Sorry for the late review but I was in Italy last week. Sailor Moon Crystal Act 28, Infinity 2 – Ripples, aired on Japanese TV on Monday April 18th and is available to view on Crunchyroll, Neon Alley and Hulu. Actually Act 29 is out at this point too. This episode has the gang heading out to the woods and facing off against the first of the Witches 5. It’s really all about the final scene where Sailor Uranus kisses Sailor Moon, but we’ll get to that.
There’s a lot of Hotaru this week as we see that Chibiusa seems to have a bit of a crush on her. She’s not about to use magic and time travel to make out with her or anything like she did with her last crush though. They’re mostly good friends, but as we see this season the show is all about girls liking girls. We learn a bit about Hotaru’s relationship with Kaolonite and her father. There’s a bit a “you’re not my real mom” kind of scene going on. Professor Tomoe sounds sort of like a zombie. This isn’t an unfair assessment of his state but, given his portrayal in the manga has no voice and that he’s more crazy than zombie in the original anime, I feel like this portrayal is showing what’s to come a bit too much. Also I’m staring to wonder if Professor Tomoe lives in his lab coat. He’s a Professor, but he’s not always in the lab with beakers. The only Professor I know that wears a lab coat this much is Professor Oak from Pokémon. Who would you cast as the voice of Professor Tomoak in the Sailor Moon/Pokémon crossover? Professor Tomoe is an Academic professor and he owns a school so he really should be wearing something else while performing some of those duties. We actually see a clock showing 1am while he’s at home and still in his lab coat. Take a second to unplug! While Sailor Moon has outfit changes galore for some of the girls, including pyjamas and judo outfits this week alone, the men don’t get so lucky.
Though largely faithful to the manga as always, there are minor changes which bear mentioning. In the manga version of Act 29 Minako comments that they seem to be Sailor Guardians because they flew through the sky. Upon reading this I wondered did Sailor Guardians really fly? They generally did not in the original anime and though they are often seen in the sky in the manga since it’s not animated we don’t really think of them as floating. In Sailor Moon Crystal however they are often seen just chilling in the sky, pretty much flying, but for whatever reason the reference to flying was removed from this episode.
Identities, as usual, are not well hidden in Sailor Moon Crystal. The similarity between the new Sailor Guardians and the mysterious Haruka and Michiru are immediately noted by Usagi. This bypasses an obvious problem with many superheroes comics, which is something that is seen in the original Sailor Moon anime, which is that these costumes should not by any reasonable logic be hiding these people’s identities. This just makes it a bit inconvenient as we need to ignore the fact that Usagi’s parents and friends don’t ever seem to see any really good photos of Sailor Moon that would allow them to tell what’s going on. All in all the manga and Sailor Moon Crystal actually do a decent job of this.
Mamoru and Michiru have a bit of a thing. They meet in a book store and have a nice chat after which Michiru gives Mamoru tickets to her concert. Usagi sees all this and is totally jealous. More on this next episode, which you probably already saw.
Rei is chilling in the mountains to purify herself for her 15th birthday. That’s right! Rei’s birthday is April 17th. Coincidentally this episode aired on April 18th, incredibly close to her birthday. I say coincidentally because this date was not chosen to fit with the release date. The Sailor Guardians’ birthdays were determined back in the 90s and they have astrological significance. It’s very doubtful that the Sailor Moon Crystal season 3 schedule was intentionally delayed to make this birthday, which is mentioned in the manga, fit closely enough.
As the gang head out to the mountains some may find similarities between this episode and Sailor Moon S episode 105, I Want Power: Mako Lost in Doubt, in which Makoto goes to the mountains to train. Here Rei goes to the mountain but Makoto also has a prominent part. Mugen Acamedy, not content to fill in Tokyo Bay and build stuff there, also seems to own property here including a gym where we find Haruka practicing Judo. I did Judo for a short time when I was really young and I got my yellow belt. I didn’t do any terribly elaborate moves so I’m wondering how these two still have their white belts! When Haruka beats up Makoto it’s mentioned that it’s wrong for a man to use all his strength against a woman, and Haruka states that there should be no difference and Makoto agrees. There’s a good point to be made in here somewhere but one needs to tread carefully in supporting it rather than encouraging men to physically assault women. These girls are fighting for a good reason of course and they can’t expect their opponents to pull any punches, regardless of what their gender might be.
