Sailor Moon Crystal Act 9, Serenity – Princess, Review

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Adam

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 9, Serenity – Princess, went online yesterday, November 1st, on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Niconico. This episode is full of revelations as Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, the Silver Crystal and tons of details about the past are finally revealed!

Did anyone really think Minako was the Moon Princess? That was all a bit silly with the last episode. Minako was the ruse and now we are finally shown the worst kept secret in Sailor Moon history, the true identity of Princess Serenity. But not content to have super obvious things finally revealed we are now being really secretive about the true identity of the woman from the past who killed Prince Endymion. Boy I wonder who the evil woman might be? Her face is obscured so I have no idea who this is.

Indeed, the big thing in this episode is this great flashback to Silver Millennium, the kingdom on the Moon from some time in the distant past. The English dub mentioned this time to be 1000 years ago which seems about right but an exact timeline is not ever given. Looking at the technology and architecture of Earth at the time it would seem that a Midlevel setting is what we’re seeing. This isn’t a flashback to when Prince Endymion was on Earth in the 1950s. The places on Earth also appear to be European rather than Asian, despite the people clearly speaking Japanese.

Usagi is revealed to be the Princess and so the proper pecking order is well established. The other girls are her guardians, and this is shown both in their willingness to protect her in battle but also in the way they all come together to support her as friend now that she’s pretty down thinking Mamoru is kidnapped and likely dead. One concern she expresses is that they need to get him before his body deteriorates. No wonder she wants to return to a worry free teenage life.

The Shitennou are all still around which didn’t really go anywhere. In the manga version of this story we get a nice flashback showing they were Endymion’s generals back in the day and we see Jadeite’s body undo decomposition but all of this is skipped. Changes are expected to this story seeing as they are all still alive, rather than having been killed like in the manga, but I expected more rather than less to occur this week. For now we will continue to wait to see what is in store for those characters in the coming episodes. Kunzite recognized the name Endymion when it was mentioned so it looks like it’s only a matter of time until everything is on the table.

Next time we go to the Moon! Everyone is kind of waiting around but the girls want some answers and Luna suggests they may be found on the Moon. November 15th episode is Act 10, Moon. We’ll see more flash backs and a look at Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity’s mother from back in the day.

Check out more screenshots from this week’s episode and the next episode preview below.

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Sailor Moon R episodes 49 and 50 are now available on Hulu

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Adam

The two latest episodes of Sailor Moon R are now available on Hulu and Neon Alley. This week we are introduced to the Moonlight Knight who is a white looking Japanese man who is dressed like a stereotypical Arab. Did I mention he’s totally not the same guy as Tuxedo Mask?

Episode 49, For Whom Is the White Rose? The Moonlight Knight Appears is all about the rainy day man! This episode’s English dub featured the hit song “Rainy Day Man” during the sequence when we learn about Makoto’s tragic past. We finally get a look at her Sempai, the older student at her school who she was infatuated with who didn’t return her affections. The rainy day man is Shinozaki, Makoto’s friend who consoled her with an umbrella on that rainy day when her heart was broken. He once again protects Makoto as she’s attacked by a Cardian, which leaves him seriously injured. The Moonlight Knight makes his first appearance in this episode. Tuxedo Mask does not appear in the first 13 episodes of Sailor Moon R and so the role of dude who throws roses is filled by The Moonlight Knight! But he’s not at all Tuxedo Mask. He throws white roses and he’s dressed in robes. He’s clearly not Mamoru.

