REVIEW: Sailor Moon Crystal 34
I am not afraid to be moved by an anime. I was never afraid to cry at certain scenes in, say, Full Metal Alchemist or Cowboy Bebop and I am certainly not afraid to admit it. I love when I am able to sit back and let myself be consumed by an anime. I open myself up to this with every show that I watch, but it is ultimately up to the show to move me. While this week’s episode of Crystal did not make me cry, it did satisfy my emotional investment. By that I mean that it turned me into an emotional mess who is way too excited for next week’s episode.
I knew this would be a special episode as soon as the opening scene started. The powerful music was the perfect companion to the beautiful animation for the summoning the Holy Grail/Moon Chalice and Sailor Moon’s upgrade to Super Sailor Moon. While not as grand of a costume as her Eternal outfit, I’ve always loved the aesthetics of her Super outfit and Crystal does it beautiful justice. The animators also did a great job at adjusting her facial expressions and posture – we can easily see that it is not just her outfit that has changed. (On a similar note, all of the Senshi receive new heart-shaped brooches, a much less drastic but still pretty design change.) Usagi has achieved a new level of power, and easily destroys the last of the Witches 5, much to the terror of Kaolinite, who is about to face even more terror by the name of Hotaru.
Poor Hotaru breaks down gradually through this episode, an emotional and painful experience for the viewer—and for Chibiusa, who just wants Hotaru to be happy. After Sailor Moon’s transformation, the Outer Senshi feel compelled to explain everything to her: Sailor Saturn was summoned to destroy the universe after the collapse of the Silver Millennium, and now she is back in the present day in the form of Hotaru. We learn that Hotaru/Saturn must be killed in order to save the world…but also that Hotaru will soon die unless she is able to transform into Saturn…and then destroy the world. Sailor Moon seems to think that they could come to a happy compromise, the Outer Senshi disagree, and soon it is Sailor Moon: Civil War all over again.
Super Sailor Moon isn’t the only transformation we witness. In the emotional ending scenes Hotaru’s breakdown completes, and she becomes fully possessed by Mistress 9. I wasn’t expecting this to occur yet, so watching her slowly grow into a gorgeous but monstrous adult was a creepy experience. Chibiusa, full of guilt for running away from Hotaru earlier, seeks to comfort her. She does not expect Hotaru to lash out and attack her. We see Chibiusa forced to un-transform from Chibi Moon: the reverse transformation looks incredibly painful, and her eyes losing their life was heartbreaking. I never thought I would develop an emotional investment in Usagi’s brat daughter, but I did and it hurts.
The episode ends with Mistress 9/Hotaru now in possession of Chibiusa’s Silver Crystal, the Outer Senshi really confused by Hotaru’s unknown transformation, and Sailor Moon devastated at what she thinks may be the death of her daughter. I finished this episode and immediately walked into the kitchen, grabbed a beer, and then sat down in silence for a moment. The Infinity Arc shouldn’t be this good; this is not what I’ve come to expect from Crystal. I feel bad to post such an overwhelmingly positive review but I would be lying if I wrote anything different. The only ongoing issue I have is that the full-body shots of characters seem disjointed, especially in comparison to the detailed closeups.
This season has thus far matured Usagi, rebuilt her connection with Mamoru, further developed Chibiusa and the Senshi, and flawlessly executed so many introductions, fights, and personal scenes. Crystal has me hooked, and I’m no longer cautiously optimistic about the following weeks. As long as Crystal allows me maintain this strong of an emotional investment, I’ll go wherever the show takes me.
