Everybody knows Sailor Venus from Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, but do they know how it all really started? How it started with a thirteen year old girl showing off in gym class and then landed - rump first - onto a white cat with a gold crescent moon on his forehead? No? Follow along; you might as well learn something, then.
My little Minako-chan shrine won't be a simple regurgitation of information. Instead, everything I have has been translated by myself and my Lonely Planet Japanese to English Phrase Book and Dictionary, along with help from Udi Hoh and Heather Solomon. This shrine includes translations of the Sera V manga [that I plan to mirror from Alex Glover; with his permission, of course], images, brief character information and anything else I may think of to add.

Artemis: Cat from the planet Mau. He has the ability of speech and was with Queen Selenity during the Silver Millenium. He was sent to find the former princess of Magellan Castle [of Venus] and help her to perform her duties as the sailor soldier Sailor V.

Minako's Parents: The people who raised Minako. Minako's father is fairly laid back while Minako's mother seems to wear the pants in the family. She's forever getting into arguments with her daughter. Neither parent knows of Minako's alter ego.

Hikaru: Minako's best friend. She looks an awful lot like one Mizuno Ami. She goes to school with Minako and idolizes Sailor V. She often wishes that Minako were more like Sailor V: responsible.

Amano: Amano is another school friend of Minako's. He absolutely adores Sailor V and video games of all kinds. He's also a fan of idol singers. Funny how he looks a lot like Umino Gurio from Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, the geek who has a crush on Usagi in the beginning.

Sakurada Natsuna: This red headed bombshell is the superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board. She's also a huge fan of Sailor V. She secretly has a poster of Sailor V hidden behind a map of the city hung on her office wall. Once she found out that Sailor V was Minako, she could often be seen trying to convince her to join the police force as a special officer. Minako also calls this woman 'oneesan' (big sister).

Wakagi: Special Officer Wakagi Toshio, age twenty seven, is the officer under Natsuna. He hates Sailor V and considers her to be a menace and blames her for all his bad luck in capturing villians, which is ironic when Minako makes him her Valentines Day sweetheart. Natsuna has charged Wakagi with bringing Sailor V to her. Because he doesn't, at the end of book 2, volume 9, he's sent to the Siberian branch of the Metropolitan Police Board. When he returns, he later learns of Sailor V's true identity; he begins, then, to get over his grudges. Slowly.

Saijou Ace: Saijou Ace has several identities. He shows up, first, as a vigilante similar to Sailor V. He wears a white mask and uses the aces from playing cards as weapons. Later, we find that he's a television star, playing the heroic Kaitou Ace, best friend of girls everywhere. When Minako wins the chance to act in a movie with Ace, we learn that he works for the Dark Agency (predessor to the Dark Kingdom) and had been deeply in love with Princess Venus back in the Silver Millenium. Back then, he had been known as Adonis, love of Venus' life. He turned to the Dark Agency, becoming a soldier called Danburite under the four Generals in hopes that he could somehow change fate so that he and Minako might be together. To Minako, he gives her the fortune: she will never have an ultimate lover. She will have only duty, and that's to keep fighting for that one precious person.

???
Boss: Unknown person who contacts Artemis and Minako through the special pen that was given to Minako. This person (voice) instructs Artemis on how to train Minako as Sailor V and often has information to help them fight the current enemies. The only name that this voice is known as is Boss. [Speculation: It could be Queen Selenity's spirit. Why? If you read the arc in the beginning of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon manga where Usagi comes to find that she's Princess Selenity, the dead queen's spirit appears for a while to help explain the past to her daughter and the other senshi.]

Crescent Moon Compact: Minako has several uses for the compact. First off, it's used for transforming into her Sailor V form and is trigged by saying 'Moon Power Transform'.
Secondly, it's used to disguise herself. Example: to defeat the Dark Agency idol Petite Pandora, she transformed herself into a guy. This is activated by saying 'Crescent Moon Power! Transform! Turn me into a ---'.
The compact isn't only a transformation device. It can also be used as a way of showing truths. When Minako looks into the mirror within the compact, we see her reflection is that of Sailor V, complete with crescent moon upon her forehead. When the mirror is aimed at one of the Dark Agency's minions, their true, monstrous forms are revealed.

Business Card Sensors: A new item given to Minako by Artemis. When held by an enemy, they give off an alarm.

Venus Microphone: A microphone given to Sailor V by Artemis. It was used in the fight against Mike Makki.

Crescent Beam: An attack used from the Crescent Moon Compact. She opens the compact to look like two crescent moons back to back, then fires upon whoever it is she's fighting.

Crescent Super Beam: Another attack using the Crescent Moon Compact. It's a lot like 'Crescent Beam', but a little more powerful. It's developed when she fights against the gang leader - and Dark Agency minion - Vivian.

Crescent Slender Beam: Another variation of the 'Crescent Beam'. This one was developed fighting against Dark Agency minion Debrine. It's a pun on the fact that Debrine's evil act was making the girls of Tokyo fat on Rainbow Chocolates just before Valentines Day.

Love Crescent Shower: A healing technique used from the Crescent Moon compact. When aimed at the sky, it creates a powdery-like rain or mist to fall over victims of the Dark Agency's evil spells or control. It melts away the evil. Consequently, baddies caught under the same 'rain' will melt away.

Venus Love Megaton Shower: The final, ultimate attack using the Crescent Moon Compact. It shines the brilliant light of truth at the attacker and dissolves them. It's capable of crumbling a building.

Venus Sulfur Smoke: A defensive attack developed during the fight with Nyan-nyan, the cat spirit baddie. Sailor V claimed it came from the atmosphere of the holy planet Venus when Artemis questioned her about eating too many sweet potatoes for lunch and having a gas attack.

Venus Ten Billion Volt Rock 'N' Rouge: The attack resulting from the use of the Venus Microphone.

V-chan Striking Katana: Developed during the fight with Wan-wan, the dog spirit baddie. She summoned up a sword from who knows where and shoved it through the stomach of Wan-wan.

Sailor V Kick: A powerful kick that Sailor V delivers when fighting.

Venus Iron Muscle Punch: A powerful punch developed in the battle against Nyan-nyan, the cat spirit baddie.

Rolling Screw Sailor V Punch: Another very powerful punch she develops when fighting the Dark Agency minion called 'Hibiskos'.

Sailor V Chop: A karate-like attack Sailor V has improvised into her battles.

V-chan's Rub Out Sailor V Chop: A painful looking attack Sailor V developed fighting the Dark Agency minion, Debrine.