Episode 50, Usagi’s Crisis: The Tiara Stops Working, isn’t really about Usagi’s tiara. That’s sort of a side issue that will come back next week as a reason for Usagi to need a new attack item. It is a bit odd that Usagi’s tiara stops working seeing as it randomly works again in the Sailor Moon R movie and again twice in the Sailor Moon S season and once more in the SuperS movie. Anyway it’s really not about the tiara. It’s about this cool 90s VR game. Did they have these in Japan? They seem to be shooting lasers at holograms of monsters, some of which are actual monsters from the first season, while wearing elaborate armour that doesn’t seem to do much. Everyone who’s anyone and more show up for this, including Usagi, Mamoru, Natsumi, Seijuurou and even Usagi’s brother Shingo and father Kenji Papa. Meanwhile the rest of the Sailor Guardians are stuck in line. So a monster shows up and so does the Moonlight Knight who we all assume is Mamoru but they actually appear at the same time! Wait a minute. This isn’t how the Polkaroo thing is supposed to work. Oh well I guess Mamoru isn’t the Moonlight Knight after all!

So what happened to Kenji Papa in the past 10 episode? When they went to the hot spring he was super buff and now he’s got a bit of a gut!

Tuxedo Mask S. H. Figuarts figure to be revealed next weekend

Posted on October 25, 2014 by Adam

Next weekend, October 31st to November 2nd, is the Tamashii Nations 2014 event where a number of Bandai’s Tamashii Nations Figuarts and PROPLICA items will be revealed. A news post on the official Sailor Moon site has mentioned that a Tuxedo Mask S. H. Figuarts figure is set to be revealed! S. H. Figuarts includes high quality highly posable figures. All previous S. H. Figuarts figures in this series have been Sailor Guardians because in the bizarro world that is Sailor Moon it’s actually rare to get figures of male characters. Keep checking this site for photos of this new figure as they are released in the next week.

Since a number of new PROPLICA items will also be released it’s possible another Sailor Moon PROPLICA item will be announced. Since the Moon Stick and Cutie Moon Rod have already been released we are overdue to see the Spiral Heart Moon Rod, Sailor Moon’s attack item from the Sailor Moon S season of the anime and the Infinity story arc of the manga.

Speaking of Tuxedo Mask. You know who likes him? Sailor Pluto. Did her Figuarts figure get lost in the planet controversy?

Source: Sailor Moon official site via Moonkitty.net

Buy or preorder one of the many Bandai Tamashii Nations items below to support the site:

The entire first season of Sailor Moon is now available on Hulu

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Adam

This morning, October 13th, the final two episodes of the first season of Sailor Moon were added to Hulu and Neon Alley. With the addition of episodes 45 and 46 the entire first season is now available to stream in Japanese with English subtitles. This two part story concludes the battle with the Dark Kingdom and Queen Beryl, wrapping up the first story arc for the Sailor Moon anime. These are a couple of the better episodes of the series. These two episodes were heavily edited and reduced to a single episode, Day of Destiny, in the DiC English dub. If that’s the only version you’ve seen these episodes should not be missed.

Episode 45, Death of the Sailor Guardians: The Tragic Final Battle, has, as the title suggests, everyone dying! The Sailor Guardians head to the D Point in the North Pole to fight the Dark Kingdom but are intercepted by the DD Girls who basically kill everyone but Sailor Moon. It’s not all in vain as the Sailor Guardians manage to kill all of the DD Girls, leaving Sailor Moon to move on. Naturally she’s a bit shaken by the death of her friends, and can’t find the strength within herself to move on but their ghosts appear to give her the words of encouragements she needs to move on and face Tuxedo Mask and Queen Beryl.

Episode 46, Usagi’s Eternal Wish: a Brand New Life, has Usagi left alone with all of her friends killed. When she finally meets Queen Beryl she is shocked to see that Tuxedo Mask is evil and loyal to her. In an excruciating and violent fight he beats her up quite a bit while she avoids fighting back until the last moment where she attacks him with her tiara. After restoring his memories thanks to the power of her locket he is in turn killed by Queen Beryl. Sailor Moon is now truly alone, having lost all her friends and now her lover, and must face off against Super Beryl, which is Queen Beryl amalgamated with Queen Metalia. The battle is won, thanks to the ghosts of her friends, but since this is still the first season using the Silver Crystal kills Sailor Moon. Her last wish is to make things like they were, and so the world is transformed. The Sailor Guardians are alive again but have no memory of what happened or even knowing each other, but the Dark Kingdom has now been defeated.

