

It's always seemed a bit odd to me. The best explanation I can think of is
that it's a reference to makeup, which is itself (sort of) transformational.
Just wondered if this is something Takeuchi ever explained somewhere.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-22T23:58:15.293
14117
2021-12-01T10:21:19.910
8438
question
sailor-moon
Why is "Make Up" the transformation keyword used by the Sailor Senshi?


**TL;DR:** Because the target audience for the show are girls. And girls are
supposed to like makeovers.

* * *

[An excerpt from the
book](http://books.google.com/books?id=Ck2Q5qPVSlYC&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=sailor%20moon%20make%20up%20transformation%20keyword&source=bl&ots=7hhK9AYMoU&sig=s6Q0SdrVNr2d6ftA2WNV1aR17IE&sa=X&ei=VWElVJi9ArHgsATo_oCACA&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=sailor%20moon%20make%20up%20transformation%20keyword&f=false)
_Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination (Anne Allison)_
(emphasis mine):

> In a property like Sailor Moon, these two words [romance and fantasy
> marriage] blend in a story line that incorporates both fighting and romance,
> (...) however the text still belongs in "girls' country" (...).
>
> Girl heroes have powers rooted in magic or otherworldliness, they fight to
> help friends, **their weapons double as fashion accessories** , a princess
> or spirit empowers them, they "make up" when transformed, and "love" is
> their keyword. (...)
>
> When girl heroes morph, however, the **process is more a "makeover"** than a
> "powerup". Apart from empowerment, that is, transformation also beautifies
> girls, fostering personal attractiveness, romance and dreams.

* * *

We can infer that the **"make up"** magic word in Sailor Moon is used to
foster the identification process between the audience (young girls) and the
characters.

In Sailor Moon Crystal, the
[protagonist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagonist) is 14 years old. From
the same Wikipedia article:

> The audience is intended to mostly identify with the protagonist.

So, there you go.

This answer also answers: "Why is Tsukino (sailor moon) 14 years old?"


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-26T13:03:01.010
14179
2014-09-26T13:14:07.100
2014-09-26T13:14:07.100
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answer