This week on Hulu and Neon Alley‘s new episodes of Sailor Moon Sailor Stars things get really emo! Seiya got hurt last week and we spend two episodes fixating on that and being all Shinji about it. Also a ton of video game references and inspiration from the Sailor V comic.
Episode 190, Truth Revealed: The Star Lights’ Past, is all about how to scam a free concert. No actually it’s mostly about silly drama. Seiya got hurt helping Usagi and now the Three Lights don’t like the Sailor Guardians and then Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Pluto get into the mix. They confront Sailor Star Healer and Maker, and everyone seems to agree that it’s best for everyone to be hostile for no terribly good reason. Forced drama! So where the hell is Hotaru? I mean she still hasn’t had a transformation sequence and we never get to see her when her friends show up. She’s probably in bed at home alone without a babysitter. She should have stayed with her father. This anime doesn’t seem to like Sailor Saturn at all. Anyway it’s all about trying to cheer up Usagi while still keeping her away from Seiya which is ultimately what is making her miserable. Drama, drama, drama. Finally Seiya breaks his silience and asks Usagi to come to a live performance he’s doing, with two other guys who are intent on keeping her away. Too bad it’s sold out! But this doesn’t stop Usagi who for once can’t just use her contacts to see a free concert. She goes to the top of a Ferris Wheel to watch the concert from there! This reminds me of the Sailor V comic which has Amano, the Sailor V version of Umino, uses some sort of radio receiver to scam free music from a concert. For a comic and show that frequently features musical artists, they sure do like to teach us how to scam music! Seiya is able to see Usagi in that far off ferris wheel, and so it’s like he’s singing for her. This gives us cool backstory for the Sailor Starlights. We see their planet getting destroyed and them following their Princess to Earth. Seiya passes out from his injuries. The target this week is the amusement park manager who turns into Sailor Amusement. The bad guys are so bad at their job! Guess who shows up to fight?! Not Sailor Saturn!
Episode 191, Butterflies of Light: A New Chapter On the Horizon, continues with last episode’s Usagi/Seiya drama. Chibi Chibi is chasing a red butterfly which coalesces with others to form an incense burner. Full confession. At this point in the series, upon my first viewing in the 90s, I was convinced that Chibi Chibi was Princess Kakyuu. The Three Lights know that these butterflies indicate that their Princess is around. Back to the drama Usagi is crying on her bed while listening to her walkman. Total Shinji moment. Terrible. Chibi Chibi has a slipper that says Chibi^2. Witty! There’s a video game event and Taiki is going to be present! The gang go out in costume. Ami is dressed in a toga that somewhat resembles Palutena from the Kid Icarus games. Why is this relevant? In Kid Icarus Uprising for the 3DS and the Super Smash Bros. games the voice of Palutena is provided by Aya Hisakawa, the voice of Sailor Mercury. Of course she was cast in this role some 15 years after this episode aired, so the resemblance can’t be more than a coincidence. A lot of little video game references follow. A trophy thing that looks like Mario, fighting games that looks like Street Fighther and Virtual Fighter. Even a t-shirt referencing Sailor Moon musical actress Anza Ohyama. Cosplayers dressed as all kinds of characters like Chun-Li and Felicia. I have no idea what Rei, Makoto and Minako are supposed to be dressed as but they seem to be somewhat generic video game characters. Maybe from fighting games. Minako’s costume somewhat resembles that of a game character she dressed as in Volume 2 of the Sailor V comic, Minako in Game Center Crown. Similarly Ami’s rival in the final round, Yukihide Ohbayashi, looks just like Taku from that same issue. It should have been Minako to fight him if this parallel was to continue but for whatever reason Ami episodes are as common as Taiki episodes this season. The target this week is idol Reiko Kanagawa who turns into Sailor Gamer. How many of our readers would turn into Sailor Gamer? Probably a few!
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The end of the original is nearing.
Will you be sad that there won’t be anymore swimsuits or girls holding Chibi-usa?
No, but is that in the new anime or original anime?
And yes, there will be anymore swimsuits and girls holding Chibiusa because we’re talking about the new anime, not the original.
Love all the Seiya episodes! We are near the end of the series, I’ve had a great re-watch.
Laughing so hard about the Shinji references! I hate that damn kid!
“being all Shinji about it” was pure gold!
Why didn’t Usagi just transform and use her wings to fly into the concert? Or she could use Sailor Teleport to do it or the Disguise Pen. When was the last time she even used the Disguise Pen? Luna wasn’t around to tell her she couldn’t use it and they never show it not working for her if she was to use it for less than noble reasons. I love episodes where we get to see Ami doing something other than studying. I wish we got more of them and it was great seeing Ami beat the guys so easily at video games.
