(L+CR) Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal

[minaku]

Originally Posted by Sakuya

I got up early just to watch it and it brought back so many childhood memories. It was a good first episode. All the worries I had with the animation before was actually not noticeable at all. The BGM and choir was pretty good, I liked the one played during the first dream sequence as well as the attack BGM. The transformation music was not memorable at all unfortunately except for the first part when she calls out her phrase. That scene was spectacularly though, I loved how they brought back her thrusting her hand in the air. Can you imagine how awesome the entire sequence would've looked if it was all done in 2D?! That was my only major disappointment.

The monster of the day was kind of a bummer. Her design was not as scary as the original's or the manga's.

I agree with you about the transformation, if it was 2d i could have fallen in love with this reboot immediately. Although can not agree about the yoma Morga's design. While she was not as scary as in the manga, she was quite sinister. Actually the whole Dark Kingdom atmosphere was kinda creepy, way creepier than the 90s, even to yoma and the zombified girls looks quite creepy. I have a little sister, she is six years old. I have been watching the classic Sailor Moon with her, she was completely ok with the first yoma. But yesterday when we got to that part, she grabbed my hand during the whole scene. But, I still wish they could have used some more frames, but when I saw the preview for the second episode I found it pretty crisp and and kind a more dynamic. There is a scene in it with Ami, the camera zooms her eye, she looks like horrified and some greenish creepy light appears. But this horrified stare got me really interested for the second episode. Also from the first episode I really liked how they preserved the part when Usagi names herself Sailor Moon, Luna has never called her like this before, just looks at the Moon and Usagi feels it herself, like connected to the Moon. It has a great subtle effect, like she was given a choice to choose her own powers, to feel the connection with it, instead of just you are Sailor Moon, just accept it. I can't actually make my point clear here The opening song is quite good too, the more I hear it the more I like it, which is a huge progress for me as I don't like to admit it but I detest idol groups... But the song is cool, the composition is cool, the lyrics is quite feminist and it really suits a version of Sailor Moon with badass and independent characters. I kind a still try to love the vocals, though I really like the solo parts of Jupiter and Venus at the beginning, this two sure are better than the rest of them (for me). And then I found that :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITEXuuK1wDk
Hope this song gets different classic renditions like the moonlight densetsu orgel version, slow versions, piano versions, it can sound so much more Sailor Moonish then.

[cheesie]

My OTP is back and they are looking gorgeous.

I can jump on either bandwagons and pretend to be all elitist about animation or join the blahblah spiels about 90's version vs this version, but the moment I saw Mamoru / Tuxedo Mask looking like that and that beautiful end card with Neo-Serenity and Endymion, AND the fact that the anime is gonna follow exactly like the manga which means more godly OTP moments, I knew I was completely sold.

These two are the flagship pairing of all shoujo pairings, and they haunt me for a good six years of my childhood, joining fanlistings, nc-17 I mean romance fanfiction, creating web shrines lol, those were the scary fan girl days. Seeing them again twenty years later, it does things to you, man, it does.

They can stuff the series up all they want, but I'll be honest, feed me UsaMamo and all is forgiven; I love how they are so aware of that fact, and that they're giving all these romance fan service bits and my heart just melts.

Overall, I loved the first episode, and this isn't just nostalgia talking, I enjoyed every minute although I thought the transformation CGI was weird but nothing that I can't get used to later on. Bring the next episode on!

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by cheesie

and that beautiful end card with Neo-Serenity and Endymion

^ This. The eye-catches and such were friggin' gorgeous.

[Faerie]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Okay, the fist couple minutes made me think of Star Trek: TNG so much that I ended up making this, mostly just for a laugh. I dub it Moon Trek!

I think the audio fits the visuals surprisingly well in this mash-up. I hope other Sailor Moon fans here agree.

Lol I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that. It's a bit scary how well that fit. That conjures up some weird childhood memories xD

I guess this explains why I liked the idea of what they were going for with that scene. Star Trek was my first childhood favourite, even before Sailor Moon and I used to watch both daily

Originally Posted by minaku

, the lyrics is quite feminist and it really suits a version of Sailor Moon with badass and independent characters..

