Sailor Moon was one of the first in the mahō shōjo genre to incorporate a team of magical girls fighting together, instead of the solitary magical girl. Since then, many manga and anime writers have adopted this formula. And abused it.
Some authors didn’t bother to change the costumes, hairstyles, or weapons of their characters. Basically, they just did Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V on the Sailor Moon model.
Nowadays, mahou shoujo animes of all kinds have become popular, but unfortunately, many copy basically the same form, style, clothing, and story.
Check out below 7 animations that are an obvious copy of Sailor Moon:
Table of Contents
1. Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch is basically Sailor Moon, but instead of being guardians, the protagonists are mermaids.
Like in Sailor Moon, the main character needs to keep her true identity a secret. Additionally, the main character, Lucia Nanami, looks a lot like Usagi. She has the same hair color and style, and two of her other mermaids have some vibes of Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter.
2. Pretty Cure
Pretty Cure comes from the same animation studio as Sailor Moon, TOEI Animation. The transformations are quite similar, and even some scenes have identical frames.
Moreover, several characters, like Cure Caramel and Sailor Moon, have striking similarities. Both shows revolve around a group of high school girls fighting for love, friendship, and peace, targeting evil spirits trying to take over the world.
3. Super Twins
Super Twins is a Filipino live-action that aired in 2007. When the teaser for this show premiered, it received so much criticism for being a Sailor Moon knockoff that the producer changed the costumes because they were too similar to those of Sailor Moon. Even so, it’s hard not to see where the show got its “inspiration.”
4. Wedding Peach
Wedding Peach is about a high school student Momoko Hanasaki and her friends. They learn that they are legendary Love Angels who must protect the world from the evil Reine Devila and her henchmen.
This is quite close to the arc of the 1st season of Sailor Moon. Not only that, but Momoko is given a magical pact by an ally, very similar to how Usagi was given her transformation brooch by Luna.
5. Tokyo Mew Mew
The protagonists are five girls tasked with protecting the world from threats. Unlike Sailor Moon, the girls’ powers come from being infused with the DNA of endangered animals.
That said, several of the characters’ weapons and attacks bear a strong resemblance to their Sailor Moon counterparts. For example, Mew Ichigo’s Rose Bell is quite similar to Chibi Moon’s Crystal Carillon.
6. Winx Club
Winx Club is an Italian animated series that lasted seven seasons. Not only is this show a copy of Sailor Moon, but it also borrows elements from the Harry Potter series.
Furthermore, Winx Club also features five heroines as its protagonists and a main character trying to gain magical power.
7. W.I.T.C.H.
W.I.T.C.H. is a show about five magical girls called Guardians of the Veil. Their task is to use a magical crystal to protect their world from evil beings from another dimension.
Sounds familiar? Even one of the characters’ attacks is incredibly similar to one in Sailor Moon. Taranee‘s fire attack is an obvious copy of Rei Manding Burning‘s attack.
It is clear that many other works have also drawn inspiration from Sailor Moon. Do you remember another that copied it outright? We look forward to hearing your comments and shares.
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