Welcome to Written in the Stars, the AnimeFanlistings.com-approved Chiba Mamoru x Tsukino Usagi x Seiya Kou fanlisting. This fanlisting (formerly known as Lovestruck) was adopted from LunarGoddess.net.
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Now that you’ve arrived at Written in the Stars, you might be interested in the prospect of these engaging characters romantically, as friends, as Sailor Guardians, or you want to know what the heck fans like myself were thinking of when creating such a fanlisting. So let’s begin, shall we?
The World of Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon began as a manga, and eventually spawned two anime series (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, often translated as Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon or Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon; and Sailor Moon Crystal), along with numerous stage musicals and a live-action drama series. There are also several video games, websites, and fan-created material from all around the world.
Mamo Usa Kou Who?
You might be more familiar with Mamoru and Usagi as Darien Shields and Serena Tsukino from the hit Japanese anime and manga series, Sailor Moon. Kou Seiya is a character that appeared in the fifth arc (Sailor Stars), which was never dubbed during the original release of the 1990s anime.
Usagi/Serena is better known as Sailor Moon, the Champion of Love and Justice, as well as Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. In the beginning of the series, she is a klutzy, 14-year-old student with a seemingly-endless appetite and a habit of being late to school. Over time, she matures into a capable fighter always willing to do the right thing to save the people that she loves…and that’s pretty much everyone. Usagi’s love is boundless.
Mamoru/Darien, a.k.a. Tuxedo Mask is the reincarnation of Prince Endymion, Princess Serenity’s destined lover. In the beginning of the series, he and Usagi don’t get along very well, but eventually, they fall in love. In the original anime series, they endure a great deal of drama (including amnesia, rivals in love, a break-up, kidnapping, and more) as they work through their relationship.
Kou Seiya is a famous pop star and a member of the band Three Lights (with Kou Taiki and Kou Yaten) but is secretly also a Sailor Guardian from outside our solar system: Sailor Star Fighter from the planet Kinmoku. In the manga, she dresses as a guy, while in the 1990s anime, Kou actually is a male until transformed into Sailor Star Fighter. When Mamoru leaves Japan to go to college in the United States, Usagi and Kou meet: Kou falls for Usagi, while Usagi continues to be oblivious to Kou’s affections and pines for Mamoru, who she never hears from….
Wait a sec, why are you calling Seiya “Kou”?
A point of confusion in the Sailor Moon series is whether or not the Three Lights are related to one another (Kou being a common surname) or not. They never explicitly claim to be related to one another, so why do they all have a name in common?
The thing is, in many Asian countries, people (from those countries) are typically introduced with surnames first: Tsukino Usagi, where “Tsukino” is the heroine’s family name, and “Usagi” is her given name. So for the Three Lights, their names are Seiya Kou, Taiki Kou, and Yaten Kou. This would imply that their surnames are actually “Seiya,” “Taiki,” and “Yaten,” while their given names are all “Kou.”
However, people from other countries that don’t follow this practice are generally introduced with their given name first, surname last, e.g. John Smith. But considering the Three Lights never claimed to be from another country (even though they’re not even from Earth!), their names are written in Japanese kanji (Chinese characters), rather than the katakana sometimes used for foreign names (note: not always. Some people choose to write their name in katakana or even hiragana only… Motoki’s girlfriend Reika and Usagi herself are prime examples of this!).
Here’s a good comparison: think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its many actors playing famous heroes. Consider Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), and Chris Pratt (Star-Lord). The name “Chris” is pretty common, but we don’t think twice about it. But what if they formed a band? They might call themselves the “Three Chrises” or “Chris and the Chrises.”
Perhaps the name “Kou” is meant to be popular enough that these three characters decided to form a band and parody its name off their shared given names (which means “Light”)?
For the purposes of Written in the Stars, Sailor Star Fighter may be referred to alternatively as “Kou” or “Seiya,” since the other two members of the Three Lights don’t play a role in this fanlisting.
For more information about the name debate, check out these sites:
Um, So What’s a Fanlisting?
A fanlisting is a place where fans (that’s you) gather to show their pride, their devotion, their love of– a character, a pairing, anything! Since this fanlisting is devoted to Chiba Mamoru, Tsukino Usagi, and Kou Seiya, if you like them in any sort of relationship, then join! Those with AND without websites are welcome to join– there are all sorts of cool buttons, banners, and text links to choose from, plus you can get your Mamoru/Usagi/Kou fanfics featured on the site! So come on, join!
Where did you get those cute graphics?
Graphics used for version 1 of Written in the Stars come from the now-defunct mobile game Sailor Moon Drops. I sourced them from Minty Moon Drops and Sailor Soapbox. I also made the header image, using a combination of images sourced from the above Tumblrs.
Why Written in the Stars?
The idiom “written in the stars” is often used to mean “fated” or “destined.” While Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship can be seen as “destined” because of their past lives as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, bringing Kou into the mix—as Sailor Starfighter—makes it that much more entertaining!