![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azuriteHappy Birthday, Usagi Tsukino aka Sailor Moon!
(a few hours late. :P)
So I watched Episode 34 of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon anime, "Sparkling Silver Crystal! The Moon Princess Appears!" today, known as "Crystal Clear Destiny" in the dub (I watched the ADV uncut sub, though). I took 530 screen caps, including several sequences perfect for making animated GIFs and mini-movies for icons. They're all high-quality caps (JPGs, high res), and the set includes 21 contact sheets/index files, with all the files in chronological order, named for easy finding.
And you can find them all on alt.binaries.pictures.sailor-moon. If you want, I can provide a ZIP (or 2) for direct download, but I'd encourage everyone to check out the Usenet group, and especially participate in the alt.fan.sailor-moon discussion for "200 Days of Sailor Moon"! You can access AFSM through sites like Google Groups, but binary groups will have to be accessed through your email client (such as Thunderbird or Outlook Express) using information provided by your ISP (all you need is the nntp.yourisp.com/news.yourisp.com and a username and password for that ISP). If you need help setting it up, I'll be glad to help, since I want more SM fans to get involved in the discussions!
I might start making lots of Sailor Moon anime icons soon if I get the chance... if the loverly ladies over at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sm_ichallenge want some base images, you know who to annoy. :D
This episode was the reason why I was looking forward to the 200 Days of Sailormoon project, and why I capped so many damn images. It's one of the best episodes in the entire series, no matter what language you watch it in, or how it's been edited. The core of the episode is always the same, and it's always pretty emotional.
That said, there are a lot of nitpicks to be had, as usual.
How did Zoisite find out Mamoru's identity?
Unlike the Sailor Senshi, whom I believe have a magic field/idiot field that protects their identity (as demonstrated by the girls not recognizing Minako or Artemis), Mamoru has no such thing. He has a mask. He doesn't have any "magic" powers, but I believe his strength and natural abilities are heightened. And his "weapons" aren't exactly ordinary, but it's not like he's flinging energized tiaras or anything. He throws sharp roses and hits people with a cane. He's like a romantic old man. :P
In any case, Beryl and Zoisite BOTH got a good look at Mamoru once the mask was off. It's not unreasonable to believe that they could somehow freeze that image, take it somewhere (post office, college, police station) and in disguise (as we already know Zoisite is capable of doing; no one recognized the fake Sailor Moon except the Senshi themselves... probably because few people have really seen the Senshi close up so far, without later being youma-meat or energy drained) and find out who "that guy" is.
Mamoru is an idiot.
That's not a question and I know it, but seriously. I realize the guy was completely unaware of his role as Tuxedo Mask up until he got the orange rainbow crystal (and what bothers me is the fact that there's no native Japanese word for orange, so it's the Orenjizuishou, which sounds STUPID), he was stressed, and basically ONLY searching for the crystals so he could get his memory back via the princess/the Ginzuishou. He didn't think twice about Sailor Moon's secret identity, her crush on him, or anything like that.
Usagi, on the other hand, suspected Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask (though not seriously) at least twice before this, and again-- the first time she slaps him on the back, and again in the elevator. She denies it vehemently, of course. Mamoru, on the other hand, looks like he's just seen Elvis revived when Usagi transforms in front of him. He really had NO FREAKING CLUE.
It's almost cute how, even though he initially teased her a lot (probably a form of stress relief for him, especially once he learned his dual identity), he still vows to protect her. It goes to show he might have cared for her a little -or at least, he would have missed her "genki" attitude. He knew he was going to fight with the odds against him, and when the chance to at least redeem himself a little -when Usagi "randomly" appeared- he decided to be nice to her for once. But I still don't think that translates to him having feelings for her.
While Usagi had crushes on Motoki and Tuxedo Mask, any feelings she had for Mamoru -other than annoyance and revulsion- she denied completely. But they were there nonetheless, and came out when she realized that this guy she kinda-sorta-not-really liked was actually the guy she REALLY REALLY liked (Tuxedo Mask) and the guy that she died to be with (Endymion). But I've NEVER liked the idea that they were together because of "destiny" or their past. I'd like to believe their romance had some real foundations, but the anime doesn't do a good job with this.
The dub makes Darien seem more flirtatious at the very least -when Andrew asks him why he teases Serena so much, he says "I don't know. It's a feeling I really can't explain." He's also smirking, and you could probably interpret that as "He likes her but he can't admit it" because a) she's too young for him; b) she acts like she hates him in return, and likes his best friend instead; c) he's got other (more important) things to focus on, such as the Ginzuishou and 'his' princess. In the original though, he says "Every time we meet, we end up fighting," which really can't be interpreted as anything other than what it is: a statement of fact.
Well, it's an interesting form of foreplay, to say the least.
Ugh, "Princess Moon."
I don't know that many people that say they liked the BGM for when Sailor Moon became Princess Serenity (Princess Moon, the 2nd ED) over the dub's song, "My Only Love." Admittedly, "My Only Love," like many other dub songs, colors the meaning of the episode a bit (like I said, neither Serena nor Usagi -if you want to think of them as separate entities because of how the dub characterizes Serena... even though like the whole Yu-Gi-Oh Anzu/Téa thing, I consider them the same person- like Mamoru romantically until his other identity is revealed).
