Watch Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon’s transformation sequence from the Sailor Moon Eternal movie

Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 - Transformation Sequence - Chibiusa and Usagi

Today, June 30th, is Usagi’s birthday! To celebrate a special video has been released on the official Sailor Moon site which includes a bunch of junk no one cares about and a clip from the upcoming Sailor Moon Eternal movie! The clip shows Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon’s transformation sequence. You can watch the clip by viewing the embedded YouTube video below. I’ve cued it up to 2 minutes and 44 seconds when the footage starts.

What can I saw about this footage? It is obviously nearly identical to the transformation from Sailor Moon SuperS. Surely the Sailor Moon Eternal film, like Sailor Moon SuperS, is based on the Dream arc of the Sailor Moon manga so we should expect there to be some similarities but this is next level. Every turn and pose is replicated in this footage. The designs are updated but these are the movements we have already seen. Not convinced? Check out this side by side comparison!

The rest of the footage is just a slideshow of products which I suppose fans may find mildly interesting!

Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 - Transformation Sequence - Super Sailor Chibi Moon and Super Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 will be out in theatres in Japan starting January 8th. The second part will be out the next month on February 11th. We don’t yet have any details about an international release of the film.

Keep reading for more screenshots of the video.

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A new trailer and poster for the upcoming Sailor Moon Eternal film have been revealed

Sailor Moon Eternal poster

A new poster and trailer have been revealed on the Sailor Moon official site! The poster is above and you can watch the trailer embedded below.

This confirms that the trailer which was making the rounds last month was in fact authentic. The trailer we see here, aside from some minor changes, includes all of the same footage which we saw in lower quality in the leaked trailer which we had posted about.

Sailor Moon Eternal trailer - Sailor Moon S intro

At the time I assumed the footage from the Sailor Moon S intro was some kind of placeholder but even that in fact was included in the actual trailer! The rest of the trailer gives us a look at Usagi, Chibiusa, Pegasus, Mamoru and the Sailor Guardians Super Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus.

Sailor Moon Eternal - Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Pegasus/Helios

Also revealed today is that the voice of Pegasus and Helios will be provided by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka. He is a veteran voice actor who voiced Kirito in Sword Art Online and has appeared in numerous other anime series.

Sailor Moon Eternal trailer - Usagi Tsukino

What do you think of the trailer? Do you regret calling out the terrible animation when you thought it was a fake? Let us know in the comments!

Sailor Moon Eternal trailer - Sailor Mars

Keep reading for more screenshots from this trailer! These ones are of a higher quality than the ones which were posted last time!

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PROPLICA items based on Sailor Moon Eternal, Figuarts Mini and an Eternal Sailor Moon S. H. Figuarts are being revealed at this weekend’s Tamashii Nations event

Tamashii Nation 2019 - Sailor Moon Eternal PROPLICA and Figuarts MiniThis weekend, October 25th to the 27th, is the Tamashii Nations event in Japan, an exhibit where they unveil many upcoming toys. At this year’s event we’re seeing a ton of Sailor Moon figures and toys which includes three PROPLICA toys based on Sailor Moon Eternal, an S. H. Figuarts Eternal Sailor Moon and five Figuarts Mini figures. This was revealed on the official Sailor Moon site and as the event has started, people have already gotten a look at these.

PROPLICA, a portemanteau of prop and replica, is a series of high quality show accurate props. We previously saw many transformation items and broaches based on the original Sailor Moon anime series from this collection. We now have the first PROPLICA items based on Sailor Moon Crystal as the “Eternal Edition” items which are based on the Sailor Moon Eternal films are being released. This includes the Crisis Moon Compact, Sailor Moon’s transformation item, the Chibi Moon Compact, Sailor Chibi Moon’s transformation item, and the Moon Kaleidoscope, Sailor Moon’s attack item from this arc. These are all based on the Dream arc of the manga, which is what is being adapted as the Sailor Moon Eternal films which are coming to Japan starting on September 11th 2020. Note that the name Moon Kaleidoscope is the manga name which we can confirm is being used for Sailor Moon Crystal, though that particular item was referred to as the Kaleidomoon Scope in the original Sailor Moon anime.

