Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「クリスタル・トーキョー –KING ENDYMION–」 (Kurisutaru Tookyoo –KING ENDYMION–)
“Crystal Tokyo –KING ENDYMION–”
For all the people that are still following along but haven’t seen the original series of Sailor Moon, this would be the pivotal part of the story that you should really start to pay attention to. This episode reveals not only the “future” of Usagi and Mamoru, but the background behind the “Dark Moon and sets the stage for what’s going to happen next. Personally I found the episode rather slow and… uneventful but that’s only because I knew what was going to happen. Not only that, but each unveil felt so anticlimactic even when Usagi was surprised to see that she was Neo Queen Serenity. However, I think that’s also due to the fact that I’m much older than a 8-year-old that might find this more entertaining so I won’t hold it against the younglings. I’d say that the only part that interested me this week was the end when Esmeraude attacked Chibi Usa and co. It’s not that I like to see them attacked, but it’s the only scene that I didn’t see coming. And did Esmeraude really get killed off so easily? Her character has got to be the flattest of them all…
Prince Demande in comparison is much more three-dimensional. That might be because we haven’t seen much of him yet, but I promise that if my memory serves me well, then there’s more to him than what we’re seeing (*hehe see what I did there?). There’s a reason he keeps Neo Queen Serenity in an ice/crystal block. We’ll see more of that next week hopefully – but unfortunately that means his henchmen have gotten little to no screen time at all. If I never had a pet peeve about Sailor Moon Crystal before, I have one now and it’s the use of pointless, flat antagonists. I understand that not all antagonists are meant to be misunderstood creatures that actually have a purpose for what they’re doing; most of them are bad for the sake of being bad; but I don’t see why we have so many of them. They’re all just there to do Prince Demande’s (or the Wiseman’s) bidding and it just leaves me feeling like they’re wasted potentials. I would feel much better if they would get written off sooner or if there’s a purpose they’ve been hanging around for so long.
I mentioned last time that time travel is always a hit or miss for me because it’s either explained well and done “properly”, or it’s just a mess and I never get on board with the idea. Sailor Moon Crystal is an example of a show that I feel doesn’t truly take advantage of the time travel aspect. They use it as a means to connect the plots together and whenever its convenient (like Usagi’s wand inability to work) to pose danger. But you’ll never see it being used to correct the past… how about traveling back in time to stop the Dark Moon’s attack in the 20th century? Or why not just travel back to the moment before the attack to stop the Dark Moon? I feel like there’s a few plot holes here that could be overlooked; but since I’m blogging about it biweekly, I want to make sense of it. King Endymion can also materialize himself just enough to impose strength and energy on to Tuxedo Mask, but for some reason, still can’t wake up? Hmmm… it’s best not to think too much into it I guess. I’ll enjoy this series much more just being ignorant.
Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: A slow first half for #SailorMoonCrystal. I guess it’s good for people that have never seen the original but still… Would have preferred more action than the bg story on the 30th century #SailorMoonCrystal. Did Esmeraude die already?
P.S.: I’ve also started an ask.fm page so feel free to ask me anything =) Can be food, anime, RC-related or anything that tickles your fancy.
Preview
 |
 |
 |
https://randomc.net/image/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
Seems like she is deep in thought instead of being encased.
https://randomc.net/image/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
I liked the parts with Sailor Pluto in them and I hope she plays a deeper role in future episodes. It was interesting to know about her origin which wasn’t mentioned in the original anime series.
https://randomc.net/image/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
Like father like daughter, they seem persistent on doing things on their own
“Hmmm… it’s best not to think too much into it…”
Yup, this is pretty much my approach to some of the logic inconsistencies in Sailor Moon. I don’t think Naoko Takeuchi really thought it through that well with the whole time travel thing when she first wrote the story, and it only gets more confusing in the later arcs.
As for the villains, I have to say that one of the strength of the 90’s anime was the characterization of many of the villains. A lot of the villains in the manga and SMC are evil for evil’s sake, whilst in the 90’s anime they had back stories and character development, and we could feel empathy for them because of that.
https://randomc.net/image/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
How convenient start slowing down the aging process after your adulthood begins.
https://randomc.net/image/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2011.jpg
I honestly thought that the cats reaction to their “future” was more hilarious.
https://randomc.net/image/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal/Sailor%20Moon%20Crystal%20-%2020%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
This is really an insult to the Sailor Moon franchise! Why is this getting a Season 2? Oh, right MERCHANDISE!!!
No, I believe that the so-called fans such as yourself are the insult to the franchise. Everyone else is enjoying the new series.
“Enjoy” is a very strong word right now.
I’m struggling to “Tolerate” what Toei’s been doing the last year.
Lol, they are? Low standards much?
You do know that this is how the franchise began, right?
Crystal is following the manga story pretty much exactly to the letter. What one sees in Crystal is what they would’ve read in the manga when it came out. Without the manga story, Crystal’s story, the 90s anime some act like is the one and only “true” story would never have existed. By saying this is an “insult to the franchise”, you’re pretty much calling ALL of Sailor Moon an “insult” in general because this story is what started it all. This is what people would’ve read in the manga when it first came out. Those who are nostalgic about the manga may be able to see more of its flaws today because they’re a bit older and can see them more clearly (along with the fact that it’s an older, much more idealistic manga being brought back in different times as anime tastes have changed quite a bit), but it doesn’t change the fact that, for them, it’s the manga that got them into Sailor Moon in the first place, and into the first anime when it came out.
