Why Sailor Moon is beloved by so many, 30 years later

Sailor Moon burst onto Japanese television screens 30 years ago and captured the hearts and minds of young people around the world. Usagi Tsukino - or Serena, to American viewers - was an average 14 year old living a normal schoolgirl life. Then one day, she meets a talking cat who helps her transform into Sailor Moon and tasks her with fighting supernatural forces. Eventually, she'll meet other girls with similar magical powers and, together, the Sailor Scouts battle to keep evil at bay.

Briana Lawrence is fandom editor at The Mary Sue, and a longtime Sailor Moon fan. She recently wrote about the anime for The Mary Sue, in an essay titled "Revisiting the First Episode of Sailor Moon 30 Years Later Makes Me Appreciate Usagi Crying About How Stressful It Is to Be a Magical Girl", and she sat down with NPR's Juana Summers to talk about why Sailor Moon still endures.