Spoiler for Tagged just in case:

Speaking of, it's interesting that the most bluntly feminist part of the lyrics happens (iirc) when Usagi is on screen... Since she is the one person for which I always found that sort of claim a bit dubious.
I'm curious if they'll keep the aspects about the source that seem quite dated e.g, princess serenity's pathetic-ness in particular. I always hated how Usagi went from fun and quirky and surprisingly strong to Bella Swann because Mamoru came into the mix.
They seem to be aiming to show them as a pretty dynamic combination in the OP, so... I imagine today's audiences might not be so receptive to certain developments as 20 years ago either, so I wonder if they'll want to reimagine certain parts or just stick to the source like glue.

[Baldurkai]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Okay, the fist couple minutes made me think of Star Trek: TNG so much that I ended up making this, mostly just for a laugh. I dub it Moon Trek!

I think the audio fits the visuals surprisingly well in this mash-up. I hope other Sailor Moon fans here agree.

Hahaha nice video you created there, of fly like what faerie said it oddly melded very well together rather scary that tbh...

Not sure if im a sailor moon fan but I thought your mashup worked well

[Domonkazu]

looks like except for Kotono Mitsuishi everyone else get replaced.

[Kaengel]

That's too bad considering that for me Usagi's voice was the worse of the first anime...

[Baldurkai]

Originally Posted by Arlia

That's too bad considering that for me Usagi's voice was the worse of the first anime...

Yup she did not suit the new revamped usagi that's for sure... I do wonder why they kept using her... For the hype? Or was there a legit reason?

[Ithekro]

Kotono Mitsuishi is sort of a legendary actress though in Japan. Very influential.

[minaku]

Does Kotono Mitsuishi really sounds so bad to americans as Lynda Balantine and Terry Hawks ( I messed the spelling, but like the first Serena - Tracy Moore?) sounds to most non-american viewers of the dub? It's not like someone can answer my question though... I agree she doesn't sounds exactly the same as in the first season of the 90s but til Stars she sounded pretty different. When compare her from Stars and Crystal she sounds exactly the same to me. For me almost every dub of Sailor Moon, except the German's first season, before they changed Usagi and even after, although the second actress moans very oddly from time to time, is awful. Kotono is a legend pretty much everywhere around the world. Crystal has many issues, but she is not one of them, at least for me. The only VA that really feels like miscasted to me is Hisako Kanemoto (Ami) I could be wrong, I wish they could have teased the voice she uses for the character. She was an obvious choice for Chibi Usa, but Ami... Guess I have to hear her.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Baldurkai

Hahaha nice video you created there, of fly like what faerie said it oddly melded very well together rather scary that tbh...

Not sure if im a sailor moon fan but I thought your mashup worked well

Originally Posted by Faerie

Lol I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that. It's a bit scary how well that fit. That conjures up some weird childhood memories xD

Thanks! I'm glad you both liked it.

I guess this explains why I liked the idea of what they were going for with that scene. Star Trek was my first childhood favourite, even before Sailor Moon and I used to watch both daily

Me to. Both were a part of my weekday routine in the early 90s.

I thought about it afterwards, and I guess the space shots are meant to reflect how the Sailor Scouts are named after various planets and the Earth's moon.

[Baldurkai]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Kotono Mitsuishi is sort of a legendary actress though in Japan. Very influential.

Ohh I see that's cool and nice to know thanks ^^^

Originally Posted by minaku

Does Kotono Mitsuishi really sounds so bad to americans as Lynda Balantine and Terry Hawks ( I messed the spelling) sounds to most non-american viewers of the dub? It's not like someone can answer my question though... I agree she doesn't sounds exactly the same as in the first season of the 90s but til Stars she sounded pretty different. When compare her from Stars and Crystal she sounds exactly the same to me.

Not sure about her sounding bad to Americans! but for myself it's more that the voice she portrays for usagi did not fit! might just be me but someone of that height and appearance shouldn't be that squeaky! or if they are they are doing it on purpose..

