Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Jabroniville
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Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL:
-And so I finally got the updated Sailor Moon Crystal series- a 14-episode remake that is more or less the "true" version of the story, as it takes the actual manga and animates it, keeping it (mostly) the same. This rather "purist" thing is a pretty recent movement in anime, as they were typically used to just churning out stories before the mangas ever ended back in the day, or just spacing things out with "filler".

This keeps an animated style much closer to Naoko Takeuchi's own, which is a major style clash for me- most anime keeps to the mangaka's style VERY closely- with Sailor Moon, they imposed a very "generic" anime style over it- to this day, I associate it with being the "Baseline" anime- anything with larger eyes is "Huge-Eyed", and anything with smaller eyes is "More Realistic". But Takeuchi's characters were exceptionally-tall, graceful characters with odd facial shapes and giant, watery eyes.

Weirdly, they use the modern Dub voice cast. Well, it's not weird- they can play the roles, and are used to them. But I figured they'd hire on a new cast, since some of the characters are a bit different.

Episode #1: Fittingly, this one is largely accurate to the Anime & Manga- clumsy, crybaby Usagi is late for school, then goes with her friends Naru's family's jewelry store (Naru is rich in this version). She confronts the monster disguised as Naru's mother, stuns it with a Sonic Cry, and then kills it with Moon Tiara Boomerang- an attack she does expertly as soon as Luna suggests it. You pretty much gotta start small with this. Interestingly, Tuxedo Mask doesn't help- he just observes. And it's made immediately clear what the Mamo/Tuxedo Mask connection is, and both he and the villain are searching for the "Crystal".
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

Episode #2: Hey, it's our first glimpse of Queen Beryl! Here she's admonishing Jadeite (previously only seen as a shadowy figure himself). I'm not loving the white uniforms for the Four Kings of the Dark Kingdom- they look to stark and "neat". The grey made them look more militaristic and humorless. And of course, as in the manga, Sailor Mercury is introduced IMMEDIATELY, instead of ten torturous episodes of "Usagi as a Solo Heroine". Ami Mizuno is considered cold and disinterested in others, and others comment on how she has no friends- overhearing this, she often introspectively sighs and looks down about it. Usagi, figuring she can get better grades if she makes friends with this girl, actually breaks through her shell and gets her talking and playing video games (as in the Original Anime, Ami is a natural at Sailor V).

The plot's the same- Ami goes to a Cram School that's a Dark Kingdom plot to gain more slaves with a brainwashing program installed on a CD (they use CDs and flat-screen monitors now, this being set in more modern times). When Usagi & Luna (who are immune for some reason, I guess) find this out, they come running- Usagi uses the Disguise Pen for literally a five-second scene ("I'm a doctor! Let me in!"), Luna does a hilarious Flying Kitty Attack on the disguised Youma (bouncing off of her head in two frams of animation- light speed, practically). Ami glows with energy and becomes Sailor Mercury- her Aqua Mist stopping the Monster for a second. However, Usagi whines too much and can't escape the Paper Trap, and has to be saved by Tuxedo Mask- his first savior moment! This allows her to use the Boomerang to vaporize the thing.

(First Appearance: Queen Beryl, Ami Mizuno, Sailor Mercury)
(Monster Powers: Immune to Ultrasonic Waves. Papers as Multiattack Blast or Pinning to Wall)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #3: In a weird moment, we see THREE of the Four Kings in a scene at the same time! This is a far cry from the Original Anime, which featured Jadeite as a solitary General, and Nephrite only interacted with Zoisite. And they keep avoiding the term "Four Kings" in this Dub, too. And MAN are these designs effeminate- Jadeite has earrings and long eyelashes, Nephrite does too- and his hair is really flowing, and Zoisite is... Zoisite. Beryl actually explains what the Silver Crystal is, too (this gets glossed over in the Original Anime HARD)- it's the thing from which all energy came.

And we get the new introduction of Sailor Mars, which shares the plot with all three versions- a mysterious bus is disappearing with all its passengers, and the beautiful, mysterious Shinto Shrine Maiden is at the heart of the matter. The whole "girls go out of their way to find a girl because they hear she's pretty" thing seems so odd to me, but I actually know Western girls a bit like that, too. I don't know any straight dudes who do the equivalent with men, though.

