The latest episode of Sailor Moon Crystal is now available. Act 11, Reunion – Endymion, can be streamed on Crunchyroll, Hulu or Niconico. This week a mysterious familiar looking fellow named Endo shows up in Tokyo.
So who is this Endo who looks exactly like Mamoru but has no costume? Everyone seems to very quickly notice that he is Mamoru but for some reason quickly discounts it because his eyes seem to look a bit different. It’s hard enough to accept the show’s basic concept that a tiny mask or tiara completely hides one’s identity. Indeed Sailor Moon Crystal, like the Manga, does a great job of not falling for this too much as people are pretty quick to recognize the true identities of other despite their costumes. Why is is that all of a sudden no costume and simply telling people your name is Endo is a perfect disguise? Then there’s of course the fact that the name Endo is clearly short for Endymion, but also the name of Motoki’s effeminate friend. I guess this is supposed to be a colossal coincidence since Evil Mamoru takes Endo’s name?
Endo instantly bonds with Motoki. His reason for targeting the arcade actually makes some sense. He senses something about the Sailor V video game, which is over the Sailor Guardians’ headquarters, and so he infiltrates the place by befriending Motoki. Endo and Motoki’s relationship in the Manga is a bit gay, most noticeably in a reach around arcade stick grab panel that is seen at one point, but generally in the way they hang off of each other. Brad from Moonkitty make an interesting observation on Twitter that it’s trouble to associate homosexuality with evil. Indeed the examples of homosexuality in the first arc of the manga and subsequently the first season of the anime, are amongst villains. Sailor Moon is fairly good about portraying their heroes as being gay or lesbian once Sailor Neptune and Uranus show up, as well as hinting at some same sex attractions amongst other characters earlier in the series. I like to think this early connection between evil and homosexuality was not intended as a correlation, but all things considered it’s nice to see it toned down.
Motoki’s heterosexuality is also present in this episode as we get a better look at Reika, Motoki’s love interest. We originally saw a brief glimpse of her in act 3 but this is the first time she is fully present. She seems a bit miffed at Endo and Motoki’s affections for each other.
This week we get a look at Ami’s apartment, which we are supposed to be really impressed with because it is fancy looking. Perhaps this is a cultural difference but I find the fact that Usagi’s family lives in a full on house in crowded Tokyo to be more impressive and desirable than Ami’s apartment living. Minako humorously asks if her carrying around a sword in an apartment lobby is conspicuous and everyone thinks it is. The sword’s strength is demonstrated as Minako then uses it to destroy one of Ami’s mother’s diamonds.
As things develop the headquarters is infiltrated by Makoto who is herself brainwashed into stealing the Silver Crystal. When things get serious I guess there wasn’t much to fill the episode as we painstakingly watch every character’s transformation sequence. There is a lot from the original anime that I miss but excessive stock footage is not one of those things! In the original manga publication this act and the next were actually a single story but they were split for later publications. This is why they likely needed to fill a bit of time. During the ensuing battle Venus uses her “Venus Love Me Chain” attack for the first time and Rei kicks evil Tuxedo Mask.
Beryl shows up and it’s revealed that Endo is actually Mamoru, and for some reason people are surprised by this. Does anyone actually ship Beryl and Mamoru? I mean, I love to ship all kinds of people and relish in how much it annoys fans but this coupling just doesn’t work for me.
Luna and Usagi’s relationship has some attention this week. She console’s Usagi at the beginning of the episode and later, after being attacked by a very evil Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon hugs her once more. Their complex relationship is obviously much more than owner/cat dynamic and closer to one of mentoring and close friendship.
Next time is act 12, Enemy – Queen Metaria. As I mentioned this next story was originally part of act 11 in the first manga publication. During the 2003 rerelease of the manga the story was split in two. Sailor Moon Crystal is following those chapter breaks for episodes.
On December 20th we’ll be seeing more of evil Tuxedo Mask, some Mamoru/Queen Beryl shipping and some pretty violent shocking events.
Keep reading for more screenshots from this episode and the next episode preview.
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Watch Sailor Moon Crystal Act 11, Reunion – Endymion, starting December 6th at 5am Eastern Time -
Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, Review -
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Sailor Moon Crystal Act 6, Tuxedo Mask, Review -
Sailor Moon Crystal Act 3, Rei – Sailor Mars, Review
I think the characters assumed that since the Dark Kingdom had captured Mamoru and weren’t about to let him get away that easily, that Endo might be a monster made in the Dark Kingdom doing an evil Mamoru impression. I’d assume that.
That’s what I gathered as well. Especially because he didn’t seem to have Mamoru’s mannerisms… it would be easy to assume that he was just a copy.
I don’t think Motoki and Mamoru were implied to be gay really, though it might definitely look that way and especially after Reika’s comment about the real Endo being effeminate.