In general I just think that the voice used is too young for the revamped usagi, it doesn't sound like its her voice at all (kind of like a poorly done dub version). I have nothing against the VA just really thought they should have used a different VA for the new look of usagi.

[minaku]

Originally Posted by Baldurkai

Ohh I see that's cool and nice to know thanks ^^^



Not sure about her sounding bad to Americans! but for myself it's more that the voice she portrays for usagi did not fit! might just be me but someone of that height and appearance shouldn't be that squeaky! or if they are they are doing it on purpose..

In general I just think that the voice used is too young for the revamped usagi, it doesn't sound like its her voice at all (kind of like a poorly done dub version). I have nothing against the VA just really thought they should have used a different VA for the new look of usagi.

It's obviously on purpose, when Usagi is serious her voice is not like this. I wish she wasn't sick when they dubbed the last episodes of the first season back in 90s, but I happened to find something like a cd drama with her performing the scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHjE3Bzr66I
In the actual anime she was replaced with Kae Araki, who later gives her voice for Chibi Usa, she was kind a squeeqy even when Serious... Kotono is the only Usagi I can accept, and Rika Fukami as Venus, but well... At least one of my godesses is back. She can be so gentle, when serious https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5--NWPAwTSE but she has to sound like crybaby at first... People in Japan could never accept another VA for Usagi, and they are doing to please them in the first place.

[kache]

01

No, sorry. This kind of pathetic behaviour was acceptable 20 years ago, but after MSLN, madoka, Precure and other majokko I cannot accept it anymore.
Dropped.

[YourIdeas]

Originally Posted by minaku

The only VA that really feels like miscasted to me is Hisako Kanemoto (Ami) I could be wrong, I wish they could have teased the voice she uses for the character. She was an obvious choice for Chibi Usa, but Ami... Guess I have to hear her.

That's why it's the most interesting VA choice.

Mitsuishi Kotono as Sailor Moon was a given (as disappointed as I was).
Satou Rina voices a variety of characters, and pulls off a refined/mature voice well, making her easy to picture as Sailor Mars.
Koshimizu Ami as Sailor Jupiter is dead on, having voiced a lot of tougher girls before.
Itou Shizuka's typecast voice (I first heard it in Hayate no Gotoku as Hinagiku) is easy to imagine as Sailor Venus.

And then you got Kanemoto Hisako as Sailor Mercury. She's got a distinct typecast voice that's more on the moe side, and she hasn't really treaded far from it. Her role as Tomonori in Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka is the only notable role I can recall where she didn't use her trademark voice, but I can't imagine her using that one for Ami.

I'm thinking her standard typecast voice may actually fit Ami in some strange manner, once you get used to listening to her talk with it. If not, there's a chance she might use a different voice to do so.

[Ichuki]

I have to say the only issue I had with this is Kotono sounds a bit forced on Usagi, other than that it is pretty good overall.

[Baldurkai]

Originally Posted by minaku

It's obviously on purpose, when Usagi is serious her voice is not like this. I wish she wasn't sick when they dubbed the last episodes of the first season back in 90s, but I happened to find something like a cd drama with her performing the scene. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHjE3Bzr66I
In the actual anime she was replaced with Kae Araki, who later gives her voice for Chibi Usa, she was kind a squeeqy even when Serious... Kotono is the only Usagi I can accept, and Rika Fukami as Venus, but well... At least one of my godesses is back. She can be so gentle, when serious https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5--NWPAwTSE but she has to sound like crybaby at first... People in Japan could never accept another VA for Usagi, and they are doing to please them in the first place.

Ahh I see that's very interesting, I watched that YouTube battle video you linked, and yes I'll admit she's much better there. My problem is not so much it's squeaky, it's in the original anime she was small (sailor moon) and a child like voice suited it well, my issue with this is that she looks like a 16-18 year old, and when I hear that squeaky voice with that body it just doesn't meld well together, if they had it so sailor moon was not so tall already I guess it would fit better, (just my own opinion)

But thanks to your video link, I'm looking forwards to the future episodes when she...grows up more?.

[Faerie]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Me to. Both were a part of my weekday routine in the early 90s.

I thought about it afterwards, and I guess the space shots are meant to reflect how the Sailor Scouts are named after various planets and the Earth's moon.

