For a couple of weeks now I have been following the 2014 Sailor Moon reboot, Sailor Moon Crystal. I refrained from any comments initially because I thought the animation quality and style was bad. Other reviewers were more forgiving, probably because they were excited that there was a reboot at all. Some reviewers mentioned it could be due to teething problems or lack of budget. My question to Toei Animation would then be: if you didn’t have enough budget, why bother doing a reboot at all? Seriously, I have seen the quality of previous works by Toei Animation which was why I couldn’t excuse the poor quality. As for the animation style, I get that they were trying to make it more like the manga style but seeing the end product made me realise that while the manga illustration looks beautiful on paper, it doesn’t necessarily translate well to animation. I couldn’t stand the extreme slenderness of the characters, which one fan aptly described as “stretched taffy”. I will not even delve into the CGI transformation sequence (the transformation sequence in the original series wins hands down).
If only animation quality was the only problem though. The storyline seems rushed and there isn’t much character focus or development for the Inner Senshis apart from the episodes they make their appearances. Once Usagi regained her memories as Serenity, all focus shifted towards her and Mamoru. This show has what I call the main character syndrome. There is too much focus on the main character that the supporting characters are reduced to mere extras. The original series was like that too, but compared to this reboot, I feel like the original series was pretty fair in focusing on the supporting casts.
One good thing about SMC following the manga closely is that they decided to have a little bit more focus on the four generals serving Queen Beryl. In the manga, Naoko Takeuchi once included a picture pairing the Inner Senshis with the four earth generals: Venus/Kunzite, Mercury/Zoisite, Jupiter/Nephrite and Mars/Jadeite. Though Takeuchi never explicitly mentioned that these four had relationships during Silver Millennium, it was implied for Venus and Mars (if my memory serves me correctly) and since then, most fans assume she always had it in mind but just never explored it. Anyways, back to SMC, the generals overheard Beryl talking about brainwashing them and in that brief instant, regained their memories as Endymion’s protectors. Unfortunately, Beryl found out and quickly brainwashed them again. Next, we see them confronting the senshis during battle. Venus keeps asking Kunzite to wake up which prompts the rest of the senshis to ask her what she meant by that. Upon her revelation, the rest of the senshis regain their memories and due to the weight of it, are unable to fight back, leaving Sailor Moon to save the day. They then eventually regain their senses and attack the generals who escape once more.
Okay, so I am happy about one thing. I am happy that the creators of SMC decided to put a spotlight on the whole senshi/general pairings. I am however undecided on how I feel about the execution though. Some fans complained that the episode made the senshis look weak when they were unable to attack the generals after discovering they used to love them. On the flipside, there were those who argued that it’s only natural to be in shock when you discover the person you used to love is now your enemy. And of course there are those who don’t like the senshi/general pairings at all because they find that it’s too convenient for each of the princess’s guardians to fall for each of the prince’s protectors. Yes, I agree it seems a little too convenient and this is why it is crucial how this part of the story is executed. While the premise may be convenient, there are many ways the writers could’ve made this plotline more complex/added more layers to it. I’m not sure if they have anything of the sort in mind what with the limited budget they seem to have.
One thing is clear though, the generals will have to die at the end of the first arc or it would complicate the rest of the seasons (if the show survives that long). My guess is the senshis would kill them in a tragic scene or the generals would sacrifice themselves to save their prince or the senshis in an equally tragic scene. Shame really. Looks like my fan fiction won’t be realised on screen.
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