Sailor Moon S
We officially meet Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh and their alter egos, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, in today's episode. Let's get to it.
"A Handome Boy? Haruka Tenoh's Secret"
Sailor Moon: "We're putting the brakes on you!"
Sailor Venus: "The pure heart of a man pursuing his dream..."
Sailor Moon: "... will never fall into the hands of evil. 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!"
Sailor Venus: "Hold on! After making me pedal all this way don't go taking the spotlight for yourself!"
Sailor Moon: "You sure are determined to give me a hard time today, aren't you?"
Usagi and Minako are distracted from going to Rei's for a study session first by video games and Motoki and then by the arrival of handsome high schooler, Haruka Tenoh. The girls are immediately smitten and follow him to see if Michiru Kaioh, the beautiful girl with him, is his girlfriend. Their spying is interrupted when another daimon attacks and the girls officially meet Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.
 |
| Heartbroken. |
One of the things I love the most about "Sailor Moon" is how unabashedly gay it is and this is one of the gayest episodes of them all. Usagi and Minako fall for a boy that is actually a girl. If there is an anime episode that really encapsulates bi panic it is this one and I am here for every single moment of it.
Another reason that I love this episode is because it heavily features Minako who is my favorite Sailor Guardian from the Inner Senshi so anytime she get sa chance to shine I'm here for it. Teaming up Minako and Usagi is always a great choice because they are so similar in a lot of ways. Minako may not be as dumb as Usagi is but they definitely share one brain cell and it is working overdrive in this episode.
This all starts off when Usagi catches Minako in the arcade flirting heavily with Motoki. Remember, Motoki? I kind of had forgotten about him just like Usagi and Minako do when Haruka shows up. Usagi is rightly miffed because she was actually going to be responsible for once and go to to Rei's to study for their high school entrance exams and there is Minako doing what she would rather be doing. When Usagi confronts Minako about her not being at Rei's, Minako laments that she doesn't care if she gets into high school or not. She'd rather just have fun and be a teenager so she doesn't look back as an adult with regret. Er... maybe Minako isn't smarter than Usagi.
I can't really fault the girls for having a crush on Haruka Tenoh, no matter what her gender is. I would fall in love with this suave person who crushes me at video games and then compliments me after so I forget they were kind of a jerk before. I love that Haruka calls Usagi "Bunhead." Maybe that is why she completely forgets Mamoru exists so easily.
Minako and Usagi team up to try to figure out if Haruka and Michiru, the beautiful girl who picks "him" up at the arcade are a couple. Sometimes, "Sailor Moon" is genuinely hilarious and this is one of those episodes. I laughed out loud quite a lot. There were so many gags. And lots of visual gags, too. "Sailor Moon" doesn't always lean into the typical anime visual gags, but when it does it usually knocks them out of the park and that is very true of this episode. I guffawed when Haruka lets on that she knows that Minako and Usagi are following him so she allows them to grill her. It was so great when the girls raised their hands to ask their probing, completely inappropriate questions.
The action in this episode is great. I loved Haruka and Michiru chasing the daimon, Steering, down in Haruka's motor bike. The show is really good at showing that these two young women are very capable in ways that the other Sailor Scouts are. We officially hear them name themselves. Haruka is Sailor Uranus and Michiru is Sailor Neptune. They help Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus take out Steering and we see their attacks for the first time. Sailor Uranus has "World Shaking" and Sailor Neptune has "Deep Submerge."
The stinger of the episode is the reveal that Haruka is actually a young woman not a young man. It's fantastic that Rei and Mako figure it out right away. Minako and Usagi are chagrined and Usagi claims that she said Mamoru was cooler than Haruka all along, but it feels like her heart isn't in it.
Grade: A
"Usagi's Idol: The Graceful Genius Michiru"
Sailor Moon: "That's enough! How dare you show up and destroy this precious romantic evening filled with music?"
Sailor Venus: "We aren't going to let you get away with it!"
Sailor Mars: "We are the Sailor Team of Justice!"
Sailor Moon: "And in the name of the moon..."
Sailor Guardians: [together] "... we'll punish you!"
Usagi is concerned that she isn't smart or refined enough for Mamoru. She turns to her friends to help her learn the things she feels like she needs to learn, but they reject this since they've been down this road before. Usagi speaks with Michiru Kaioh, an accomplished violinist and painter, and they have a nice chat. Michiru invites Usagi to her violin recital but things go awry when the recital is attacked by a Daimon.
 |
| Sailor Moon making new friends. |
I've always thought that one of Usagi's greatest qualities is that she dives in to things headfirst. She is willing to learn anything. She's not always great at it. In fact, most of the time she isn't. But it always feels like her enthusiasm always counteracts her lack of ability. I had never really thought about the toll Usagi's ineptitude takes on the people who are tasked to help her with these things. This is what we are faced with in this episode. When Usagi goes to the girls with requests to have Ami tutor her and Rei teach her how to tie a kimono and Mako teach her how to cook and Minako teach her how to be more worldly, the girls are all extremely hesitant. And most of them quickly find other things to do. Them scurrying off in all directions is played for laughs, and it is funny, but it is also extremely hurtful for Usagi. Rei points out that Usagi has asked them this all before, but she never really takes it seriously and they over it. Rei is pretty blunt about this, but she's not wrong.
The girls do eventually apologize to Usagi and realize they were being very harsh, which is really sweet and another great example of "Sailor Moon" being the anime about female friendship and empowerment, but this tough love leads Usagi to connect with Michiru Kaioh. Michiru is basically perfect. She is an extremely talented violinist and doesn't break her concentration even when Haruka tosses a lemon at her. She's a painter and has had exhibitionists. Usagi's mind is blown that Michiru is so good at so many things while she struggles at most. There is a nice juxtaposition here where Michiru tries to explain to Usagi that even though she is so good at things, she still isn't sure what se wants to do with her life.
We get a little bit about Haruka and Michiru's plan when it comes to the Holy Grail. Their plan is basically the opposite of the Death Busters, wanting to find the talismans so they can make sure the Grail goes to the person who should be it's rightful owner. It's interesting to hear these Sailor Guardians seemingly unconcerned with the deaths of the innocent people who have the Pure Hearts and can create the talismans. There seems to be a bit of a shift towards the end of the episode when Sailor Neptune is saved by Sailor Moon. There goes Sailor Moon, using her empathy to connect with someone and save their life even when they have been objectively shitty to her.
I give Mamoru a lot of shit and I feel like it's deserved most of the time. He is legit the worst. That being said, even a broken clock is right twice a day. There is a really nice moment when Mamoru tries to console Usagi when she is concerned she's not the things he wants. He tells her that she shouldn't change who she is for anyone including him. That is a really nice sentiment and it comes across really genuinely and it raised my estimation of Mamoru a bit, which I don't like to admit and I hate that the show made me do it.
Grade: A-
Usagi tries to save her friend when they are attacked by a Daimon and their pure heart crystal is lost and Naru and Umino enter an affection contest.
What did you all think? Do you love when "Sailor Moon" is super gay? Are you glad we are learning more about our new Sailor Guardians? Who's your favorite: Uranus or Neptune? Let me know in the comments.
No comments:
Post a Comment