Rei is depicted as humble, quiet and reserved, cursing her fate for being born with visions that mark her as a freak- with no X-Men to join, she's pretty hooped, and soon people start blaming her for the disappearances. She gets a vision of Jadeite, and is immediately KO'd by the villain (who now has a Mental Stun power). In a weird bit, Usagi jumps onto the Demon Bus and teleports into D-Point, confronting Jadeite on his home turf! And without explanation, Ami & Luna are all "Well we can just teleport there", which is just "huh?".

Moon & Mercury are nearly frozen by Jadeite's power, but Rei awakens and fights him off- using Chi or inborn energy or whatever to resist. This lets Luna completely understand what's going on, and so she throws Rei a Transformation Stick and suddenly we have our Sailor Mars. The Tiara Boomerang ensnares Jadeite, allowing Rei to fire off an "Evil Spirit Be Excorsized!", burning him in an oddly G-rated manner (he's all "Curse you, Sailor Mars!" and then disappears in flames, barely seeming uncomfortable).

We have our Power Trio now. In only three episodes, too!

(First Appearance: Rei Hino, Sailor Mars, Nephrite, Zoisite)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #4: Well this is just weird- Jadeite's quick departure last episode WASN'T his death, like in the manga- they have him alive here! So they ARE changing things! Kunzite debuts as well, and all Four Kings of the Dark Kingdom pledge allegiance to Beryl once again. Nephrite's put in charge of chasing after Princess D and her "Legendary Crystal", but the girl receives almost none of the characterization from the original anime- she just mopes about everyone paying attention to the Crystal instead of her, and that's it. She's then possessed by Nephrite and tries to run off with the Crystal. We do get our big "Sailor Moon/Tuxedo Mask" dance, which is as major point in all three Sailor Moons.

Sailor Moon's Tiara was burned up last episode, so she suddenly gains a new one, using the warm feelings she got from dancing with Tuxedo Mask (horniness makes jewelry? Well I'll be damned). She harnesses the power of moonlight to create a "Moon Twilight Flash!" that wipes out Nephrite's "shadow", but the Four Kings announce their presence and taunt the girls before disappearing. And it turns out the Legendary Treasure of D is just a crystal statuette of the Princess (who just happens to be cute underneath the giant google-eyed glasses). Tuxedo Mask gives a sleeping Sailor Moon a kiss (dude! Consent is a thing, you know?) as the episode ends, before suggesting to Luna that he "just might be an enemy".

A very weird one, actually. The Princess is just a piece of scenery instead of an important character (like the original anime used to make all the one-offs), and all the Genearls are this combined force. The Princess/Crystal thing is at least a major focus (an issue in the old anime, where "Filler" requirements meant a lot of screwing around). And Makoto Kino is seen in a rainstorm as the episode ends.

(First Appearance: Moon Twilight Flash, Kunzite, Makoto Kino)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #5: And now we have the debut of the ever-talented Sailor Jupiter, coming in an odd episode that doesn't match the comparable one in the original anime at all- it deals with a "Cursed Bridal Shop" that causes grooms to disappear. Mako still saves Usagi in this version, but in the form of repeated rescues from a car/pedestrian collision, a baseball to the head, and a small bump. Still exiled for her reputation and "Amazon" status, Mako is gleeful to meet someone who genuinely seems to appreciate her, in Usagi. She has her energy drained by a Monster (which then easily defeats the three Sailors), but she judo-flips it over her shoulder (shocking Nephrite), throws out a Flower Hurricane to stun the two (a petal cuts Nephrite, who says "I can't move!"), and then "Jupiter Thunderbolt" fries the Monster, and Nephrite escapes.

(First Appearance: Sailor Jupiter, Flower Hurricane, Jupiter Thunderbolt)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #6: Luna reveals to the Sailors her wicked "Secret Base", hidden beneath the Arcade- it looks like a tesseract- an enormous starfield space inside a small area. Zoisite takes over the mission now, and hypnotizes all of Tokyo into looking for the Silver Crystal. The Sailors attack, but are quickly defeated after Mercury manages to tag him- some Area Blasts wipe the floor with them. Meanwhile, Usagi engages in some self-doubt, but is shored up by Tuxedo Mask, who points out that despite her proclaimed "crybaby" and "clumsy" nature, she has the power to see the true nature of the three outcast weirdos that make up her allies and "make people smile", and THAT's why she's the leader. After some more exposition from Luna (who finally details their whole mission, and the fact that she's from the Moon), and some foreshadowing, Sailor Moon unleashes "Moon Healing Escalation", which hurts Zoisite (who leaps in front of Queen Beryl- who'd arrived to taunt the girls and finish them off- taking the hit for his Queen) and saves the day. Passing out, she awakens in Mamoru Chiba's apartment- the jig is up.

