Sailor Moon
We have to talk about the interstitials in "Sailor Moon R." In particular, the first one, which is the Chibi Sailor Scouts. They are all so freaking cute!! I can't get enough of seeing them.That's really all. I just wanted to squee.
"Usagi's Crisis: The Tiara Stops Working"
Sailor Moon: "Stop it!"
Ail: "Hello, Sailor Moon."
Sailor Moon: "How dare you bully those who are dearest to me? I will not accept any of your apologies! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you."
Usagi is struggling. She isn't entirely happy that she is back to being Sailor Moon. She's upset that Mamoru doesn't remember their previous relationship and that An is also vying for his affection. Usagi's mother forces her out of bed and sends her off. She and Luna end up at the opening of a virtual reality theater where her dad and Shingo are already. The other Guardians are going to meet her, but Usagi ends up being able to skip the line due to Ail hypnotizing the theater employee, so they can unleash a Cardian to steal energy for the Makai Tree. When Usagi powers up, her tiara fails. What will she do now?
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| This guy... |
These first thirteen anime only episodes aren't my favorite of the series. Ail and An aren't really interesting and their plots are basically re-treads of the Dark Kingdom, except they are collecting energy for a tree instead of for a great ruler. But, if you ignore Ail and An, there is some good stuff buried in this first arc.
Usagi is struggling. Sure she's still a goofy, crybaby klutz, but she's not doing great emotionally. She misses the time that she didn't have worry about being a Sailor Guardian. Something that is completely understandable. She's a teenage girl. It's supremely unfair that she has to put her life on the line because of some destiny she didn't ask for. And to her credit, she does it. Even in this episode, she sees the people she loves are in danger and she doesn't hesitate. She charges after Shingo and Mamoru as soon as she hears that they may be in danger. Sure, this lack of dedication is seriously fucking up her powers and causing her tiara to fritz out, but she's still doing the damn thing.
It's fun to re-visit a time when VR theaters and arcades really were the next big thing and there were giant lines around the block. I feel like this is another opportunity for me to proclaim my love for the Tsukino family. It's great seeing Shingo and Mr. Tsukino playing the games together and Shingo getting his Sailor Moon on when he is getting ready to play Laser Tag.
So, I really disliked Mamoru and Tuxedo Mask. If you've read my recaps, then this should not come as a huge surprise to you. I didn't think a character would come around that I would dislike more, but then the show introduced the Moonlight Knight. He's everything bad about Tuxedo Mask amplified to the nth degree and I think I might actually hate him. Mamoru is not doing anything to endear himself to me in this episode, particularly with his asshole comments to the Sailor Guardians about how they dealt with Cardian, Hellant, when he literally did nothing. I just want to punch I'm in his stupid face. But, I will grudgingly say, I was a fan of him telling of An and he and Usagi playing laser tag together was kind of cute until he had to go and ruin everything.
"Sailor Moon" ended on a more somber note than usual with Usagi having family time, but worrying about her powers and her tiara.
Grade: B
"A New Transformation: Usagi's Power-Up"
Usagi: "Moon Crystal Power Make-Up!"
Usagi is still stressed about her tiara not working, but she doesn't let that stop her from having fun. She and the other Guardians, chaperoned by Ms. Haruna, head to the cherry blossom festival. Ail and An decide that is the perfect place to unleash their Cardian, Leshy, and drain people's energy. Usagi is the only one left but even as Sailor Moon she can't stop Leshy who destroys her brooch. Can Usagi regain the power to transform and save her friends with a little help from Queen Serenity?
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| Mother daughter bonding. |
The headline for this episode is that Usagi's brooch breaks and she gets a new on that comes with a whole new power up. Plus, she gains possession of the Cutie Moon Rod, maybe my favorite named anime weapon of all time. Say good-bye to "Moon Tiara Action!" and hello to "Moon Princess Hellation!"
I like that the through line so far of Usagi and her lack of commitment to being a Sailor Guardian and its eventual resolution. I can imagine watching this episode back in the day and freaking out over this. It leads to a nice scene between Usagi and Queen Serenity. I like that the show continues to reference what came before, because it doesn't have to. One little tidbit that I recalled watching this was that in the American DiC dub, they heavily edited the scene where is Usagi is naked. Side boob and side butt were not OK for American children. They just couldn't handle it. I love how Serenity let's Usagi know that the Silver Crystal doesn't have the power that it once did but it has enough to power her transformation.
There is some pure comedy in this episode. My favorite moment of the episode is when the girls get to the Cherry Blossom and find Umino has secured a spot for them, by spending the night there. All because he wants to do something for Naru. Naru approaches him. It seems like they are going to have a nice moment and then Naru zips him into the sleeping bag. It doesn't matter how many times I have seen this episode, it still makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.
Rei and Usagi are back to their old tricks. Sniping at each other while everyone is having lunch. Usagi gets a good dig in at Rei. Putting some hot sauce onto a sandwich and passing it to her. The sequence ends with her breathing fire and again, it's kind of stupid but it doesn't make me laugh any less.
Ugh and there's more Moonlight Knight. So, there's that.
Grade: B+
Next up, I sense a theme as Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus have to rescue a group of kindergartners and Usagi and Mamoru land joint babysitting duty.
What do you all think of these? Does anyone out there really love the Makai Tree Arc? I'd love to hear why in the comments.
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