Re: Sailor Moon Crystal 2
Jul. 20th, 2014 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameThis episode differed more from the source materials than the last one did. Where the first episode was basically a more manga-faithful rehash of the original anime's first episode, this one did some changing around.
Namely that Ami was brainwashed by the Crystal Disk this time.
Now, there are two very good reasons to do this. The first is for dramatic effect--it's hard to feel the tension, especially when you've seen this multiple times already, if Ami's mostly okay. But there was a heightened sense of drama because she was under mind control, because she was trying to break out of it, because it took her friendship with Usagi to get through to her--it better cements their bond.
And the second reason is because of the need to modernize Sailor Moon. In the original anime and the manga, it was reasonable for Ami not to use the Crystal Disk. She prefered doing her work by hand, she said it gave her a headache... But 20 years later, it's unreasonable for her not to do her work on the computer. I mean, I still had to groan when they said that everything at the Crystal Seminar was done on the computer, like they were treating it like a big deal, but they had to do what they could to update the references. The Crystal Disk is a CD-ROM, which is still a bit outdated, but Usagi has a laptop she can run it on...if she knew how to work the damn thing. Yeah, 20 years later, Usagi still hasn't learned computers. That's kind of worrying now, that she doesn't know how to run a CD-ROM in her machine without going "Do I hit all the keys at once?"
The battle was also very different from the manga, which I can understand, but I still wasn't too happy with. In the manga and first anime, Ami's resistance to the Crystal Disk frustrates the monster and causes it to hold her hostage, with Sailor Moon fighting to save her. The symbol of Mercury appears on her forehead, and Luna convinces her to transform, using her powers to create a fog (in the first anime, Bubble Spray, which does EVERYTHING) to blind the monster so she can escape. It also puts Usagi in danger, however, since she loses sight of the monster, forcing Tuxedo Mask to rescue her when it's right in front of her.
The Crystal version has Usagi as still a weak fighter, where the original, as I said, had her fighting, kicking the monster. Ami is struggling to awaken from the mind control, but Usagi and Luna get through to her, and she transforms, using her new attack, Mercury Aqua Mist, to create the fog. The whole time, Usagi is the one being held hostage, and Tuxedo Mask has to cut her free. So...yeah. I'm happy that Ami got a more dramatic role and that Tuxedo Mask actually got to PHYSICALLY save Usagi, but...it did cost Usagi some of her agency. She doesn't have to be a great fighter at first, but c'mon. I'm a fan of Ryuki and Den-O, and Shinji and Ryotaro both proved that you can suck at fighting in your first battle and still manage to be halfway competent, if still weak, in your second--you're getting used to it and becoming stronger. Neither of them had to get saved by a guy in a tuxedo...well, okay, there was that one time for Shinji, but it wasn't the second episodeand I'm going to hell.
Subs still continue to be shaky, and I'm disappointed on that front. Again, I don't speak Japanese, but some of the word choices are awkward and clunky, like translating "youma" as "Evil"--uh, can't you just say that they're fighting monsters? Or like the Kodansha translation, the "Enemy"? It's more specific, the way "youma" or "monster" comes across, while JUST being vague enough to indicate that no, Luna doesn't know much more. The introductory speeches could use some cleaning up, in a way that's not going to drop some lines (like Viz's subs for the original anime), just because it feels like a rush job. Yes, I can understand it. But quite honestly, I have seen fansubs better than this--maybe not for Sailor Moon, but certainly for my other fandoms.
And while the artwork is beautiful, I do have to admit it's a little TOO beautiful, at times. If only because the animators seem loathe to do too much in the way of negative emotion, or devious emotion, or expression. Ami was better, but Usagi sometimes looks like a supermodel on a photoshoot--"Now pout for me, baby," that kind of thing. You don't have to go super-deformed, but at least draw her expressing more devious or crybabyish. Or hey, even take a leaf from the toku version's book and have Usagi look more plain while Sailor Moon is more glamorous--that'd take care of a lot of it, I'd think.