(First Appearance: Moon Healing Escalation)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

Episode #7: Usagi & Mamoru have a pretty boring conversation in his room, where they basically reveal identities in full. Mamoru gives his backstory (amnesiac kid who thinks the Crystal will return his memories; also, he points out that he has no powers), while Usagi feels a deep connection and instantly trusts him, despite what Luna's better judgment would probably be. Meanwhile, Beryl awakens Metalia, who is all "I WANT THE CRYSTAL!", while here, Beryl openly admits to herself that she wants the thing for herself, and will attempt to keep it. Meanwhile, some DVD store has opened, and now its brainwashing everyone in Tokyo to "find Sailor Moon!". Moon Healing Escalation quickly takes care of that, but soon Zoisite attacks, easily defeats the three Sailors with a Burst Area attack, and Sailor Moon is at his mercy.

Tuxedo Mask arrives and decks him, but is quickly smashed by Zoisite's next attack (a giant Laser Zap, while he throws up a huge Force Field). Mamo is basically all "No, I love Usako!" because they've met a few times thus far and they're teenagers, but he's screwed. At which point SAILOR V finally shows up, nailing Zoisite with a Boomerang. Sailor Moon suddenly recognizes the moon crescent on her forhead from what has to be three-hundred feet away (WHAT EYESIGHT!).

(First Appearance: Sailor Venus, Artemis)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

Episode #8: Minako reveals herself fully as Sailor V, but identifies herself as Sailor Venus... and Princess Serenity?!? This little twist never made the original anime- that she was supposed to be a "stand-in" meant to protect the actual Moon Princess. She confers with Artemis, who acknowledges their deception. Kunzite makes a play, threatening to wipe out all of Tokyo if Venus doesn't meet him alone, and so she complies. The other Sailors immediately show up, however (with Sailor Jupiter... FLYING them all?), their attacks are easily deflected by his Force Field, and he nearly kills them all. Sailor Moon (who sports a NEW tiara again) falls, only to be caught by Tuxedo Mask. She warns him to flee (since he has no powers), KISSES him (stunning the guy), then he leaps into the path of Kunzite's attack on her.

(First Appearance: Jupiter Flying Everyone Around, Crescent Boomerang)
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

Episode #9: So with Tuxedo Mask struck down, Sailor Moon suddenly gets the Full Episode Flashback deal, as she IMMEDIATELY transforms into Princess Serenity, revealing the... one-episode deception of Sailor Venus. And we go back to the Moon Kingdom and actually spend TIME there, as we get some "forbidden love" stuff, as apparently Moon & Earth people were not allowed to fall in love with each other ("it's the will of God", sez Serenity), but Serenity still snuck down to the "beautiful blue planet" in order to spend time with Endymion (who, obviously, is Mamoru). In our time, Usagi desperately tries to wake Mamoru, with her tears literally crystalizing into the Legendary Silver Crystal.

The scene is a fair bit like the original anime, but takes place on the Tokyo Tower, features Kunzite & Beryl against the Sailors, and they simply grab Endymion, stealing him away (they think they got the Silver Crystal, too, but only because they saw a light absorbed into Mamo's body). Usagi/Serenity's desperate pleas for mercy are actually rather harrowing here, as the other Sailors have to hold her back.

MOAR BACKSTORY!!! The Sailor Guardians were protectors of the Princess of the Moon, while Endymion was the heir to the Earth (which back then was one entire country!). Endymion was slain fighting the soldiers of Earth, who went to war over their desire for the Silver Crystal, egged on by a mysterious redhead who is OBVIOUSLY Queen Beryl, and the "evil enemy" (Queen Metalia).

A pretty nice episode, actually. Usagi losing it over Mamo's kidnapping is pretty epic, and her whole self-pitying "I don't WANT to be a Princess! I just want to be a girl in love!" thing is great, especially once she sucks it up and decides to follow Luna's plan, sending the team to the Moon. I also kinda like that her & Mamo have a real connection BEFORE their history is revealed, and that the revelation of their past actually unlocks her memories, meaning that she actually literally remembers their past love, unlike the original anime, which kind of just treated them as an argumentative duo who was now automatically in love.
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

Episode #10: Things are moving pretty quickly (like, Venus is now hanging around with the group, but she hasn't really be INTRODUCED to them properly, ya know? They haven't hung out at all until now), but the girls kill some time before they head to the Moon. The show robs us of our first potential "Sailor Group Transformation" scene, as they just appear in costume after saying the magic words, then teleport to the Moon, because that's an easy thing for them now.

