Anime Blog #17: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3: "Act 28 - Ripples" Review (FIGHTING GAMES ARE DANGEROUS!)

For the third consecutive time, Sailor Moon Crystal has managed to captivate my interest in ways I never expected.  Yes, we knew Eudial was gonna fight the Sailor Senshi.  Yes, we knew we were gonna see Professor Tomoe for the first time. And yes, we knew Chibiusa and Hotaru were gonna go through that phase of saying "Hotaru-chan" and "Chibiusa-chan" over and over and over.  But we're not gonna get into that now, let's just cut to the chase and review this thing!

Picking up exactly where the previous episode left off - with Sailor Neptune and Uranus vanishing into the night - the mysterious frail girl manages to fully stand up, advise the gang to leave the academy as possible, and be on her way as well.  But before she departed, Chibiusa wanted to know the name of the girl who healed her wound.  With her somber emotion slowly growing to a smile, she revealed her name was Hotaru Tomoe.  As a result, Chibiusa was taken aback by her sincere happy emotion, briefly entranced by how beautiful she looked when she smiled.

Opening credits roll.

In the basement area of the academy, Hotaru could be seen having another seizure, unable to walk or stand.  A woman with long red hair in a lab coat rushes to her aid, calling her name in a familiar tone. However, Hotaru pushes away the woman in hostility, insisting she can get to her room by herself.  It was that moment a tall, slender man appeared.  He too was wearing a lab coat, and strangely designed spectacles, with one lens having a strange watermark of some kind.  The red-haired woman acknowledged her as the professor, and Hotaru acknowledged him as her father.  He insisted to Hotaru that the red-haired woman - whom he addressed as Kaori - only wished to take care of her since her mother passed away.  Despite his father's kind words, Hotaru vehemently cursed her name, presuming her as a homewrecker who only wanted to suck up to the professor for personal gain.

Later that night, as Hotaru tried to rest in bed, Professor Tomoe appeared in her room with the intent of having a heart-to-heart, while asking if she's been taking proper treatment for her illness.  Hotaru insisted that she has, but to no avail.  As the professor rubs her head, Hotaru sharply reacts for some reason, then the professor reaches into his coat and takes out an amulet with a large crystal shaped like a flower before leaving.  Shortly after, the illness Hotaru felt began to suddenly vanish. But Hotaru could still not get over the moment his father touched her.  His hand was unnaturally cold...

Back at the command center in the basement of the Crown Arcade, Usagi and the gang round up all the information they've obtained from last night's events-- the confirmed identity of the two mysterious figures, and the strange girl Hotatu Tomoe.  Meanwhile, Kaorinite - now confirmed to be Kaori's alter-ego - has taken a curiosity to Sailor Moon's source of power, the Silver Crystal.  She believes it to possess a power similar to - if not greater - than their own Taioron Crystal, and if proven true, she believes it would please Pharaoh 90 to obtain it.  However, she first tries to find meaning of the mysterious three lights which would bring forth a great destruction through the fountain mirror, but to no avail.  Simultaneously, it seemed to trigger a dream Mamoru awakened from as soon as Kaorinite lost visual from the fountain mirror.

Elsewhere, Michiru was making a similar reading through her Deep Aqua Mirror, but also had a similar interference.  Even so, she and Haruka both vowed to find all three talismans before the great destruction ever comes.

Mamoru goes to a library to do some research on the academy, with Michiru following and giving her input on the subject matter.  At the same time, she offers free tickets to her violin concert.  Meanwhile, Usagi runs into Haruka, and suspects she's a Sailor Senshi, despite looking like a male.  Haruka playfully mocks Usagi, asking if she's into fighting games.  Usagi's friends Ami, Minako, and Makoto intervene, thinking Haruka would cause harm to her.  But Haruka took a hint and left.