This week’s enemy is Eudial of the Witches 5, who is posing as a Mugen Academy official and brainwashing students into serving Pharaon 90. She mentions that she’s level 78 and hoping to raise her level by beating the girls. Sounds like a fun RPG. How exactly does this levelling system work? Why didn’t we start with Mimete who has a lower level? There’s a nice little fight and then when it’s done the new Sailor Guardians show up. Sailor Moon chases them and …
Sailor Uranus kisses Sailor Moon! This is a big thing in the manga which actually doesn’t happen until Act 29. I foolishly made my blog post about Act 29 ahead of time, as I was traveling last week, mentioning this event as being the big deal in Act 29 but it already happened. We can get into conversations about consent here. Sailor Uranus surprises Sailor Moon who doesn’t actively avoid the kiss, but still doesn’t seem to expect or endorse it. Her not minding it isn’t really relevant since Sailor Uranus doesn’t ask. There’s blushing that will occur but we don’t see that until Act 29. All that said, the importance of having the show’s hero involved in a lesbian kiss generally overshadows other concerns so I’ll try not to get too bogged down in that. Let’s not forget that the first time Tuxedo Mask kissed Sailor Moon she was unconscious and unable to consent. I could write all day about this kiss, which we never saw in the original Sailor Moon anime, but I’ll leave it at that for now.
The consequences of the kiss will be seen next week with Act 29, Infinity 3 – Two New Soldiers, which has actually already aired and I already watched it so I’ll be working on that review next.
Keep reading for more screenshots from this episode.
Possibly Related Posts
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Watch Sailor Moon Crystal Act 28, Infinity 2 – Ripples, April 18th at 10:30am -
Sailor Moon Crystal Act 27, Infinity 1 – Premonition – Second Part, Review -
Sailor Moon Crystal Act 27, Infinity 1 – Premonition – First Part, review -
Watch Sailor Moon Crystal Act 29, Infinity 3 – Two New Soldiers, April 25th at 10:30am -
The Infinity Arc of Sailor Moon Crystal will have more than one episode per manga chapter
So I have a silly question. First of all I *adore* Neptune and Uranus and I love that they’re openly gay and in love. My question is… well before I ask lemme say I haven’t seen Crystal yet and I’m not sure if they have or will keep Neppie/Urie in an actual lesbian relationship. Do they?
Anywho my question is are there openly gay characters in the series who are male? Are Zoicite and Malachite gay in Crystal? I’m just looking for some gay romance that’s actually 100% not trying to pretend to be anything other than two guys in love. I know of course there are a few characters in the manga (Fisheye comes to mind) but are there any gay relationships?
And for that matter are there any anime’s about openly gay characters? Again, not something like that Swim team such-and-such show where they’re just sort of playful with each other. I mean full-on, absolutely, no doubt, certainly gay and in love. Please please?
No, there are no openly gay males in Sailor Moon (manga or so far, Crystal).
Asanuma has a sort of man-crush on mamoru that doesn’t seem to have any sexual context, just like total admiration.
Zoicite and Kunzite were never homosexual in the original manga like they were in the 90’s anime. I think the material collection states that it’s a brotherly bond (though I’ve seen one translation that hints at more) They have pretty much zero interaction in the actual media. Zoicite does disguise as a woman, but that obviously doesn’t make him gay or straight either one…in fact, in Crystal he actually has a thing for Ami like Naoko had once intended. This is totally blandsville, though.
Believe it or not, Fish Eye is also not depicted as homosexual in the manga, he tries to seduce Ami. (Poor Ami, all her evil boyfriends swing the other way in the original anime XD) But since he’s a literal fish, his gender isn’t even totally clear in the manga.
Of the Amazon Trio, only Hawk’s Eye really comes off as possibly being gay, or at least very feminine…which doesn’t mean much.