Tamashii Nation 2019 - Sailor Moon Sailor Stars Figuarts Mini and Eternal Sailor Moon S. H. Figuarts

The latest figure in the S. H. Figuarts line is Eternal Sailor Moon. This figure is not specifically branded as being a Sailor Moon Crystal figure and is listed as being part of the Sailor Moon series, that meaning the original Sailor Moon anime. Though we have gotten S. H. Figuarts and Figuarts Zero figures based on Sailor Moon Crystal, these are specifically branded as such. This is a nice looking figure, as all of the S. H. Figuarts have been.

Finally we have a lot of Figuarts Mini figures from both the original Sailor Moon anime as well as from the Sailor Moon Eternal films. From Sailor Moon Sailor Stars from the original anime we have Sailor Star Fighter, Maker and Healer. From the Sailor Moon Crystal films Sailor Moon Eternal we have Super Sailor Moon and Sailor Sailor Chibi Moon. It seems feasible that we would also be seeing an Eternal Sailor Moon in this series at a later date, perhaps when the second film’s release approaches.

I had some wild speculation about what the black rectangle in the first image might be concealing but after seeing footage of the event it seems it’s just a monitor showing images we’ve seen.

Do you plan on buying any of these? Are you taking out a mortgage to do so?

Here’s our first look at Sailor Moon Eternal, a Sailor Moon Crystal movie covering part of the Dream arc of the manga, will be released in 2020

Sailor Moon Eternal -

Today is June 30th, Usagi’s birthday, and to celebrate this there was a birthday party event held in Japan. We often get Sailor Moon news at such events and this year was no different! We finally have our first look at the designs for the upcoming new season of Sailor Moon Crystal which will be taking place as two theatrically released films. It was announced that the first of these movies will be called Sailor Moon Eternal and will be released in 2020. This could be anywhere from 6 to 18 months from now, so we will have to be patient to see when this finally happens! Also keep in mind the original release of Sailor Moon Crystal was planned for 2013 but that it actually first aired in 2014, so delays at this stage are certainly still possible, but things are finally coming together.

Sailor Moon Eternal - Sailor Moon

Along with the news was the revelation of a number of character designs for the series. The first was the poster featuring Super Sailor Chibi Moon and Super Sailor Moon. A teaser trailer which was posted to the newly redesigned Official Sailor Moon Site also included images of Sailor Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Chibi Moon all of whom have those little transparent shoulder pad things to show that they’re Super. You can watch that trailer embedded below.

The music used in the trailer in Moonlight Legend, the opening theme for the first four seasons of the original Sailor Moon anime, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate that this music will be used in the film. While this is possible it may simply be that the new music for the new Sailor Moon Eternal film is either not ready or that they otherwise don’t wish to release it at this time.

Kazuko Tadano Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus sketch from 2013

A sketch by Kazuko Tadano from 2013

Now that we’ve gotten a first look at the designs for this film we finally see what Kazuko Tadano, character designer for the first two seasons of the original Sailor Moon anime, chose to do for Sailor Moon Crystal. A lot of fans have commented about how similar the designs look to the 90s anime, which certainly makes sense if we consider this! What we’re seeing is a bit of a mix of the aesthetic of Sailor Moon Crystal’s 3rd season designs, the original anime designs and a little something new. When Kazuko Tadano was announced as the Dream Arc’s character designer Sailor Moon sketches she made in 2013 (above) were used as a baseline for what we might be seeing. Though the designs aren’t identical we can certainly see some similarities to what we’re seeing now.