Usagi ponders about Rei's absence, and Makoto explains that she went to the mountains for self-purification on her 15th birthday today.  Concerned, the gang decides to visit her in the mountains.  Kaorinite then decides to sortie Eudial for the next mission to eliminate the Sailor Senshi.  Upon meeting Rei, a school training camp was conveniently taking place nearby, with Eudial recruiting new potential students for Mugen Academy.

Usagi and the gang decide to visit, observing a judo training session was taking place.  To their surprise, Haruka was there too!  It didn't take long before she began goading them into a judo match, where Makoto obliged, thinking it would be easy.  However, Haruka proved to be much stronger than Makoto anticipated.  Usagi's friends - thinking she was a male - believed she was being too aggressive on a lady.  Haruka nonchalantly rebuttals with a sexist remark.  Usagi and her friends then take their leave when Eudial suddenly appears on the scene.

That night, Eudial gathers the students outside, tricking them into a ritual that forced them to sacrifice their souls as Hostes for Pharaoh 90.  Sailors Mars and Jupiter prevent this from happening, and a battle ensues, with Eudial setting the woods ablaze with her Fire Buster.

However, Sailor Moon brings Eudial's inferno to an end with the Moon Spiral Heart Attack, with the remaining Witches observing her death.  Again, the mysterious Sailor that looked like Haruka appeared before Sailor Moon, and she was determined to catch her this time.  Losing track of her briefly, the mysterious Sailor gets her attention by speaking to her.  She then gives a warning to Sailor Moon:

"Don't get in our way.  Fighting games are dangerous".  

At that moment, the episode closes with the mysterious Sailor advancing toward Sailor Moon, giving her a passionate kiss on the lips.

It was that last quote in the end of the episode that kind of blew my mind. Knowing the franchise's history with fighting games, the most popular and competitively viable one was the Super Famicom version of Sailor Moon S.  Here, Sailor Uranus is widely regarded as a top-tier character with all the perks that made her soundly superior to the rest of the cast.  So to hear her say that in this game is quite ironic, and possibly a nod to the fighting game.

Overall, this show was extremely faithful to the manga, where the only notable - and much needed - change was how the battle with Eudial was executed. In the original manga, Eudial hardly used the Fire Buster as extensively as she did here, and when Sailor Mars used the Snake Fire, Eudial oddly transformed into a medusa.  To this day, I never understood the logic behind that, and it kind of took away from whatever personality the villain could've had.  Seeing this not happen in Crystal was a very smart move.

Once again the series delivers with an entertaining episode, and it can only get better from here, as the next episode will be focusing on not only my favorite villain of the Death Busters, but IMO one of my favorite Sailor Moon villains of all-time, Mimete.  I can only wonder how creative they'll get with her time in the spotlight, since she only has one shot to make it count compared to the 90s anime (where she was many times more entertaining and funny).  Please Toei, don't screw this up.

This week's episode is definitely a "Worth Watching" IMO.

Anime Blog #16: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3: Premonition, Part 2 (Review with SPOILERS!)

This past Monday I have watched the second part of Act 27, and to make a long story short, the quality of the episode retained its consistency, which is to say it was entertaining to watch.  However, due to circumstances such as work and other side projects I've been doing, I've never been able to chime in my own episode review until now (and on the day before the next episode, no less).

So without further ado, let's get on to the summary.

The opener scene for this episode centers around Chibiusa teasing Usagi about Mamoru taking him somewhere, much to Usagi's annoyance.  In a bit of surprise, the scene dials back to the humorous roots of the 90s anime, which gave the franchise an additional charm the manga never dabbled on very much.  At the same time, it never overstays its welcome and still reminds us it's trying its best to remain as faithful to the manga as possible.

Opening animation ensues.

Luna and Artemis - at the command center beneath the Crown arcade - gather resources on the suspected Mugen Academy, while Kaorinite gathers her underlings - the Witches 5 - to explain their mission, which is to find the Sailor Senshi and kill them.