Yes, Crystal, and the manga by extension, are not masterpieces, but the 90s anime is also far from perfect. Calling out Crystal so negatively, yet still trying to call oneself a “Sailor Moon fan”, it only shows that people with such a mindset are most likely those would never have gotten into Sailor Moon to begin with when it began with the manga, before the first anime. They’re the type who would’ve bashed the manga and, by extension, not even bothered with the first anime because it was heavily inspired by that same manga.
That’s not to say people HAVE to like the manga/Crystal and/or hate the 90s anime, but rather that one should think before bashing Crystal so harshly as, again, if it weren’t for the manga that it’s following, then the anime that they praise and compare Crystal to so much, much less the “insulted franchise”, wouldn’t have existed to begin with.
Amen to that. I’ve been saying the same thing over and over since Crystal began airing and all those first anime elitists started their whine fest. No matter what they say, the manga still is what introduced the characters, the story and the franchise they claim to love so much. Without the manga, there would be no Sailor Moon franchise at all. There would be no 90’s SM anime, no SM live action, no SM musicals, nothing. There would be no magical girls genre as we know it today. People may prefer the first anime over all the other versions, even over the original source that is the manga, and it’s completely fine, but they at least should give some respect where it’s due.
Crystal has its faults and nobody tries to deny that. The animation could be better, sure. But then again, the first anime did happen to have many episodes with abysmal animation too (very often important, story-breaking episodes to boot). Not to mention Crystal’s animation gets visibly upgraded for the BD releases, so I see no reason why anyone should complain about something they get for free and probably don’t even bother to watch via the official channels, but leach through the torrent sites instead.
Also, people tend to cry about the character development, or lack of thereof, but the last time I checked, it was the manga that gave Pluto an actual backstory and a huge major role in the Black Moon arc’s finale (things we’re yet to see in Crystal), something that the R season of the old anime failed to do despite its long 40+ episodes run, because obviously, Chibi Usa befriending a dinosaur must’ve been a more important issue to address back then. And that’s just the top of the iceberg of things the first anime didn’t even bother to address regarding the characters. But of course it’s oh so perfect and without a flaw in the world.
OK, so the thing is, there actually are lots of people who enjoy Crystal greatly despite its flaws (the animation, sometimes the pacing) and it’s a fact. From what I’ve noticed, they tend to be the ones who know SM to a tee, both the old anime and the manga, so they also know what to and what not to expect to see in Crystal. The problem is that the haters are much more vocal and you see them pretty much everywhere (they’re literally like a plague). The hate and negativity will always be louder, unfortunately, so all those people who love Crystal should just ignore it (no one should tell you what can or can’t like or that you have a bad taste/low standards/whatever because of liking something they don’t) and continue to do their thing – loving and supporting SMC the way they’ve been doing it until now. Personally, I’ll keep hoping that the rumors about a continuation/second season turn out to be true, as the three arcs after the Black Moon have always been my favorite in the manga and I want to see them animated. Simple as that.
And oh, a fun fact. I’ve introduced Crystal to some of my old friends who used to watch and love SM back when it first aired on our local TV, but haven’t dived into the anime/manga world any further since then, and every single one of them is positively thrilled about Crystal and doesn’t even notice the flaws people love to point out. I guess when you watch too many anime, you may lose to ability to simply enjoy things as they are somewhere along the way. Good thing it’s never happened to me.
Sorry for the long rant, but the hate is getting too over the top for me to handle sometimes.
Lol @Aisacat, could you be any more full of it? I know plenty of people who know SM ‘in and out’ and who can’t stand it at all. I’ve also seen the reaction of some ‘old fans who don’t watch other anime but loved SM in the past’ – and they couldn’t stand it. Yes, lots of people from all walks of life hate it. Just as some fans from all walks of life like it. Go figure.
But sure, you just go ahead and generalize harder and keep those nostalgia glasses firmly stuck to your face, why don’t you 😀
is this really made with 3D CG?
the graphic doesn’t look like 3D while it doesn’t have 2D anime quality neither.
It’s called TOEI moneymilking quality
I ship Pluto x King
Much better pairing
I never saw the older anime when I was younger, but I heard good things about it.
When I heard that this was coming out, I decided to read the original manga and watch the older anime. I enjoying reading the manga, but nearly died from an aneurysm while watching that anime though. I couldn’t finish it. SMC follows the manga more closely and I enjoy it a lot more. I’m sad that not many people feel the same way, no matter what reason they come up with, it’s a good anime.
halfdemoninuya aisiahat, and kayne@ totally agree with everything you said! I’m a crystal lover also I love how they’re handling Chibiusa’s character making her sympathetic these are things a real kid would do at that age if they were in a crisis not be some super robot who already knows the answers to everything and anything(cough nanoha cough) but a real character who is likable, fun and not a fetish fuel.