Sailor Moon is one of the most popular anime series ever to come out of Japan. Based on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi, it originally aired from 1992 to 1997 and played a major role in revitalizing the magical girl genre. When it was exported to the West in the mid-1990s, Sailor Moon captured the hearts of a generation of female fans with its mix of friendship, comedy, drama, and action. It went on to influence many anime that followed, perhaps none more notably than Revolutionary Girl Utena.