Sailor Moon Eternal - Sailor Mercury

Sailor Moon Eternal will cover the first half of the Dream arc of the Sailor Moon manga. This is the same story which was the basis for the Sailor Moon SuperS season of the anime, though in this case the manga and anime had some significant differences. Though we don’t know exactly where the two movies will split, it is likely this will include the introduction of Pegasus as well as the villains the Amazon Trio, the Amazoness Quartet and Zirconia of the Dead Moon Circus. It will probably include early appearances by Helios and Queen Nehelenia, though they will feature more prominently in the second film. Sailor Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn may not show up in this one as they are not present for the first few chapters, though they could show up at the end of Sailor Moon Eternal. Since they were completely neglected from Sailor Moon SuperS it will be nice to see them included in Sailor Moon Crystal.

Sailor Moon Eternal - Sailor Mars

What do you think of the new designs? I’m really liking them. While the animation in the first two seasons wasn’t stellar, I thought season 3 was a great improvement. I can’t say I’m so attached to any Sailor Moon Crystal designs to be too bothered by this change. As long as these new films continue to be a faithful adaptation of the manga storyline, as the first three seasons have been, then the core of what makes Sailor Moon Crystal what it is should remain, even if there isn’t a consistent visual style. As always it’s a bit difficult to get a full feeling of what’s in store with just a few images. To see this animation style in action will be something. For now we’ll have to wait a while longer but at this stage we can at least confidently say that Sailor Moon Eternal is real and after more than 3 years we are finally getting more Sailor Moon Crystal! It remains to be seen how or when the film will be released here in North America.

Sailor Moon Eternal - Sailor Jupiter

PS: Not to rub it in but I was totally right and this art looks nothing like the Sailor Moon Crystal x Monster Strike designs we saw last fall.

Sailor Moon Eternal - Sailor Venus

Get caught up with Sailor Moon Crystal before the movie comes out by buying the first three seasons using the Amazon links below, or save your money by streaming it on Crunchyroll, Hulu or Neon Alley.

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A new Sailor Moon 4-D attraction, Sailor Moon The Miracle 4-D – Moon Palace Edition, is coming to Universal Studios Japan starting May 31st

Sailor Moon The Miracle 4-D Moon Palace Edition

Following the success of last year’s Sailor Moon 4-D attraction Universal Studios Japan will be having yet another Sailor Moon 4-D ride starting May 31st 2019! This isn’t just a repeat of what was there last year but instead a whole new story! While I’m not fluent in Japanese it seems like this one is called Sailor Moon The Miracle 4-D Moon Palace Edition. Where the first event featured Sailor Moon fighting Morga and the Dark Kingdom from the first story arc this new attraction will feature Super Sailor Moon as well as all 10 Sailor Guardians, that being Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Chibi Moon. We can see an image of the CG versions of these characters above.

Sailor Moon The Miracle 4-D Moon Palace Edition

The inclusion of all of these characters makes me wonder when this attraction will take place in the story. These ten characters are first brought together in the Infinity arc of the Manga. While only the core group continue into Sailor Moon SuperS in the anime, all of them return in the Dream and Stars arc in the manga. Sailor Moon eventually upgrades to Eternal Sailor Moon in Stars so it would likely take place prior to that. We also don’t see any of the other Sailor Guardians upgraded to their Super forms and Saturn isn’t a baby so it probably makes the most sense for this to to be taking place around the end of the Infinity arc before Hotaru becomes a baby and Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna take off for a while. The most telling clue is that Sailor Moon’s Cosmic Heart Compact is the transformation item being used for merchandise. This was her transformation item used in the Infinity arc, so that is probably where this takes place. All that said there’s no Moon Palace featured in the Infinity arc. The palace is mentioned in the title and in the description of the plot.

