Sailor Moon Crystal Act 10, Moon, was released November 15th on Crunchyroll,
Hulu and Niconico at 7pm Japan Standard Time. The episode was available an hour early to fans who observe daylight savings time due to the fact that the Japanese don’t roll back their clocks. This will be the same for the next 6 months worth of episodes. Lots happens this week as the Sailor Guardians go to the Moon to learn about their past!
The episode starts out with a fun scene of Usagi and her family at home. This lets us see Kenji Papa doing his oh so famous “What? You have a BOYFRIEND?!” face. The original manga chapter of this story has Shingo and Usagi playing with a game system which appears to be a Super Famicom (Japanese Super Nintendo), which would fit with the technology of the time. What is this updated to in 2014? Shingo is playing with what appears to be an original model Gameboy Advance, released in Japan in March of 2001. This seems seriously dated as the GBA SP was released in 2003 and the next generation Nintendo DS was released nearly 10 years ago in 2004. The style choice may have been made because the Gameboy Advance form factor is more generic, vaguely resembling the PSP or or less so the Vite, Wonderswan or Sega Game Gear. Do kids these days even think this thing looks like a game system?
The girls go to the Moon and this is decently done, but I took a few astronomical issues with how this was portrayed which I will touch on at the end of the post for those who are interested. Once on the Moon there is a sword set in stone, which is called various things including the Holy Sword or the Sword of the Silver Crystal. Venus is the only one that is able to pull it, though the other girls working together were able to budge it. This sword is seen as the T in the word Crystal in the show’s logo, so it’s no big surprise when we see it.
Queen Serenity appears as a computer simulation recreated from her memories. This sets the technological level of Silver Millennium well past that of Earth in 2014, let alone 1992 or the ancient past when all this occurred. We’re nowhere close to the kind of whole brain emulation or mind uploading that would be required to do something like this. Sailor Moon’s attacks and transformation always seem like magic but an advanced civilization like this would be capable of machine level super intelligence so advanced that such things may very well be possible through technological progress rather than anything mystical, but that’s hardly hinted at in the rest of the series. It would be more internally consistent to assume that their magical abilities helped them achieve technological progress, or that the simulation is a mix of both.
We learn about the tragic events on the Moon. Endymion was killed and so Serenity, in grief, took her own life. In the manga it appears that the sword Sailor Moon uses on herself is the one Sailor Venus later removes from the stone. Sailor Moon Crystal clearly shows her using Endymion’s sword for this.
The biggest deal with this episode are the Shitennou couplings! We knew we kept them all around for a reason. Kunzite snoops on Beryl and Metalia much as he did in the Manga however this time he has Jadeite, Nephrite and Zoisite with him. Venus has full memories of them in the past, when they all had capes like Kunzite’s, and the Sailor Guardians went to Earth to fall in love with them. This was never shown in the manga, except in a single image. The couplings are consistent with that image as Sailor Mercury is in love with Zoisite, Sailor Mars is in love with Jadeite, Sailor Jupiter is in love with Nephrite and Sailor Venus is in love with Kunzite. Sailor Venus and Kunzite’s relationship is hinted at in both the Sailor Moon and Sailor V manga.
A new attack is used as the Sailor Guardians use their Sailor Planet Attack. Kunzite is meant to be killed at this point, but we didn’t keep the rest of the Shitennou around just to have them killed off now! They will be alive for some new scenes in coming episodes!
Queen Beryl revives Tuxedo Mask who is now under her control. She is clearly in love with him and in order to keep other girls from stealing him away she dresses him up in the most ridiculously terrible beige sweater. This hurts my brain less than the checker pattern Endo wears in the manga, but it is considerably less stylish. This is something an 80 year old might decide to wear, which isn’t too far off considering just how old Mamoru is if his reincarnation is considered.
Update: Alita from the Facebook page has pointed out that this is a common sweater type that is worn with a school uniform in Japan. I had no idea this Mr. Rogers style was so common but it is. I always appreciate it when readers who are more familiar with Japanese culture than me for point things like this out.
Next time in Act 11, Reunion – Endymion, Tuxedo Mask is evil. He’s about town with mixed memories calling himself Endo, a short form of Endymion. This episode will not be available until December 6th which is three weeks from now, since Sailor Moon Crystal is only released on the first and third Saturday of every month. Hang in there Sailor Moon fans!
