The fiery Sailor Mars has been brought to the realm of real life by a skillful Sailor Moon fan.
Pictures of the impressive cosplay were uploaded on Reddit by the user Lex Lunar. According to the creator, the outfit took "a LOT of trial and error" to construct. "I did countless mockups and alterations before even touching the final fabric. The only formal sewing class I've taken were home economics in school, but I'd really love to learn more professional techniques in order to make my work more 'finished' on the inside."
Sailor Mars isn't the only protector of the solar system that Lex Lunar has brought to life. Their Reddit account features several shots of a stunning Sailor Uranus cosplay as well as images of Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury. There is also a picture of Lex Lunar participating in a group cosplay of witchy versions of the Sailor Scouts.
The Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon manga by Naoko Takeuchi appeared in Kodansha's shojo magazine Nakayoshi from December 1991 until February 1997, producing 52 individual chapters worth of content. The story focuses on Usagi Tsukino, a middle school student who gains powers from a mysterious artifact known as the Legendary Silver Crystal and becomes the titular magical girl. As she battles to prevent the destruction of the Earth and the universe as a whole, Sailor Moon finds many allies who also take up the mantle of Pretty Guardian.
Sailor Mars' Popularity
One of these allies is Rei Hino, aka Sailor Mars, who wields the power of fire. Rei is introduced early on in the story as a shrine maiden, which means that alongside her pyrokinetic abilities, she can use Ofuda charms and possesses psychic clairvoyance. The character quickly resonated with Sailor Moon fans, as evidenced by a 1993 popularity poll in which she ranked sixth. As such, Mars went on to star in her own short story, Casablanca Memories, which delved into her past.
While Takeuchi's manga series end almost three decades ago, the story remains a pop-cultural cornerstone and continues to inspire a plethora of fan-made content. Beyond Lex Lunar's Sailor Moon cosplay, professional cosplayer and model Tami Yuurei perfectly captured Sailor Neptune's sophisticated but sometimes cold personality and a piece of crossover fan art imagined what the Forgers from Spy x Family would look like as Sailor Scouts.
The Sailor Moon manga is distributed by Kodansha Comics in North America and by Turnaround Publishers Services in the United Kingdom.
Source: Reddit