Soonafter, Usagi and the gang meet Mamoru, Chibiusa, and his fellow underclassman Asanuma at the park near Mugen Academy.  Chibiusa, already on the ferris wheel with her friend Momo, has her hat blown away by the wind just as the ferris wheel stops, and she runs to retrieve it, as her foster mother Ikuko gave it to her as a keepsake.  The hat blew its way into Mugen Academy, where Usagi and her friends would shortly investigate.

Usagi uses her disguise pen in order to use the academy's uniform to blend in,  Later, she and her friends are briefly distracted by a violin being played in the distance by Michiru.  Then suddenly Haruka would appear out of nowhere, leaving them with a warning not to get in too deep.

Later that night Chibiusa retrieves her hat, and conveniently finds a seemingly anemic young girl in the academy's school uniform.  Concerned about the girl, Chibiusa offers help, but the girl tells her to stay away and leave the academy, as if she were shaken with fear.

At that moment, Eudial plants a Daimon egg toward a stray cat, mutating it into a Daimon.  The Daimon lets loose on Usagi and Chibiusa, and are forced to transform and defeat the monster.  It is here we witness Chibiusa's full transformation for the first time, with a dual roll-call with Sailor Moon in tow.

Sailor Mars uses the Burning Mandala, Sailor Venus restrains the monster with the Love-Me Chain, and Sailor Moon summons more power from the Silver Crystal in order to use the Moon Spiral Heart Attack, transforming the Daimon back to the cat it once was.  The Witches 5, watching them in the distance, disappear shortly after.

Albeit injured in the battle and risking their identity to protect the mysterious girl, Chibiusa tries to calm the girl by convincing them they're not bad people.  Hotaru couldn't help but notice Chibiusa's injury and magically heals it with her hand.  Sailors Neptune and Uranus could be seen suddenly by Sailor Moon and the gang, and quickly vanish into the night.

While I do admit the decision to stretch Act 27 into a two-parter seemed to drag things on a bit, given the pacing is weekly instead of bi-weekly, it's a little more forgivable.  And besides, the new direction being taken for Crystal is a bit more promising, and brings back a bit of the charm which made us fall in love with the 90s anime.  It's a perfect blend by far, with none of the blandness that seemed to hold the first two seasons back.

This episode gets a "Worth Watching" in my book.

Anime Blog #15: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 - First Impressions (SPOILERS!)

NOTE:  The following blog may contain spoilers based on pre-existing source material, and isn't suited for viewing by less-than-jaded fans trying to get into the franchise.  If you fit this criteria, continue to enjoy the episodes and conserve your suspense... trust me, it's gonna be awesome.

As for everyone else, welcome to my humble Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 review and impressions for Act 27: Infinity, Part I.  And without further ado, let's get started!

As everyone knows by now, Sailor Moon Crystal's inception was a result of the 20th anniversary celebration of the globally beloved Sailor Moon franchise, and is mainly about a bun-headed high-school student who - upon meeting four unique friends, two talking cats, and an older male student who she is destined to be together with - is revealed to have been the heir to Silver Millennium, a kingdom rumored to be inherited by successors of the moon goddess Selene.  Her four close friends are revealed to be princesses of their own respective planets of the Milky Way as well as the guardians of their planet called Sailor Guardians, sworn to defend Silver Millennium and its heirs.

Now reincarnated in the present, they have overcome the Dark Kingdom ruled by Metallia, and the dark planet Nemesis which Death Phantom merged itself with.  And so a new evil runs astir... that evil is none other than the Death Busters, ruled by Pharaoh 90.

The episode opens up with said new antagonist narrating his intentions and making his objectives clear to his subordinate magus, Kaorinite. (Surprisingly, Tayaka Hashi's performance for Pharaoh 90 sounds a lot like Arago from Samurai Troopers / Ronin Warriors).  Then it cuts to Hotaru's bedroom, with a voice beckoning her to "awaken" because a great destruction is coming.  We see brief shots of Sailor Pluto and two new Sailor Guardians carrying a mirror and a long sword (Neptune and Uranus, no doubt), and then it cuts to Mamoru and Usagi waking up, which heavily implies more than one person is having the same dream simultaneously.