Now, on to the somewhat nitpick astronomical issues I took with this episode. I am not trying to point these out in an attempt to mock the show, but in the interest of education for those who may be interested. It is mentioned that they travel to the Earth during a full Moon. Knowing the phase of the Moon tells us a lot about what we should expect to see as far as illumination of the Earth goes. Ami mentions that the Moon is right above them, indicating it is roughly the middle of the night at the time, and that the Sun is pretty much on the complete other side of the Earth. While they are flying from the Earth to the Moon, located somewhere between the two, they gaze back at the Earth and it is more than half illuminated by the Sun. This is not possible while the Moon is full. For the Sun to fully illuminate the Moon, almost none of the Earth would be illuminated from the vantage point of the Moon or somewhere in between. The Earth should actually appear like a New Moon, with just a sliver of illumination at most.
Luna mentions that they are traveling to the Sea of Serenity also known as “Mare Serenitatis”. This is located on the surface of the Moon far from the edges, as seen from the Earth. If you find the rabbit on the Moon, it’s near the ball that makes up the body. When landing in this area the Earth should be seen high in the sky, however the Earth is seen in the horizon from this vantage point. Because the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, the same part is always facing us which means that from the Moon the Earth would always occupy roughly the same spot in the sky, and unless you are located on what we see as the edges of the Moon, the Earth would never be anywhere near the horizon.
Finally as they are leaving Luna mentions that the Sun is about to rise on Earth. We see the Earth with the Sun completely covered, only starting to appear from behind it. This would be a rare astronomical event which we on Earth would observe as a full or partial Lunar eclipse, as can be seen in this post I made about the recent Lunar eclipse. If the Sun, as seen from the Moon, is obscured by the Earth that means the Earth is casting it’s shadow on the Moon. Surely this happens during a full Moon, but no ellipse was mentioned as happening during the episode. It should also be mentioned that were the Sun actually behind the Earth as is seen here an observer would not be able to see any details on the surface, as it would not be illuminated at all.
Keep reading for more screenshots from this week’s episode and the next episode preview for Act 11, Reunion – Endymion.
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I was more concerned with how the Sailor Guardians were able to breathe than about the scientific inconsistencies or the technology of the Moon Kingdom. But since the Sailor Guardians seem to have godlike powers (psychic shields and levitation and constantly changing tiaras and group attacks with devastating amounts of force tend to give one that impression), I’ll just chalk it up to the Moon Kingdom having great magic, and so do its reincarnated denizens.
I wonder if we’re going to get some hints at Beryl and Endymion’s relationship prior to Serenity. It’s hinted that Endymion (who might’ve been older than Mamoru is currently when he was a prince) was engaged to Beryl. Maybe they’ll go into that, and into Beryl’s life prior to reawakening Metalia.
I always understood it as Beryl being the court magician who fell in love with Endymion, but he was out of her reach. Though, now that you mention it, I feel like I remember something about a betrothal, too.
Cant believe I have to wait 3 weeks to get more of this!
I know. It’s sad, but when it does come, it’ll be all the sweeter (hopefully).
No, in the manga Beryl was only a peasant girl who was obsessed with Endymion. Then she became court magician to approach Endymion but Endymion had not even once gave a glance to her.
I always assumed the Senshi were using a force field created by the teleportation.
If I am correct when the girls were looking and waiting for a full moon, the quarter moon Usagi was looking it was facing the opposite direction. It made it seem as if the full moon had just passed.But ugh I still love Sailor Moon Crystal 1000x more than the anime. it completes the story. I am loving it here in N.J.!
I do not know if I am correct, because she said the moon ‘is becoming full again’ so maybe she meant the cycle is starting over again?
I totally agree with you! Sailor Moon Crystal is absolutely 1000x better than the 1990s anime
To me, this episode was the best so far in the SMC show. All was great, beautiful and so intense… In fact, I have a few critics (the lack of emotion in the Prince and Princess’ deaths scenes), but really, it’s nothing compared to the great show we were given with this 10th act.