Cosmic Moon Compacts from the Sailor Moon The Miracle 4-D - Moon Palace Edition

As with the last attraction there will be a bunch of exclusive merchandise sold at this event. We have Cosmic Heart Compacts in different colours. Are these supposed to represent the various Sailor Guardians? This would be nonsense since only Sailor Moon uses a Cosmic Heart Compact to transform. In the Infinity arc of the manga the other Sailor Guardians don’t use any transformation items while in Sailor Moon S the others continue to use their Star Power Sticks which they received in Sailor Moon R. Sailor Chibi Moon uses the Prism Heart Compact to transform during the Infinity arc or Sailor Moon S and this doesn’t much resemble the Cosmic Heart Compact. Even Sailor Moon’s actual Cosmic Heart Contact is red, of which only one of these Compacts is, and it isn’t clear that this one is tied to Sailor Moon. In all there are 11, not 10 of these, so I don’t even know that there are meant to represent individual Sailor Guardians. They’re just different coloured Cosmic Heart Compacts which to me seems to be a very odd piece of merchandise.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 26 - The Cosmic Heart Compact

Did any of you get a chance to visit this attraction last year? Do you expect to be able to go to Japan while this new event is on?

You’ll need to shell out a lot of Moon Bucks to buy these gold and silver Sailor Moon coins

Sailor Moon Collectible Coins - Gold and Silver

Good news for exceptionally wealthy Sailor Moon fans who like to flaunt their money! A couple of official Sailor Moon coins are being minted to celebrate the 25th anniversary. There will be a gold and silver coin and despite their coming in $10 and $2 denominations they are significantly more expensive. The gold $10 coin costs 39,800 yen, about $375 US while the silver $2 coin is a mere 19,800 yen or $187 US. Yes it would appear, based on the amount listed on the coin, that the more expensive gold coin is the better value! In truth, the economics of these Cook Island coins are a bit more complicated as I’ll explain shortly.

Sailor Moon Collectible Coin - Gold

The gold coin features Super Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon SuperS on one side with the face of Queen Elizabeth II on the other. The silver coin has Sailor Moon from Sailor Moon S with her Spiral Heart Moon Rod as well as Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus with the Moon Palace in the background on one side and again the face of Queen Elizabeth II on the other. Both are dated 2017 which is not actually the year these coins are being sold in. They come in nice collectible boxes. The gold coin box features Super Sailor Moon with her Kaleidomoon Scope and the silver coin box shows the Space-Time Door. Queen Elizabeth II is featured on these coins, as she is featured on many pieces of currency around the world including those here in Canada because the Cook Islands has a free association with New Zealand and New Zealand, though they have a Prime Minister, still has Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state. Since Sailor Moon is technically royalty and the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo there really are two monarchs on these coins which seems like a bit of a conflict.

Sailor Moon Collectible Coin - Silver

What are the Cook Islands? Good question! I’d never heard of these before hearing about these coins. This series of small islands in the Pacific get their name from Captain James Cook and have a reputation for helping investors shelter their money, though not through investing in expensive Sailor Moon collectible coins. Since Cook Island’s Government allows private groups to mint commemorative coins for a fee they regularly produce this sort of collectible coin. Taking a quick look at the Japanese Mint’s list of collectible coins released to date we can see that unlike other countries they aren’t in the market of making anime and other pop culture based coins, which is likely why these are being made in the Cook Islands. What will the $10 and $2 coins actually be worth in Cook Island dollars then? The Cook Island dollar has a fixed exchange rate with the New Zealand dollar. The $10 gold piece has a value of about $7.30 US while the $2 silver coin is worth about $1.45 US … or at least they would be except for the fact that commemorative coins from Cook Island are not recognized as legal tender on the Cook Islands. That’s probably for the best since it would take you over 50 Sailor Moon gold coins to buy one Sailor Moon gold coin when exchange rates are considered.

Sailor Moon Collectible Coin boxes

As a Canadian I’m familiar with a number of collectible coins based on popular franchises being sold here for a fraction of this price with such coins often selling for $50 to $150 which seems cheap in comparison to these! Though only some of these are minted in Canada I was surprised, while looking into these, that some of them are produced by the New Zealand mint for places such as Nieu, near the Cook Islands. Since Canadian coins also feature Queen Elizabeth II such things are not always evident when examining a coin at face value. There is clearly a complex world of collectible coin politics I’ve only just scratched the surface of!

