Sailor Moon S
The reason I love "Sailor Moon S" is that it is so freaking gay. And just when you think it can't possibly get any gayer, they find a way to get even more gay. And I'm completely here for it. Let's get into it.
"Coldhearted Uranus: Makoto in Danger"
Sailor Moon: "That's enough! Only an evil monster would grab a pure girl's heart! We, the Sailor Guardians, will never forgive you! Now, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
Makoto is the next of the girls to fall under the spell of Haruka Tenou. Her friends are surprised that the girl who is constantly pining for the boy who broke her heart is now seemingly falling for a girl? Or is it more that she just admires the woman that Haruka is? While she is trying to figure that out, she is targeted by the Death Busters.
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| Usagi calling Rei out. |
Haruka Tenou is the best thing to have happened in "Sailor Moon." Honestly. She has sent the girls reeling and questioning themselves and the next person to potentially fall under her spell is Makoto Kino. Haruka almost collides with Usagi and Mako on her motorcycle. Mako does what she does. She shields Usagi, not even thinking about her own safety and ends up scraping her hand on the pavement. Haruka gives Mako her scarf in order to dress her wound. As she is being tended too, Mako gets a look in her eyes that Haruka is probably very used to seeing by now. Usagi sees it too and this leads to a lot of questions Usagi has for Mako and the other girls have for her, too. Also, I think that Mamoru looks like a huge douchebag when he is tooling around on his crotch rocket, but I think Haruka looks like a total badass. Do with that what you will.
I love this episode so much. First off, like I said before, this episode is so freaking gay. I think that it is so funny and the humor is not at the expense of any of the queer elements of the series. I loved seeing Usagi's reactions to Mako behind her when she is completely entranced by Haruka in the street. You can see the questions she has flashing across her face. Does Mako remember that Haruka is not a guy? And if so, does that mean that my friend is a lesbian? How do I deal with that? We see these same reactions when Mako says yes to tooling around with Haruka and Michiru in a convertible that Haruka definitely doesn't have a license to drive. Now, she's wondering if Mako is going to be part of the earliest throuples there ever was. A throuple even before there was a word for throuple.
I loved the scene with the girls studying where they talk about their friend's potential romantic interest in Haruka. I know that when Viz re-dubbed "Sailor Moon S" for the blu ray release, they updated some of the dialogue so it was more accepting and this scene is a great example of that and how it makes the scene so much better. Mako's interest in someone of the same sex isn't portrayed as being bad or gross. They are surprised because she's been so obsessed with the guy who broke her heart and guys who remind her of him, so they don't understand this shift. When Minako brings up orientation, Ami is quick to say that it doesn't matter and when Minako finds out the girl is Haruka, she immediately gets it. Rei is the only one that starts to verge on being judgmental until Usagi puts her on blast with some interesting magazines. Ami again gets the girls together letting them know that it's totally fine to be attracted to someone regardless of gender and that what they should really be concerned with is protecting their friend since she was targeted by a daimon.
This episode also adds some depth to Haruka and Michiru. They've seemed a little cold to this point. But we hear a little bit of their backstory. They come for a world that was destroyed by the silence glaive which is why they are so obsessed with finding the talismans and a "messiah" and why they are willing to sacrifice people to get them. Becoming close with Mako starts to make them question this determination to their mission. It's not so easy to sacrifice someone when you care about them and Mako being concerned about them after the battle with the daimon drives that knife a little bit deeper. Haruka and Michiru become more sympathetic as they become more entwined with the girls civilian identities.
In the end, Mako maybe isn't attracted to Haruka in a romantic way, but more admires her. Mako has felt that being a bigger, more athletic girl, more of a tomboy makes her less feminine. So she's tried to do things to make up for that like becoming a good cook because that is something traditionally feminine. Meeting Haruka and seeing that a girl can be both masculine and feminine and attractive is just what Mako needs and it's great to see that lesson conveyed on this show.
Grade: A
"The Labyrinth of Water: Ami Targeted"
Sailor Moon: "Stop that!"
Doburin: "Huh?"
Sailor Moon: "My friend came here for a relaxing swim! But you don't have a membership to this club! I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
Ami Mizuno is questioning what she wants for her future. Does she really want to be a doctor? Is all she's really good for studying and getting good grades? Is there more to her and could there be something else for her future? She ponders this all while swimming and ends up racing Michiru, who is initially upset that Ami lets her win a race. After a rematch, Ami is targeted by the Death Busters and a daimon. Will she have a future if they get away with her pure heart crystal?
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| This daimon design is unhinged. |
We have moved in to that part of a "Sailor Moon" season where the villains start targeting the girls individually without knowing that they are actually Sailor Guardians. I think that these types of episodes in general can be a bit blah, but I think that these "Sailor Moon S" episodes elevate them by diving deeper into the psyches of the girls and that is what this Ami focused episode does.
We initially see Ami kind of being accosted by the vice principal. He seems to only care about how Ami's academic achievements reflect on the school. He's caught wind of Ami helping the rest of their girls with their studies and he's worried that they are dragging Ami down. What the hell? Shouldn't this guy want all his students to do well? And like, this is not the type of pressure that you want to put on a teenager? Of course, Usagi hears all this and tries to help in her own way, which isn't super helpful at all.
Ami initially talks to Mamoru about her concerns. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this conversation. On one hand, it's kind of nice seeing Mamoru interact with some of the other girls. I don't mind him integrating with the group a little bit more. It makes sense that he would give Ami advice. He's older. I guess he's smart, too. Ami is concerned that she feels that she doesn't have that inner glow that folks following their dreams seem to have. Mamoru says that he does see it and I appreciated him admitting to Ami that he is afraid of needles to try to lighten the mood and make her smile. I'm not sure how I feel about him shading his girlfriend's intelligence to one of her best friends. Where it gets a little skeezy for me is when he calls Ami cute. It's a little creepy. Though, I will admit, it does lead to Ami razzing Usagi at the end about competing with her for Mamoru's attention. I love seeing Ami being a little playful because we don't see that a lot.
I think Ami's interactions with Michiru work better. It's clear the two girls have a lot in common and I loved their race. I enjoyed Michiru calling Ami out for slowing down at the last minute and potentially forcing a tie between the two of them. Michiru is maybe overly salty about it and Haruka ribs her a bit about it. It's pretty ironic that Haruka is softly chastising Michiru for being mean to someone when that is what she does all the time. Ami and Michiru do end up having a re-match and it's during this that Ami experiences some revelations and growth about herself and why she wants to win. It's a great moment for the character.
Douburin is a fun daimon. I love her design. The snorkel. The swim cap. The two inflatable inner tubes. And for being kind of silly looking, she is still pretty brutal with how she attacks Ami. We get some nice moments of Sailor Moon pumping Ami up. I love when Usagi/Sailor Moon is her her friend's cheerleaders. It's one of her best character traits. All in all, another solid episode in a season that is really bringing it.
Grade: A-
Next up, Sailor Moon and Sailor Uranus are forced to work together and there's a love triangle between Haruka, Yuichiro and Rei?
What are you all thinking of "Sailor Moon S?" Are you happy with all the gay? Or could it be gayer? Let me know in the comments.
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