Sailor Moon Crystal – Act 7: Chiba Mamoru – Tuxedo Mask (SPOILERS)

SPOILERS

 

 

Okay, I’m just going to leave this here – I never liked Tuxedo Mask.  I hated him, actually.  I found his character REALLY one-dimensional, and he was only there to be the man to save the girls.  This version of the anime is really changing my mind, and I think that in this episode alone, there was more positive character development than in most of the other old anime episodes combined.  The point is that he didn’t have powers like the Sailor Senshi, since he wasn’t from the Moon Kingdom, but in the original anime, he could do special powered attacks, like his roses and cane were magical.  Here, he has no such powers.  Only what he can do physically.  I think it makes him more heroic that way, when he comes to help Sailor Moon – he knows that he has no chance against these monsters and the Four Generals, but he does anyway.

Okay, so we start the episode where we left it – Usagi in Mamoru’s bed.  He has a lot of restraint, because she does look pretty adorable there.  She wonders why she was so foolish not to recognize that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask in the first place, and he tells her about his childhood.  He lost his parents and his memories when he was six, and doesn’t know who he is.  He has a constant dream about the Legendary Silver Crystal, and he thinks it might help him regain his memories.  Usagi is very sympathetic to his problem, and while she remembers Luna saying not to trust him, she does.  She knows in her heart that he’s genuine, and it’s not only because of the feelings retained from their past life romance. That’s just the way Usagi is.  It REALLY shows through in this version of the anime that she is just full of pure, unconditional love and friendship.  When Usagi is your friend, that friendship will never waver, and she would do anything to help you.

In the 90’s anime, that never really came through as hard, since she was always fighting with Rei, and then later Chibi-Usa.  There’s a difference between butting heads and the fighting that they always did before.  Also, because of all the filler episodes and whatnot, Usagi never seemed as strong to the core as she actually is.  Unconditional love is HARD.  It’s something that as a teenager when I first discovered the Sailor Moon universe, I didn’t appreciate.  You don’t appreciate that kind of thing when you’re young.  It’s only as you’ve loved and hated and lost people that you realize that unconditional love and friendship is very difficult, and it takes a great deal of inner fortitude.  So, while Usagi may be a crybaby, she’s actually the strongest person in the anime.

Back to the show.  Usagi and Mamoru share a moment (that seems to make them closer than they ever were in the 90’s anime), and he calls her Usako for the first time, and gives her her bag, since she was going to leave without it.  As she’s walking away from his place, she thinks that his nickname would be Mamo-Chan.

In other Juban news, there’s a new DVD store opened up called “Dark”.  Really?  I bet it would go under in a week.  Do people still rent DVDs?  Anyway, the DVDs are actually brainwashing people into wanting to find Sailor Moon and the Legendary Silver Crystal.  This is Zoisite’s doing, and mannnnnnnn, Zoisite is actually really scary and a total BAMF (Bad Ass Motherfucker) in this series.  He’s all healed up from shielding Beryl from Moon Healing Escalation last episode, and right back in the trenches trying to get the Crystal for Beryl.

We also get our first look at Queen Metalia this episode.  She’s just a floating entity (I kind of think she’d hang out with Cassandra from Doctor Who), who wants more energy so she can destroy the earth.  Beryl’s not totally down with that, since she wants to control the earth herself, so she plots to not give the Legendary Silver Crystal to Metalia, but keep it for herself.

At school, the girls are sharing a nice lunch, and Ami is looking up Sailor V on her tablet (but they still have DVD rental stores…?), and Usagi notices the crescent mark on her forehead and that it’s just like Luna’s.  Yay, Usagi’s just a goof – she’s not a complete moron.  Umino shows up and acts super creepy, talking about finding Sailor Moon, and then scuttles off again in some hilarious animation.  Back in goof-Usagi mode, she stuffs her whole face into Makoto’s lunchbox and gets ketchup all over herself.   Usagi tries to find her handkerchief to wipe off the ketchup, but Mamoru has it.  She finds his watch, and wants to see him again so badly.  She puts the watch to her lips, and we cut to Mamoru doing the same with her handkerchief.  Two lovers with hearts twined, parted only by physical distance.

Back to the evil DVDs, everyone in town starts wandering around like Sailor Moon seeking zombies, and the girls transform, knowing they have to protect Usagi.  I love that it didn’t show them transform.  This show is so much more organic about that kind of stuff.  Usagi wants to help everyone, and knows that she can with the Moon Stick, so she transforms and uses Moon Healing Escalation on the townsfolk, and they all go back to normal.  Yay for Usagi.  Too bad it was a trap.  Zoisite goes all ninja and jumps from the sky and kicks her right in the face.  She goes flying, but tries to reflect moonlight on him.  It fails, since he teleports right behind her and starts to choke her, asking where the Legendary Silver Crystal is.  She doesn’t know, but that doesn’t stop him from choking her.

The other Senshi show up and try to attack, but Zoisite creates a barrier, and then knocks all the girls right out again.  Man, he’s powerful.  I wonder how strong Kunzite is going to be, then?  He keeps choking Sailor Moon, asking about the Crystal.  She’s about to black out, but then Tuxedo Mask comes and catches Zoisite off guard, punching him in the face.  Zoisite’s pissed, but there’s none of that ‘you ruined my beautiful face!’ stuff.  (His face IS beautiful.  Just sayin’.  He’s hot.)

Tuxedo Mask catches Sailor Moon from falling, and is asked by an angry Zoisite if seeking the Legendary Silver Crystal is his wish.  Mamoru goes to punch Zoisite again, but Zoisite puts up a barrier, and shoots a laser of pure badassness at Mamoru and knocks him for a pretty hefty blow.  He then gets his hands on Sailor Moon again.  He once again asks about the Crystal, and Usagi says that Mamoru has been looking for it for a long time.  He admits that was true at first, but now his wish is Usako.  Just Usako.  It’s really a very romantic and beautiful moment.  Zoisite’s all like ‘fuck this’, and creates a giant ass killing crystal.  Usagi tries to grab him, but he chucks her off like it’s nothing.  He’s about to kill Sailor Moon when…..

OMG…

SAILOR VENUS!

 

She throws her crescent boomerang and hits Zoisite in the… stomach… crotch…?  Somewhere in that area.  We also see a small glimpse of Artemis, but OMGYES Sailor Venus.  Finally!  Can you tell that Minako is my fave?!  And then as soon as we see her beautiful face… it’s the closing credits.  NOOOOOOOOOOO.

In the clip for next week, we get some glimpses of Sailor V’s transformation, and it looks gorgeous.  CAN NOT WAIT.7

I always say that each week’s episode is my fave episode, and I’m saying it again here.  I hope I say that next week, too.  It’s a sign of a good, addictive show.  And the animation quality was pretty solid this time around, too.