Are you a rich person who heats their home with the burning pages of Sailor Moon Volume Infinity art books who plans on getting these?

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37, Infinity 11 – Infinite – Judge, review

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Sailor Saturn attacks

We’re almost done with the Infinity arc of Sailor Moon Crystal. The latest episode aired on Japanese TV on Monday June 20th at 11pm Japan Standard Time and was available to stream immediately afterwards starting at 10:30am Eastern Time on Crunchyroll, Neon Alley and Hulu. Act 37, Infinity 11 – Infinite – Judge, is all about the appearance of Sailor Saturn! This was a long time coming. More on that later in the review!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Rainbow Double Moon Heart Ache

The episode starts out with a ton of repeated footage. This happens occasionally as the first scene repeats the last few seconds of the last episode but it was for two and a half minutes this week! This is a build up to a new attack, the Rainbow Double Moon Heart Ache, performed simultaneously by Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon. Another new attack! Too bad it doesn’t do much but feed Mistress 9!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber

Mistress 9 merges with Pharaoh 90 which is kinky and sort of terrible. It’s not really clear what this does instead of just making the gang fight Pharaoh 90 now. We didn’t really see what he was capable of before this. The two grow and grow with power the more they get attacked. It absorbs power so we need to really give it a lot more power to kill it! I guess that makes some kind of sense. Sailor Moon doesn’t often distinguish between energy helping and nourishing something and destroying it. A source of electricity can power a building but if you stick your tongue on it you might end up electrocuted! So everyone joins in and attacks. We even get Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber which is always fun.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Super Sailor Moon going to her death

This isn’t working, and Sailor Moon decides she needs to take the Holy Grail right into the belly of the beast and release it. She smiles to her friends and dives in. There’s something so inspiring and tragic about this look she gives. She knows what she has to do and doesn’t hesitate. As far as we can tell she dies in there.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Sailor Saturn

Sailor Saturn. At long last. I don’t hide that Sailor Mars has always been my favourite but I also have a fondness for Sailor Saturn. Unfortunately we see so little of her in the original anime that we are always left wanting to see more of her! No transformation sequence, very few attacks. Now is the time for that to change! Finally Sailor Saturn in Sailor Moon Crystal! We don’t really get a transformation sequence, but what we see is like the tail end of one. This was more than I expected so I’m happy to see it! Sailor Saturn looks so bad ass and I love her attitude. She’s come to destroy the world and doesn’t seem to be concerned with the mild inconvenience this may cause for everyone around!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Sailor Saturn

Sailor Saturn makes an interesting comment. She says that history is twisted. She insinuates that Hotaru should have died during her accident, but was allowed to survive as a cyborg which somehow seems to have been a fundamental change to the timeline. What is that about? Did something happen here that went against the causal fabric of the universe? I’m a determinist so as far as I see it things are playing out the way they always would have and always will. The one thing which could interfere with this of course is time travel, as we had last season, but that does not apply here. What order of events led to the lab accident which would have lead to Hotaru’s death but did not lead to Professor Tomoe resurrecting his daughter as a cyborg? These two events are linked. The Death Busters showed up afterwards. Is that some sort of unaccounted for outside influence? Saturn states that Professor Tomoe attracted the Death Busters. Why does Professor Tomoe go against the causal fabric of the universe? Does he and only he have free will, while the rest of the inhabitants of the Earth do not?