Next week we start with Sailor Moon R! But the story of the Black Moon Clan won’t begin right away. First we will begin with a short set of episodes surrounding Ail and An, two aliens who use cards and a big tree to drain people’s energy.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, Review

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Adam

Act 7 of Sailor Moon Crystal, Mamoru Chiba- Tuxedo Mask, is now available to view on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Niconico. This week Usagi has just found out that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask, we learn more about the Dark Kingdom and we get our first look at Sailor Venus! But first, could Mamoru be Fatal Fury’s Terry Bogard?

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7 - Young Mamoru

One of the first things we see in this episode is the flashback to Mamoru’s past. Mamoru’s parents died when he was just 6 years old. We get a look at them, two faceless people who have dark hair like his. Funny we see their faces in the Manga, though this doesn’t ever really come back. The more important issue is Mamoru’s hat, which looks just like Terry Bogard’s from Fatal Fury, a fighting game series originally on the Neo Geo. Am I forcing this connection? I don’t think so. I’ve never played a Fatal Fury game in my life but this connection was instantly obvious. In addition to this Tuxedo Mask does a bunch of punching in this week’s episode! His exchange of blows with Zoisite was not in the original Manga. Sailor Moon is attacked by Zoisite and then Artemis and Sailor Venus come to her rescue while Tuxedo Mask just watches. His punching must be due to an attempt at making him look more like Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury.

The episode starts out with Mamoru and Usagi’s tender moments but this scene seems plagued with inconsistent animation to me. I’ve not been one to complain about the animation in this series to date but after starting to feel like things were improving this episode in particular seemed like a disappointing step back. After this we get to meet Queen Metalia, the evil energy that is behind the Dark Kingdom, and we get a bit more back story for Queen Beryl. We unfortunately don’t get a good look at a normal woman in the North Pole discovering the Dark Kingdom like we do in the manga but the same story seems to be going on here.

As expected, the VHS tapes from the original story were not kept, but instead updated to DVDs. Really? No Blu-Rays in 2014? Regardless of the technology upgrade the story can’t help but feel a bit dated. Video rental stores are not what they used to be, and the idea of the youth of today not spending enough time at the arcade because they’re renting video only reminds us that arcades are also not close to as popular as they were in the 90s. This is why things like updating Crown from an arcade to a Karaoke bar made sense for the live action series, but that Sailor Moon Crystal being so faithfully adapted but still taking place in moderns times at times doesn’t make a ton of sense. Also, do these DVDs look like Kuri’s boobs?

As technology goes, Ami’s computer has been replaced with a “FinePad” in this episode, an obvious take on the iPad. The icons in the background look like those on iOS though the windows and the red, yellow and green buttons on them are similar to Mac OS. This level of multitasking would be too convenient for an iPad.

A funny scene in this episode shows us more of creepy, creepy Umino. Original manga and anime Umino was nerdy but pretty much harmless and non threatening but Sailor Moon Crystal Umino is downright creepy! Here he shows up to share that he’s looking for Sailor Moon, which makes sense as he’s been brainwashed along with everyone else into doing so, but we almost forget that this is part of the Dark Kingdom’s plot as this creepiness fits right in with his character! Not sure why he’s made to look like a Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. He also looks a bit like Professor Tomoe.

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7 - Creepy Umino looks like a heartless

This episode finally introduces us to two new charters, Artemis and Minako Aino as Sailor V and Sailor Venus. The first appearance of Sailor V in this episode is on Luna’s computer. In the manga when this conversation takes place you can see a bit of Minako’s bow but it’s not as obvious that this is Sailor V. Once the battle commences it’s Artemis, not Sailor Venus, that saves the day. We see the top of his head followed by him jumping and slashing Zoisite, who doesn’t die in this episode. Then we finally see both him and Sailor Venus together.

