Minako Aino

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Sailor Moon character

Sailor Venus
Minako as Super Sailor Venus
Profile
Name:	Minako Aino (愛野美奈子[1])
English:	Mina Aino
Birthday:	October 22 (Libra)[1]
Age range:	Codename wa Sailor V: 13 Sailor Moon: 14 to 16
Aliases:	Sailor V, Princess Venus, Princess Sailor Venus (PGSM), The Princess (PGSM)
Affiliations:	Sailor Team, Shadow Galactica (manga)
Powers:	Can attack with love-based powers, in different forms of light and metal. Can use Moon and Venus based attacks as well as light attacks as Sailor V.
Performers:	(See below)

Minako Aino (愛野美奈子, Aino Minako^?, or Mina in the English versions) is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. She is best known by the name Sailor Venus (セーラーヴィーナス, Sērā Vīnasu^?), one of the series' primary heroines — the Sailor Senshi.

Minako was first introduced as the protagonist of Naoko Takeuchi's much-shorter manga series, Codename wa Sailor V, of which Sailor Moon is a sequel. In it (and the early part of Sailor Moon), she goes by the pseudonym Sailor V, and is given personal backstory. The plotlines of Sailor V are generally compatible with the newer series, but are usually considered as separate.

Contents 1 Profile 2 Aspects and forms 2.1 Sailor Venus 2.2 Princess Venus 2.3 Sailor V 3 Special powers and items 4 Variations 5 Actresses 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Profile

This section focuses on Minako as she appears in the anime and manga and the Sailor V Manga. For information about her character in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, see Variations.

When Minako is first introduced, she has been fighting on her own for some time as Sailor V, having been awoken by Artemis about a year prior to Usagi being awoken as Sailor Moon by Luna. In the anime, she spent some of that time in England, fighting as Sailor V, where she met a young police woman named Katarina and a young man called Alan, with whom she fell in love. When she found out Alan and Katarina, who was as close to her as an older sister, had become a couple, she felt betrayed and moved back to Japan, leaving the two of them to believe her to have died in an explosion.

In the manga, she stays in Japan and there becomes friends with police superintendent Natsuna Sakurada, a big Sailor V fan.

Minako almost always wears a bright red bow in her hair, even in Senshi form. As a result of her past battles, she has a relatively serious personality, and is very focused on their mission as Sailor Senshi. As time goes by, she is able to relax, and in later seasons her personality slowly mutates into a more excitable, even goofy character. With the proper conviction, an off-hand interest of hers can quickly evolve into humorously obsessive ambition. In addition to distancing her from Usagi design-wise, this is generally regarded as a delayed manifestation of the carefree life she could not enjoy while fighting solo. The beginning of this trend is often traced to the very popular second-season episode (#78), titled The Problems of Venus-Minako as a Nurse (Venus Minako no nurse daisoudou), or in English, No Thanks, Nurse Venus!, in which her overzealous efforts to care for her ailing friends backfire in humorous ways. Her speech is also notoriously peppered with various malapropisms.

Silly or serious, Minako consistently displays great confidence, enthusiasm, and leadership skill. She is the "owner" of Artemis, the white guardian cat who introduced her to her life as a Senshi. He lives in her home (as Luna lives in Usagi's) and is one of her closest friends. She is the only Senshi other than Usagi to live with both parents, although references to her family life are downplayed outside of the Sailor V manga (perhaps because her father looks almost identical to Usagi's).

For the first four anime seasons, Minako attends a different junior high school (Shiba Kōen) from the others. In the fifth season, she joins Usagi, Ami, and Makoto at Azabu Jūban High School. She belongs to the Volleyball club,^[2] and her favorite class is Physical Education (while her least favorites are math and the English language).^[1][3]

One of Minako's greatest loves is pop culture. She wants to be an idol, and so makes a hobby of chasing them whenever possible. Her favorite colors are yellow and red, and she also likes birds^[4] and curry rice. She has trouble with shiitake mushrooms, her mother, and the police (presumably because of her experiences as Sailor V). She is blood type B and stands 157.48 centimeters tall (5 ft 2 in).^[5][6]

Minako takes her role as the 'Soldier of Love' literally, and enjoys regaling friends and acquaintances with advice about romance. She is very boy-crazy and a flirt. Despite her declared expertise, Minako herself has little personal experience in relationships, though she is generally on the lookout for opportunities. Her most consistent crush was on Yaten Kou, during the Stars storyline. Thinking about him even gave her a nosebleed at one point--a common symbol of sexual attraction in anime, and the only occurrence of this in the entire series.