Their arrival in the ruins of the Silver Millennium is a bit more "heavy", as you find out what all the ruins represent. This is an interesting bit for me, as the original anime made me a fan for life when their version of this sequence came out, reflecting the past of what I'd thought was a "silly girl show". Here, Queen Serenity's animated spirit shows them the past- we see bits and pieces of Princess Serenity's life on the Moon, her trips to Earth with Endymion... and finally her GUTTING HERSELF when she sees him cut down. Like, she literally takes a sword and impales herself with it.

Things get crazier, as Queen Serenity reveals that when she sealed Queen Metalia away, she responded by turning Silver Millennium to stone... then Earth was DESTROYED, and its history had to begin anew! THAT'S why humanity has no record of Moon People or a singular Prince of Earth!

Then we get into the weird bit where the Generals are given their additional backstory (by this point in the manga, they're all dead)- they start remembering their REAL past- their status as Knights to Prince Endymion (protectors, the same way the Sailors are to Princess Serenity). They actually attack Beryl, but she quickly stops them in their tracks, RE-brainwashes them, and sends them to turn Tokyo into a "desert of ice". And then the Sailors fight them, and BOOM- Venus drops the bomb that they were all lovers in their previous lives!

This goes WAY back to a random piece of art Naoko Takeuchi did, featuring the Sailors in the arms of the Four Heavenly Kings. She pointed out this was kind of an idea she had, but it never went anywhere in the comic (as the Generals got demolished too quickly). Here, however, the Sailors suddenly start remembering falling in love with the four of them. They refuse to fight back, but Sailor Moon flies into SPACE (!!), pulls off a huge Moon Healing Escalation that un-freezes Tokyo, then the Sailors debut "Sailor Planet Attack!", which stuns the villains into fleeing. Also, Venus pulls out a frickin' sword from a stone like it's goddamn Excalibur, and this marks her as the leader of the Sailors.
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

Episode #11: A lot more "background" stuff is going on, with Mamoru going "undercover" in the human world at the Arcade (mind-controlling Motoki into thinking they're friends; they were NOT best friends in the original manga), and Minako carrying around a giant friggin' sword, asking if she looks suspicious. Reika, Motoki's girlfriend in the original anime, pops up here, being suspicious of Motoki's "old friend Endo", who is clearly not the same guy she remembers. But pretty soon Mamo brainwashes Jupiter into leading the Sailors to their Command Center and attacks them, beating them down and leading in Queen Beryl.
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #12: A weird, WEIRD one, mainly because it's SO different from how the original anime handled things. Beryl brags about shifting Endymion towards evil, says she's going to rule the world as soon as she gets her hands on the Silver Crystal... but gets attacked by the redoubled Sailors, who deflect her defenses and let Sailor Moon plug the necklace (from which she draws Metalia's power) with Venus's Holy Sword, shattering it and disintegrating the evil Queen to dust. She mourns what might have been (flashing back to her past love for Endymion) in a sad bit. And then the sailors wipe out the Four Kings with a Sailor Planet Attack, ending THAT threat all at once, too! Rather than hurting them, however, it de-brainwashes them, allowing them a moment of clarity... before a revived Queen Metalia kills them all in one shot.

What a bizarre twist this has been- our "Main Villain" taken out in the third-last episode, and her Elites being vaporized at the same time, which makes their little sub-plot seem rather pointless. And Usagi, refusing to simply destroy Mamoru (still controlled by Metalia), slashes him and repeats her suicide move from their time in the Silver Millennium.
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #13: Queen Metalia is all that remains, absorbing Sailor Moon, Endymion and the Silver Crystal, beating up the other Sailors, and spreading herself over the entire world. Luna begs for Queen Serenity to "unleash the remaining power of the Moon", which is a TOTAL Ass-Pull. But now the Sailors mourn Usagi's loss, but proclaim that she MUST still be alive, once they hear her laughter in their heads. After a big, long, dramatic speech from everyone about how they want to see her smile one more time, they throw their remaining energy into Metalia, awakening Usagi, who reveals that Mamoru's pocket-watch blunted the sword's impact.

