Sailor Moon
Tuxedo Mask has been brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom, we are entering the endgame of season one but "Sailor Moon" will always have time for fun, frivolous, funny episodes. I appreciate that. Things need to be light sometimes.
"Let's Become a Princess: Usagi's Bizarre Training"
Sailor Moon: "You can't flunk Sailor Moon without consequences. I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon..."
Sailor Mars: "... and I am Sailor Mars..."
Sailor Venus: "... and I am Sailor Venus."
Sailors Moon, Mars & Venus: [together] "And in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!"
Since finding out she is the Moon Princess, Usagi is determined to be as royal as she can be. Luckily, Lady Rose is giving a seminar on how to be a princess at the Rose Mansion. Usagi spies on the girls and is able to get in due to her proficiency with a frisbee. When the other girls hear about Usagi's princess training, they decide to join too. Shockingly, this is all a plot by the Dark Kingdom to learn the identity of Sailor Moon. When Lady Rose reveals herself as a monster, transforming Mako and Ami into living statues, it's up to Usagi, Rei and Minako to save the day.
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| Tea? |
I really love this episode. It's ridiculous and really funny right from the start and has a pretty feminist bent in an episode about girls trying to be trained to be stereotypical princesses.
I love how even though Usagi had this huge revelation about who she really was, she's still a giant mess. She's late for school. She did none of the homework assigned. She's falling asleep in class having delightful dreams about ordering people around as a princess and Miss Haruna groveling at her feet. Sadly, dreams blend into reality with Haruna standing over Usagi in the real world and Usagi ending up being sent into the hallway for the rest of the class period.
It's honestly just joke after joke after joke in this episode and I'm here for it especially since they just keep landing. There is the reveal that Artemis is who Luna has been reporting to this whole time. I just love the image of him with the headphones on, open cat food tin. It really tickles me. It's a nice twist that Usagi gets in to the seminar based on how good she is with a frisbee due to her "Moon Tiara Action." It is so perfect.
I love the commentary on this princess seminar too. Luna and Artemis are very adamant that Usagi needs to be more like a princess and Minako rightfully points out that since Usagi is a princess whatever she does, however she acts is princess like. Why should she need a seminar? Preach, sister!
The comedy continues into the villainy and the climax. Kunzite and Endymion refuse to work together. What little babies and it doesn't work for them. When youma, Shakoukai, reveals that they know Sailor Moon is clumsy, lazy, stupid and unrefined, I was cackling. Drag her! The design of Shakoukai, with the various clamshells all over her body is amazing. It's beautiful and menacing. I enjoy when the show changes up the final act because the fights can sometimes be repetitive. So, Sailor Moon offering the confused Shakoukai some tea to distract her was really everything. A great bow on this really clever, cute, funny episode.
Grade: A-
"The Snow, the Mountains, Friendship and Monsters"
Sailor Moon: "We can't forgive you for trapping us in this ice. Don't you know it's really not good for young ladies to let their toes get cold?"
Sailor Mars: "How dare you freeze my Yuuichirou into a statue? You're going to pay for what you've done, monster!"
Sailor Moon: "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
Sailor Mars: "In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"
At the Hikawa Shrine, Rei finds an advertisement for a Moon Princess pageant held in the mountains and thinks that it is a grand idea to go. Despite this being an obvious trap, she and Usagi somehow convince the other girls, including Ami to go. They tell Artemis and Luna that they are going for training and the cats are not interested in the cold so they stay behind. They are joined by Yuuichirou and when Rei and Usagi are cut off from everyone else can they stop the Dark Kingdom's newest monster by themselves?
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| BFFs |
This is another frivolous, super light and frothy episode and it's fun, but I didn't have as much fun watching this episode as I did watching the last one.
There are a couple of things that stand out in this episode and one of them is the relationship with Rei and Usagi. Throughout the anime, Rei and Usagi are portrayed as polar opposites. They are basically oil and water. Usagi thinks Rei is mean, because she kind of is and Rei looks down on Usagi because of her flights of fancy, cowardice, clumsiness, etc. I have mentioned this in previous reviews, but I think Rei's main issue with is Usagi is that she sees a lot of herself in Usagi. Rei is a romantic. She wants a boyfriend. She wants to be a princess which is why she completely overlooks the fact that this Moon Princess contest popping up out of nowhere is legit a trap. Rei gets upset with Usagi because she is a physical manifestation of the things that she dislikes in herself being shoved in her face.
So, it's nice to see softer sides of the girls in this episode. They really have this heart to heart. This is the first time they've really talked since the slap in the episode where everything is revealed. And, I love how Rei isn't upset with Usagi for the whole Mamoru thing. There's no jealousy. No accusations of stealing her boyfriend. Both girls are very mature and I think it is a really great thing for people, especially young girls to see. The back and forth between Rei and Usagi is fun and amusing, but it's nice to see them be genuine with each other and show that no matter the barbs and the jabs, they are still good friends. Even if Rei denies everything to everyone at the end of the episode.
The other kind of major plot development is Tuxedo Mask stopping Blizzar from hurting the girls. that red rose shows that he is fighting against the programming of the Dark Kingdom.
Everything is is pretty par for the course. Funny skiing scenes. A deepening of the relationship between Rei and Yuuichirou. A standard showdown between Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon and Blizzar. All fine, but aside from the Rei/Usagi stuff, pretty pedestrian with nothing really raising those scenes surrounding the big one to elevate it.
Grade: B
Next up, just when you think that "Sailor Moon" can't get gayer: ice skating. Plus, the Tsukino family bonds.
What do you all think of these episodes? How do you feel about the Rei/Usagi frenemieship? Let me know in the comments.
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