Sailor Moon R
Have you been curious what the deal is with the Black Moon Clan? Are you still unsure of Chibi-Usa's connection to Sailor Moon? Well, you're in luck because you're getting answers in these episodes. Let's get to it.
"Protect Chibi-Usa: The Clash of the Ten Warriors"
Sailor Moon: :Stop right there!"
Koan: "Sailor Moon!"
Sailor Moon: "How dare you pick on that brave young girl from the future who came here all alone?! Now, in th ename of hte Moon, I'll punish you!"
Usagi is dreaming of marrying Mamoru, but it seems like Chibi-Usa is having more troubling dreams that cause her to wet Usagi's bed. After Usagi's overreaction, Chibi-Usa flees and tries to once again use her key to return home. When it doesn't work she again expels energy that brings all four Spectre Sisters to her location. Can Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians protect Chibi-Usa from these new enemies when they are united?
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| Face off. |
Seeing how this episode starts with an extended bed wetting gag, I'm sure most who have never seen it before were surprised to find out that this is a pretty pivotal episode when it comes to the Black Moon Clan and why they are after Chibi-Usa. Honestly, that opening scene is definitely the weakest part of the episode and it made me a little uncomfortable. So, like it starts out with Usagi having this intense wedding dream about marrying Mamoru and then she wakes up and the bed is wet near her crotch. It's not entirely apparent if she wet the bed or had a wet dream. Now, neither one of those things is bad, but the way the show puts it out there is that it is. Listen, you can piss the bed at any age. But then Usagi shames a literal child. It is just so weird. I feel like they needed a scenario that caused Chibi-Usa to storm out and Usagi to go apologize to her, but like, there is literally any scenario other than this one they could have used.
The rest of the episode is really good almost despite this opening. We see the wizard Wiseman letting Rubeus know that there is going to be a large expulsion of energy so Rubeus sends the Spectre Sisters to investigate. We see visions of the future and Crystal Tokyo and we learn that the Crystal Points that the Black Moon Clan have been attacking are being protected in the future by Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus. It's really cool to see this glimpse and get a better idea of what the Black Moon Clan are up to in the present and why the are looking for Chibi-Usa.
I loved how the Luna P ball kind of on accident took out a lot of the Spectre Sisters. And even Luna jumps in and helps Chibi-Usa get away. But they really knock Luna around. She looks awful. She's all scratched up and bleeding. There must have been some stuff that happened off camera. She barely makes it to the other Sailor Guardians who were waiting on Usagi so they could go shopping.
Usagi finds Chibi-Usa in an abandoned construction site and as she's hiding, she hears Chibi-Usa talking to an AI inside her Luna P ball called Puu. Foreshadowing, Puu may be someone that "Sailor Moon" fans know that we are technically meeting her for the first time who's name rhymes with Bluto. Usagi finally seems to start having compassion for Chibi-Usa. It's about time. Then the four Spectre Sisters show up along with Crimson Rubeus. They reveal that they are from the 10th planet in the solar system and they are holding Chibi-Usa's mother hostage.
I loved the way the fight scene went down. There's no talking just a song that plays while each of the Sailor Guardians face off against their Spectre Sister counterpart. It's great to see Sailor Moon really putting herself in harm's way to protect Chibi-Usa. She's really being a hero and then freaking Tuxedo Mask shows up. God. Go away!! Moon Princess Halation drives Rubeus away. After they are all gone, the Guardians try to get more information out of Chibi-Usa but all she can do is tearfully beg for their help. It's kind of heartbreaking.
And if you weren't sure who Chibi-Usa's mother was, Wiseman sees a vision of her and it's Neo Queen Serenity aka Sailor Moon in the future.
Grade: B+
"Awaken the Sleeping Beauty: Mamoru's Distress
Petz: "Tonight's your last night alive."
Sailor Moon: "Not if I can help it."
Petz & Calaveras: [together] "Sailor Moon!"
[Luna scratches Calaveras' arm, forcing her to release Chibi-Usa]
Calaveras: "Aaah!"
Sailor Moon: "Two full grown women ganging up on a littler girl? I can't forgive you for picking on her! I am Sailor Moon. And now, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
Mamoru is having nightmares with a voice that sounds like his own telling him he has to leave Usagi alone. If he doesn't, he's told that their relationship will end in tragedy for Usagi. Usagi reads "Sleeping Beauty" to Chibi-Usa but she's not impressed. Usagi sees another girl on the back of Mamoru's crotch rocket and she's inconsolable. Petz and Calaveras release a droid that puts Sailor Moon under a sleeping spell that will drain her energy until she's dead. When none of the Guardians can get her to wake up, who will save Sailor Moon?
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| Luna laying down the law. |
I am going to be upfront with anyone reading this. The majority of this recap is going to be me shitting all over Mamoru Chiba. So, if you, for some reason, are a Mamoru fan, you may just want to go ahead and skip this, because I have nothing nice to say.
If your'e still reading, let's get into it. The episode begins with Mamoru having a similar dream to Usagi from the beginning of the last episode. It has a different tenor than Usagi's. Mamoru continually hears his own voice telling him that if he and Usagi continue with their relationship it will end in tragedy for Usagi. This is meant to be the explanation for why Mamoru has been a giant frigging douchebag asshole to Usagi since Chibi-Usa appeared on the scene. And like, I appreciate what the show is trying to do. They clearly know that Mamoru looks like a jerk here and I don't think they are helping him here at all.
Why doesn't Mamoru just tell Usagi the truth? It makes no sense why he wouldn't. After all they've been through. And he decides to double down even harder on being an asshole. He looks to Motoki for advice on how to make a woman really hate him. I mean, seriously? I've never hated Mamoru more than when he confronts Usagi with that girl on the back of his gross crotch rocket. And the fact that the girl turns out to be Motoki's sister and he was taking her to a date with her actual boyfriend that she was going to be late to, just makes it a lot worse. Like, I just hate this dude so much. It's a problem. Like, I shouldn't have so much irrational hatred for a fictional character and yet here we are.
What makes it even worse is that it's Mamoru's love for Usagi that saves her life. When Usagi was reading "Sleeping Beauty" to Chibi-Usa, you had to know that it was all going to come down to this. And like, it makes it even worse that Luna has to legit beg Mamoru to come and try to save her. Like, dude. Come on. He was literally willing to let her die because of some stupid nightmare. And then we get that ridiculous transformation into Tuxedo Mask on his dumb crotch rocket.
It looks like maybe Mamoru is going to actually come clean with Usagi. But nope. He just keeps on being the worst. Even when Luna points out that he actually did basically just reveal that he is still in love with Usagi. He denies it, but he really just looks like a fucking idiot.
What did I like about this episode? I thought the paintings from the storybook were gorgeous. I love when the show employs other art styles. I thought it was funny when Sailor Mars slaps Sailor Moon to try to get her to wake up. I think Sailor Mars was just looking for an excuse. And that's about it.
Grade: D
Next up, we have two Sailor vs Spectre showdowns. It's Koan vs Sailor Mars and Berthier vs Sailor Mercury.
What did you all think? Happy to get some Black Moon Clan intel? Am I being too hard on Tuxedo Mask? Let me know in the comments.
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