17 Thoughts While Watching “Sailor Moon Crystal”

I never got into Crystal as it was released. As a kid, I loved the original Sailor Moon anime (especially “R” and “Promise of the Rose!”), but as an adult, I found Serena and Darien’s relationship problematic and thought Rini both creepy (Darien is her FATHER!) and super annoying. Now that I’m strapped for shoujo and home for the foreseeable future, I figured that I might as well give it a shot. It turned out to be more enjoyable than I thought it would be, if just as cheesy as the original. (^_~)

While I haven’t finished the series, here are 17 initial impressions I gathered thus far.

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• I love the voices. Love them. They sound familiar, but not /too/ familiar. As in, I’m loving the work but also not distracted by remembering other characters that sounded just the same. (Except you, Greg Ayres. I see you over there voicing Usagi’s brother.)
• The art is actually really pretty. I didn’t expect it to be so pretty, for some reason.

• Dang, son. Mamoru is much better in this version.
• And his relationship with Usagi is much less problematic. At 14 and 16 (eventually 16 and 18?) their relationship falls under what what my state would call a “Romeo & Juliet Law.”
• The scouts’ transformations remind me of Code Lyoko.

• Sailor Moon’s “champion of love and justice” speech is still super cringy. There, I said it.
• I made up a Captain Planet Meme in my head very applicable to this series, and now I made it digitally. Feeling very proud of myself.

• Chibiusa’s entrance still made me say–regrettably out loud–“You little b****.” Yes. I really said it. I couldn’t stand her character in the original.
• Apparently only Usagi is allowed to be irrational about her love. Say what you will, but that’s unfair.
• I know it is fantasy, but just the fact that it disregards basically all science and reality to fit its fantasy into a modern-world setting is a lot for me to swallow. I’m more of a “different plain of existence/entirely fantasy world” or “fantasy totally hidden within the everyday without impossibly contradicting life as we know it” kind of girl, myself.
• They’re all still so freaking stupid about Chibiusa’s maternity/paternity reveal. OF COURSE IT’S FUTURE USAGI IN THE CRYSTAL BED IF FUTURE MAMORU IS HER HUSBAND AND RINI’S FATHER. THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST THING YOU’D REALIZE, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. HOW IS THIS NEWS????
• Disregarding some truly beautiful shots and colors, sometimes I’m watching like, “this is animation is fine,” and sometimes I’m like “When did Sailor Moon get Slenderman arms?” The animation gets… wacky… sometimes.

• Time travel will never not create a paradox… unless you subscribe to parallel universes theory, I guess, but I don’t think they’re doing that here.
• Chibiusa’s deeply disturbing Electra Complex isn’t going away, I suppose. She’s so jealous of her mother’s poise and talent that she’s developed this rivalry with her mother’s past self over her own father and I am NOT here for it. Yuck. I was really hoping they’d leave that out of this new incarnation, but I suppose it’s in the manga…
• There are so many plot holes.
• Usagi called Demande insane, but is he really? I mean, yes he is; he did want to kill a bunch of people and other bad stuff so he is insane in that way, but is he crazy to say that everything that lives must die because that’s the natural order of things? Like, immortality makes people lazy and complacent? I dunno, my dudes, but that sounds pretty sane to me.
• The dialogue is so cheezy. It’s so hard to listen to at times. One minute it’s fine, the next you’re like, “Ah, yes, because this is made for a very specific audience. Yes.” Maybe other people don’t think so, and that’s fine, but… I just can’t take it seriously sometimes.

AAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDDDD there you have it. Now you know how I’m feeling about Sailor Moon Crystal. I’ll probably get around to watching more in preparation for these movies that are apparently coming out. It isn’t an unpleasant series, honestly. I think I like it better than the original for watching at my age. How do you guys feel? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay safe!

~Shoujo ❤