Sailor Moon’s tiara is iconic. I recently watched the 2009 Wonder Woman animated movie, which I didn’t like much, and at one point Wonder Woman uses her tiara like a boomerang. I was all like “Hey! They pulled a Sailor Moon!” In fact, if you watch a lot of cartoons you are bound to see hidden tributes to the show everywhere. Some are probably unintentional, like Wonder Woman’s tiara, but I remember an episode of Word Girl where one of Sailor Moon’s transformation scenes is mimicked (I wish I could remember the episode!). And who hasn’t seen the Iron Man transformation?
So what does this have to do with the latest Sailor Moon Crystal Episode? Sailor Moon gets a new tiara!
Again, I have to remind readers that it’s been a long time since I’ve read the manga. I’ve always been an anime fan first and foremost, so the majority of Act 4 was new to me. The only thing that was familiar was the fact that the Sailor Senshi were at a masquerade ball, and that Princess D and her soon-to-be-revealed diamond were the target of Queen Beryl’s latest plot to get the maboroshi no ginzuishou (silver crystal). I LOVED the complexities of this episode compared to the original anime.
My favorite part was a) that Sailor Moon’s tiara was actually destroyed in the last episode, which adds a whole new element of realism to the show and b) that it was the love ignited by Tuxedo Mask that gave her the power to generate a new tiara. And woah does that tiara pack a punch!
By reflecting the light of the moon, the tiara shot a beam of intense moon light at the shadow of Nephrite and destroyed the threat. Sailor Moon Crystal has delivered on the promise of a new Sailor Moon narrative. The characters are all more adult acting and fleshed out, including the bad guys, and the story is a bit more complex than before. I noticed this especially with Rei’s mannerisms and way of speaking. She has a much more grown up aura.
I was a bit worried only at one part in the show, which was when Tuxedo Mask leaned down to kiss a sleeping Sailor Moon. I know they are reincarnated lovers, but she doesn’t know that yet! I saw that moment as totally not cool, because Sailor Moon could not give consent for him to touch her in that way. Thank goodness the show saved it from creepiness by having Luna intrude on the scene and give Tuxedo Mask a good scolding. We are left with an uneasy feeling (even though we know what will happen later) that Tuxedo Mask really doesn’t have Sailor Moon’s best interests in mind right now. All in all a good episode and the next one can’t come soon enough! Yay for introducing Sailor Jupiter!
I’m also going to throw my two cents into the reboot/remake debate and say this: Sailor Moon Crystal is a reboot. Yes, I said it. It is a reboot of the anime by definition. According to Wikipedia:
to reboot means to discard all continuity in an established series in order to recreate its characters, timeline and backstory from the beginning.
To which anti-reboot fans will say, “No! Because everything is not being discarded it’s not a reboot! They are simply following the manga more closely now!”
To which I say in response “We are talking about the ANIME. They are discarding all the stuff of the original anime, and starting from the beginning with a clean slate. The clean slate happens to be the original manga.”
To which they will probably say, “Exactly, which means it isn’t a reboot!”
To which I will reply, “A reboot is the best term for what it is. Do you have a better one word description for what Sailor Moon Crystal is?” And now I happily wait for a response, because I am genuinely curious to know if there is an answer.
Check out the Sailor Moon Crystal Page for other episode reviews and links to watch the show!
P.S. Speaking of cartoon tributes, have you seen the Hayao Miyazaki tribute in the Thanksgiving Bob’s Burger’s episode?
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