Still, overall a good show, and I look forward to one of my favorite Senshi, Rei, next time!
Namely that Ami was brainwashed by the Crystal Disk this time.
Now, there are two very good reasons to do this. The first is for dramatic effect--it's hard to feel the tension, especially when you've seen this multiple times already, if Ami's mostly okay. But there was a heightened sense of drama because she was under mind control, because she was trying to break out of it, because it took her friendship with Usagi to get through to her--it better cements their bond.
And the second reason is because of the need to modernize Sailor Moon. In the original anime and the manga, it was reasonable for Ami not to use the Crystal Disk. She prefered doing her work by hand, she said it gave her a headache... But 20 years later, it's unreasonable for her not to do her work on the computer. I mean, I still had to groan when they said that everything at the Crystal Seminar was done on the computer, like they were treating it like a big deal, but they had to do what they could to update the references. The Crystal Disk is a CD-ROM, which is still a bit outdated, but Usagi has a laptop she can run it on...if she knew how to work the damn thing. Yeah, 20 years later, Usagi still hasn't learned computers. That's kind of worrying now, that she doesn't know how to run a CD-ROM in her machine without going "Do I hit all the keys at once?"
The battle was also very different from the manga, which I can understand, but I still wasn't too happy with. In the manga and first anime, Ami's resistance to the Crystal Disk frustrates the monster and causes it to hold her hostage, with Sailor Moon fighting to save her. The symbol of Mercury appears on her forehead, and Luna convinces her to transform, using her powers to create a fog (in the first anime, Bubble Spray, which does EVERYTHING) to blind the monster so she can escape. It also puts Usagi in danger, however, since she loses sight of the monster, forcing Tuxedo Mask to rescue her when it's right in front of her.
The Crystal version has Usagi as still a weak fighter, where the original, as I said, had her fighting, kicking the monster. Ami is struggling to awaken from the mind control, but Usagi and Luna get through to her, and she transforms, using her new attack, Mercury Aqua Mist, to create the fog. The whole time, Usagi is the one being held hostage, and Tuxedo Mask has to cut her free. So...yeah. I'm happy that Ami got a more dramatic role and that Tuxedo Mask actually got to PHYSICALLY save Usagi, but...it did cost Usagi some of her agency. She doesn't have to be a great fighter at first, but c'mon. I'm a fan of Ryuki and Den-O, and Shinji and Ryotaro both proved that you can suck at fighting in your first battle and still manage to be halfway competent, if still weak, in your second--you're getting used to it and becoming stronger. Neither of them had to get saved by a guy in a tuxedo...well, okay, there was that one time for Shinji, but it wasn't the second episode
Subs still continue to be shaky, and I'm disappointed on that front. Again, I don't speak Japanese, but some of the word choices are awkward and clunky, like translating "youma" as "Evil"--uh, can't you just say that they're fighting monsters? Or like the Kodansha translation, the "Enemy"? It's more specific, the way "youma" or "monster" comes across, while JUST being vague enough to indicate that no, Luna doesn't know much more. The introductory speeches could use some cleaning up, in a way that's not going to drop some lines (like Viz's subs for the original anime), just because it feels like a rush job. Yes, I can understand it. But quite honestly, I have seen fansubs better than this--maybe not for Sailor Moon, but certainly for my other fandoms.
And while the artwork is beautiful, I do have to admit it's a little TOO beautiful, at times. If only because the animators seem loathe to do too much in the way of negative emotion, or devious emotion, or expression. Ami was better, but Usagi sometimes looks like a supermodel on a photoshoot--"Now pout for me, baby," that kind of thing. You don't have to go super-deformed, but at least draw her expressing more devious or crybabyish. Or hey, even take a leaf from the toku version's book and have Usagi look more plain while Sailor Moon is more glamorous--that'd take care of a lot of it, I'd think.
Still, overall a good show, and I look forward to one of my favorite Senshi, Rei, next time!