For quite some time now, there have been hype talks about a Sailor Moon reboot, having gone through 2 significant delays in a 2-year span since its announcement during the weekend of Evo 2K12. Now, since the beginning of July, Sailor Moon Crystal has aired online, two episodes strong. Here are my impressions by far:
Episode 1: Compared to Sailor Moon Classic, there is really little difference in how the first episode pans out here. It's the same structure... Usagi clumsily wakes up late for school, runs into an older young man with shades that makes her feel uneasy, removes band-aid from peculiar-looking cat only to reveal a crescent moon on her forehead, best friend's mother's jewelry store suddenly becomes busy, with best friend's mother acting strange, Usagi finds out the cat can talk, gives her the ability to become Sailor Moon, fights monster in jewelry store, makes some noise, Tuxedo Mask gives pep talk, Sailor Moon beats monster, the end.
However!
The way it's executed matches that of the manga down to the little details. That means unlike Classic, Sailor Moon's design resembles the manga, having hair ornaments early on as opposed to only when she's Super Sailor Moon. In addition, just like in the manga, Mamoru wears a tuxedo casually during the day... as if he's trying any harder to hide the fact he's Tuxedo Mask, smh. Usagi's immaturity isn't as exaggerated as in Classic, which is fine, because in the manga it doesn't last very long. So we might actually see an evolution of her character beyond just transformations.
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Episode 2: Now here's where things get interesting. While like Episode 2 there is hardly any difference between this and Classic as far as story structure, this is the first time we actually see Queen Beryl, just like in the manga. Ami Mizuno - the character of focus in this episode - now wears glasses regularly... and BAHGAWD, she's cute. Don't believe me? Usagi actually blushed just thinking it! Yuri undertones, much? Anyway, staying focused. The differences are very minor here. As opposed to floppy discs like in the original manga and Classic anime, a CD-ROM is used... or a DVD-ROM, I really couldn't tell. Also, just like Sailor Moon's design, Mercury's is more accurate to the manga design, having no shoulder guards like the other Sailors. The transformation sequence is choreographed in the same way as the Classic anime, but with CGI integration. And it looks beautiful. Mercury's first technique used here - like in the revised manga - is Mercury Aqua Mist. It has the same effect as the first move used in Classic anime, but at least it can be taken a bit more seriously than FUCKING BUBBLES. That being said, I'm sure Mercury fans have had their fill of feeling awesome, knowing she's being well-represented.
Episode 3 - as predicted - will introduce Sailor Mars, and by far, the teaser preview looks like it won't disappoint. I look forward to seeing this and Jadeite's swift death. Overall, I highly recommend keeping up with this show, whether you're a fan or not.
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