Gaming keyboards designed for competitive gaming are great, but if you’d prefer something more casual with adorable aesthetics and quiet linear switches, look no further than the Akko Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2).In collaboration with the beloved Japanese animated series, Akko has crafted an excellent keyboard with a style primarily utilizing pink hues alongside iconography relevant to the series—like illustrations of cat companions Luna and Artemis. Even if you’re unaware of the series, Akko’s near-silent Fairy switches, per-key RGB lighting, soft PBT caps, and satisfying 3.3mm travel are impressive in their own right. Frankly, you don’t need to be a fan of Sailor Moon to appreciate this keyboard’s visual flair. It’s absolutely one of the best gaming keyboards out there, but if you’d like to know whether it’s right for you, keep reading.Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2): Price and configurationThe Sailor Moon Crystal (5087Bv2) is a tenkeyless keyboard utilizing a gasket structure, with our model featuring the silent Akko Fairy switches. Kailh Ice Cream Pink and Purple switches are also available if you’d prefer clicky keypresses. Its connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0, a 2.4Ghz dongle, and a wired USB Type-C connection. Our model is available for $99 on Akko’s website, though the alternative switch options bring the total cost up to $106. I only wish Akko offered a version of this keyboard with a palm rest.This isn’t the only Sailor Moon Crystal keyboard available from Akko, with the 5108S ($99), 3087 ($79), 3108v2 ($89), 5108B ($109), and 3108RF ($105) revealing extensive collaborations between the two. Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2): DesignThe Akko Sailor Moon Crystal is designed in collaboration with the popular Japanese animated series Sailor Moon Crystal, a modern adaptation of the original Sailor Moon manga.(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)Even if you aren’t caught up on the intricacies of anime, the keyboard’s references are minimalistic enough that even non-fans can enjoy its aesthetic.Its PBT keycaps are a mix of light pink with a darker hue primarily for functional keys like Backspace, Shift, Tab, and more. Its most explicit reference to the series is in the space bar, where Sailor Moon Crystal is written in pink cursive script.Elsewhere, a cute illustration of Luna is on the escape key, while one of Artemis is on a key that brings up the calculator by default. This can be rebound through Akko’s website (as long as you have the drivers installed).(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)While you’ll appreciate these illustrations more with knowledge of the show, anyone can enjoy them since they’re pretty much just cute black and white cats. The other illustrations are on the arrow keys, with pink cat paws pointing in each direction, alongside a pink Sailor Moon bow with a golden brooch at the center of the Enter key.Beneath the surface, its Akko Fairy linear switches utilize three pastel colors with a purple switch, pink border, and blue base. Beyond being absolutely adorable—and much preferring them over their monotone alternatives—they allow for quieter keypresses. It has 3.3mm of travel and utilizes a gasket mount structure for a cushioned typing experience.And, of course, each of its sockets is hot-swappable, alongside N-key rollover ensuring each press is scanned individually by the keyboard itself to allow for perfect accuracy.(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)Its keys are also at different heights, with the top two rows being 10.5mm, the third row at 8.3m, the fourth row at 6.9mm, and the bottom two at 7.1mm. This creates an alluring curvature, great for both ergonomics and aesthetics, which is common among gaming keyboards.Its per-key RGB lighting allows you to implement a color scheme befitting the keyboard’s prominent hues, as its base RGB spread doesn’t fit the style. I initially opted for fully white keys to compliment the pink keyboard, and it looked absolutely adorable. The Sailor Moon Crystal also has customizable RGB lighting on the side, but we’ve yet to figure out how to change its colors and are still awaiting comment from Akko officials.The Sailor Moon Crystal weighs 1.9 pounds and measures 14.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches. This is unsurprisingly larger than the Akko PC Tokyo (MOD007B) (2.2 pounds, 13.1 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches), but being a beefy competitive keyboard, it weighs more. While the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro (3.7 pounds, 16.5 x 7.2 x 2.8 inches) is also a tenkeyless keyboard, it’s larger and heavier. Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2): SoftwareSimilar to the PC Tokyo, the Sailor Moon Crystal’s software cannot be modified through an official application. Users must download the company’s driver through its website and make modifications on the browser page. Akko has informed me that the company is working on a dedicated application, but we won’t shy away from how inconvenient it can be until then.(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)Unlike the MOD007B, the Sailor Moon Crystal doesn’t hide its wireless connectivity switch beneath the keyboard keys–which forced me to pull out the caps lock to turn the feature on. Thankfully, it’s nestled beneath the keyboard, with USB (which is for wired only), Windows, or Mac options to choose from. The 2.4Ghz mode requires no tinkering beyond just plugging the USB in. Even in 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth mode, you can still use the website to make changes.Akko’s software features customizable key sensitivity, ranging anywhere from a +1 to 10. It also has options for how long the keyboard takes before going to sleep on 2.4Ghz or Bluetooth modes, ranging anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes. Similar options are available for how long before the RGB lighting turns off, with choices between one and 60 minutes.(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)Its per-key RGB lighting is fully customizable in the browser’s Light section. The base option is “Always on,” where I simply made each key white. But you can swap between dozens of light modes, including ordinary options like Breathe and Ripple, alongside unique options like Stars Twinkle and Flowing Spring. You can even have the keys react with the music you’re listening to. However, I wish swapping between these options took less time to load, as it makes experimenting cumbersome.There’s also the Share section, which allows you to do without the effort of customizing yourself and instead apply user-made color layouts. Users can even upload their own if they’re particularly proud of something they’ve created, with current popular examples being a Sakura layout that utilizes a blend of light and darker pink hues, perfectly complimenting the Sailor Moon Crystal keyboard. Otherwise, you can get fades of certain colors and themes inspired by Cyberpunk with bold blues and purples. It’s plenty of fun to install these and see which one you like the most.Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2): PerformanceThe Sailor Moon Crystal’s base model with Akko Fairy linear switches is designed to be quiet, and while it’s near-impossible for a keyboard to be 100% silent, you’ll love this if you’re the type who prefers friends in Discord calls not hearing you clacking away.While writing this review, I can hear the faintest, hollow keypresses, and even when I’m working at my fastest speed, it’s as if I’m tippy-toeing between every letter. Thankfully, its silence doesn’t detract from its feel, as every click is cushioned yet still satisfying with its perfectly smooth PBT keycaps. If you’re uncomfortable with overly soft key presses, you might not enjoy how it feels. While some might describe it as hollow, its cushioned texture is satisfying for a silent keyboard.(Image credit: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)Otherwise, the Sailor Moon Crystal isn’t explicitly designed for competitive gaming, but it was still more than satisfactory for my sessions. I’m not the type of person who makes much use of modifiable actuation force or customizable profiles, but if you are, you might want to look elsewhere.I played Warhammer 40,000k: Darktide and had no issue as I ran through heretic-infested gothic citadels, strafing left and right while I whacked at enemies with my axe. Its 3.3mm of travel let me jump between each keystroke with ease, swiftly swapping weapons and activating my ultimate without feeling slowed or bogged down. Bottom lineAkko’s Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2) sets out to accomplish a specific goal and does so excellently. Consumers who are fans of the Sailor Moon series (or just love cute aesthetics), prefer silent switches, love soft keycaps, aren’t competitive gamers, and want per-key RGB lighting should look no further. The only major flaw here comes in due to the lack of dedicated modifying software, alongside it being a bit difficult to customize to begin with.If you’d prefer something more competitive but still seek a cutesy style, we highly recommend the Akko PC Tokyo (MOD007B). And, if you’d rather do without the pink, the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL. Otherwise, the Sailor Moon Crystal (5087B v2) is absolutely worth it.