Thank you for the points concerning the astronomical issues and Mamo-chan’s clothes
(with Alita’s note).
After looking at this ep, I made a few theories on the Shitennou’s past lives and near becoming in the show… I could explain them if someone asks for it… Actually, I think that first, they may have not been corrupted by Metalia eons ago, and that only Beryl was, eventually leading to the tragic events we know. Second, I like to think that the Sailor Planet Attack really worked on them, and that they’ve returned purified to the Dark Kingdom…
Now SMC’s story has taken all its meaning, and the ending promises to be really exciting.
When I first watched Sailor Moon i watched the dub so learning the scouts were in love with Beryls minions is kinda screwing with my mind and I don’t like it.
Don’t worry. I was in a similar position once. You’ll get used to it.
It’s strange for me too, not because of the dub (which I consider it’s own thing now.) But more just because it seems a little too forced. I’m wondering if this was always intended to be in the anime or if it was added in do to fan speculation and request?
I’m not really against it, I just can’t imagine Mars falling in love with Jadeite. However, maybe this will explain her feelings towards men later on, since they seem to have dropped any plans of Casablanca Memories.
Think of how tragic this makes the first manga arc knowing this has become canon! (At least I’m guessing this is now manga canon too.)
If I remember right, the senshi/shittenou thing was something that Naoko either wanted but ran out of time for, or considered and decided against.
The BSSM and Code Name Sailor V mangas heavily hint at the Venus/Kunzite pairing, and the SNES RPG Another Story full on states that Venus and Kunzite were a thing, but of course that isn’t fully canon.
The only thing for the other pairings is that one art book piece that has each of them paired off. It’s become such a fan favorite that I guess they decided to expand on it.
I alwaysthought it weird that all 4 of them pair up nicely with one another. Not realistic at all imo. Aren’t there other men? XD
well! when i was a kid, i thought of that. never even thought of it even when i saw it on the 90’s anime, when it aired in my country at the early 1993. i did have the manga, but only in chinese, and no translation yet in english at that time, BUT i do understand the language. i also didn’t understand before the difference between the manga and the anime. cause i was only 8 going to 9 at that time. and i have lots of manga, and anime comics, and vhs. i stopped tunning in at the same time the sailor moon stop airing at 1997… well i actually hated anime at 1999 (except my favorite childhood character) until 2009, and liked anime again. but seeing the new SAILOR MOON crystal, i realized that i like it… and i like the idea of the shitennou and the senshi… especially if Naoko wants it to happen, but just didn’t have the time… meaning the potential is big. i always pair makoto in a cross over… and now… at least i have assurance she really has a lover before which i am liking the idea very much! I NEVER THOUGHT OF PAIRING THEM MYSELF, WHEN I SAW THE 90’S ANIME BACK IN THE EARLY 90’S THAT IS.
I REALLY LOVE SAILOR JUPITER… i am an aries who is attracted to sagittarius (usually to all characters, animes, celebs, and i don’t even know why? i didn’t even got to know their birthday yet, and i find them attractive and yeah! i don’t believe in zodiac anymore, but i just gave some specifics.) as always. and i hate mars in the early 90’s along with all my classmates back then ,we love Jupiter and venus. please let Naoko knows how the 90’s kids feel back then please!!!!! due to how she treats Usagi, and fyi ! aries dont act like that, unless someONE tries to bullies us, or treats us like that, and that’s when we fight back… BUT IN THE MANGA, rei acts like a true arians should be anyway, and i don’t dislike her at all in the manga, and in the new crystal anime. i am actually proud to my fellow arians that we are portrayed like that, but NEVERTHELESS! I STILL THINK JUPITER IS THE MOST PRETTIEST OF THEM ALL!!!!! SORRY HAHA. i am sure the one who doesn’t watch the anime too much will just instantly like mars, (just like me when i didn’t know her personality yet, but when she comes out in the early 90’s anime, a lot were disapointed with her) so that is why! everyone was freaking excited to SEE JUPITER AND VENUS! I SWEAR!