Anyway, to answer your question, their is some very light shonen-ai teases here and there, but nothing solid. Maybe if she does a sequel series?
I suppose it being a series focusing on female characters there wasn’t any opportunity…though for girl love there are Uranus, Neptune and Seiya.
I like the explanation saintfighteraqua
Omg. My heart is *broken*.
There are NO openly gay characters in ANY of the Sailormoon incarnations? That is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. And to top it off there’s not even an openly gay anime? Seriously? With all the fan service opportunity there is? Ugh!
I need to go talk to a cocktail about this.
Zoicite and Kunzite were almost certainly homosexual in the original anime. The symbolism certainly seems to point to this for sure.
Fish Eye is homosexual in the 90’s anime, and he dealt with two men running a fashion company who were probably gay.
That’s really about it though.
As for gay anime and manga, there are several, just not a lot of mainstream ones.
I remember one in the early 2000’s about a pink haired boy. It was called Gravitation. http://myanimelist.net/anime/genre/28/Shounen_Ai
There’s MANY gay anime out there. Just try watching Junjo Romantica (there’s three season and already end), and Super Lovers (ongoing)
So, how explicit are we talking here? ;P
If you’re looking for 50+ episodes of fantasy action-adventure with some slow-moving gay rom-com material on the side, then “Kyou Kara Maoh” (“God(?) Save Our King”) could be for you. If you’re looking for gay sex with some love confessions thrown in, “Sensitive Pornograph” had some pretty nice art for its time. I liked “Hyakujitsu no Bara” (aka “Maiden Rose”), which is gorgeous and explicit and had a little more plot going on than “Sensitive Pornograph,” but it was only two 30-minute episodes. “Yami no Matsuei” (aka “Descendants of Darkness”) was 13 episodes, and it was suitable for teen audiences if I recall correctly. Let’s see… I watched a single episode of “Junjou Romantica,” but it didn’t hold my interest. “Gravitation” was also kind of bland, but I sat through all 13 episodes because a friend insisted that it was great. I watched “Tyrant Falls in Love,” which is two 30-minute episodes, and it was okay but kind of too rapey for my tastes. I have yet to watch “Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi,” “Hybrid Child,” “Owari no Seraph” or “No. 6,” but I’ve heard that they’re good. “Gakuen Heaven” is a popular title, I don’t know if you would like it though. It’s definitely gay but it feels like that stupid swim team show. :/ If you’re willing to sacrifice some art quality, you can go further back to shows like “F.A.K.E.” or “Mirage of Blaze.” “Bubblegum Crisis” also featured a side character named Daley who was gay. I should warn you that in older shows, you’re much more likely to find gay villains than gay heroes–gay villains are EVERYWHERE in shows made for boys. Itsuki, Sensui and Karasu from “Yu Yu Hakusho” were pretty awesome villains, though…and there’s still some argument to be made for Kurama as a gay hero, but that’s all subtext and probably not what you’re looking for.
These are just a few of the shows that I know. I’ve left out some others that are considered classics but that have drastically underage (or underage-looking) participants. This is called shotacon, and it’s one of the problems you’re sure to encounter when hunting for good gay anime.
Hope this helped!
