Sailor Moon
We are getting down to the wire, Moonies. We are almost finished with the inaugural season of "Sailor Moon." After this, we have four episodes left and things are getting real. We have callbacks and a look into a Sailor Guardian's past in today's episodes. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?
"I Won't Run Away From Love Anymore: Ami vs. Mamoru"
Sailor Moon: "From now on, when you're in the mood to recycle, only recycle cans. Don't try to recycle people who were living peaceful lives. It's unforgivable! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
Remember the seven great monsters that housed the seven rainbow crystals? Endymion sure does. And he's going around capturing them so he can bring them all together to form the greatest monster. Ryo, the boy who had a crush on Ami and could kind of see the future, contacts her to warn her. Ami is determined to stop Endymion and maybe go on a date. Will Sailor Mercury be able to stand up to Endymion on her own?
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| Break that crystal! |
"Sailor Moon" is not the type of show that revisits things that have happened in past episodes. It has it's arc, but the standalone episodes that weren't featured in the manga are basically that: standalone. So, it's kind of cool that they decided to bring back the seven great monsters plot thread. This could be because it was a plot that was concocted purely for the anime, but that is all speculation on my part.
The episode shines a light on Ami and it is nice to see her take center stage. A lot of the time, it can feel like Ami is kind of shuffled into the background. It sometimes seems that because she is the levelheaded one and not super boy crazy that the writers are like, she's not interesting. So, how do they make her interesting? They bring back a boy that has a crush on her. I mean, listen, no one said it was perfect, but I'll take it.
I kind of think it's hilarious and very teenager that when it comes to boys and romances there is no middle ground whatsoever. There is Usagi, Rei and Mako who are a walking ball of hormones. They will do anything for love or boys, and won't let their Sailor responsibilities get in the way of that. Ami, on the other hand, won't even entertain the idea and seems to be A-OK with forgoing any sort of personal life because of not only her academics but also because of her Sailor Guardian responsibilities. There has to be some sort of happy medium here girls.
Ryo and Ami have a nice rapport, but why are you not going to take up the superheroes offer to protect you? That is crazy. You're not some badass dude. One thing I didn't love about the episode was how Endymion is, I guess, this badass who no one can compare too. Though, it did make me chuckle when he mentioned how they only have the same attacks. Mercury holds her own until the other girls arrive. Endymion almost changes back but is spirited away and apparently he's going to get Queen Metalia's energy too? Kunzite is going to love that. All this plus Ami and Ryo have a cute amusement park date. And we will probably never see him again.
Grade: B+
"Sailor Venus' Past: Minako's Tragic Love"
Papillion: "I see. So, you are Sailor Moon, huh?"
Sailor Moon: "At this point, I don't care if you know who I am. I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I'll punish you."
Before Minako came to Tokyo as Sailor V, she was in London, helping the police. When Kunzite finds this out, he changes her friend, Katarina, into a youma and has her contact Minako. Usagi follows and learns about Minako's past crush, Allen. Can Sailor Venus help her friends and reconcile her feelings for the man she once loved?
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| Sad Sailor V. |
Everyone knows that I love Sailor Venus. And when they did the original DiC dub in the US, they left this episode out. No one knows for sure why. Because it was a little more mature? There were guns? Who knows? All I know, is that I would have been gagging for this as a little young queer boy. I was obsessed with it when I first saw it and it is still one of my "Sailor Moon" episodes to this day.
The plot of this episode is loosely pulled from the "Codename: Sailor V" manga. I say loosely because it is very bare bones. In the manga, Minako didn't visit England. I believe she was in Greece and China. China was super important to the story. She did make friends with a police officer, but it was a Tokyo police officer. I don't mind the changes they make here.
I will say the plot getting Minako to meet back up with Katarina was pretty flimsy. Kunzite somehow finds out Katarina worked with Sailor V. He transforms her into the youma, Papillion, to get close to Minako because she knows Minako was Sailor V. But she doesn't tell Kunzite who Sailor V is? That seems suspect. But it's a smaller thing, that doesn't detract from the episode as a whole.
I really enjoy this episode. I felt like the flashbacks to Sailor V's time with Katarina and Allen really worked. It does just enough to show that these people really cared about each other and why Minako would just drop everything when Katarina called. One thing I love about this episode and about Minako as a whole is that she is one of the most mature Sailor Guardians. She has a crush on Allen, but she recognizes that it is a schoolgirl crush. That he loves Katarina and that they don't have a future together. It's a great moment for her and for the show.
The action in this episode is good too. We get new aspects like when the building blows up. And I love that they find this random abandoned yacht in the middle of the ocean where they can go toe to toe with Papillion. So good. Here's to more Sailor Venus focused episodes.
Grade: A
Next up, we are heading toward the final showdown and the Sailor Guardians are at each other's throats? Plus, the Sailor Guardians get sent to the ruined Moon Kingdom.
What do you all think? Excited that Minako and Ami got the spotlight? Ready for these final episodes? Let me know in the comments.
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