October 29th is Setsuna Meiô/Sailor Pluto’s birthday!
So how can you celebrate?
♇ Rewatch or reread your favourite Pluto-centric chapter, episode, or musical! Pluto’s narrative role is one of solitude, the lone Guardian of the Space-Time Door, so it stands to reason she would have the fewest dedicated episodes in the series - but she does still have some! Try episode 75, where she is introduced in order to guide the Sailor Team into Chibi-Usa’s dream and save her from a phantom reaper; episode 82, where the Sailor Team meets her in person for the first time and they learn of her unique duty as she guides them through time; episode 121, where she discovers Tellu’s plot to use alien plants to absorb energy and helps Sailor Chibi Moon thwart her; episode 171, where an unusual pair-up sees her join forces with Sailor Venus to fight Nehellenia’s Mirror Paredri; or episode 182, where she is intrigued by the appearance of a mysterious young girl into Usagi’s life, and the three of them must fight off a new villain.
In other canons, she had much more of an impact on the R finale in the manga than the anime, so you could reread Act 24: Attack – Black Lady and Act 25: Confrontation – Death Phantom of the manga or watch their corresponding episodes in Sailor Moon Crystal. She was also much more prominent in the Musicals, so why not try watching a production from the classic Myu run like Eien Densetsu, Shin Densetsu Kourin, or Tanjou! Ankoku no Princess Black Lady, or a newer musicals like Petite Étrangère? Lastly, while she didn’t have a huge role in the SuperS anime season, she did feature in SuperS: The Movie after Sailor Moon S: The Movie along with the other Outer System Sailors.
♇ Sailor Pluto is one of only two of the ten main Sailor Soldiers not to receive an official vocal image song, but she does have an instrumental song called GARNET GUARDIAN and two solo songs in the classic Musicals, STAY ALONE and FORBIDDEN HADES. She also shares a song there with Queen Beryl called Onna no Ronsou (“Dispute Between Women”).
Here’s a playlist of all these songs and other Sailor Pluto BGM cues!
♇ Setsuna’s favourite “food” is tea, implicitly but not necessarily green tea, so steep a pot of your favourite loose leaf blend in her honour. There are actually a couple of official Sailor Moon teas, including “space” flavour (which apparently means rum and raspberries, an approximation of the sweet aroma of ethyl formate experienced by spacefarers), but there are also various fan-crafted blends on sites like Adagio or Etsy, or you could visit a teahouse with some friends. Of course, any tea becomes Pluto tea if you put your cup on a Pluto coaster.
If tea isn’t your thing, just try and avoid her least favourite food for the day, which is eggplant.
♇ Sailor Pluto is a mysterious character, but we still know a few of her hobbies/interests. She would love to become a designer, even famously depicted wearing a (now vintage) 1992 haute couture Chanel dress, so you could dress up in your most high-fashion outfit, browse some style blogs for inspiration, or just watch The Devil Wears Prada for the 973154th time. She is also said to be talented at sewing, much like Sailor Jupiter, so it might be time to bust out the sewing machine and look up some elegant patterns - though word-of-Goddess also states that she likes to lounge around the house in hotpants, so you could, you know, just do that.
(Manga scan credit: SailorMusic.net)
She’s also a physicist, so you could read about or watch some science info-tainment, from a good old Carl Sagan documentary to a smaller YouTube channel like Physics Girl.
Her stated hobby is shopping, so why not embrace the 90s by going mall-trawling, patronise some local sellers, or browse online for ways to support small businesses or official series merchandise.
♇ Dress like Setsuna for the day! Setsuna had possibly the most iconic personal style out of all 10 Sailor Soldiers because she almost always wore the same outfit - a mauve two-piece suit inspired by Chanel’s 1992 Spring ready-to-wear collection. She did branch out into other outfits on occasion, though, particularly in the manga, where she dabbled in more risque looks. No matter what she wore, her style was always chic and elegant, giving the impression of a luxury designer brand, and it had a professional edge that separated her from the rest of the cast as a more mature working woman, featuring blazers, button-downs, statement jewellery, and bowties.
You don’t need to own designer-label clothes to emulate Setsuna’s style - turn to YouTube or independent bloggers for tips on how to DIY some thrifted pieces so that they look ultra-fashionable without the price tag.
As Sailor Pluto, her image colours were black, grey, and maroon/reddish-brown, and when transformed, we could see she wore a plum lip tint. Her earrings were large, deep red (her favourite colour), and arrow-shaped, reminiscent of acrylic or enamel.
♇ As the Guardian of Time, her birthday is the best opportunity to get yourself organised. As the new year approaches, why not work out what your schedule will look like, and invest in a quality calendar, planner, or app that will help you achieve your fullest potential in the months to come?
♇ Setsuna is often portrayed as the loneliest Sailor Soldier, having to defend the Time Door all on her own. If you know someone who’s often isolated and could benefit from some social interaction, reach out to them and hang out for a while. It may make more of a difference than you think. Especially if you have a super-cute tiny polite purple kitten to bring with you.
♇ Have you considered dying dramatically then coming back to work the next Monday like nothing happened?
♇ If you’re still harbouring unrequited feelings… it’s time to move on. Take it from someone who’s pined for millenia.
♇ Fav and read some Sailor Pluto fanart and fanfic on sites like Pixiv, Twitter, and AO3 - or contribute your own new content! Don’t forget to tag!
Feel free to reply and reblog with your own ideas of how you’re going to celebrate Setsuna’s day!
kianamaiart
tangentwithtanner
annaxmalina
gummygunk
