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Volume 1- Act 1 / Original Episodes 1-2:
The Length: Hips
Manga: It might be at Usagi's hips when the manga starts, but originally it was to her waist. I guess that doesn't really count since we are dealing with what's in the manga. If you look at the end of the ponytail it's drawn very much like you see it in the anime. It's curled. ^_^ It comes to her waist and the curl stays that way all through the first manga.
Anime: It's exactly to her hip. The end is curled like you can see in the original manga pictures.
Reason:
A. The girl is in school, and in the 90's long hair is not exactly in style in either Japan or the US! Usagi hasn't even awakened as Sailor Moon yet! She has plenty of time for hair cuts and manucures, especially with no Sailor Moon business to deal with. That's only if she doesn't spend her money on the arcade games..
B. Takeuchi-sensei was probably trying to conserve what she did with the hair. She hadn't really gotten a chance to play much with long hair. The only other character that really had long hair was Maria. (another manga she did) and that had no chance to really flow like Usagi's. She did get some practice with Cheiri from The Cherry Project, but her hair wasn't as long as Usagi's. It's much less work when thinking of designing a picture to make the hair short rather than long.
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Volume 1- Act 2 / Original Episodes 3-7 (maybe more)
The Length: Mid-thigh
Manga:It's now to her mid thigh. She's awakened as Sailor Moon, and even though some of the older pictures are mixed in, it's mostly to her mid thigh. But in the manga it keeps on growing.
Anime:It stays this way for quite a while, even at the next length for her ponytails it sometimes shortens for comic scenes such as when Usagi fell down to the ground crying because Luna scorned her about responsibility over the Moon Crescent Wand.
Reason:
A. Usagi has just awakened as Sailor Moon and is learning to cope as Sailor Moon. Maybe because she is starting to awaken to her destiny her hair is growing. Afterall, when she was Princess Selenity her hair grew out at an incredible speed (maybe a joke towards the rate at which rabbits grow?)
B. Long hair looks good in manga and Takeuchi-sensei is quite fond of drawing long hair on everyone. By lengthening the hair she has more of an excuse to make it flow off the page so she doesn't ever have to draw the ends.
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Rest of Volume 1- Volume 6 / Original Episodes 8- end of R
The Length: Mid-calf
Manga: It's interesting to note that after Usagi awakened as the Princess her hair grew even longer and it stayed that way for quite a few volumes! Now you can see for some of the color pictures one odango ponytail is shorter than the other! It's noted in the manga that her hair grows very fast when she is awakened, so it's harder to cut. Her hair in general is longer as a Princcess it trails way behind her even when her odango are as bigg as they are going to be! ^_^ You can also see how to make Usagi's odango.
Anime: I laughed when I put the video tape in slow motion and then you could see hair extensions at the end of Usagi's hair when she turned into Princess Selenity! ha! ^_^ But now the hair stays mostly fixed at Mid calf the further you get into the SMR season. In the SM season, sometimes in the earlier episodes, they revert back and since the stock footage was done at the beginning of the season the hair tends to be shorter or longer than before she entered the transformation! Of then the animation director determines how long the ponytail will be and if the animation director for the episode is different from the animation sequence there is quite a difference in the length of the ponytail.
Reason:
A. Usagi is now saving the Earth. Who has time for a hair cut between video games, movies, a boyfriend and a little kid that sorta reminds you of you? Nope! What she really needs is a break from life, so video games and movies an going out with her boyfriend are the ticket. Hair, cut? It can wait! She has a life now.. plus she gets a free manicure everytime she transforms into Sailor Moon and she can do her hair when she transforms. (Japanese Episode 36: Usagi konran! Tuxedo Kamen ha aku? Usagi in Confusion! Evil Tuxedo Mask?; Dubbed episode 32: Bad Hair Day) (Hey it takes even less time for her to transform and detransform than it does for her to fix up her hair.. I mean it gets cleaned that way). So therefore letting it grow out won't hurt.
B. Takeuchi-sensei most likely found out she could do awesome things with the end of the ponytails and even has gotten to the point where she is playing with it more! She is letting is flow off the page, and even letting the hair frame Usagi's face more. She's starting to have fun drawing them as much as we are watching them!
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Rest of Volume 6- Volume 10 / The SMS season
The Length: Mid-calf to lower-calf
Manga: The hair is gradually slowing in it's rate of growth. It stays this way for most of the manga. Though it's hairder to tell since the action is more intense and there is less school life, so Usagi isn't really standing around anymore, most of the time she's transformed. It's really hard finding a picture where you can see the end of her ponytail!
Anime: the last pic they got to see with Usagi's ponytail was to mid calf.. until Takeuchip-sensei decided it would be really neat to have it flow around the page more.
Reason:
A. Usagi is even more busy than ever what with the new enemies and now two new soldiers who want to kill a girl that seems totally innocent! (i.e. Hotaru-chan). Can't we all just get along? Again who has time for a hair cut when your boyfriend seems on the verge of breaking up with you for a beautiful girl (really Michiru.. who is not really interested in boys) and then you find out he's worried that you might be falling for a beautiful man (who is really Haruka.. but Mamoru doesn't know that!). You also think you daughter (whose more like your sister) is trying to grab all of your man's time. What did you say? Hair cut? with exams coming up and your mother weilding a spatula? I don't think so!
B. I think somehow Usagi looks older and looks like she is aging when she has longer odango ponytails. It shows her hardship and that's most likely why Takeuchi-sensei chose to make hthem gradually longer with each season. She's finally gotten the hang of drawing Usagi! It's a definate overall trend and the lenthening of her ponytail happens to fit!
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Rest of Volume 12- Volume 15 / The SMSS season
The Length: Mid-calf to lower-calf
Manga: For most of the manga you can't see it, but there are slight indications that it's gtten longer though it's getting even harder to tell. When she was Neo-Queen Selenity is trailed at least three feet behind her! I'm not kidding here! ^_^ I bet the ginzinshou (Mystical Silver Crystal) covers hair costs now too. ^_^ It does purify things, why not her hair?
Anime: They still haven't gotten to see a picture with Usagi's hair longer. The only character design things that Takeuchi-sensei sent to them on the length of the odango show it to still be at mid calf. Though some of the directors took the liberty to make the hair longer in some of the frames.
Reason:
A.
B.
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Rest of Volume 16- Volume 18 / The SMSailor Stars season
The Length: Lower-calf to the-ground
Manga:
Anime:
Reason:
A.
B.
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