1. Sailor Uranus kissed Sailor Moon, and that’s a lesbian thing to do.
2. I’m gonna wish for a Sailor Moon/Pokemon anime crossover special, and I hope it will come true.
Here’s the Japanese cast:
Kotono Mitsuishi as Sailor Moon
Aya Hisakawa as Sailor Mercury
Michie Tomizawa as Sailor Mars
Emi Shinohara as Sailor Jupiter
Rica Fukami as Sailor Venus
Toru Furuya as Tuxedo Mask
Kae Araki as Sailor Chibi Moon
Keiko Han as Luna
Yasuhiro Takato as Artemis
Rica Matsumoto as Ash Ketchum
Mayumi Iizuka as Misty
Yuji Ueda as Brock
Ikue Otani as Pikachu
Megumi Hayashibara as Jessie
Shinichiro Miki as James
Inuko Inuyama as Meowth
And here’s the English cast:
Stephanie Sheh as Sailor Moon
Kate Higgins as Sailor Mercury
Cristina Valenzuela as Sailor Mars
Amanda Celine Miller as Sailor Jupiter
Cherami Leigh as Sailor Venus
Robbie Daymond as Tuxedo Mask
Sandy Fox as Sailor Chibi Moon
Michelle Ruff as Luna
Johnny Yong Bosch as Artemis
Veronica Taylor as Ash Ketchum (hopefully)
Rachael Lillis as Misty, and Jessie (hopefully)
Eric Stuart as Brock, and Brock (hopefully)
Ikue Otani as Pikachu
Carter Cathcart as Meowth (since Maddie Blaustein passed away in 2008).
And Ash Ketchum will be in Sailor Mars’ arms after being injured and in Sailor Moon’s arms after being rescued in the final battle.
Dude, are you from another planet? Lol
It’s widely known that Michiru and Haruka are a couple. In the manga and the 90’s anime.
That’s one of the few crucial factoids that Toei 90’s team didn’t trample over, in their quest for money.
I’m guessing that you’ve never read the original manga and maybe they weren’t a couple in whichever country you’re from?
As for Sailor Moon and Pokémon crossover is as likely as Pokémon GO! being a good game. I fervently doubt that it will happen.
That’s this good old Luke, don’t pay attention
. In almost every post he talks about that fancied Sailor Moon/Pokémon crossover, and about Chibi Moon being in Sailor Mars’ arms or something like that. There is also his obsession for girls’ bare midriffs in Sailor Moon…
In the end, what would be Sailor Moon News without Luke ?
Less cluttered?
Yes, surely
. Personally I try to see Luke’s posts as running gags.
It will happen, I assure you.
I hope one day it does. But instead of posting the casting, why not come up with some fun ideas of which Pokemon each senshi would have?
The screenshots are beautiful! Good choices, as usual.
I’m pretty sure in the 90’s anime Minako mentions that their transformations disguise them. How that works, I do not know…some kind of magic veil that tricks the eyes, maybe? Or did they look different in their past lives?
PGSM did a good job at solving this!
Regarding Haruka beating Mako in judo and the following comment. When Minako or whoever starta protesting Haruka replies with something like man, woman why should that matter? If you think like that you wont be able to protect those that you love. Ive always taken this as Haruka referring to the Inter senshi being incapable of protecting sailor moon (princess Serenity)
I absolutely agree!
Yeah I definitely get the impression that Haruka knows more than she’s letting on with this. That she’s preparing the girls for their mission.
Yes! I have a feeling that when shit gets real, we will get like a flashback of that scene and that will hype the inners to protect their princess.
The interesting thing is, we finally get some sort of clue to the passage of time in this series. I know in the manga it’s supposed to be a year between story arcs, but here it seems like the first two arcs and the early parts of the third arc take place within a year, seeing as Rei is turning fifteen and all the Sailor Guardians were fourteen when they first awoke. I wonder how they’ll treat the rest of the series in terms of the passage of time.
I believe based on Usagi’s age in Stars that it’s roughly a year per story arc. I know the anime spans about 2 years so it’s very different.
Didn’t they state in Stars somewhere that she’s 18? I can’t remember. In the anime I believe she’s just 16 at that point. But the timeline in the 90’s anime is so messed up.
In the anime she is 16 in the final scene of the final episode. I believe the manga states she’s 18 in stars but I don’t recall the specific reference.
Creo que llevan muy bien esta tercera temporada en terminos de desarrollo de historia y animacion. En las primeras dos temporadas no tenia problemas, hasta me gustaba el estlo de animacion” el problema era la inconsistencia en el guion, al meter cosas para satisfacer a una parte del fandom (romance Scouts -generales) sin tiempo ni motivacion.
Ahora esta mejor, mas fiel al manga y con detalles puntuales bien manejados (four way Usagi-Haruka-MichiruMamoru, hinted relationship Chibiusa x Hotaru)
Hola, podéis escribir en inglés para todos aquí por favor ?