I always took it as the same way Black Lady, Diamond, Beryl and several other villains do the person they are preying on, a sort of dominance thing (except where normally it’s the villain draping over the victim, here it’s Motoki.)
The most likely explanation though is we’re all over thinking it and Miss Takeuchi just personally thought it was sexy. XD
In other news, I so wanted to see Mars do some more fighting. I wish they’d used the time devoted to transforming to showing a real fight between Endymion and the Senshi. It ended far too quickly and I didn’t like how he put them each down with one blow…really, I get that he is a guy and they are girls but they are SENSHI! They had that awesome but brief fight with Zoisite and I want more of that.
I do appreciate we got to see Venus transform with her phrase though. I was afraid we wouldn’t see that before she upgrades to Star Power.
Anyone else think it’s odd how many episodes are named for Mamo/Endymion? I know he was one of the creator’s favorites, so maybe that’s why.
I enjoy reading this blog a lot but as a Sailor Moon fan who is a gay male, I feel the review author is reading too much into the whole Motoki/Mamoru thing. I never thought they were meant to be seen as gay when I read the manga considering Motoki is in love with Reika and had made comments about how cute Usagi and her friends were in previous volumes. And what gay villains were there in the first story arc of the manga? There are some crossdressing villains but crossdressing doesn’t = gay contrary to popular belief and I’m pretty sure Zoisite x Kunzite was only in the original anime. Also, it seems a bit of a double standard that the author is a big Rei/Mamoru fan even though they’re non-canon and are never going to happen yet dismisses Beryl’s feelings for Mamoru even though it’s always been canon. Does the author give any reason why they don’t like Beryl’s feelings for Mamoru? They’re as legit as Rei’s brief dating in the first anime if not more so as they’re both girls who had feelings for Mamoru but lost him to Usagi.
“I enjoy reading this blog a lot but as a Sailor Moon fan who is a gay male, I feel the review author is reading too much into the whole Motoki/Mamoru thing.”
I’m a “gay male” and I don’t think he read too much into it at all. I haven’t seen Sailor Moon Crystal, but Motoki is shown hanging all over Endou in the comic book, just like in the picture in this blog posting. I’ve always thought there was an obvious, unsettling homosexual overtone between them that made Endou even more creepy – like he and Motoki are flirting with each other right in front of Usagi. Remember, Usagi also had feelings for Motoki. Seeing the two guys she has feelings for interacting with each other like that must have made her even more uncomfortable. “Endou” is trying to torture her. I always thought that was one of the ways he was doing it.
(And I do think Takeuchi did it in purpose.)
“I never thought they were meant to be seen as gay when I read the manga considering Motoki is in love with Reika and had made comments about how cute Usagi and her friends were in previous volumes.”
First of all, that’s not really Motoki – he’s possessed by Endymion. Endymion’s controlling him. The way Motoki acts when he’s possessed has nothing to do with the way he feels when he’s not possessed.
And secondly, he didn’t say they were “gay”, he said their _relationship_ was “a bit gay”. “Homosexuality” doesn’t mean “gay people”. It more correctly refers to actions, feelings, and situations, not to people.
It seems you might not understand the correct use of that terminology. You pointed out that cross-dressing doesn’t necessarily mean someone is “gay”. Two people having homosexual interactions (like Motoki and Endou, or Rei and Minako who are sometimes shown hanging all over each other) also doesn’t mean they’re “gay”. That’s why he said their “relationship” was “a bit gay”, not that the characters were.
“Homosexuality” doesn’t specifically describe people (even though it’s most often used that way, as in “a homosexual male”). It describes _interactions_ between people. Check it out on Wikipedia if this doesn’t make sense – it says “Homosexuality…is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender.” Two males touching each other in a way that others might identify as “sexual” is “homosexual” even if the two men identify as “straight” and feel no sexual attraction to each other at all.
I noticed (and appreciate) that the author of this blog knows how to use the terminology correctly and was very careful in the way he phrased what he said.
“And what gay villains were there in the first story arc of the manga?”
Again, he said “Indeed the examples of homosexuality in the first arc of the manga and subsequently the first season of the anime, are amongst villains,” not “all the gay peoplez wuz evil”. He was referring to Motoki and Endou in the comic and Zoisite and Kunzite in the cartoon.
“Also, it seems a bit of a double standard that the author is a big Rei/Mamoru fan even though they’re non-canon and are never going to happen yet dismisses Beryl’s feelings for Mamoru even though it’s always been canon. Does the author give any reason why they don’t like Beryl’s feelings for Mamoru? They’re as legit as Rei’s brief dating in the first anime if not more so as they’re both girls who had feelings for Mamoru but lost him to Usagi.”
