Sailor Moon S
We are back getting to know our new Sailor Guardians and the Death Busters. In case you forgot, the Death Busters are sending daimons after people for their pure heart crystals, hoping that one will be a talisman that will lead them to the Holy Grail. Sailors Uranus and Neptune want to keep the talismans away from the Death Busters, but they view the people who will lose their lives as acceptable losses. Let's get to it.
"Protect the Pure Heart: The Three-Way Battle"
Osouji: "The talisman is now mine!"
Sailor Uranus: "Not for long it isn't!"
Osouji: "Who are you?"
Sailor Uranus: "Answering the call from a new era, Sailor Uranus, here to fight with brilliance!"
Sailor Neptune: "And Sailor Neptune, here to fight with elegance!"
Usagi meets up with Motoki's sister, Unazuki. She is waiting for her perfect first kiss. This makes her the next target of the Death Busters and the daimons. Sailor Moon, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune go after the daimon when it loses Unazuki pure heart crystal. And the rest of the girls deal with what happens when someone loses their pure heart crystal.
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| Kiss, kiss, kiss! |
Can we talk about how Unazuki acts when she loses her pure heart crystal and wakes up? So, far we've just seen people who lose their pure heart crystal pass out and that is initially what happens to Unazuki. But she eventually wakes up and becomes a kissing bandit. She goes from wanting to make her first kiss something special to wanting to go for the first pair of lips she can find and it looks like it's going to be Mako. And like... maybe they should have made out? Mako is protesting and struggling, but it feels like her heart isn't totally in it. Make out with her, Mako. You are going to give her a better first kiss than any random teenage boy. And don't we all think that Mako is probably bi? I did love how the girls were freaking out about Unazuki potentially giving away her virtue. I'm not sure they maybe know what virtue is.
"Sailor Moon" sometimes has these great one off characters and Unazuki is one of them. She makes a great entrance, on the back of Mamoru's crotch rocket. I was concerned that we were going to get another storyline of Usagi being jealous, but luckily that is stamped out pretty quickly. And it is pretty clear that Unazuki doesn't have any interest in Mamoru at all. When she's talking to Usagi about kissing and realizes that Mamoru and Usagi aren't necessarily kissing bandits, she reads Mamoru to the ground for being a college student and dating a 14-year-old girl. It's interesting when the show acknowledges this is kind of strange and a little gross, but they don't split them up.
One thing that I wish the season would be doing is giving us a bit more information about the Death Busters. I like that they are different than the other villains the show has had up to this point. I'm super into Professor Tomoe's mad scientist vibe and how he is usually only in shadow and silhouette. I just want to know more about them and their motivations. I know we will, but I want it now. Osouji is a really cool and creepy daimon. When the vacuum cleaner transforms, it is really horrific and it's like machine/body horror. Not only that, but we get a lot cleaning puns and I love puns.
I like how they are giving Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus more of a spotlight each episode. They are the first Sailor Guardians that confront Osouji in the episode. And with more of them, we get more of Haruka and Michiru who pop up when the girls are talking about true love's kiss. They tell the story of Adam and Eve and I didn't love them making Usagi and Mamoru Adam and Eve. This is the first time that "Sailor Moon" has given us morally ambiguous heroes. Initially, Tuxedo Mask seemed ambiguous but Neptune and Uranus are fully willing to let innocent people die to protect these talismans. It feels strange to hear a Sailor Guardian talk about acceptable losses. But it seems like Sailor Neptune's will is wavering a little bit.
Grade: B+
"Let Moon Help With Your Love Problems"
Sailor Moon: "Not so fast!"
Die-Heart: "Who said that?"
Sailor Moon: "How dare you ruin the light of love that he worked so hard to win?! Maybe Cupid, the god of love, will forgive you, but I certainly won't. I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice I am Sailor Moon..."
Sailor Mars: "Sailor Mars!"
Sailor Mercury: "Sailor Mercury!"
Sailor Venus: "Sailor Venus!"
Sailor Jupiter: "Sailor Jupiter!"
Sailor Moon: "And in the name of the moon, we'll punish you!"
The Death Busters target a true love contest that Umino and Naru have entered because they both feel like their relationship is faltering. Haruka and Michiru are concerned that it will be targeted so they enter as well. Who will win and will the lovers be able to survive the newest daimon?
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| This is a couple. |
Am I the only one that doesn't understand the relationship between Naru and Umino? It feels like after Naru was taken advantage of by the grown man who was actually an alien that she sort of just settled for this nerdy guy who is a little creepy. I'm not saying that Umino doesn't care about Naru. He clearly does. Though it borders on inappropriate sometimes. I mean, I don't want the person that I'm dating to have a giant portrait of me hanging over their bed. That is maybe a little too much. Umino is a creeper for sure and one of the best moments of the episode for me was when Naru was talking to Usagi about her being concerned that Umino might be cheating on her and Usagi not being able to hold back the laughter. So, it wasn't nice and I get why Naru got upset, but come on, we were all thinking it.
I think it is really funny that people are coming to Usagi for romance advice. Usagi is definitely that girl who gets a boyfriend who thinks that now she knows everything about love. And then she goes to Rei for help. Rei. Who has no boyfriend and hasn't had a serious boyfriend the entire series. And we aren't counting those random dates she went on with Mamoru to try to make Usagi jealous.
This true love couples test being held in a public park is one of the most Japanese things that I've seen on the show. I liked how Haruka and Michiru also entered the contest and the constant comparisons between them and Naru and Umino. It's hilarious that Mako and Minako can't help but cheer for them when they are up on stage instead of their friends. The juxtapositions throughout this sequence are great. Haruka and Michiru sail through this, easily showing that they are the made for each other. Umino fumbles at every turn, but you can tell he is committed to Naru even when he struggles. My favorite part is how Haruka and Michiru just shit all over the competition right before they win. They don't need this. They know they are meant for each other.
Die-Heart is a cute daimon, but it sort of feel like an afterthought. Though I did love that they use hot male dancers to distract the girls and then they turn into monsters. You know who isn't worried about the hot male dancers? Neptune and Uranus. This whole action sequence is pretty basic and is probably the weakest portion of the episode, but we do get Umino and Naru turning on the love light. And apparently this is the last appearance of Umino this season.
Grade: B
Next up, Mako has the hots for Haruka and Ami is targeted by the Death Busters.
What did you all think? Are you enoying this season so far? Do you wish we were learning more about the Death Busters? Do you think Mako should have planted a big wet one on Unazuki? Let me know in the comments.
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