Tokyo in the 21st Century vs. 30th Century Crystal Tokyo

Sailor Saturn mentions that what drew the Death Busters to this area was also that it was the chosen land. This area would be where the Crystal Palace would be in the future. During the Black Moon story arc I mentioned how it was interesting that images of Tokyo Bay seemed to show the palace on reclaimed land that seemed to be a new island in the bay. Since Mugen Academy and the surrounding area was built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, this seems to add up! This specific placement of the Crystal Palace was not originally included in the manga version of Crystal Tokyo but it actually aligned itself well with what was mentioned here, a tie which I did not think of until rereading this chapter recently.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Sailor Saturn

Another new attack with a questionable name! Sailor Saturn uses Death Reborn Revolution but it is referred to as Death Ribbon Revolution. The two names sound so alike that one can easily see how they might get confused. Additionally this attack uses a bunch of ribbons to destroy the world! A SuperS fighting game has an attack Death Ribbon Revolution. Is this meant to be the same attack or something different with an almost identical name? I tend to think this all has to do with inconsistent interpretations of this move and how it should be spelled in Japanese kana and then translated back into English. That said I do believe that the correct name should be Death Reborn Revolution.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 37 - Death Reborn Revolution

And so Sailor Saturn destroys the world. What a great way to end the episode! Sailor Moon is lost, probably dead, and Sailor Saturn just used her attack which destroys the planet. Fade to white, just like Total Recall. Series finale! Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this program you should watch 48 and a half episodes of the live action series now!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 38 Preview - Sailor Saturn

I kid of course. Next week is Act 38, Infinity 12 – Infinite – Journey. How to survive an attack which really should destroy the world without destroying the world! Next week’s episode will be the last for a while but hopefully not the last ever!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 38 Preview - Sailor Chibi Moon

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Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33, Infinity 7 – Transformation – Super Sailor Moon, review

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Sailor Saturn

The latest episode of Sailor Moon Crystal aired on Japanese TV Monday May 23rd at 11pm Japan Standard Time. Following this it was available to stream first on Crunchyroll and then on Neon Alley and Hulu, starting at around 10:30am. Act 33, Infinity 7 – Transformation – Super Sailor Moon, introduces us to Sailor Saturn as well as to Sailor Moon’s new powered up form.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Infinity 7 - Transformation - Super Sailor Moon

Everything before the opening credits is repeated footage. We had some of this in earlier episodes too. This is a way to recap but also a cost savings tactic. Not only is this all footage we’ve seen but this repeated footage itself has flashbacks in it, so there’s stuff in here that we’re seeing for a third time at least!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Super Sailor Moon

The episode starts out with Sailor Moon powering up to Super Sailor Moon. This is probably a deal to some people. I don’t really care about power ups. This is Sailor Moon, not Dragonball Z! The power level of our heroes and their attacks or those of their enemies are largely irrelevant. So Super Sailor Moon beats a level 999 Witch. The struggle between hero and villain is never about power in Sailor Moon. One thing stands out to me here. Who names Super Sailor Moon? Sailor Chibi Moon recalls the name from her past, Usagi’s future. She is the first to say the name and the rest of the gang catch on and use it. Sailor Moon’s new uniform doesn’t come with a name tag. If Usagi learned the name from Chibiusa and in turn tells her the name in the future, then where did it even come from? Basic paradox. The name Super Sailor Moon is Kyle Reese.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Neo Queen Serenity creates a paradox

Speaking of Neo Queen Serenity, what’s up with that hair? Usagi, Princess Serenity and Sailor Moon are blonde however the Neo Queen Serenity we’ve seen in 30th century Crystal Tokyo has always had white or silver hair up to now. The Neo Queen Serenity we see here is from beyond what we saw in the Black Moon story arc, because Chibiusa speaks to her about Sailor Moon having saved the future and has her uniform she got at school in the past. This newer Neo Queen Serenity has blonde hair. Is this a mistake, a new look for Queen Serenity going forward or does she also, like she did in the past, go through transformations between her civilian look and her more formal look as queen? The manga, being black and white, is no help here!

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - What's a patron?