Minako shares a special manga episode with Rei Hino, entitled Rei and Minako's Girls School Battle. In it, she disguises herself as a student at Rei's private school and wanders around enjoying herself (and annoying her friend). In the process, she accidentally releases an evil spirit, which attempts to eat the students.

The kanji in Minako's name translate as "love" (愛, ai^?), "field" (野, no^?), "beauty" (美, mi^?), "what/how" (奈, na^?), and "child" (子, ko^?). It is structured as a pun, as the syllable "no" indicates a possessive, so that her name can also be understood as "Minako of Love." Unlike the other Senshi, her family name does not begin with the same kanji as her planet, which would have been "gold" (金, kin^?). However, like them it is still a representation of her primary element. The characters of her given name can also, using unconventional but extant readings, be read as Binasu—a Japanese approximation of the name "Venus". In an early DiC promotional tape that advertised Sailor Moon to television stations, Minako was called Carrie. Another preliminary name, appearing on Kodansha's English website in an advertisement for the series, was Monica.

[edit] Aspects and forms

As a character with different incarnations, special powers, transformations and a long lifetime virtually spanned between the Silver Millennium era and the 30th century, Minako gains multiple aspects and aliases as the series progresses.

[edit] Sailor Venus

Minako's primary Senshi identity. She wears a uniform colored in orange, navy blue, and yellow, and retains the red bow she wears as a civilian. In the live-action series, this bow appears only when she is in one of her Senshi forms, and has a gem in the center. In the manga and live-action series, she also wears an item called the "wink chain" around her waist, which she sometimes uses as a weapon. She is given specific titles throughout the various series, including Soldier of Love,^[7] and Soldier of Love and Beauty.^[8] Her personality is no different from when she is a civilian, although certain powers are unavailable to her in that form.

In Japanese, the name for the planet Venus is Kinsei (金星, Kinsei^?), the first kanji indicating a metal, especially gold, and the second indicating a celestial object. Unlike the other Inner Senshi, however, her special abilities are not derived from the element in her planet's name; in fact, the only appearance of metal in her powers is the chain she uses as her primary weapon. Instead, most of Sailor Venus' powers are based on the concept of love, a reference to the Roman goddess of love, Venus. She also has a few moonlight-inspired attacks due to her time as Sailor V.

Sailor Venus is the de facto leader of the Inner Senshi, and in turn is under the sometimes-awkward leadership of Sailor Moon. In the manga, as the leader, she is entrusted with the poisonous sword used to kill Queen Beryl, which turns the stone blade into a sword made of Silver Crystal. Her role as the leader of the Inner Senshi is rarely mentioned in the anime, in which Sailor Moon is nearly always the one to finish off each enemy. It is mentioned frequently in the live-action version, although Sailor Venus rarely spends any time with the other Senshi.

In the live-action series only, upon her introduction, Sailor Venus's outfit is slightly different to represent her disguise as the Moon Princess. She bears the crescent moon symbol on her forehead in place of a tiara (just as she did when she was Sailor V), and wears a crown with a fake Silver Crystal on it. The latter disappears after the gem is revealed to be a fake, and she gains a normal tiara when Usagi is revealed as the real princess. This form is often refered to as Princess Sailor Venus.

As she grows stronger, Sailor Venus gains additional powers, 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 Venus 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 143 of the anime, and she is given the name Super Sailor Venus. A third, manga-only form appears in Act 42, also unnamed but analogous to Eternal Sailor Moon (sans wings).^[9]

[edit] Princess Venus

During the Silver Millennium, Sailor Venus was also the Princess of her home planet. She was the leader of those who protected Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. As Princess Venus, she dwelt in Magellan Castle and wore a yellow gown--she appears in this form in the original manga, as well as in supplementary art.^[10][11] Naoko Takeuchi once drew her in the arms of Kunzite, leader of the Shitennou. No further romantic link between them was established, although in the Original Picture Collection Vol. I, Takeuchi expresses a desire to explore the possibility of such relationships.^[12] In one flashback (Act 13), Minako blushes and seems flustered around Kunzite after a conversation about love.

[edit] Sailor V

A preliminary form, under which Minako fought alone before the other Sailor Senshi were awakened. She wore a very different uniform under this name, most notably a red mask, and her appearance and powers were more often related to the Moon than to Venus. In the early storyline of Sailor Moon, she is something of a celebrity figure, of whom Usagi Tsukino is a great fan. She called herself the Soldier of Justice.^[13]

Because Minako's creation predates the Sailor Moon metaseries, some aspects of her character are slightly incompatible with the other Senshi. For example, her magical attacks lack the strict elemental rules: Venus is typically associated with metal in Chinese astrology, but her attacks are vague and 'light'- or 'love'-related. The incorporation of the 'love' element comes from the Roman goddess Venus, while the association with light is only found in the anime version: in the BSSM manga, Sailor Venus never performs her 'Crescent Beam' attack she once used as Sailor V, presumably because she no longer needs to appear as a Moon Princess. Nonetheless, the planet Venus is associated with light and shine, as it is the first and brightest celestial body to appear in the sky during half of the year. It is also known as Myōjō (明星), literally "Bright Star".