He didn’t “dismiss” her feelings for him. He asked if there were any people who “shipped” them as a couple – meaning, if there were people who actively wanted them to get together. I’d be curious to know the answer to that question, too, because I’ve never been able to envision them as a couple either. Once again, I think Takeuchi did that on purpose. It’s a tragedy, after all – we can tell that no matter what happened, Endymion was never going to love Beryl, and, in my opinion, that they wouldn’t have made a good couple anyway.
His thinking that Rei and Mamoru make a good couple is not a “double standard”, and it has nothing to do with the gross overuse of the term “canon” as an adjective. (The word is “canonical”.)
I think you’re reading things into this post that aren’t there.
Hi. Thanks for replying. I don’t feel that the association between being evil and gay was necessarily intended, but as it may be interpreted that way I am glad it was omitted.
As for Beryl and Mamoru vs. Mamoru and Rei there isn’t really a fundamental difference. Just sort of wondering if anyone actually ships Beryl and him together? It’s simply not something I see people posting about. I have no problem with her having feelings for him. On the contrary it would be nice to see it explored more. Simply commenting on the lack of fan appreciation for that coupling. It may have something more to do with the whole brainwashing nature of the relationship. Mamoru returned Rei’s affections. He does not return Beryl’s. Not without some mind control on her part.
When did he ever return Rei’s affections? It was way one-sided. He just hung out with her, and it seemed like he was forced a lot of the time. I don’t think he saw her beyond friendship.
I was a bit disappointed by this episode, but I cannot really complain since it’s quite faithful to the corresponding act of the manga ; since it’s a transition episode… and since we’re near the end !!! I still cannot believe all this way was walked since July… I still feel like July is yesterday… I really enjoy this arc, but I’m impatient to see how it ends. I guess I’m not the only one =) .
Anyway, after all the epic stuff we got in ep 10, this episode felt like lacking of action and too fast-paced, and it’s like if the producers didn’t know what to do with it. For example, the transformations sequences were like fillers to me.
I must say though that I very loved the sequences at Ami’s place : at least we see those girls having some moments of friendship and carefreeness, like normal girls of their ages, even if they (and we) know they have to lead a terrible battle… That was really good !!! And I’d like to live in Ami’s place too, Usagi’s right : it seems so cool. And Minako looking suspicious with her sword and being teased by her comrades was a funny moment ^^ . Also when she broke Ami’s diamond and cried after that whereas Ami smiled because she was only waiting for this to happen. At least we saw a nice bonding moment between them five !
I also loved Beryl’s entrance in the command room : I very like her Crystal self, where in the anime, she was joy unbearable to me.
BTW, Mamo-chan is so hot in this act, and even hotter than his normal self. Keep those red eyes and this creepy personality, guy ; blue eyes doesn’t fit you.
Last thing : what did you understand ’bout the Shitennou ? I first watched the anime with French subtitles (my mother tongue), and the French text seems to be the only one (among all the languages I can read) to let no doubt about them now being stones owned by brainwashed Mamoru…
I then rewatched the sequence with English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian subtitles and was confused, because the translations differs from French, making the viewers wonder if the guys are still real humans, or if they’ve been turned into stones off-screen by Metalia and given by QB to Mamoru.
About Beryl in my previous comment : “she was joy unbearable to me” => she was just unbearable to me.
Sorry, I typed too fast.
Am I the only one who kept thinking of Code Geass when Mamoru used the evil eye thing?
How many times are you going to complain about disguises in all of your reviews? Its getting really repetitive and tiresome, I feel like all you do is complain about the fact that “one person doesn’t know its who when clearly all that is covering their face is a mask.” Are you not a Sailor Moon fan? This is the basic premise of the series, why do you feel the need to continuously bring it up in almost EVERY review that you make? If it bothers you that much then why dont you open a Cardcaptor Sakura blog and quit your complaining already.
Just poking a bit of fun. As I watch the show I get caught up in it and am not really bothered by these things, but I feel I must comment on it when I’m making my reviews because it does seem a bit silly. The series is a bit inconsistent at times. The anime treats it like a good costume but Crystal and the manga are a bit more realistic.
There are also attempts to fool the audience (Serenity, Moonlight Knight) which I think are funny but I understand are just meant for kids who have fun being able to guess what’s really going on.
Oh ok I see your point now thank you for explaining it. I really do love the way Crystal is going with its direction, it is so much well put together.
Since this show is using the spelling “Metaria” like the comic book, are we _finally_ allowed to start spelling it that way without people correcting us?!?!?!
One can only hope.
I think that the reason Usagi doubted if Endou is really Mamo-chan was not only because of his red eyes – his whole facial features are kind of different. Not sure if it’s just the artist or the red eyes and evil grin changing Endy so much but his face looks different. He also doesn’t dress up like Mamo-chan. Also Usagi might think that it’s only her imagination because of her love and memories of Mamo-chan and Endymion.