The next morning Usagi wakes up late as usual, with Chibiusa already having her fill of breakfast thanks to their mother Ikuko.  Usagi rushes to see Mamoru, and Chibiusa follows, giving her the lunch she forgot to take.  Meanwhile, the scene cuts to an upper floor of a tall building, where an aqua-haired girl can be seen taking a casual swim by the pool in a white one-piece swimsuit.  Upon exiting the pool, she checks her cell phone and gets ready to board her helicopter, the Kaiohmaru.  Elsewhere, the scene cuts to a racing derby, where a young man (or is he?) named Haruka Tenoh is scolded by the pit team that he's straining the new car's engine too much.  Brushing it off casually, he boards a second helicopter called the Tenohmaru.

The show cuts back to Usagi hanging with her friends at the Crown plaza, where a racing game fancies her curiosity.  Suddenly, Haruka enters the scene unnoticed, showing off his skills with the arcade game, much to Usagi's frustration.  However, Haruka comforts her in almost a flirtatious manner, encouraging her in a way by saying she may be cut out to be a racer someday.  Meanwhile, the aqua-haired woman (now identified as Michiru Kaioh) is in a brief intervention with Mamoru, strangely telling him his eyes give a regal aura about him, as if he were a prince in his past life.  Haruka meets up with Michiru and they both leave for a school called the Mugen Academy - a gathering of elite students destined for greatness in the world.

Incidentally, there were reports of a monster attack, and the very monster goes to possess a girl from the Mugen Academy.  Luckily, Usagi and the gang were on the scene, and in typical fashion, they transform into the mighty Sailor Guardians we know and love, with new (and VASTLY IMPROVED) transformation sequences and roll calls.  The fight is briefly wrapped up when Sailors Venus and Jupiter perform their newest attacks - the Wink Chain Sword and Coconut Cyclone, respectably - to defeat the parasitic monster and restore the girl to normal.  The gang finally deduces that their new enemy is connected to this elite school and will stop at nothing to defeat them.

While this episode only tells half of a single chapter in the manga - whereas in the past they told the full chapter as an episode - the fact that this new staff direction improved the overall quality of the episodes - particularly in animation - was more than enough to hold me over to want more.  The prologue was dark and gripping, and the pacing was what I had come to expect given this is faithful to the manga (so far). The characters don't seem to have dry expressions and seem to be closer to the lovable 90s anime. Junko Minagawa's performance as Haruka Tenoh was the premiere standout voice talent, and has already proven to be more than enough to match - if not surpass - her predecessor Megumi "Aniki" Ogata, whom gracefully approved her to carry on the iconic role in her absence.

But what really caught my eye for this episode is the transformations.  OH GOD, THE TRANSFORMATIONS.  They're beautiful, just beautiful. I'd dare say this is not only the best we'll see for this remake of a series, but the best yet in the series' history. Gone is the CGI transformations that many believed to be out of place with the otherwise 2D environment.  What we get instead is tried-and-true 2D animation which is a sight to behold at 1080p. Add some inspiration from Pretty Cure, and you got a labor of love that just shows you that Toei takes its constructive feedback from fans VERY SERIOUSLY.  This, my friends, is what stole the show for me this episode, along with the beautifully animated Wink Chain Sword and Coconut Cyclone attacks.  And the show can only get better from here if the animation remains this consistent, unlike its previous seasons.

Luckily for us, we won't have to wait 2-3 weeks for another episode.  That's right!  Every Monday for what I believe will be the next 3 months we'll get a new episode.  And even better, next week you'll be formally introduced to the Witches 5 as well as Neptune and Uranus.

Scores are pointless to me, so I'm gonna instead give this a "Worth Watching", if only for the transformations and improved action alone.  It brings back the spirit of the 90s anime while still being its own thing.  This is the Sailor Moon Crystal we deserve.  An essential season to keep on your radar.