Sailor Uranus is upset at the damage to the windows in her apartment. I’d be surprised that the building wasn’t evacuated due to concerns of structural integrity! She admits that her rent is a million yen a month, which is about $9000 US. I’ve paid rent for a year that cost about that! When asked how they afford it Sailor Uranus says that they have patrons so they don’t have to worry about money. Sailor Moon asks what a patron is and we don’t get an answer. So what does this mean? It’s not a word that is commonly used in this sense in English. I originally read the manga in French where they used to French word “patron” which, in Canada, means boss. I thought maybe this was some kind of joke about prostitution. A little research tells me this is hardly the meaning they were going for. As far as I can figure it’s a reference to some sort of financial backer for artistic ventures, which in this case might be Michiru’s violin playing or perhaps Haruka’s race car driving. This does not explain the embarrassment in the statement. Surely there’s something more to this story, but I don’t understand it.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Sailor Saturn

Finally we get to see Sailor Saturn in this episode! Doesn’t she look great? We learn of the last time she appeared, and get to see Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in their native environments. Sailor Neptune appears to be on a rocky planet, which doesn’t really mesh with what I know about the surface of Neptune. The three are then transported to Saturn, which also seems a lot more solid than I would expect, and there they summon Sailor Saturn who shows up and kills them. As Silver Millennium was falling, Sailor Saturn seems to have picked up all the bits and pieces by conveniently killing the rest of the Sailor Guardians. Why? I guess it would be boring for them to keep living for a really long time? We then learn that the three of them were reincarnated on Earth, although we know of course that Sailor Pluto was reincarnated from her future self, unless there are two that is.

The trolley problem Sailor Moon variant

Once again we have a trolley problem as we weigh the morality of killing Hotaru to save the world. It’s simple really. If Hotaru becomes Sailor Saturn, she will destroy the world. This will kill everyone including Sailor Saturn. Alternatively if Hotaru is killed, everyone else survives! Also Hotaru is dying anyway. The only way to cure her is to let her become Sailor Saturn which means everyone dies. This is sort of like the trolley problem. In this thought experiment a trolley is flying out of control down a track which will kill five people. You can pull a lever which sends the trolley onto another track which saves those five and kills one person. Do you pull the lever? I feel like my experience with Sailor Moon has taught me that I should not pull the lever. Utilitarian ethics dictates one should go for the greater good, and should feel morally obligated to pull the lever. Similarly, the morally correct solution to the Sailor Saturn problem, prioritising the needs of the many over the needs of the few, means that Hotaru should be killed. Sailor Moon doesn’t go for this and neither does Chibiusa. They are convinced there is a better way in which everyone can be saved. They refuse to sacrifice one life at any cost, but Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are more practical about the issue, opting for child murder to save the world. Would you pull the lever?

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Sailor Saturn

Sailor Pluto makes the argument that because the future exists Sailor Saturn must have been killed. This is a really odd comment, and reminds me of seeing a later episode of a TV show and then going back, knowing they are going to get to a certain point and trying to figure out how. It makes me wonder of course whether or not Sailor Pluto lived through these years already, in the past of the future self which died and was reincarnated in the present. If she did then she would remember the world not ending and possibly some serious stuff going on in Tokyo around this time.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Flying Sailor Guardians

I don’t think I’ve addressed the issue of flying before. In the old anime, there was usually no flying, but in the manga the characters seem to fly around a lot. They do it a lot in Crystal too, and because it’s animated it’s more obvious than seeing static people floating in manga pages. This week we see the Sailor Guardians fly right into the broken window of the apartment building but more specifically this includes everyone but Sailor Chibi Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Are they unable to fly? They show up a bit afterwards and then when Sailor Chibi Moon runs off she literally runs away, through the elevator and then jumping from rooftop to rooftop, at a height of over 20 feet with every jump. When she gets to Hotaru’s place, Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Pluto beat her there, but were nice enough to not murder her friend. It certainly would make sense that Sailor Chibi Moon be less powerful than the rest. I imagine Tuxedo Mask can fly but was being a nice guy accompanying his daughter who can not.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Mistress 9

