introduced in the third story arc, Sailor Neptune fights alongside her partner and lover Sailor Uranus in defending the Solar System from outside threats. In both versions of the story, she is elegant, sophisticated, capable of sharp anger, and sometimes cold. She is fully dedicated to her duty as a Sailor Soldier.
Profile
Michiru is formally introduced in the third story arc, although she appears in silhouette alongside Sailor Uranus in episode 89, a "teaser" to Sailor Moon S.She is portrayed as a very polite, calm character in the series. She dislikes being patronized even if not doing so would hurt her feelings, and subsequently will not indulge people. This is alluded to in her backstory, explaining that she was congenial but generally not social. Michiru is also graceful and delicate, with an aura of sophistication. She is clearly intelligent, and this usually manifests itself through art and music. Usagi (to whom this observation is especially relevant) once commented that Michiru was the ideal example of a princess.
Michiru attends Infinity Academy with Haruka (and the younger Hotaru Tomoe) when she is first introduced. In the manga, after Infinity is destroyed, she and Haruka later attend the same high school as Usagi and the other girls. It is never mentioned where they go after this in the anime, but the two of them are shown driving away in their last appearance in Sailor Moon S, and during a made-for-TV special set during the following season, they are shown staying at a hotel elsewhere in Japan. According to the musicals, Michiru had experience studying abroad.
Michiru's closest bond is with Haruka, and Takeuchi has explicitly stated that the two are in a lesbian relationship in both the manga and the anime as well as the musicals. This was changed in the American dub done by Cloverway (see Censorship).
Sailor Starlights
The Sailor Starlights are a group of three fictional characters introduced in the Sailor Stars of the Sailor Moon metaseries. In the manga, they were relatively minor characters, many of which appeared toward the end of the series to represent the vast number of Sailor Senshi spread out across the...
, at that time a man, asking him to help her unzip her dress. Her stated intention, earlier in the episode, is to learn Seiya's motives out of fear that he is a threat to the planet. This flirtation does not occur in the manga, where Seiya is always a female and plays a much more minor role. However, in the Infinity arc, Michiru appears as temptation for Mamoru, paralleling Haruka being used as temptation for Usagi. Though she never makes any of the advances on Mamoru that Haruka makes on Usagi, Usagi is jealous of her because she sees them together.
Michiru is deeply artistic and is the Senshi most associated with the arts. Her known skills include the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, swimming, and painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
; of all her skills, her strongest is as a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, which is also her greatest dream. She likes all her classes, especially music, and belongs to the Music club at school as well as the Swimming club. In the manga, she collects cosmetics; in the anime, she loves to swim, often using the water as a way to relax. Her favorite food is sashimi
Sashimi
Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy. It consists of very fresh raw meat, most commonly fish, sliced into thin pieces.-Origin:The word sashimi means "pierced body", i.e...
, while her least favorite is kikurage mushrooms. She also dislikes sea cucumbers for unclear reasons, and her favorite color is Marine blue
Teal (color)
Teal is a medium blue-green color. It is named after the Common Teal, a member of the duck family, whose eyes are surrounded by the color.Teal is one of the initial group of 16 HTML/CSS web colors formulated in 1987, shown below....
.
Aspects and forms
As a character with different incarnations, special powers, transformations and a long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver MillenniumSilver Millennium
The Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
era and the 30th century, Michiru gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.
| First appearance | ||
| Form | Manga | Anime |
|---|---|---|
| Sailor Neptune | Act 24 | Ep. 90 |
| Michiru Kaioh | Act 24 | Ep. 92 |
| Super Sailor Neptune | Act 39 | Ep. 167 |
| Princess Neptune | Act 41 | -- |
| Sailor Star Neptune | Act 42 | -- |
Sailor Neptune
Michiru's Senshi identity. She wears a uniform colored in tealTeal (color)
Teal is a medium blue-green color. It is named after the Common Teal, a member of the duck family, whose eyes are surrounded by the color.Teal is one of the initial group of 16 HTML/CSS web colors formulated in 1987, shown below....
and cerulean
Cerulean
Cerulean, also spelled caerulean, may be applied to a range of colors from deep blue, sky-blue, bright blue or azure color through greenish blue colors.The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590...
, and unlike most of the other Senshi, her gloves extend only to her mid-forearms and has a jewel on her teal-colored choker. She is given specific titles throughout the various series, including Soldier of the Deep Waters (or "Depths" in the English manga), Soldier of Embrace, Soldier of Affinity,, Soldier of the Sea, and Soldier of Comprehension. Her personality is no different from when she is a civilian, although certain special abilities and powers are unavailable to her in her regular civilian form. Just like her partner, Hakura/Amara Tenoh, Michiru/Michelle has some precognitive abilities while in her normal form. She is able to prophetically predict who the next target of the Death Busters is likely to be next.