MOST PEOPLE LOVE Jupiter and venus AS THE 90’S KIDS PLEASE!. please let Naoko knows how the 90’s kids feel back then !!!
and please let Naoko knows that i miss Jupiters reddish brown hair, Her japanese voice in the 90’s anime, i don’t like her new voice in crystal… and i want Jupiter to steal have that curve! and bigger chest! cause it fits her description. and i am a converted lover of Jupiter/Nephrite due to crystal. and the fk don’t hurt her, as she is already living alone all her life!
i meant still… sorry for the spelling and the grammar… my hands are really cold. while typing, and not enough sleep. to re-edit my comment
well! when i was a kid, i thought of that. never even thought of it even when i saw it on the 90’s anime, when it aired in my country at the early 1993. i did have the manga, but only in chinese, and no translation yet in english at that time, BUT i do understand the language. i also didn’t understand before the difference between the manga and the anime. cause i was only 8 going to 9 at that time. and i have lots of manga, and anime comics, and vhs. i stopped tunning in at the same time the sailor moon stop airing at 1997… well i actually hated anime at 1999 (except my favorite childhood character) until 2009, and liked anime again. but seeing the new SAILOR MOON crystal, i realized that i like it… and i like the idea of the shitennou and the senshi… especially if Naoko wants it to happen, but just didn’t have the time… meaning the potential is big. i always pair makoto in a cross over… and now… at least i have assurance she really has a lover before which i am liking the idea very much! I NEVER THOUGHT OF PAIRING THEM MYSELF, WHEN I SAW THE 90’S ANIME BACK IN THE EARLY 90’S THAT IS.
I REALLY LOVE SAILOR JUPITER… i am an aries who is attracted to sagittarius (usually to all characters, animes, celebs, and i don’t even know why? i didn’t even got to know their birthday yet, and i find them attractive and yeah! i don’t believe in zodiac anymore, but i just gave some specifics.) as always. and i hate mars in the early 90’s along with all my classmates back then ,we love Jupiter and venus. please let Naoko knows how the 90’s kids feel back then please!!!!! due to how she treats Usagi, and fyi ! aries dont act like that, unless someONE tries to bullies us, or treats us like that, and that’s when we fight back… BUT IN THE MANGA, rei acts like a true arians should be anyway, and i don’t dislike her at all in the manga, and in the new crystal anime. i am actually proud to my fellow arians that we are portrayed like that, but NEVERTHELESS! I STILL THINK JUPITER IS THE MOST PRETTIEST OF THEM ALL!!!!! SORRY HAHA. i am sure the one who doesn’t watch the anime too much will just instantly like mars, (just like me when i didn’t know her personality yet, but when she comes out in the early 90’s anime, a lot were disapointed with her) so that is why! everyone was freaking excited to SEE JUPITER AND VENUS! I SWEAR!
MOST PEOPLE LOVE Jupiter and venus AS THE 90’S KIDS PLEASE!. please let Naoko knows how the 90’s kids feel back then !!!
and please let Naoko knows that i miss Jupiters reddish brown hair, Her japanese voice in the 90’s anime, i don’t like her new voice in crystal… and i want Jupiter to steal have that curve! and bigger chest! cause it fits her description. and i am a converted lover of Jupiter/Nephrite due to crystal. and the fk don’t hurt her, as she is already living alone all her life!
Well it’s definitely not a GBA, I have one and it’s shaped very differently. It’s much closer to the Vita (which is currently popular in Japan and makes way more sense.) It doesn’t have a slot for GBA games, so it couldn’t be that.
It’s definitely not a Wonderswan or Gamegear either. In size it is closer to a PSP than a Vita, but it doesn’t have a door for UMD games… but they did recently release a pink Vita in Japan, which has a smaller back touch pad and grips like the thing Usagi is holding…but is also slimmer! So I’d have to say it’s a generic PSP/Vita design, something in between.
I want it in blue. XD
I hate to say it, but…the more I watch this anime, the less impressed I am with the romantic storylines. I can deal with Serenity and Endymion falling in love over a period of time and it being a “star-crossed lovers from different worlds” deal — it’s clearly meant to sound like a fairy tale, so I’ll give that a pass. But the romance between the Sailor Senshi and the Kings of Heaven is too much. The four Sailor Senshi just happen to go along and meet these conveniently placed Four Kings of Heaven, and all of them fall in love instantly…and there are no conflicts here at all? Like, for example, “Jupiter and Mercury both like the same guy! Oh noez!” never comes up? Maybe I’ve been spoiled by more complex stories, but this all feels ridiculously neat and tidy. Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks so.