Hotaru may not turn into Sailor Saturn this week but she does transform into Mistress 9. She basically kills Sailor Chibi Moon by stealing her Silver Crystal and then turns into this older eviler version of Hotaru. In the manga she doesn’t appear with the dress and everything in this chapter, but here she does. Chibiusa is essentially killed in the process. This is Sailor Moon though so she’s only mostly dead.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 33 - Sailor Chibi Moon dies

Next week is Act 34, Infinity 8 – Infinite Labyrinth 1. Chibiusa’s dying, Mistress 9 is running amuck and we’re still debating whether or not it’s cool to kill Hotaru who isn’t all that innocent any more. I believe we will be seeing the third opening and ending songs with Act 34, though I’m not sure. The second themes appeared for the 5th episode following the first CD release. The second CD came out today, May 25th, and the next episode is the 9th of this story arc with 5 remaining. The new intro will still be In Love With the New Moon but this time performed by Momoiro Clover Z. The new ending theme will be Only Eternity Brings the Two Together, sung by Kenji Nojima, the voice of Tuxedo Mask.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 34 Preview - Usagi cries

Keep reading for more screenshots from Act 33 and the preview for Act 34.

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Art from a Japanese magazine seems to show Sailor Moon Crystal’s versions of Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Saturn

Sailor Moon Crystal Infinity Arc Art

A black and white photo has been circulating online showing art which some claim to be official art of the upcoming new episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal. This image shows the full group of Sailor Guardians including the never before seen Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Saturn. Sailor Moon is also in her Super Sailor Moon form. The image a photo from what appears to be an authentic Japanese magazine. Since it was not posted by an official source I can not guarantee the authenticity of this image though the style appear to be consistent with the art style of Sailor Moon Crystal. That said many fans have been able to produce art in this style. There is always the possibility that an image like this is a clever hoax.

Sailor Moon Crystal Infinity Arc Art

These two photos can be tracked back to Twitter user @karaage_hata who first posted the magazine photo and later the close up version.

Holy Grail and Cosmic Heart Compact PROPLICA Toys are coming next year

Sailor Moon PROPLICA Holy Grail

A few great PROPLICA toys from Sailor Moon S are being released by Bandai. Sailor Moon’s Holy Grail, used to transform into Super Sailor Moon, will be released in February and the Cosmic Moon Compact will be released in May. For whatever reason Bandai refers to the Holy Grail as the Rainbow Moon Chalice. They used that name when the first toy was released in the 90s and they are using that name again, even though this item was only ever referred to as the Holy Grail in the Sailor Moon manga and anime. It makes sound and light, as can be seen in the promotional video below which has the voice of Kotono Mitsuishi, who plays Usagi, saying “Crisis Make Up” while the Holy Grail shines in a number of colours. Watch a video below of the Holy Grail.

Cosmic Heart Compact PROPLICA

The Cosmic Moon Compact is the transformation item used by Sailor Moon in Sailor Moon S and the Infinity arc of the manga. It opens to reveal a heart shaped crystal which makes plays the music of Sailor Moon’s third transformation, while the crystal blinks. This toy once again uses the voice of Kotono Mitsuishi. You can watch a video of this below.

A Spiral Heart Moon Rod PROPLICA item was previously announced. It is released this month. I just never got around to posting about it.

Spiral Heart Moon Rod PROPLICA

PROPLICA items are high quality but they aren’t cheap. These replicas are perfectly to scale and look just like you’d imagine these items to look like in the real world. The Holy Grail will cost 10,800 yen, which is about $90 US. The Cosmic Moon Compact will cost 6500 yen, which is about $63 US. The Spiral Heart Moon Rod costs 11,880 yen, about $96 US.

Source: The Sailor Moon Official Site (Holy Grail, Cosmic Heart Compact) & Tamashii Nations (Holy Grail, Cosmic Heart Compact, Spiral Heart Moon Rod)

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