Sailor Mercury
, in Japan, is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a genius schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi....
), and carries one of three Talismans carried by the Outer Senshi; Neptune has the Deep Aqua Mirror, which always reveals the truth. She takes a black-and-white approach to her role as a soldier, one shared by Sailor Uranus, who is virtually always at her side.
As she grows stronger, Sailor Neptune gains additional unique special abilities, and at key points her uniform changes to reflect this. The first change takes place in Act 39 of the manga, when she obtains the Neptune Crystal and her outfit becomes similar to that of Super Sailor Moon. She is not given a new title. A similar event takes place in Episode 167 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Neptune. A third, manga-only form appears in Act 42, also unnamed but analogous to Eternal Sailor Moon (sans wings).
Princess Neptune
During the Silver MillenniumSilver Millennium
The Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
, Sailor Neptune was also the Princess of her home planet. She was among those given the duty of protecting the solar system from outside invasion. As Princess Neptune, she dwelt in Triton Castle and wore a sea-green gown. She appears in this form in the original manga Act 41, as well as in supplementary art. It is unknown whether she had a romantic relationship with Princess Uranus at that time.
Special powers and items
Henshin
is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...
into a Sailor Senshi by raising her hand or a special device into the air and shouting a special phrase, originally "Neptune Planet Power, Make-up!" In the manga she eventually gains her Neptune Crystal and this phrase changes to evoke Neptune Crystal Power. In the anime, although she does upgrade to Super Sailor Neptune, the Crystal is never mentioned and her transformation is never shown on screen after the upgrade.
Sailor Neptune's powers are inspired by Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
, where Neptune
Neptune (mythology)
Neptune was the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology and religion. He is analogous with, but not identical to, the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, each of them presiding over one of the three realms of the universe,...
is the god of the ocean. She never uses the element of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
in a general sense, that being Sailor Mercury
Sailor Mercury
, in Japan, is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a genius schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi....
's domain; instead, she draws energy from the "deep waters" and blasts this at her foes (rather than attacking with physical ocean water). She is given three major attacks in the series, and although they all have English names (like those of the other Sailor Senshi
Sailor Senshi
A appears as a type of heroine in the metaseries known as Sailor Moon. The name comes from sailor fuku, a type of school uniform, and senshi, which can mean "soldier" or "warrior". Naoko Takeuchi, the manga artist who originated the series, coined the term by fusing English and Japanese elements,...
), each is also given kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
in the manga to denote the meaning to Japanese readers. For example, her first attack, Deep Submerge, is given kanji which translate precisely to and . The intended English pronunciation is given in furigana
Furigana
is a Japanese reading aid, consisting of smaller kana, or syllabic characters, printed next to a kanji or other character to indicate its pronunciation. In horizontal text, yokogaki, they are placed above the line of text, while in vertical text, tategaki, they are placed to the right of the line...
. This is Sailor Neptune's primary attack for most of the anime series.
In the manga, Michiru owns a special hand mirror which supplements her precognition. This turns out to be the Deep Aqua Mirror, one of three powerful Talismans, the other two of which are carried by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Pluto. In the anime, she does not gain the mirror until she is revealed as one of the Talisman bearers; in either case, it is used in her second attack, Submarine Reflection . In both the anime and manga, she can use to launch an extremely powerful and devastating attack. In the anime, Michiru can also use it through and dispelling illusions, as seen in the SuperS movie. In the manga, she can also use it for astral projection
Astral projection
Astral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...
, and lends it to Chibiusa while she and the other Outer Senshi are away. Chibiusa invokes the Deep Aqua Mirror's strength and power by stating its name and is able to teleport to Sailor Neptune's location.
Michiru's violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, a Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
worth some five million dollars, is called the Marine Cathédrale and is named after "the temple of the sea". Aside from playing it in concert, she uses it in her third and final attack, which (like the instrument itself) has a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
-inspired name: . This third attack is only used in the manga, and was never shown in the anime. This attack is also used by the evil Sailor Neptune in Act 50, where it is renamed Galactica Violon Tide.
The Neptune Crystal is perhaps her most important possession, as it is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all her power, which becomes especially important in the fifth story arc
Sailor Stars
The following list of episodes of the Sailor Moon anime series covers , the fifth season of the series. Children's TV Asahi, Toei Agency and Toei Animation co-produced the episodes; Takuya Igarashi directed. The series originally aired on Children's TV Asahi between March 9, 1996 and February 8, 1997...
. It is given to her by Sailor Saturn.
Development
The character of Sailor Neptune was not developed until partway through the Sailor Moon series, after the Guardian Senshi were well-established. She was created in tandem with Sailor Uranus, as a pair of "complementary but opposite characters", and meant from the beginning to work alongside Sailor Pluto. Creator Naoko TakeuchiNaoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime and manga fans worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga and anime products to date.-Early life:...
has said that she was shocked by the changes made to Michiru's personality in the anime series, but that she was glad fans still liked the character.
