Danica Davidson
May 2, 2025 
Otaku references continue to pop up in the American professional sports world, and this time around we can thank Shohei Ohtani’s wife Mamiko Tanaka for the Sailor Moon nod! Dodgers Station in Los Angeles held Women’s Night “to champion the women in our lives and their impact in sports, business, and culture.” That included having the wives or girlfriends of players choose a song to play while their man walks up to the plate. Tanaka picked “Moonlight Densetsu,” the iconic opening song of Sailor Moon that has impacted many a childhood.
After the song played, Ohtani hit a home run. You can see it (along with listening to “Moonlight Densetsu”) in this video. The announcer also points out this is Ohtani’s first home run since becoming a dad, as he and Tanaka welcomed a daughter last month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3az436C_B3o&t
The Dodgers went on to win the game against the Miami Marlins.
This isn’t the first time Tanaka, who was previously a professional athlete herself, has picked anime music for Women’s Night. In 2024, her choice was JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind’s “il vento d’oro” by Yūgo Kanno.
Sailor Moon is one of the most successful and influential anime and manga franchises of all time. Its full name is Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, and Kodansha USA Publishing, which is releasing it in English, gave this description for the first volume:
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Plot
Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!
This new edition of Sailor Moon will feature:
– An entirely new, incredibly accurate translation!
– Japanese-style, right-to-left reading!
– New cover art never before seen in the U.S.!
– The original Japanese character names!
– Detailed translation notes!This version of Sailor Moon will be completely true to original. Join us as Sailor Moon returns to the U.S. for the first time in years!
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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