Oh maaaaan it's been a while. I know. I'm sorry, heh. I've been depressed and making some big life decisions (like going back to school for art!) so uhhhhh whoops. The Geeky Gal has kind of been on the back burner. That, and my lack of an external hard drive made this difficult.
But I've thankfully purchased a new one, so back to the blog!
Today I've decided to start a new column here with Sailor Moon Saturdays. (Warning: These entries will be filled with spoilers and they will also be image heavy, so be aware!)
With the release of the new anime series, I've decided to post a review of each new episode as they're released. I wanted to post this sooner, but my dear friend Ben was visiting from Massachusetts and then I went to the movies. (Saw Maleficent by the way. Enjoyed it more than I expected!)
In celebration of Sailor Moon's 20th anniversary, Toei Animation decided to reboot the anime and create a version that was much closer to the manga. Which, as an American fan especially, I'm grateful for - while I love the original Sailor Moon anime with all of my heart, it had a much lighter tone than the original work, and with our butchered version it really took away a lot of the depth that was originally intended. (But hey, I still love it. So, whoops.)
Today's episode was entitled 'Act 1 - Usagi, Sailor Moon'.
In today's episode, we're introduced to the titular character, Sailor Moon. However, during the day she's known as Usagi Tsukino. She lives with her mother, father, and younger brother (her father is the only family member not shown in this episode) and goes to school like any other kid. She's a 14 year old crybaby that's a bit ditzy, not really into studying, and she has a whimsical romantic side.
While on her way to school, she runs into a cat with bandages on its forehead. As she removes them, she sees a crescent moon-shaped bald spot. We're also introduced to some of her friends, as well as her future love interest and some enemies.
She soon reunites with the cat and gains magical powers that will transform her into the hero known as Sailor Moon. Why was she chosen? What must she do? These are questions that will obviously be answered as the series progresses, heh.
Let us take a look at some of the animation.
We're first greeted with this lovely image of the moon, which (OBVIOUS SPOILERS) is going to be important. Considering, you know, the main character's hero persona has the word Moon in it?
To differentiate this series from the older 90s one, it has been give a new title (Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, though most people still only refer to it as either Sailor Moon or Sailor Moon Crystal).
Here is our first facial shot of Usagi. Man, if only it were a little more flattering. But I guess that's the point, right? At this point in the story, she's whiny and clumsy and just not mature. But what else do you expect from a teenager? (I've been reading a lot of negative criticism about how "annoying" she is, but I guess everyone has suddenly forgotten that teenagers are all annoying.)
Haruna-sensei is the one character that, as of now, has changed the most. And by that, I mean OH WOW HER HAIR. It threw me off quite a bit, considering she used to be a dark brunette. Everyone else is pretty on point, but ohhhhh man. I like this look, but it's jarring compared to everyone else.
Naru seems to be much more mature in this version (I think it's because her face shape is slightly elongated and her lips are more prominent), but perhaps that's a little unfair to say considering she always plays a bit of a feminine foil to Usagi's ridiculous behaviour while she's in school. Even so, it's nice to see her like this.
Umino looks the same but SO DIFFERENT? His hair seems bigger, which makes him seem a little more delicate. I like that. I think a lot of people write Umino off as a "very annoying guy" (coughUsagi), but he's probably more sensitive than he wants to let on and understands that people don't really like him. So in a way, he probably works hard in school to find some kind of praise and attention.
Mamoru Chiba's design, while pretty much unchanged, is still very gorgeous. Oh yes, it'll be nice to see him as the love interest again! (Although it's kind of insulting that he doesn't get a nice "flower shot" like the next person I'm about to introduce...)
And then we have Motoki, who as Usagi says, works at the arcade. He's a bit more prominent (yet not terribly important) in the manga as Usagi's first love interest. At least, before she really begins interacting with Mamoru.
I like the little updated Sailor V game footage that we had in this. The video game is actually really important in the manga (as well as that arcade) so I'm glad they seem to be heading in a direction where they'll feature that more.
BY THE WAY CAN WE JUST LOOK AT HOW CUTE LUNA IS? A talking cat that wants to give you magical powers AND good advice? I'm sold.
Here we have our first look at Sailor Moon after her first transformation. I'm sure if you thought a cat was talking to you and handed you a magical broach, you'd probably think you were delirious and check right in to a hospital. But Usagi just kind of goes with the flow. Okay! She looks super cute though.
And look, Tuxedo Mask! Flying gracefully through the air! (Also, please note the watch he carries on the left bottom side of the screen. That watched played a bit of a part in the manga as well and when I first saw Mamoru carrying it earlier I pretty much screamed at my computer.)
This is Jadeite, one of Queen Beryl's henchmen. I'm wondering if they'll go into his background a bit like in the manga, but we shall see just how accurate the show is. But for now, he'll be the antagonist against the Sailor Scouts. Supposedly we'll get a good shot of Queen Beryl in the next episode though!
Now, I want to briefly hit on things that I liked about this episode, and things I didn't like.
Let's start with the things I didn't like.
I really only have two major complaints with this show so far, but considering it's the first episode I do want you guys to take this with a grain of salt. And perhaps I'm being far too picky.
1. I HATED Sailor Moon's transformation scene. When she first transforms from Usagi to Sailor Moon, I was devastated by the animation choice they chose. Rather than sticking with traditional 2D, they decided to switch it up and mix in a clunky 3D bit in there as well (which has been rather common lately - see ANY new Pokemon series). I was so disappointed. I love 3D, and I love 2D, but it's SO hard to mix the two mediums and I consider this a hard miss. (Hence why I didn't take any screenshots of it. Not only did I not want to share the ENTIRE episode with you guys, but I just thought it was that disappointing.)
2. The music. Neither the opening or closing songs had me humming afterward. There was none of the 90s nostalgia for me. However, I'm trying my best to not really compare the two in terms of music and to let them be their own "animals". And this may change the longer the series is on, so we'll see.
And now, for the things I do like.
1. So far, I'm really happy that they're sticking closer to the original source. In the next episode we're supposedly going to be introduced to Sailor Mercury. This is kind of big, considering the first series made us wait eight episodes before introducing her! (That may not SEEM like a lot, but it kind of drags in the beginning because of this. Also, it was kind of annoying considering they all seem to meet each other in a second in the manga sooooo.)
2. I love the "title screens" for the show. These are the pieces of art that would appear between commercials on Japanese TV (to let you know when the show is taking a break, when it's coming back, and when it's over).
The last one especially seems to have a nice twinge of Alphonse Mucha's style in there, so I was very pleased with that.
On a happy note, I'm going to leave you with one of our first shots of all of the "inner" Sailor Scouts together! It's shown during the opening theme song, and I'm so excited to see how they all turn out in the show.
If you're interested in watching the new anime, you can watch it over on Hulu.com or Crunchyroll.com! (I tend to prefer Crunchyroll but to each his own!)
As of now the next episode is scheduled to air on July 19th. (Ugh! Delaying the series twice AND making us wait this long in between each episode? You guys are killing me.) However, I'm considering doing this every Saturday in the sense that I'll talk about something Sailor Moon-related each week, whether I discuss mythology or theories or opinions!
If you guys have any Sailor Moon-related topics you want me to discuss next week, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email!
Hope you enjoyed this review, and keep reading!
xo, Kate
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