The official Sailor Moon store recently reopened its doors in Tokyo's Harajuku shopping district, introducing a plethora of brand-new store-original goods for franchise fans. Now, the store is releasing two new chibi-esque anime figures for Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter.
As detailed on the Sailor Moon store's official Instagram and on Sailor Moon's official Japanese site, "Eternal Sailor Venus" and "Eternal Sailor Jupiter" are both now available. The character's designs are inspired by their appearances in the two-part film Sailor Moon Cosmos, which was released in June 2023. Both Sailor Scouts are branded as "Rukappu," or "Look Up," a popular figure series that typically shows the characters sitting down while looking upward. As shown below, the designs are also reminiscent of the popular NENDOROID brand, which similarly features palm-sized, chibi-style anime figures. While the figures will be available at the Sailor Moon store, they are also both being sold through online retailers like MegaHouse. As a special bonus, those who purchase the figures through Premium Bandai will also receive an originally-designed mini-cushion for Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter to "sit" on. Including tax, the current retail price is 4,950 yen (roughly US$31).
The return of the only permanent storefront dedicated entirely to Naoko Takeuchi's beloved shojo franchise has resulted in a veritable bounty for Sailor Moon fans. One of the latest store-original releases includes a set of stainless steel beverage tumblers featuring artwork from the original Sailor Moon manga. The store also partnered with Kodansha to release a new store-original mug in honor of the publisher's latest Sailor Moon artbook, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Raisonne ART WORKS (1991-2023). This 200-page compendium chronicles the franchise's lengthy history with 745 different illustrations created by Takeuchi. The aforementioned mug is adorned with vibrant images of the entire Sailor Moon gang.
The Sailor Moon Store's Reopening Has Allowed a New Wave of Franchise Releases
The Sailor Moon store temporarily shut its doors in March 2024 for renovations. The official reopening on April 19 introduced a freshly designed interior and a colorful new logo featuring the franchise's titular icon. Prior to opening day, the store advertised a fresh round of store-original products, including tote bags, purses, bracelets, keychains and more. Sailor Moon's new Venus and Jupiter "Rukappu" figures are uniquely based on a specific Sailor Moon property, the aforementioned Sailor Moon Cosmos film. Directed by Tomoya Takahashi, this movie is a direct sequel to Sailor Moon Eternal and also serves as the finale to the Sailor Moon Crystal anime series. The latter work is a reboot of Toei Animation's original '90s Sailor Moon anime, which aired from March 1992 to February 1997 in Japan. DiC Entertainment brought the series to North America in 1995.
Naoko Takeuchi's original Sailor Moon manga is available in English from Kodansha US. Toei Animation's first Sailor Moon anime series is available on Hulu and Prime Video. Sailor Moon Crystal is available to stream on Netflix and Crunchyroll. While Sailor Moon Cosmos is not yet available to stream outside Japan, Sailor Moon Eternal can be viewed on Netflix.
Source: Official Sailor Moon website, Instagram
