Sailor Mars Animation Cel from Sailor Moon S

This production used, animation cel depicts Rei Hino from Pretty Solider Sailor Moon S: episode one, the third season of the anime series, Sailor Moon. The anime series is adapted from the manga created by Naoko Takeuchi, first serialized in 1991.  
 
Teenage Rei Hino, who in guardian form is known as Sailor Mars, is one of the four inner Sailor Senshi who works along Sailor Moon to protect the Earth from evil. Known for her red uniform, her attacks in battle are centered around fire, archery, and spiritual powers such as precognition. In this particular scene, Rei Hino is unable to transform into Sailor Mars as she is under attack by a Daimon, or humanoid-like monster.  

Sailor Moon, one of the most influential manga and anime series, ran for 200 episodes, 18 volumes, and three full length films, all translated out of its original Japanese into various other languages. Takeuchi often mentions that that the Power Rangers series were an inspiration for her more female centered cast. It is one of the bestselling manga series with over 35 million copies sold worldwide. The anime version first aired in Japan in 1992 and ran concurrently with the manga. Although there are many differences between the two, the themes of strong friendship, female empowerment, and the visual, immersive appeal of the artwork still resonate with fans today.  
 
This animation cel is one of the many steps in the cel animation process, a two-dimensional animation style that was common prior to the advent of digital animation. It was common for animators to transfer their draft drawings to celluloid, a transparent plastic, and often included hand coloring, like this one. Due to the flammable nature of celluloid, the industry mainly switched to cellulose acetate in the latter half of the 20th century. The cels were then placed over a background and photographed in a sequence.