The episode does an odd thing with Sailor Venus’s introduction. First we see her from behind, clearly wearing Sailor V’s outfit, but then when seen again from the front she’s clearly dressed as Sailor Venus. That’s a quick costume change!

In two more weeks, October 18th, we’ll see Act 8, Minako – Sailor V. This one will be all about Sailor Venus. The team is finally all together!

Keep reading for more screenshots from this episode and the next episode preview.

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Watch Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, starting October 4th at 6am EST

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Adam

The next episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will soon be available on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Niconico. Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, will be available to stream starting at 7pm Japan Standard Time on Saturday October 4th. This is 6am Eastern Time and 3am Pacific Time. Usagi has just discovered that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask! Where will their relationship go from here?

No doubt this episode will continue to follow the manga, as others have, but some things just might not be fitting to 2014. The manga story for this act has the Dark Kingdom using rented VHS tapes to brainwash people. People rented tapes in 1992 but this hasn’t been done in some time. The VHS tapes will need to be updated, but what will they be replaced with? DVDs and Blu-Rays are common but people don’t really rent videos in any format anymore. It’s tricky adapting an over 20 year old story so faithfully. This manga story also has Zoisite getting killed, though with none of the Shitennou having been killed yet this is unlikely to happen. Finally we will be seeing Sailor Venus show up at the end of this week’s episode. The whole gang will soon be together.

Sailor Moon episodes 39 and 40 are now available on Hulu

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Adam

The latest episodes of the original Sailor Moon anime, in Japanese with English subtitles by Viz, have been added to Hulu and Neon Alley this morning. As with every Monday two new episodes are added. This week we have episodes 39 and 40 which showcase just how terrible Mamoru is at being a bad guy. The Dark Kingdom is doing a pretty terrible job with this guy.

First up we have episode 39, Paired With a Monster: Mako, the Ice Skating Queen, and it’s all about skating. It’s episode 39 but it feel like episode 390 by the way they’re just kind of going through some winter sports. Last week was skiing. This week is skating! Supposedly back in the day skating was really popular on the Moon. So where did the ice come from? Currently the Moon is a barren wasteland, and freezing cold as there’s virtually no atmosphere, so water could only ever exist as ice, though only in shaded areas. Silver Millennium is said to be located in the Sea of Tranquility which gets a decent amount of sun during it’s days which last 14 Earth days. Images of the Moon show flowing fountains at times and ice skating rinks in this episode where the people are wearing ear muff to keep warm. Also the Moon has a very small axial tilt meaning it would have virtually no seasons. So Usagi is a terrible skater, even though Princess Serenity was apparently really great at it. Makoto on the other hand is great right out of the gate and so she’s targeted by the enemy because that’s right this week they’re looking for really good skaters to find Sailor Moon! It’s not until she’s properly transformed that Sailor Moon actually starts to skate well and then Tuxedo Mask joins her. But isn’t he a bad guy? Oh yeah I guess Tuxedo Mask is kind of mad at Kunzite so he joins Sailor Moon in this episode. Beryl needs to keep a leash on this guy. It’s total nonsense. A little arguing amongst bad guys is one thing but teaming up with your top enemy is not a good idea. Also if you’re a fan of skating and hockey you should be sure to check out the Keeping Karlsson podcast for all the best hockey pool strategies.

Episode 40, The Legendary Lake Yokai: The Bond of Usagi’s Family, is a hot springs episode! But it’s not quite as saucy as you might think. Usagi and her family are going on a little trip to the hot springs, which based on what I’ve seen in anime seems to be a huge deal in Japan. We get some good Shingo/Usagi shipping action as they fight and he steals her towel. Mamoru is an absolutely terrible bad guy in this episode as he just kind of hangs around looking at the lake because Queen Beryl made a mistake in sending him. The lake is home to a lake monster which actually has nothing to do with the Dark Kingdom. Aside from Sakiko we haven’t really seen any monsters that weren’t directly created by the Dark Kingdom before. Turns out the lake monster is a jealous girlfriend that’s mad that a boy she was in love with hooked up with a girl from space. This story strongly parallels the Beryl/Endymion/Serenity love triangle. Beryl is in love with Endymion and he falls in love with Serenity who is from the Moon, leaving her. But then instead of turning into a lake monster Beryl took her army and killed everyone on the Moon. We all deal with our jealousies in our own ways. I’m not the only one to see this similarity as the lake monster mistakes Usagi for the woman stealing hussie from her day. Sailor Moon heals the monster releasing the jealous girl from her curse. The rest of the girls eventually show up for some hot springs fun which will make some of our readers happy, like that guy that keeps asking if they’re going to do a beach episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. You know who you are!