Sailor V's uniform is considerably more elaborate that those of the planet-based Senshi. It is mostly blue and red, and includes shoulder-armor, quarter-length sleeves, and broad stripes of color. She wears a shirt rather than a leotard, as well as her characteristic red mask. In the manga and live-action series the shirt had sleeves and smooth gloves, but in the anime it was sleeveless with ring-topped gloves. The anime also added a second layer to her shoulder guards. The Materials Collection shows the anime version of her outfit. Like the red parts of Sailor Moon's costume, the bow on Sailor V's chest was made dark pink in the live-action series. The colors of her mask and hair bow are unaltered.

[edit] Special powers and items

Minako is not shown using any special powers in her civilian form. To transform into Sailor Venus, she must first raise a special device (pen, bracelet, wand, or crystal) into the air and shout a special phrase, originally "Venus Power, Make-up!"^[14] As she becomes more powerful and obtains new transformation devices, this phrase changes to evoke Venus Star, Planet, or Crystal Power.^[15][16] In the anime, Sailor Venus's transformation sequence evolves slightly over time, whether to update the background images or to accommodate changes to her uniform or a new transformation device, but the animation remains essentially the same. They all involve a ribbon of stars which she whips around to form her outfit.

Minako's transformations into Sailor V are not clearly shown—in the Sailor V manga, she shouts the phrase Moon Power Transform. By saying the word Crescent first, she can take on a disguise, and this is used in the Sailor Moon manga as well. In the live-action series she is shown storing her uniform in a suitcase, but she is also shown changing instantaneously into Sailor V while running down the street. Although her true identity as Sailor Venus takes precedence over her temporary Sailor V guise, in her own manga series she used a number of powers unique to the form. Her most important item was the Crescent Compact, which she used to gain energy for her primary attack, Crescent Beam.^[17] She is also given numerous physical attacks^[18], references to her guardian planet,^[19] and comically named one-off powers.^[20] In the live-action series, her Compact can also be used as a sharp throwing weapon, and she retains it even as Sailor Venus.

Sailor Venus' powers are based on Japanese and Roman mythology, which held Venus as the symbol of metal and love respectively, as well as on the mythical association between Venus and the Moon. In the Sailor Moon anime, Sailor Venus' first primary attack is again Crescent Beam, this time without use of an item.^[21] She uses a similar power in the live-action series, without using an item or any special phrase,^[22] but nothing like it in the manga; instead, she uses Rolling Heart Vibration, which also makes a single appearance in the live-actions series.^[23] Her first attack that is entirely consistent across the different adaptations is Venus Love-Me Chain, which in the manga and live-action series uses the chain wrapped around her waist.^[24] Aside from a few variations,^[25] this remains her main attack for the rest of the second story arc, all of the third, and much of the fourth.

When she takes on her second Senshi form (Super Sailor Venus in the anime), she gains the ability to use Venus Love and Beauty Shock, which is her most powerful attack.^[26] In the manga this is a stronger version of her chain attack; in the anime, she blows a kiss that destroys the enemy. In the manga she also gains the Venus Crystal, which is her Sailor Crystal and the source of all of her power, a fact that becomes especially important in the fifth story arc. In the live-action series, she is given a tambourine-like weapon (the Sailor Star Tambo) by Artemis.

[edit] Variations

In the anime and manga, Minako dreams of being an idol. In the live-action series Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, she actually is one, which is the largest character alteration ever made within the metaseries. Starting in Act 1, Minako is shown as a famous singer, of whom Usagi Tsukino in particular is an enormous fan.^[27] Her second album, newly released at the start of the series, is called "Venus" and her most popular song is "C'est La Vie", which is a Japanese pun. In Japanese, the French phrase is pronounced almost identically to the name of her alter-ego, Sailor V. Her first album, "Imitation," was released prior to the events of Act Zero.^[28] It foreshadows later plot developments, even though she recorded it prior to meeting Artemis and becoming a Senshi. The track listing: "Origin of the Legend", "Imitation", "Don't Lose! Christmas Girl", "Love Versus Dream", "Happily", "Secret!", "Orange Heart", "White Rendezvous", and "Make Up! Power!!".^[29]

