Sailor Moon R
Rubeus is gone and Esmeraude has taken his place. We've got pretty much the same stuff happening as when Rubeus was in charge, it's just in a prettier package. Let's get to it.
"Magic of Darkness: Esmeraude's Invasion"
Sailor Moon: "Stop right there!"
Sailor Mars: "We are the guardians of justice!"
Sailor Mercury: "And our job is to bring down evil!"
Sailor Venus: "You ruined the dreams of innocent girls!"
Sailor Jupiter: "And trampled on their simple pleasures!"
Sailor Moon: "And now, in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
Esmeraude fills Prince Dimande in on her plan to find negative points in the 20th Century that they will be able to infuse with the power of the Malefic Black Crystal. The first negative point is at a new bakery that is offering all you can eat baked goods. Usagi heads there and meets the other Sailor Guardians. She's upset because Chibi-Usa is on a "date" with Mamoru. Esmeraude unleashes the droid Marxipan on the bakery and it's up to Sailor Moon and the Guardians to stop it.
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| Saphir is not pleased. |
There may be a new villain in town, but the plans are basically the same. Rubeus was using the Spectre Sisters to corrupt Crystal Points in Tokyo to prevent Crystal Tokyo from coming to pass. Esmeraude is going to find negative points around Tokyo in the 20th Century and infuse them with energy from the Malefic Black Crystal using little statues that look like her called Dark Henges. And once there is enough then they'll create a dark portal. Or something. This is unnecessarily convoluted. I'm not sure why we spend so much time of the episode on explaining this. It's a ridiculous plan so they really should just skim over it and move on to other things. The more you think about and the more they try to explain things, it's just no good. None of us really care about this. We just want to get to the good stuff which is the girls and the droid of the week.
So, I'm excited that Usagi and Chibi-Usa are no longer at each other's throats. It was classic Usagi to offer to treat Chibi-Usa to whatever she wants and then immediately back track because she's spent all of her allowance. Chibi-Usa goes to have some fun with Mamoru instead with Usagi's encouragement and just when I'm like, wow, the growth, I realize that there is no growth. Usagi still freaking out about Mamoru and Chibi-Usa hanging out together. It's exhausting. You all know I feel about this, so I won't harp on it. But I'm the most over it.
Usagi finds the bakery giving out free samples because of course she does. She starts stress eating. So, I know that this isn't the greatest message for young girls, but watching Usagi and then Esmeraude stuffing their faces with cake is just so funny to me. And Usagi completely ignoring the other girls when they try to talk to her about maybe slowing down just made me laugh harder. All I have to do is forget the fact that Usagi is eating like this because the dude she loves is out with a literal child in a completely non romantic way.
Marxipan is maybe my favorite droid so far. I'm pretty sure that I have seen a drag queen wearing something similar before. Marxipan's attacks are so stupid. She shoots frosting at people making them statues. Apparently, it's makes their bodies very brittle. Seeing the girls trapped by doughnuts and cupcakes is so, so stupid in the best way and it really cracks me up. Then, Tuxedo Mask shows up and spouts his usual nonsense and even Sailor Moon doesn't understand what he's saying. Weirdly, Sailor Mercury gets it and uses her Aqua Shine Illusion on Marxipan. Water and sugar don't mix.
Esmeraude shows up and immediately grates on everyone. She calls Tuxedo Mask a "hottie" and he uses that moment to sneak away. The girls are disgusted and put off by everything about Esmeraude: her voice, her attitude, her laugh. It's such a great little gag and my hats off to the writer's for it.
Grade: B
"Shared Feelings: Usagi and Mamoru in Love Once Again"
Sailor Moon: "Hey you! Stop what you're doing!"
Udering: "Oh yeah. Who are you?"
Sailor Moon: "Girls put their wishes into those braids and were waiting for them to come true! You put evil power in them! So their wishes were denied! That's unforgivable! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon! And now, in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
Mamoru is still being cold and rude to Usagi with no explanation. When Usagi has a similar dream to what Mamoru was having she rushes to him to find out if that is why he broke up with her. He admits that is the reason, but he is adamant that they can't be together. Usagi's classmates are caught up in making promise bracelets and Usagi goes to a class to learn how to make them. There she is attacked by Esmeraude's newest droid, Udering.
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| Whoosh. |
Our long national nightmare is over. Usagi and Mamoru are back together. This storyline has been so frustrating and dumb and contrived. I was hopeful that with the title of the episode that this is what would happen, but the episode almost got me. After defeating Udering and Tuxedo Mask leaving, I thought that we were going to have to suffer through more of this. But, there is a twist. The girls urge Sailor Moon go to after Tuxedo Mask and tell him how she feels so Sailor Moon does just that. She does what they suggest and finds Mamoru on a rooftop. They finally reconcile and kiss under the moonlight. Everyone knows I'm not a huge fan of Mamoru and I think Usagi can do better, but I'd much rather have them together than to have to deal with this dumb "Mamoru is not with Usagi for her own good" plot line.
What leads Usagi to be more proactive in her relationship with Mamoru is sort of multilayered. She has a awkward run-in with Mamoru where he turns away from her coldly when she is trying to get him to tell her what she did. It's a little heartbreaking. Then she has the same dream that Mamoru had way back in the beginning of this arc. The wedding. The prophecy? She immediately runs to Mamoru to talk to him, but he is not responsive. In his mind, her having the same dream basically means that he should double down on all this. The episode does kind of make the case they shouldn't be together. The glass in the picture she has of her and Mamoru shatters.
I sort of love watching this because it reminds you of what teenagers were into in the mid-90's. Take these bracelets. I am sure that kids were going crazy for these braided bracelets and that they are promise bracelets. Forget promise rings. Promise bracelets are all the rage. We see Naru and Umino for the first time in a while and they are still a thing. Good for them? I guess.
We get another great example of great friendship in this episode. Ami and Mako are there to pick Usagi up. They take her to the bracelet making shop. They buy her books and the materials and sign her up for the class for beginners. They do this completely unprompted. It's so sweet and lovely. This is exactly the kind of things that friends do. It's really sweet and it's why I love "Sailor Moon" and I think the anime has endured for all these years.
The droid in this episode is kind of lame and the final battle is pretty anti-climactic. The high point is when Esmeraude shows up to laugh and gloat even though she lost? I love the delusion. Never change, gal.
Grade: B
Next up, Minako plays nurse when a flu strikes the other girls and Artemis runs away after Luna dings his pride one too many times.
What do you all think of these episodes? Do you love Esmeraude? Are you glad that Mamoru and Usagi have made up? Let me know in the comments.
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