Speaking of sexy bodies at the hot spring, check out Kenji Papa in this episode! He’s looking fit. What does he do between this point and when they go to the VR place in Sailor Moon R where he’s got a gut?

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 6, Tuxedo Mask, Review

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Adam

The latest episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, Act 6 – Tuxedo Mask, is now available for viewing on
Crunchyroll, Hulu and Niconico. The episode was released on September 20th in Japan and worldwide. This week’s it’s all about Tuxedo Mask as we finally see Mamoru with his shirt off, just like we did in the manga and original anime. How does everyone like shirtless Mamoru in Sailor Moon Crystal?

One noticeable change in this episode is that the intro has been modified. Most of the changes are relatively minor, like changes to shading or colouring, but some are more significant such as Sailor Mars’s pose at the end of the intro or Queen Serenity’s hair and eye colour. In the original manga and anime Queen Serenity, Sailor Moon’s mother on the Moon, had white or silver hair. In the intro for streaming episodes 1 to 5 she has blonde hair. This has been updated, most likely because she will be appearing in the series soon and her hair colour will be white. With the DVD and Blu-Ray release coming up on October 15th it’s likely that this intro will be used for those, but we won’t know for sure for a few weeks.

There are minor changes in this episode compared to the manga. It was otherwise as always mostly faithful. When Luna explains the power of the Silver Crystal, she says it has the ability to destroy a planet while in the manga it has the ability to destroy a star. Did the Silver Crystal get a downgrade in power? It never really did either so perhaps it’s not that huge a deal. Tuxedo Mask has a great moment in this episode where he explains to Sailor Moon that her true power is about making her friends happy and bringing out the best in them. This has always been what I like about Sailor Moon. Her strength is her kindness and compassion, not in her sheer power to destroy a planet or star. Luna finally explains to the girls that she’s from the Moon, a shocking revaluation indeed. She also speaks of who she thinks the enemy is and we see and image of Queen Metalia, the evil energy which is controlling the Dark Kingdom. When the plot progresses Luna also shows the girls their awesome headquarters hidden under the Crown Game Center. Slightly more impressive than the Karaoke room from the live action series!

This episode has Mamoru asking the public to find the Silver Crystal, followed by Zoisite doing the same, but while dressed as a woman. It’s certainly nice to see this series showing someone cross dressing after last week’s episode. Usagi was meant to transform into a groom in act 5 but this sequence was removed from the series. When Zoisite appears on TV asking people to find the Silver Crystal it looked very similar to a scene in the live action Sailor Moon series in which reporters are urging people to tell them to look for the Crystal and the broadcast is similarly shown to a group of people on a large outdoor TV in downtown Tokyo. Unlike most scenes that have a similarity to the original anime or live action series, this one was not lifted from the manga as those TV broadcasts were only shown on small TVs.

Sailor Moon finally gets to use her new Moon Stick in this episode, as she learns a lesson from the Sailor V game. While at the arcade she notices how Sailor V is using a weapon which bears a striking resemblance to her new Moon Stick. It’s by following what Sailor V does in the game that she is able to use her new attack Moon Healing Escalation which she uses to heal the town which has had it’s energy drained by Zoisite.

