月に代わって、お仕置きよ！
2014-Jul-07, Monday 18:43![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorchadas
I watched Sailor Moon Crystal on Saturday with schoolpsychnerd. I liked it.
It's difficult for me to really say much more than that, because unlike a lot of the people who have been waiting for this for a long time, I didn't grow up with Sailor Moon and don't have any fond memories of it. I didn't even see any anime at all until I was 19--and since the first anime I ever saw was Akira, sometimes I'm amazed I kept watching. My only familiarity with Sailor Moon was whatschoolpsychnerd told me about it, a bit of geek cultural osmosis, and reading a lot of Shadowjack Watches Sailor Moon. Though because of that last one, my image is Sailor Moon is of the Seelie Court, which was headquartered in Lost Carcosa, fighting the Unseelie Court, which is trying to summon Cthulhu. At least, in the first season.
The eyecatches, as I've just learned that they're called, reminded me a lot of Utena's shadow theatre with A-ko, B-ko, and C-ko. The character designs remind me of Utena too with how lanky they are, though I've read that the original manga had similar designs. It does make it ever more difficult to believe that these are supposed to be middle-schoolers than it normally would, though.
I loved how Mamoru was just wandering around a tuxedo for no reason, and when he and Usagi run into each other, they kind of look at each other like, "Do I...know you?" And then later he shows up, having put on a top hat, cape, and small mask, and Usagi is all WHO IS THIS MAN?!
I didn't like the battle, though. Ordinary people being corrupted into zombies against their will is and should be horrifying, and while there was an initial moment when Naru's "mother" turned around and then the eyecatches flashed up, or when Sailor Moon busted into the jewelry store and then the mind-controlled zombies showed up...they weren't really a threat at all. It's possible that I have incompatible expectations, coming as I do from a post-Sailor Nothing mindset, but I was hoping for a more closely-fought battle and emphasis on the tragedy of mind control (the way I hear the live action series is). I guess if they follow the "constant escalation" model, it does give them a place where there is nowhere to go but up.
The transformation music was fantastic. Uptempo choral chanting is probably my favorite genre of music next to chiptunes, so that meant it beat out the opening theme for catchiness for me. I saw one person describe it as “like the birth of a goddess,” which I guess is kind of appropriate?
And because my proximate interest is nearly always tabletop RPGs, watching the episode made me go check out Princess: the Hopeful again and askschoolpsychnerd to run a game. The biggest roleplaying challenge for me yet--playing an optimist who believes that it is possible to spread enlightenment to the masses, given the proper methods.
schoolpsychnerd. I liked it.It's difficult for me to really say much more than that, because unlike a lot of the people who have been waiting for this for a long time, I didn't grow up with Sailor Moon and don't have any fond memories of it. I didn't even see any anime at all until I was 19--and since the first anime I ever saw was Akira, sometimes I'm amazed I kept watching. My only familiarity with Sailor Moon was what
schoolpsychnerd told me about it, a bit of geek cultural osmosis, and reading a lot of Shadowjack Watches Sailor Moon. Though because of that last one, my image is Sailor Moon is of the Seelie Court, which was headquartered in Lost Carcosa, fighting the Unseelie Court, which is trying to summon Cthulhu. At least, in the first season.Beyond the Lake of Hali, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Carcosa. Our wands were shattered in our hands and we hung our crowns on the oak tree. The silver towers were fallen, into a sea of blood. How many miles to Carcosa? None, I say, and all. The silver towers are fallen.He did up the episode with the flashback to the Silver Millennium in iambic pentameter. It's pretty cool.
The eyecatches, as I've just learned that they're called, reminded me a lot of Utena's shadow theatre with A-ko, B-ko, and C-ko. The character designs remind me of Utena too with how lanky they are, though I've read that the original manga had similar designs. It does make it ever more difficult to believe that these are supposed to be middle-schoolers than it normally would, though.
I loved how Mamoru was just wandering around a tuxedo for no reason, and when he and Usagi run into each other, they kind of look at each other like, "Do I...know you?" And then later he shows up, having put on a top hat, cape, and small mask, and Usagi is all WHO IS THIS MAN?!
I didn't like the battle, though. Ordinary people being corrupted into zombies against their will is and should be horrifying, and while there was an initial moment when Naru's "mother" turned around and then the eyecatches flashed up, or when Sailor Moon busted into the jewelry store and then the mind-controlled zombies showed up...they weren't really a threat at all. It's possible that I have incompatible expectations, coming as I do from a post-Sailor Nothing mindset, but I was hoping for a more closely-fought battle and emphasis on the tragedy of mind control (the way I hear the live action series is). I guess if they follow the "constant escalation" model, it does give them a place where there is nowhere to go but up.
The transformation music was fantastic. Uptempo choral chanting is probably my favorite genre of music next to chiptunes, so that meant it beat out the opening theme for catchiness for me. I saw one person describe it as “like the birth of a goddess,” which I guess is kind of appropriate?
And because my proximate interest is nearly always tabletop RPGs, watching the episode made me go check out Princess: the Hopeful again and ask
schoolpsychnerd to run a game. The biggest roleplaying challenge for me yet--playing an optimist who believes that it is possible to spread enlightenment to the masses, given the proper methods.
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Date: 2014-Jul-08, Tuesday 02:20 (UTC)1) the eyecatches probably were a nod to Revolutionary Girl Utena (fo anime fans), but it's more likely a nod to French shadow puppetry and shojo manga's interest in French culture.
2) Sailor Moon (1991-1997) influenced the style of Utena (1996) in all likelihood. Plus having lithe or long-legged figures were in vogue for 1990s shoujo manga (see anything by CLAMP).
3) You're over-thinking the battles. While SMCrystal didn't include the broken bottle wielding controlled person, the original manga and anime did. The controlled people actually corner Sailor Moon/Usagi pretty well and she, a truly caring person, does not know how to fight or hurt anyone physically. This is important since Sailor Moon's main attack is Moon Healing Escalation. As the story unfolds, the fights do become more desperate because the Senshi don't want to hurt their friends or other humans just to get at the bad guys and stop the monsters their friends have become. Some of the monsters are ridiculous looking, but some are scary in how easily they can control humans or are controlled themselves by the Nega-Verse Generals. Wait for the Mercury introduction episode (or watch the original anime one with old school PCs and floppy disks!) or check out the progression of ssn 1 youma here http://sailormoon.wikia.com/wiki/Youma.
4) For Sailor Moon/Usagi and Tuxedo Kamen/Mamoru encounters... they were a little heavy-handed for me. The fun of their relationship is the initial ambiguity of what they are/were to each other and not the "oh, you know wink wink nudge nudge". Plus the great layered nature to their relationship (disinterest vs. interest in each other, teasing attraction, interest only in certain objectives, curiosity, appreciation, mutual respect and companionship, the past vs. the present, etc.).
no subject
Date: 2014-Jul-09, Wednesday 02:19 (UTC)I went and looked this up to see if there was anything definitive, and you're right: I had no idea that Ikuhara actually worked directly on Sailor Moon. Huh.
You're over-thinking the battles.
It's more that I'd rather have something different, but I can't blame Sailor Moon for not being what I want because it's never been what I want, it was never advertised as being what I want, and it makes no sense for the original construction of the modern magical girl genre to be in any way a deconstruction. I like the idea of a story about how being a magical girl is much more a curse than a blessing and it actually alienates you from other humans and destroys your life, but Sailor Moon isn't that story and I don't expect it to be. It didn't stop me from being a little disappointed, though.