Re: Tuxedo Kamen/Tuxedo Mask
Sep. 20th, 2014 04:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akinoameI needed this episode after "Trakeena's Revenge." So bad.
So while there were some parts of this episode I didn't like, I overall enjoyed it a lot. It kind of irritated me that after giving Tuxedo Mask a pep-talk about how it doesn't matter that he doesn't have powers, he can still do the best he possibly can like she does...Usagi utterly forgets it in the face of danger. And goes on about how she doesn't have power on par with the other Senshi. Sweetie, Moon Twilight Flash is not a My Little Pony. It's a laser beam coming out of your forehead. That's awesome. Also, Moon Tiara Boomerang. So it was a little grating in the '90s anime way of "Tuxedo Mask says something Sailor Moon really should have already known or not needed, and it gives her the will to fight." BUT I forgive it because she really did need that heart-to-heart with him. Also, the way she said she was a leader of a team and couldn't do much to help...how did she NOT think she was revealing her identity in front of him? That also bothers me because not only do I hate that trope (as I've brought up in another post about the other anime), but Usagi's revelation was handled so well in the '90s anime and the manga! In the original anime, she hesitated for only a moment before throwing caution to the wind and transforming because she knew she had to save Mamoru--not Tuxedo Mask, but the guy she couldn't stand. And in the manga, she doesn't hestiate at all! She's collapsed, and Mamoru catches her before...well, somehow changing into his tux, apparently in the middle of the city, and he wakes her up and insists she has to do something because he fucked up and doesn't have any powers to make it right. She looks into his eyes, trusts him, and transforms, later wondering why she did that right in front of him. So this moment of hesitation...yeah. Not completely a fan.
But you know what makes up for it? The whole rest of the episode. It's perfect, and it's a wonderful Zoicite plan and I fucking love Zoicite and he's the best of the Heavenly Kings and his plan actually works. And on top of it, Moon Healing Escalation...escalated. Into an attack/healing combination. That Zoicite had to leap in front of to protect Beryl from, forcing her to carry him back to the Dark Kingdom. I love it!
So the next episode is "Chiba Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask," and I'm happy to see how they handled the naming of the episode. I thought it was strange how they did "Kamen/Mask" for this episode, but it pays off for the next one. Continues the character arc, focusing on a different aspect. The use of "kamen" is just formality in terms of spelling. So this'll be interesting.
And speaking of interesting, Sailor V and Artemis! I really like that they were there, keeping an eye on everything. And how the game-V told Usagi she could do it. Gives the sense that they'll be there when the others need them, but they trust that they can take care of themselves until then.
So while there were some parts of this episode I didn't like, I overall enjoyed it a lot. It kind of irritated me that after giving Tuxedo Mask a pep-talk about how it doesn't matter that he doesn't have powers, he can still do the best he possibly can like she does...Usagi utterly forgets it in the face of danger. And goes on about how she doesn't have power on par with the other Senshi. Sweetie, Moon Twilight Flash is not a My Little Pony. It's a laser beam coming out of your forehead. That's awesome. Also, Moon Tiara Boomerang. So it was a little grating in the '90s anime way of "Tuxedo Mask says something Sailor Moon really should have already known or not needed, and it gives her the will to fight." BUT I forgive it because she really did need that heart-to-heart with him. Also, the way she said she was a leader of a team and couldn't do much to help...how did she NOT think she was revealing her identity in front of him? That also bothers me because not only do I hate that trope (as I've brought up in another post about the other anime), but Usagi's revelation was handled so well in the '90s anime and the manga! In the original anime, she hesitated for only a moment before throwing caution to the wind and transforming because she knew she had to save Mamoru--not Tuxedo Mask, but the guy she couldn't stand. And in the manga, she doesn't hestiate at all! She's collapsed, and Mamoru catches her before...well, somehow changing into his tux, apparently in the middle of the city, and he wakes her up and insists she has to do something because he fucked up and doesn't have any powers to make it right. She looks into his eyes, trusts him, and transforms, later wondering why she did that right in front of him. So this moment of hesitation...yeah. Not completely a fan.
But you know what makes up for it? The whole rest of the episode. It's perfect, and it's a wonderful Zoicite plan and I fucking love Zoicite and he's the best of the Heavenly Kings and his plan actually works. And on top of it, Moon Healing Escalation...escalated. Into an attack/healing combination. That Zoicite had to leap in front of to protect Beryl from, forcing her to carry him back to the Dark Kingdom. I love it!
So the next episode is "Chiba Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask," and I'm happy to see how they handled the naming of the episode. I thought it was strange how they did "Kamen/Mask" for this episode, but it pays off for the next one. Continues the character arc, focusing on a different aspect. The use of "kamen" is just formality in terms of spelling. So this'll be interesting.
And speaking of interesting, Sailor V and Artemis! I really like that they were there, keeping an eye on everything. And how the game-V told Usagi she could do it. Gives the sense that they'll be there when the others need them, but they trust that they can take care of themselves until then.