I believe Sailor Teleport needs to be done as a group.
sailor teleport needs all 5 of them to work
It’s really odd, I admit, but somehow being in the Ferris Wheel seemed almost more intimate than disguising and being faceless in a crowd. Definitely more dramatic!
As for the wings…I can just imagine Usagi soaring back and forth over everyone. XD
Just checked. Next Monday is when Princess Kakyuu appears.
And then the week after that… ;__; One of the saddest episodes ever.
In the new season of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, I think there will definitely be swimsuits, midriffs, and the Sailor Scouts holding Chibiusa in their arms. I guarantee it.
Please excuse me for asking so bluntly…or if you’ve already answered this before…but what exactly is your obsession with these things?
Even though they are teenage girls, I admit they look cute in swimsuits (I do not know if you are an adult or a teen) and I can see the appeal of cute scenes with the characters hugging one another, but your fascination with them holding Chibi Usa seems to go beyond just “Aw, how sweet” and I am curious to know why.
I’m not implying anything, I just don’t understand and would like to know more on your feelings about this.
I am who I am. And I’m curious too. I’m an adult, so don’t ask bluntly again. And it’s just couldn’t control myself, but I’m fine. Really, I am.
Yeeeeeah I’d invest in some psych meds if I were you. Or some No-Molestol, like Sgt Hatred.
I don’t care what anyone says. :0
Obviously, or you would have started the needle by now.
Just be quiet. I still don’t care what anyone say. :-!
Yes, you’ve said that like 500 times. You repeat the same thing over and over again, we get it. You’re the one who needs the validation from your posts, hun.
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be rude, I just didn’t (and still don’t) understand the obsession with midriffs and people holding Chibi-Usa.
I’m obviously not against them appearing in bikinis, I mean, I watch the show and they are just animated characters after all…it just seems an odd thing to obsess over.
I obsess over the transformation and attack sequences, myself..which I think every fan does and I definitely love cute things.
I am so glad it’s finally ending! The subs that is! I am waiting for them to release new English dubbed episodes. It’s taking them so long for hem to release blu-Ray for the s season! It’s sad the release isn’t a real HD wide screen remaster. I have to agree this season was so messed up. I apologize for fans of star lights, but I am not a fan of them. The outer soldiers (not of fan of the usage of guardians) didn’t get to be in super s which was a disappointment, but Saturn literally is left out after that lame battle between her and Nehellenia( probably spelled it wrong). You never see her again until the end. What a waste she was my favorite and basically in the anime and manga I guess she was basically there to die. So disappointing. I wish they gave the outer soldiers some more screen time and development. Especially Pluto and Saturn. But all 4 of them in general.
I’ve been rewatching the series in the new English dub from the beginning. I might only be half way through the first season. I enjoy that it has so many episodes if only crystal could get about 30 something each season/arc that would be great! There are even some new episodes I never watched! I realized I never thought the show was this boring the first time I saw it. Now as I’m watching it I just want there to be some plot development. I like the character development at least for the inner soldiers but overall especially with the amount of episodes with either moon, Mercury, and Mars I was going to go insane. I didn’t realize how much file there was at times. I haven’t seen up to the past episode yet but so far I don’t even know what are the generals motivations for helping queen beryl she looks so stupid. All she does is wave her hand around her orb? She is the worst excuse for an enemy. Then she kills the person who was going to reveal the identity of the soldiers. I wish they expanded on the story a bit and it wasn’t mostly just filler. It’s weird that now I feel the episodes are repetitive.
If they did a second reboot, I hope they expand on the story and develop it. Not to mention develop the characters as well. So far I enjoy the story focus of crystal but I feel they can definitely develop the characters and story. Some of the things they tried to develop, I believe were some things the manga author wanted to expand on. Like the four generals and the sailor soldiers in the past, but she was rushed to finish. She wish she could develop and expand in the storylines or so I read somewhere. In crystal they touched on that story but because similar to the manga author/creator of constraints in this case not being able to use 13 or more extra episodes it was barely explained better than the manga author/creators drawing. The sailor soldiers except for sailor moon all seem much weaker in crystal which sucks because I believe in the manga their attacks usually miss or don’t work. I wish in another reboot or even in this new season they make them stronger and actually hit their target.
So, I’m guessing the Sailor Moon subs on Hulu will conclude on April 11th. Can’t wait to see the final episode! Can’t wait!