Minako secretly leads a double life as idol and Senshi--famous as a singer, and perhaps equally well-known as Sailor V. She remains distant from the other girls, but is aware of each of their identities (possibly because of Artemis, whose character is largely unchanged).^[30] As in the other series, she eventually discards the guise of Sailor V in favor of her true form: Sailor Venus.^[31] Nevertheless, she becomes only slightly involved with the others (except for Rei Hino), and frequently expresses disapproval of their effectiveness as Senshi. She is frustrated by their lack of focus, and generally separates herself for that reason and others. In Act 18, however, it is revealed that Minako deliberately avoids becoming friends with the the rest of the Senshi because she does not want them to be saddened by her likely death due to a terminal illness.^[32]

Minako has a conflicted relationship with Rei in the live-action series. Though they often disagree and compete with each other, they also share great respect. Minako even sometimes lets her guard down around Rei, and eventually confides to her about what she feels is her destiny as a Senshi. Indeed, Minako discloses the seriousness of her illness to Rei alone.^[33]

In terms of personality, Minako is almost completely different from her anime/manga counterpart. She is deeply solemn and rarely smiles. Besides the complications from an unnamed, seemingly terminal illness (the doctors in one episode give her 6 months to live), her obsession with the collective past life makes her feel detached from the world, considering her current life less important. However, she does seem to genuinely love singing, and does show a small mischievous side. In Act 19 she gives Artemis a prank Valentine's Day gift, which springs open and scares him, much to his displeasure.^[34] Laughing, she then gives him his real gift. In Act 47 she pulls the same trick again, this time having a stuffed lion pop out of a box that she said contained a recording of her new song. In Act 47, Minako goes to an examination for her surgery. Later that day, Artemis shows up at Rei's temple to tell her that Minako has died. The information crushes Rei and the others. Curiously, Minako seems to have been aware that she would die that day, as she leaves the others a note at the Crown Game Corner giving her good-byes. Though Minako officially dies before the final battle, Usagi's use of the Silver Crystal in the finale gives Minako a second chance at life.^[35] This also allows her to take part in the battle in the Special Act, in which she uses her own weapon as well as Rei's (who was in the hosptial) in combat.

As in the manga, she serves as a decoy Moon Princess for some time. She seems to be aware of her true position, often endangering herself to protect the real princess, Sailor Moon. In a twist, Usagi serves as a decoy Minako in Act 12, chasing away a group of autograph hounds. She does this because she figures Minako needed to be away from the trappings of stardom for a while.^[36]

[edit] Actresses

In the anime, Minako's seiyū is Rika Fukami.^[37] In the English-language dub, Mina is voiced by Stephanie Morgenstern (episodes 29-82 and movies) and Emilie Barlow (episodes 90-166).^[38]

In the stage musicals, Minako has been played by eleven actresses: Nana Suzuki, Sakae Yamashita(Yume Senshi - Ai - Eien Ni's CD Only), Chizuru Soya, Kanatsu Nakaya, Akiko Miyazawa, Miyu Otani, Nao Inada, Yuki Nakamura, Ayumi Murata, Mizuki Watanabe, Momoko Shibuya, half-American idol Erica.^[39] Some sites have reported that gravure idol Erika Sawajiri played Venus in the musicals, but this is incorrect.

In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Minako is played by Ayaka Komatsu.^[40] Komatsu loved her character so much that in her album "I'll Be Here" she is credited as "Aino Minako".

[edit] See also

• Codename wa Sailor V
• Venus (planet)
• Venus (mythology)
• Aphrodite

[edit] References

• Biggs, Gina. Sailor V ~ Before Awakening. Retrieved December 14, 2005.
• Doi, Hitoshi. Aino Minako/Sailor Venus. Retrieved February 1, 2005.

Sailor Moon series v • d • e
Codename: Sailor V | Manga | Anime | Episode list | Stage musicals | Video games | Live-action | English adaptations | Actors | Story locations | Parallel
Protagonists (including Sailor Senshi) Usagi Tsukino | Chibiusa | Mamoru Chiba Ami Mizuno | Rei Hino | Makoto Kino | Minako Aino Setsuna Meioh | Michiru Kaioh | Haruka Tenoh | Hotaru Tomoe Queen Serenity | Luna, Artemis, and Diana Sailor Starlights | Princess Kakyuu | ChibiChibi Minor and supporting characters Story arcs Sailor Moon | SMR/Black Moon | SMS/Infinity | SuperS/Dream | Sailor Stars	Antagonists Dark Kingdom (Shitennou/Generals) Makaiju aliens | Black Moon Clan (Ayakashi Sisters) Death Busters (Witches 5) Dead Moon Circus (Amazon Trio, Amazoness Quartet) Shadow Galactica (Sailor Galaxia, Sailor Animamates) Chaos Movies Sailor Moon R movie | Sailor Moon S movie | Sailor Moon SuperS movie