Cherry Project Review: The Figure Skating Manga That Showed Who Naoko Takeuchi Was Before Sailor Moon
by Naoko Takeuchi
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
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Before the Moon Princess, there was an ice princess — and she showed exactly what Naoko Takeuchi could do.
Quick Take
- Naoko Takeuchi's early shojo work — before Sailor Moon, before global fame, a figure skating romance that shows the creator's instincts already fully formed
- 2 volumes, complete, with the character design warmth and romantic tension that would later define Sailor Moon
- A small and charming artifact for Takeuchi completionists and figure skating manga fans
Who Is This Manga For?
- Sailor Moon fans who want to see Takeuchi's earlier work
- Figure skating enthusiasts who want the sport as romantic backdrop
- Shojo manga readers who appreciate short, complete stories
- Anyone curious about what one of manga's most famous creators was doing before her breakthrough
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: All Ages Content Warnings: Figure skating competition, romantic elements, sports drama. No concerning content.
Appropriate for all readers.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★☆☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★☆☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★☆☆ |
Story Overview
Asuka Kuramochi loves figure skating and dreams of competing at the highest level. When she meets Tsuzuki, a skilled male skater who becomes her coach and romantic interest, the series moves through the familiar shojo sports romance structure: training, competition, obstacles, the gradual development of feelings alongside athletic progress.
The figure skating backdrop gives the series something to work with — the training sequences have physical specificity, the competition sequences have genuine stakes, and the sport's inherent visual drama (performance on ice for judges) suits the romantic register.
What makes Cherry Project interesting is what it reveals about Takeuchi's sensibility. The character design is recognizably proto-Sailor Moon — a particular way of drawing expressive female characters, a warmth in how romantic tension is handled, an instinct for making the reader care about a protagonist quickly. The elements that would make Sailor Moon extraordinary are present here in earlier form.
Characters
Asuka Kuramochi: A protagonist with the determined-but-warm quality that would later characterize Usagi Tsukino — genuinely motivated by love of the sport, genuinely affected by the romantic element.
Tsuzuki: The mentor/romantic interest type that Takeuchi handled in various forms throughout her work.
Art Style
Takeuchi's pre-Sailor Moon art shows the character design instincts already in place — expressive faces, clear emotional communication, the ability to make ice skating feel beautiful on the page. The art is recognizably hers.
Cultural Context
Cherry Project ran in Nakayoshi in 1990 — before Codename: Sailor V and before Sailor Moon. Takeuchi was establishing herself as a Nakayoshi creator, and the sports romance setting was conventional for the magazine. What was unconventional was the quality of the execution.
Figure skating had growing visibility in Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, making the sport a timely backdrop.
What I Love About It
I love it as evidence.
Cherry Project shows that Takeuchi's talent was not something that appeared fully formed with Sailor Moon. The instincts were there earlier — the warmth, the character design, the ability to generate romantic feeling quickly. Sailor Moon allowed those instincts to operate at full scale. Cherry Project shows what they looked like at smaller scale, which is its own kind of interesting.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Known primarily among Sailor Moon fans who have explored Takeuchi's complete work. The series is regarded as historically interesting for what it reveals about Takeuchi's development rather than as a major work in its own right.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
Asuka's first competition performance — the combination of technical execution and the emotional expressiveness that figure skating requires, depicted by Takeuchi as both physically real and romantically charged. The scene demonstrates what the sport can do for a romance narrative: the performance is simultaneously athletic and intimate.
Similar Manga
| Title | Its Approach | How Cherry Project Differs |
|---|---|---|
| Sailor Moon | Magical girl epic with cosmic scope (same creator) | Small-scale sports romance — same creative instincts at an earlier stage |
| Ginban Kaleidoscope | Figure skating romance with supernatural element | Straightforward sports romance without supernatural complication |
| Meteor Prince | Short shojo romance with fantasy element (same creator) | Sports rather than fantasy — ice without magic |
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1. The series is complete in 2 volumes and reads most naturally in order.
Official English Translation Status
Cherry Project has no official English translation.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Takeuchi's character design instincts are already fully formed
- Short — 2 volumes, a small and complete experience
- Interesting as an artifact of a famous creator's development
- The figure skating backdrop is well-used
Cons
- No English translation
- Very short — the story doesn't have room to develop significantly
- The formula is conventional shojo sports romance — the Takeuchi signature elevates it but doesn't transform it
- May disappoint readers expecting Sailor Moon-level ambition
Is Cherry Project Worth Reading?
For Sailor Moon fans and shojo manga completionists, yes — the evidence of Takeuchi's early talent is genuinely interesting, and the figure skating romance is charming if not remarkable. For general readers, this is not the entry point to Takeuchi's work; Sailor Moon is. But as a short, warm early work, it delivers what it promises.
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Physical | Japanese editions available |
| Digital | Available in Japanese |
| Omnibus | Included in Takeuchi complete works collections |
Where to Buy
No English release yet. That just means you find it before everyone else does.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.