SG5 Shares Their Experiences as the World’s First Official Sailor Moon-Inspired Girl Group
J-pop girl group SG5 (short for Sailor Guardians 5) made their U.S. debut over the 4th of July weekend at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, and it's only a matter of time before they take the world by storm.
After all, SG5 isn't any band. They happen to be the first-ever official Sailor Moon-inspired musical group, backed by series creator Naoko Takeuchi, and that shows in every element of their style and incredible live performances. The group is years in the making, debuting just two years ago, and while they haven't dropped any music just yet, we know they're going to make a splash when they do.
Ahead of Anime Expo, we got to ask SG5 some of our most burning questions. Keep reading to get to know the ladies of SG5, and so much more!
Sweety High: Can each member introduce themselves? What would you say is your role within the group?
SAYAKA: Hello, my name is SAYAKA, but the members call me Sa-chan, so, I hope everyone will remember me as Sa-chan as well! I'm the smallest member of the group, but I also eat the most. I love steak and was surprised by how big the steaks in the U.S. are. But I can still eat it all!
(Photo credit: Willem Stapel and Bryan Huynh)
KAEDE: I'm KAEDE! I represent Sailor Jupiter. Out of the five Sailor Senshi, she is the tallest and I'm also the tallest member of the group! I love communicating with people, so I am often described as outgoing or as the group's mood-maker. My hobbies are playing video games, reading manga and watching movies, and I usually like to spend my days off at home! I also have two dogs, so I love being at home with them!
MIYUU: Hello, I'm MIYUU and I represent Sailor Venus! I am the one with the bangs in the group. I love makeup and cosmetics. I own a lot of cosmetics and also love watching videos of makeup artists on YouTube and spend a lot of time on makeup.
(Photo credit: Willem Stapel and Bryan Huynh)
RURI: I'm RURI! I represent Sailor Mars! My latest hobby is golf, but I have never been around a course, so I can't wait to try it out! I've also loved singing since I was young, so listening to music and attending concerts is another one of my hobbies!
RUI: Hello, I'm RUI and I am 18 years old! In SG5, I represent Sailor Moon. My favorite food is noodles, and I eat them almost every day. My hobbies include watching anime, singing and going to my favorite artists' concerts!
(Photo credit: Willem Stapel and Bryan Huynh)
SH: Were you all individually fans of Sailor Moon before becoming part of SG5? Who are all of your favorite Sailor Senshis?
SAYAKA: Of course! But once this project started, I've become an even bigger Sailor Moon fan, and I've grown attached to my character (Mercury) and I'm now slowly collecting items related to her!
KAEDE: I used to watch Sailor Moon on an anime channel when I was little. Although I'm not of the generation, I remember admiring the stylish and cute Sailor Senshis, and right now my character, Sailor Jupiter, is my favorite! She is strong, and is the tallest of the girls, but inside she is the most girlish. I think the gap between her appearance and personality is really cute, and from watching the story, I felt she really has a pure heart! I have always been told by the other members that I have a gap between my appearance and personality, so I think we have a lot in common.
(Photo credit: Willem Stapel and Bryan Huynh)
MIYUU: I have the impression that the generation a little older than ours was into it, but of course I know the name and watched the anime! And ever since I received the offer for SG5, I've gone back to revisit both the anime and manga and watched the movies and have been buying and collecting different goods in Japan. I've gotten hooked! My favorite characters are Venus and Saturn.
RURI: Ever since I first watched Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars has always been my favorite! Ever since receiving this offer, I've been looking back at both the manga and anime and my love for the series just keeps increasing. And now I'm having so much fun finding and collecting Sailor Mars stuff!
(Photo credit: Willem Stapel and Bryan Huynh)
RUI: Ever since I was young, whenever I saw Sailor Moon goods and collabs, I remember thinking they were cute and always wanting them, and once I was chosen to be a part of SG5, I've been immersing myself more into Sailor Moon by watching the anime and movies and reading the original manga! My favorite character is Sailor Moon! I love her positive personality and how cute and uplifting she is to be around! Sailor Saturn is really cool and is another one of my favorite characters as well.
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SH: How does the Sailor Moon brand tie into SG5 as a group? What are you doing that no one else has done before?
SG5: As part of LDH's new project, which aims to take on the world, we produced the idea of collaborating with manga and anime, which are symbols of Japanese culture. When Ms. Naoko Takeuchi, the author of the original manga, saw a video of us performing, she gave it a raving review, and the collaboration was officially sanctioned and took shape. While inspired by the world of Sailor Moon, the addition of BloodPop's creativity has resulted in an unprecedented new form of collaboration.
SH: How would you describe your sound? How excited are you to be performing in the U.S. for the first time at Anime Expo?
SG5: BloodPop's music for SG5 is always aggressive and experimental. The sound is both strong and delicate, just like the Sailor Senshi. And we are confident that it will captivate many people.
A lot has occurred up until this announcement, but as a group, we are all so happy to finally be able to make this announcement! We are nervous for our first performance following our social media launch, but we hope that you will enjoy our performance and music and we hope to captivate everyone who comes to Anime Expo! And we are so excited for what our future holds!
(Photo credit: Willem Stapel and Bryan Huynh)
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SH: Is there anything else we should know about SG5 as they make their big U.S. debut?
SAYAKA: This project has been in the works for three years, so it feels like the day has finally come. It honestly does not feel real yet, but I'm so happy to be making this new start! It hasn't been an easy journey so far, and I am sure we will hit many more obstacles even after our debut, but everything is so new and exciting so it has been really fun. There is already so much Japanese culture that is loved around the world, but we will do our best to make people fall even more in love with Japan through us—and to make everyone love us too!
KAEDE: The words "U.S. debut" still feel like a dream. In my career as an artist, "debuting in the U.S." and "overseas activities" have always been very big things, so it was dream come true and is not something I had ever actually envisioned. I'm so grateful for this project, and thanks to Ms. Naoko Takeuchi, BloodPop, VERBAL and everyone else involved in SG5, we have been able to create such a wonderful project! We hope that many people will get to know our songs and performances, and that they will fall in love with SG5! I am studying English very hard right now, and I will continue to do my best so that I can meet everyone!
MIYUU: It is such an honor to be able to collaborate with the world-renowned Sailor Moon. I still can't believe it, but I'm very excited about what's to come and hope you enjoy our music and performance! And through anime and entertainment, we would like to share the goodness of Japan with the rest of the world!
RURI: I'm very excited about taking on the new challenge of debuting in the U.S.! We want as many people as possible to know about SG5, and we are all studying English right now, and while we still have a lot of work to do, we are looking forward to doing our best while having fun!
RUI: I hope that everyone in the U.S. will learn about and fall in love with the SG5 project! And I am looking forward to meeting everyone who is looking at this article! And please check out our socials as well!
Want to know what other girl groups we're loving? Click HERE to read our interview with Citizen Queen on their latest releases.