Sailor Moon R
We are sort of moving in to the end game of "Sailor Moon R" with the Black Moon Clan with these two epsidoes and technically the second episode from last week. Let's get into it and find out how they are going to resolve this UFO business.
"Defeat Rubeus: The Battle in Space"
Sailor Moon: [struggling to stand in the super gravity field] "I'll never give up. I will save my friends. And I will defeat you!"
Rubeus: [surprised] "That's impossible! You can't stand in the super gravity field!"
Sailor Moon: [now standing, a little shaky, but standing] "If Chibi-Usa has the courage to try to break through your high voltage barrier, I... Sailor Moon... am determined to find the strength to do nothing less!"
Rubeus: "Hmmm... you're not as helpless as I thought. I underestimated you quite a bit."
After abducting the Sailor Guardians, Rubeus gives Sailor Moon until 3 am to turn the Rabbit and the Silver Crystal into him in exchange for the girls. Usagi is spiraling. After calming down, she decides to go to the to rescue her friends by herself, but Chibi-Usa follows. On Rubeus' ship, it's up to Sailor Moon to take down Rubeus on her own to save her friends and Chibi-Usa.
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| Not Christlike at all. |
Is Rubeus the biggest asshole that we have seen on "Sailor Moon" as of yet? I think he might be. He really is a garbage person. You know, I give Tuxedo Mask a lot of grief (a lot of it well deserved) but Rubeus makes Mamoru feel like the biggest feminist in the world of anime. He's a misogynist. He manipulated and used the Spectre Sisters with zero regard for their feelings. He tried to destroy their sisterly bond. When Esmeraude shows up to mock him some more, he talks about how she wouldn't understand what he was planning because she is a woman. Seriously, this dude is a piece of shit. So, it's extremely satisfying to see him get his comeuppance later in this episode.
When people question my love of "Sailor Moon" or they try to shit on Usagi or Sailor Moon as a character, I am happy to point them to episodes like this that really show Usagi's mettle. She's completely on her own. The other Guardians have been taken. She's shook. She's angry. And first off, she reacts like a normal teenage girl would. She's furious and she immediately directs that anger at Chibi-Usa, which makes a lot of sense. Chibi-Usa stole her brooch and Usagi believes that if she were able to transform she could have stopped Rubeus then and saved her friends. We don't really see Usagi lashing out like this. She's ready to just turn Chibi-Usa in to Artemis and Luna's dismay. Usagi pretty quickly does an about face. She admits her immaturity and apologizes, which in and of itself is pretty freaking mature.
Usagi goes to Rubeus' ship alone to spare Tuxedo Mask and Chibi-Usa and save her friends. Again, she gets a lot of grief, but this is a leader move. Chibi-Usa tags along and it's smart thinking of Sailor Moon to try to convince Rubeus that she is just her dumb cousin. Though, Rubeus has seen Chibi-Usa use the power he knows the Rabbit possesses so I'm not sure if it was the best plan. But, still, good for her for trying.
Rubeus, of course, thinks Sailor Moon will just be some pushover so he mocks her mercilessly and targets her with the enhanced power of his ship. Sailor Moon is undeterred. There is no crying her. There is no whining. There is just Sailor Moon being the hero that we all know that she is. She is inspired by Chibi-Usa which is a nice change of pace and it's great to see them feed off each other's energy. This might sound cheesy but it's really inspiring to see and it kind of makes you want to cheer when Sailor Moon overcomes these massive odds to succeed.
There are some interesting moments. When Chibi-Usa is destroying the crystal that powers Rubeus' ship, we see a crescent moon mark appear on her forehead. With the Sailor Guardians free, Rubeus is still gloating. He's ready to sacrifice himself to deal with them. And it looks he does. The girls are able to teleport off the ship with Chibi-Usa and after they're gone, it's revealed that Rubeus is alive. Esmeraude shows up and he. begs her to save him, but she refuses. And it's a great feeling to know that he's gone.
At the end of the episode, we get our first real look at Prince Dimande and it definitely feels like a shift is occuring.
Grade: A
"The Mysterious New Guardian: Sailor Pluto Appears"
Sailor Moon: "Stop right there! If you're going to barge into someone's mind, at least try to show some respect to your host! I am Sailor Moon and now, in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
Chibi-Usa is struggling. She's being attacked in her dreams by a death like figure called Jakoku. If they can't get her awaken, she may die. The girls are contacted by Sailor Pluto through Chibi-Usa's Luna-P bal who tells them they have to go into Chibi-Usa's subconscious to save her. When they get there, they soon realize they are dealing with Chibi-Usa who hasn't met them yet. Can the girls gain Chibi-Usa's trust and protect her from Jakoku?
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| Sailor Moon fights Death. |
I've had a few complaints in regards to the back half of "Sailor Moon R." If you are regularly reading my posts, I'm sure you can guess what they are. In case you're new here, they are the forced break up between Usagi and Mamoru and the rivalry between Usagi and Chibi-Usa. After the last couple of episodes, it looks like that rivalry is put to bed. I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. It looks like Usagi is really leaning into her role as Chibi-Usa's protector and this episode really drives that change home.
Usagi is again showing the people why she leads the team. She is the one that is spearheading the rescue mission. She doesn't hesitate when Sailor Pluto tells the girls that they will need to enter into Chibi-Usa's subconscious. The Sailor Moon of the past would have hemmed and hawed about this. Just a few episodes, she would have been like, let's just leave Chibi-Usa in there. We love to see growth and we love to see Sailor Moon stepping up and finally being a big sister to this scared little girl who is so much like her.
Sailor Moon is once again a superstar in this episode. She steps up. She does what needs to be done. At every step, she's there to show Chibi-Usa that she is her friend and will do what she needs to prove it. You want her to break in to the Crystal Palace and save your mother? She'll do it. No hesitation. Sailor Moon juggles her responsibilities here and it's something we haven't seen a lot of. She's helping Chibi-Usa but she rejoins the Sailor Guardians when they need her. She refuses to give up. And when she's holding onto Chibi-Usa, she refuses to let go.
The Sailor Guardians get their first look at the ruined future city of Crystal Tokyo in this episode. That is a pretty big deal. I think it helps them recognize the stakes of what they are actually fighting for. We meet more of the inner circle of the Black Moon Clan. There is, of course, Prince Dimande and Esmeraude. We meet Dimande's brother, Saphir. Saphir is not on board with this plan to destroy the 20th Century and the Legendary Silver Crystal though Wiseman insists it's important. Methinks he might be manipulating Dimande a bit. We are introduced to the Legendary Silver Crystal's counterpart: the Malefic Black Crystal.
We meet the first member of the Outer Senshi, Sailor Pluto, the guardian of space and time. We caught a blurry glimpse of her a few episodes ago, but this is the first time we see her in all her glory. I'm a huge Sailor Pluto fan so I'm really excited for there to be more of her coming up. This was just a taste. An amuse bouche.
If I had to dock the episode, I'd say that Jakoku is kind of a lame villain overall. I love his design, but he's just kind of there and there's no real explanation for his presence or how he connects to all this. And, wouldn't Chibi-Usa recognize the Sailor Guardians since they are her bodyguards in her time? It's a little weird.
All in all, these are just nitpicks in an otherwise solid episode.
Grade: A-
Next up, Emeraude makes her move and Mamo and Usagi reconcile?!
What do you all think? Are you enjoying this shift? Gaining a newfound respect for Usagi? Let me know in the comments.
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