No, you’re not the only one who thinks so
. I also think the same and over the Internet, hundreds of fans are complaining about that too, giving the same coherent arguments that you gave in your commentary.
So like you and a lot of fans, I find the Senshi/Shitennou romance is a too big stuff, too “perfect” and “easy”.
To give my very personal point of view, I must say that with the time, I gave a pass on that and it doesn’t really annoy me any more. In fact, the 4 Kings are my most favorite characters (along with the Black Moon Clan people and some of the Senshi), so I’m really happy that SMC gave them more fleshing out than in the manga, even if it has to pass by that Sen/Shi romance stuff I dislike.
). SMC is not perfect (1), but to me, it has something “magic” that, as a young adult, I really enjoy in a fangirl mode.
Personally, I don’t want to bash SMC, I only want to see its positive points (according to my subjective tastes of course : and I know they may not be everyone’s tastes and perfectly understand that some fans over the world may be hugely disappointed by the show for some reasons), and some of its negative points, like the animation failures, for example, make me laugh so hard (sometimes I watch the “Sailor Moon Crystal failures” Tumblr pages, and it’s still so funny XD ), that I “naturally” decided to take SMC as a refreshing show, something that makes my days brighter…
So whatever may happen next in the show, and even if my expectations have to be disappointed, I’ll admit it (I’m not saying it will be easy, though
(1) Some incoherent plot lines for example : why did Venus tell the Senshi of their past romances in the full middle of the battle, leading them to let their guard down agaisnt the Shitennou ? Couldn’t she tell her comrades before and when they were off battle ? Or why did Usagi gave his father the most powerful artefact of the galaxy, only to have it attached to a chain ? Couldn’t she do it herself ? Especially when we know that it’s Naru’s parents’ job.
Okay, all what I wrote above is not against you Mayuri, of course, it’s just a development of my personal thoughts on the show following my answer to you, and everybody is free to agree with them or not
.
i have to disagree with jupiter and mercury liking one guy. didn’t you see the manga and the new anime? is it not clear to you or something?
it doesn’t need to be literally falling inlove instantly. i bet it wasn’t even shown why… didn’t you also read what Naoko was planning on the shitenou with the senshi?
geez
by the way, Zoisite is not gay at all! Naoko didn’t made the sailor moon 90’s anime. she created the manga, not the anime…
in crystal, her dream come true to portray her real work and creation. if you don’t appreciate it, it doesn’t really matter anymore.
new generation will like it. also Even i, a 90’s kids liked the new anime. AND TO CORRECT YOU AGAIN, ZOISITE IS NOT GAY, IT WAS NEVER IN THE MANGA THAT JUPITER AND MERCURY LIKED ONE GUY.,.. I DON’T KNOW WHAT PLANET HAVE YOU BEEN TOO AND WHERE YOU FIND THAT. I forgot to say, i hate Mercury in the early 90’s for no apparent reason. not because of your comment.
you must have been reading too much fanfics, and thinking that the musical play has something to do with that. that’s crazy. even makoto married in the live action with motoki, all of those are not from Naoko. her original is the manga, AND THE NEW CRYTAL, which is now portrayed as her manga creation. that is all there is too it… that’s the only manga in the 90’s that is so different from the story line of the anime. compare to dbz, yuyuhakusho, etc. etc. you better believe it!
ZOISITE IS PAIRED WITH MERCURY… THAT IS A FACT IN THE MANGA, AND THE NEW ANIME CRYSTAL… don’t give false information please!
What about Kunzite and Zoisite’s relationship on origial anime? I realy no idea why they did that in orginial really. I always find that ridiculus anyway SMC backstory seems more dimantional for me. Other thing want to mentionis the silver crystal. Wy it seems usels? It should be attach on moon stick or sth like original . Hope we will see some action for it later
because Naoko didn’t created the 90’s anime, but the production of the anime. and she said it herself… the old man doesn’t like Sailor moon to have silver hair…
so meaning KUNZITE AND ZOISITE DIDN’T REALLY HAPPENED.