On top of her appearance in the Sailor V game we also get a live look at Sailor V in this episode. The girls speculate a bit about who she might be, and if she has a civilian identity. We also see Artemis along with her. If the manga is any indication, and it has been to date, we should be seeing Sailor Venus at the end of the next episode.

Act 7, Mamoru Chibi – Tuxedo Mask, will be available Saturday October 4th. We see a bit more of Mamoru in this episode as Usagi wakes up at his place and has learned that he’s Tuxedo Mask. In the original manga story the Dark Kingdom uses VHS tapes to brainwash the people of Tokyo. I have a feeling this might be updated for a 2014 audience just a little! Be sure to check that out in two weeks.

Keep reading for more screenshots from this episode.

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Watch Act 6 of Sailor Moon Crystal, Tuxedo Mask, staring September 20th at 6am EST

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Adam

The next episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be available streaming online on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Niconico starting Saturday September 20th at 7pm Japan Standard Time which is 6am Easter Standard Time and 3am Pacific Standard Time. This week’s episode, Act 6, Tuxedo Mask, will show us a more of Mamoru. By more of Mamoru of course I’m talking about perhaps seeing him topless! Yes indeed in act 6 of the manga we see a very shirtless Mamoru. Let’s all hope we have the same in store for tomorrow morning!

Luna is convinced Tuxedo Mask is an enemy when he publicly requests people look for the Silver Crystal. Usagi thinks he’s all right, but is concerned that knows her identity. Will we see Zoisite in drag? Will Tuxedo Mask once again take advantage of an unconscious Usagi? Find out in a few hours!

Linda Ballantyne, Toby Proctor, Katie Griffin, Susan Roman and Jennifer Cihi to appear at MaltaComics Expo Halloween weekend

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Adam

The cast of Sailor Moon will be in Europe for the first time! This Halloween weekend, October 31st to Novemeber 2nd 2014, Linda Ballantyne, the voice of Sailor Moon, Toby Proctor, the voice of Tuxedo Mask, Katie Griffin, the voice of Sailor Mars, Susan Roman, the voice of Sailor Jupiter, and Jennifer Cihi, singer for many song from the DiC dub, will be appearing at MaltaComics Expo in Valletta, Malta.

Jennifer Cihi is often referred to as the singing voice of Sailor Moon as she is credited as Sailor Moon, Princess Serena and Sailor Mars on tracks of the Sailor Moon: Songs From the Hit TV Series and Lunarock albums. Though Sailor Moon never actually sang in the English dub many of the songs she provided the voice for had a narrative that presented them as the voice of Sailor Moon. During the original 65 dubbed episodes she sang “I Wanna Be A Star!” from the episode “So You Want to Be a Superstar”, “My Only Love” from when Princess Serena is revealed in “A Crystal Clear Destiny”, “Carry On” which plays during the fight with Beryl and “It’s A New Day” which plays when Serena wakes up after that same fight in “Day of Destiny” and “Call My Name” which is sung by Raye at the Autumn festival during “Raye’s Day in the Spotlight”. Jennifer Cihi returned to sing on the second soundtrack, providing the vocals for “The Power of Love” which played during the battle with Wiseman in “Final Battle”, “I Want Someone to Love”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Who Do You Think You Are?”.

Sailor Moon News

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Tag Archives: Tuxedo Mask

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 9, Serenity – Princess, Review

Sailor Moon R episodes 49 and 50 are now available on Hulu

Tuxedo Mask S. H. Figuarts figure to be revealed next weekend

The entire first season of Sailor Moon is now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, Review

Watch Sailor Moon Crystal Act 7, Mamoru Chiba – Tuxedo Mask, starting October 4th at 6am EST

Sailor Moon episodes 39 and 40 are now available on Hulu

Sailor Moon Crystal Act 6, Tuxedo Mask, Review

Watch Act 6 of Sailor Moon Crystal, Tuxedo Mask, staring September 20th at 6am EST

Linda Ballantyne, Toby Proctor, Katie Griffin, Susan Roman and Jennifer Cihi to appear at MaltaComics Expo Halloween weekend