Sailor Neptune's visual design is intended to evoke images of her element, from the choice of colors to the wavy quality of her hair, which Takeuchi even joked might be thought of as seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
hair. In street clothes, Michiru is supposed to be an "artist type" and to dress accordingly; in fact, initial drawings are extremely elegant and "adult", because she was originally intended to be involved in the all-female Takarazuka Revue
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
with Haruka. Although this was not included in the series itself, Takeuchi stated in an interview that she feels Takarazuka is "the maximum level of feminine emancipation," that as such it was her inspiration for the character of Haruka, and that it seemed natural for Haruka to fall in love with another woman—namely Michiru.
The kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
of Michiru's surname translate as and . Together, they constitute most of the name of the planet Neptune in Japanese, . Her given name is in hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
and so its meaning is not inherent, but the word itself means "to rise" . The packaging of Irwin
Irwin Toy
Irwin Toy Limited was a Canadian distributor and manufacturer of toys. It was Canada's oldest toy company and remained independent and family owned.- History :...
dolls released in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1998 called Michiru by the name Nerissa.
Censorship
In the Italian dub, Uranus and Neptune were merely close friends who had a sister-like relationship.In the French dub, the relationship was explained that Uranus poses as a man in civilian form, and Neptune only pretends to be "his" girlfriend, to help protect their identities.
Most European dubs portrayed their relationship to be merely platonic
Platonic love
Platonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
. The Taiwanese dub also toned down the relationship.
In the North American anime, her relationship with Sailor Uranus was redefined as being cousins, and an ex-boyfriend was mentioned, further defining her as heterosexual.
Reception and influence
The official Sailor Moon popularity polls listed Michiru Kaioh and Sailor Neptune as separate characters. In 1994, with fifty one choices, Sailor Neptune was the seventh most popular character, receiving almost eight thousand votes more than Michiru, who was the ninth. In early 1996, with fifty one choices, Michiru was the sixteenth most popular character, and Neptune was the twenty second.Fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
featuring Haruka and Michiru is among the most searched-for fan fiction on the Internet, and Erica Friedman of Yuricon
Yuricon
Yuricon is an anime convention geared toward fans of yuri anime and manga. The first Yuricon event was held in 2003 in Newark, New Jersey with about 200 attending, although Yuricon has existed as an online entity since 2000. The event was organized by Yuricon, LLC., which continues to run...
has described Haruka and Michiru as being "one of the most romantic, funny, and fun yuri couples, ever."
Actresses
In the Japanese anime series and movies, Michiru Kaioh is voiced bySeiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
veteran voice actress Masako Katsuki
Masako Katsuki
is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Hachinohe, Aomori. Formerly from Theater Echo, she is currently employed by 81 Produce and has voiced in several notable films and tv series...
. In the English-language dub, the voice of "Michelle Kaioh" is provided by Barbara Radecki
Barbara Radecki
Barbara Radecki is a Canadian actress who is most popular for her role as the voice of Sailor Neptune in the English version of Sailor Moon S; she had appeared in several earlier episodes as Ikuko Tsukino and Queen Serenity as well...
, who had previously played Usagi's mother. Many fans believe this was due to her resemblance to Ikuko. According to Barbara Radecki, she recorded her Sailor Neptune lines together with her co-star, Sarah LaFleur
Sarah Lafleur
Sarah Lafleur is a Canadian-born actress, most recognizable for her roles in Ugly Betty , The Mentalist , Grey's Anatomy , CSI: NY , Crossing Jordan , Without a Trace , Playmakers ; and the films Shall We Dance? , Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story and Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story...
, the voice of Sailor Uranus, which is unusual, as anime voiceover in North America is usually recorded individually. Radecki also said that she had a lot of fun voicing Sailor Neptune.
In the stage musicals
Sailor Moon musicals
The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
, Michiru has been played by 8 actresses: Kaoru Sakamoto, Chikage Tomita, Miyuki Fuji, Hiroko Tahara, Sara Shimada, Yuhka Asami, Tomoko Inami, and Takayo Oyama. Asami, the longest-running of these actresses, knew nothing about Sailor Moon when she was given a role in the musical, but came to greatly admire the character of Michiru after reading the manga and watching the anime. Nao Takagi, who played opposite her as Sailor Uranus, has stated that certain scenes were specially created just for the two of them.
Michiru does not appear in the live-action series
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon metaseries originally created by Naoko Takeuchi. It is produced by Toei, the same company that produces the Super Sentai Series and the Kamen Rider Series and of which their animation firm Toei Animation, produced the...
.