We got a LONG, drawn-out sequence of Usagi struggling against Metalia, thinking about her friends and relationships, and Mamo awakens, having been protected one last time by his four loyal knights, who wish him well before disappearing. Usagi grabs the Silver Crystal, creates a staff to wield its new "rose blossom" form, and prepares to fight Metalia. Seriously, this was 22 minutes that could have been done in five, though some of the rants and motivations were pretty strongly-enforced.
Jabroniville
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

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Episode #14:
Some pretty cool epic music starts us off, as Sailor Moon does her big brave spiel in front of Queen Metalia. She prays to the Moon itself, which it turns out is the Super-Secret Way To Protection (Luna gets a flashback where Queen Serenity explains this), and with that, she lets out a mega-beam of energy that disintegrates the evil Queen. Like, within the first two minutes, the bitch is dead. A badly-drained Usagi is awakened by Mamoru's kiss, and the Silver Millennium is restored on the Moon. Another "Moon Healing Escalation" (which is the catch-all for EVERYTHING Usagi can do) fixes the Earth and revives the other Sailors, giving us our happy ending.

Of course, then Rei gets the premonition of the Black Moon Family, and Chibi-Usa immediately comes flying down when Usagi & Mamo have their big kiss, which means they REALLY set up for Sailor Moon R in this one!

This one... I liked the extra explanations for things, but it's SO MUCH WORSE than the original finale. In the original, we see Usagi watching her friends cut down one by one as they make Heroic Sacrifices. We see her beg for mercy from the villains, and have to be rebuffed by her teammates. She's forced to kill the man she loves, and hold his dead body in her arms as he makes one last move to kill Queen Beryl. Here... there's not really any of that. The Sailors just fall in one shot and get KO'd, Mamo's death is immediately undone (he's behind her while she fights Metalia), and Metalia gets two episodes of ranting before she loses- Beryl had the PERSONAL stake in the fight, and she was already gone.
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Re: Sailor Moon Crystal- Series Overview

Post by Jabroniville »

One thing I definitely notice from the original anime is the COMPLETELY different set of personalities and natures of the Sailors. In the anime, Sailor Moon was a clumsy, obnoxious, immature idiot, incapable of just about everything. Here, she's effectively an entirely different person, who rapidly gains the maturity and wherewithal that it took her two seasons to reach in the anime. She actually comes off like a MUCH better character- one who's a worthy leader and hero in her own right. Mamoru is a much better character, too- instead of a full season of him being a dink, he is attracted to Sailor Moon quickly, isn't as mysterious, and connects with her on a real, human level. Their relationship thus becomes much more understandable, a bit more relatable, and kind of gets the whole "romance" part of the plot right.

The SAILORS, however... hoo boy. They basically SUCK in this version. They never do well in fights (in the original manga, they kill the Four Heavenly Kings; in the anime, they do well against Monsters), they're overshadowed by Sailor Moon in every way... and they descend into boring Backdrop Dressing almost immediately. Sailor Mars, for example, lacks her bitchy traits from the anime, thus becoming a Generic Friendly Girl- her big character trait is stoicism. Sailor Venus is mature and wise, and also the Sailors' field leader- not a ditzy super-weirdo. Sailor Jupiter loses her hyper-violent, dreamy-romantic nature, thus the reason for her great contrast. The original anime characters were vital, diverse and interesting... their manga/Crystal versions are bland backdrop nothing- no dominating character traits at all. They're just "Sailor Moon's Boring Supporting Cast".

The villains had trouble as well. Beryl was given a tiny bit of character with her love for Endymion, but it's told in a 20-second flashback. The rest of the time she's just Standard Evil Chick. That she's gone in Episode 12 bodes ill, because Queen Metalia is the definition of Eldritch Abomination, and her one-note rants about "I will control everything!" really can't hold the thing for two episodes. I mean, this isn't really a CHARACTER- just kind of a THING- this series requires human-ish bad guys to provide the conflict with some "oomph".

A lot of powers come off as "Ass Pulls" in this show, as well. Simply praying to the Moon gives last-minute superpowers, almost all of the characters are full-powered Teleporters after a point, and more.

I liked some aspects of this show, but overall I find the story much weaker than the original anime, and I don't think I'll be picking up the second volume of it. Just a little too pricey (forty bucks for fourteen episodes) for the quality, especially given how compressed everything is. I'll stick with the original.
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