Yup, every single day, like clockwork. I even read the books- nicked them from my dad. I was five
I have vivid memories of me and my best friend playing either Sailor Moon (he was Usagi) or Star Trek, or both at the same time.

There's purpose to the scene, though. Just like the scene with Serenity and Endymion that follows, there is some foreshadowing to it. I think that's what they we're referring to when they said they wanted to add something that they could add because the material has been out there for ages e.g. The entirety of the scene.

Spoiler for Just in case, potential manga Stars Arc spoiler:

since we learn that the scope of the story extends beyond our solar system later.

I only wish they would've used some higher quality images for this shot, since it's the very first impression you get and it could've looked pretty epic to se the tone.

---
About Kotono: I don't think anyone disputes that she is a great VA and has done some lovely work.
I myself loved her as Usagi and I initially didn't think I'd want anyone else to voice her or any iconic character to be replaced. But that's purely nostalgia speaking, not objectivity, and I believe I was wrong.
The problem is how very forced her voice sounds. It sounds like an older woman trying to act like a contemporary teen and it doesn't work.
In some scenes she sounds fine, in others, I cringe. I've made the comparison earlier, but it really is as if William Shatner pretended to be young Kirk again.
I really think that she should have voiced Queen Serenity while leaving this fresh interpretation of Usagi to the new talent.
That way we'd get the best of both worlds.
I'm sorry, but sometimes it really is better to take a step back and let the new generation put their spin on a reimagining of your own iconic work.
I'm worried the other VA's will feel the need to imitate the old VA's or arrange themselves around Kotono, negatively impacting their performance.

[minaku]

Originally Posted by Baldurkai

Ahh I see that's very interesting, I watched that YouTube battle video you linked, and yes I'll admit she's much better there. My problem is not so much it's squeaky, it's in the original anime she was small (sailor moon) and a child like voice suited it well, my issue with this is that she looks like a 16-18 year old, and when I hear that squeaky voice with that body it just doesn't meld well together, if they had it so sailor moon was not so tall already I guess it would fit better, (just my own opinion)

But thanks to your video link, I'm looking forwards to the future episodes when she...grows up more?.

She looks like all grown up in the manga and in Crystal, but does she act like that? Not exactly, the point in the manga is that Usagi is changing like mentally, it's not about her physical appearance, it's more like her inside growth and developpment. In the manga she became quite mature and serious, because she accept her duties, she learn. So they character change the voice or more specifically the manner of speech changes. She starts as terrible whiny crybaby to gradually become a proper lady and strong warrior, In the old anime there was always a restart for her character in every first episode of a new season. Sailor Moon is a story about a girl who grow up and change, she transforms not only with magic tools. I just hope that somehow crystal make the same for the rest of the guardians, as Naoko was very stressed to drive the plot faster and faster, that she sacrifice some of their characterization in the process. That's why part of me don't want them to cover two story arcs in this season. As much as I wanna see Chibi Usa, Pluto and of course Rubeus and Demand (my anime crushes ever since I was like 12), but more than that I wanna see the other girls get the right treatment.

[novalysis]

I cannot understand why is it that Usgai seriously annoys me - I have not watched the first Sailor Moon, but there's something about Usagai that just grates on me. It could be her astounding shallowness, brainlessness, the utterly pathetic way she fought once she reached her transformation, the resembled in behavior of terribly written Reverse Harem female Protags, her instant swooning over Tuxedo Mask with just a few lines of interactions that should have left an unfavorable impression of that man on her....

I feel she has even less of agency, that females in Harem Animes and LNs, and considering how sexist the Harem Genre often is, that's saying quite alot....

Perhaps the story has just not aged well at all. Certainly, the character design felt very strange to me.

To me, it seems that Usagi is an Idiot Hero, without a non-idiot foil, with the idiot part of the character played up to eleven and shoved into your face every two minutes, mixed with hints of sexism. I'll keep watching, to see the rest of the cast, and whether they exist merely to glorify her Perfect Idiocy, and elevate her to a Mary Sue, or act as either foils and/or impetus for character development.