"My Only Love" is still a NICER song, and it fits more with the tragedy that has just happened. This episode had PLOT! It had romance, drama, action, angst! It was both a closer for many of the plot points up to this point, and the jumping-off point for many more. I like it a heck of a lot more. There are few exceptions to my liking the dub music during critical episodes-- I liked "Rainy Day Man" in Makoto's episode in SMR1, when she reunites with Shinozaki, only to see him attacked by a cardian. I liked "The Power of Love" in the final battle of SMR2, and "Carry On" (Sailor Scouts vs. Rubeus and the Weird Sisters) as well. I even liked some of the tracks that never got used in the show (as far as I know), like "I Want Someone To Love", "Nothing At All" (Raye image song), and "I'm Not Ready." But "Daddy's Girl" pissed me off, just because it's known in both universes (original and dub) that Makoto/Lita's parents are both dead. :(
What's with the Starlight Tower, anyway?
Apparently it was one of, if not THE original entrance point from the Dark Kingdom into the mortal world. Kind of like how Crystal Tokyo has its 10 points (5 on each tip of the star, 5 on the inner pentagonal points), the Dark Kingdom had a few entrances into the mortal world, but while the points had been there for a while, Queen Serenity's sealing powers made it hard for them to just immediately break out anywhere in the world and start sapping energy. Reasonably speaking, there were only the two points-- the tower, and D-Point up in the North Pole. One is prime for attacking a large city so they DO, even though the Senshi there (and people wonder why they always attack Tokyo), or there's the North Pole, with NOBODY AROUND. Presumably, their teleportation powers only work with a reasonable distance, so it's not like Kunzite could transport from the Dark Kingdom to D-Point to France. The thing that messes this theory up is the destruction of the Starlight Tower after this episode... and how Kunzite and Endymion are still able to transport to places in Tokyo and in Japan with relative ease. One would assume that the portal isn't completely sealed, but it's far from accessible to humans.
Your question/comment/nitpick here!
Whether it's about Mercury's strange VR Goggles/Mini supercomputer or a canon plot hole, I wanna hear it! I LOVE discussing Sailor Moon. In fact, aside from my Another Story novelization project, I'll also be nitpicking the "Scout Guides" Mixx published (did I already mention that) for mistakes. And there are LOTS of them. Does anyone have the original Japanese so I can make a comparison? I'll buy them off anyone who has them, or if you can point me at an auction or somesuch, let me know! I'm pretty sure they're out of print though...
And as always, I'm on the lookout for cheap, but decent-quality books of Sailor Moon. That means the anime guidebooks (mainly for S, SuperS, and Stars), doujinshi, and other similar things. :)
(a few hours late. :P)
So I watched Episode 34 of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon anime, "Sparkling Silver Crystal! The Moon Princess Appears!" today, known as "Crystal Clear Destiny" in the dub (I watched the ADV uncut sub, though). I took 530 screen caps, including several sequences perfect for making animated GIFs and mini-movies for icons. They're all high-quality caps (JPGs, high res), and the set includes 21 contact sheets/index files, with all the files in chronological order, named for easy finding.
And you can find them all on alt.binaries.pictures.sailor-moon. If you want, I can provide a ZIP (or 2) for direct download, but I'd encourage everyone to check out the Usenet group, and especially participate in the alt.fan.sailor-moon discussion for "200 Days of Sailor Moon"! You can access AFSM through sites like Google Groups, but binary groups will have to be accessed through your email client (such as Thunderbird or Outlook Express) using information provided by your ISP (all you need is the nntp.yourisp.com/news.yourisp.com and a username and password for that ISP). If you need help setting it up, I'll be glad to help, since I want more SM fans to get involved in the discussions!
I might start making lots of Sailor Moon anime icons soon if I get the chance... if the loverly ladies over at
sm_ichallenge want some base images, you know who to annoy. :DThis episode was the reason why I was looking forward to the 200 Days of Sailormoon project, and why I capped so many damn images. It's one of the best episodes in the entire series, no matter what language you watch it in, or how it's been edited. The core of the episode is always the same, and it's always pretty emotional.
That said, there are a lot of nitpicks to be had, as usual.
How did Zoisite find out Mamoru's identity?
Unlike the Sailor Senshi, whom I believe have a magic field/idiot field that protects their identity (as demonstrated by the girls not recognizing Minako or Artemis), Mamoru has no such thing. He has a mask. He doesn't have any "magic" powers, but I believe his strength and natural abilities are heightened. And his "weapons" aren't exactly ordinary, but it's not like he's flinging energized tiaras or anything. He throws sharp roses and hits people with a cane. He's like a romantic old man. :P
In any case, Beryl and Zoisite BOTH got a good look at Mamoru once the mask was off. It's not unreasonable to believe that they could somehow freeze that image, take it somewhere (post office, college, police station) and in disguise (as we already know Zoisite is capable of doing; no one recognized the fake Sailor Moon except the Senshi themselves... probably because few people have really seen the Senshi close up so far, without later being youma-meat or energy drained) and find out who "that guy" is.
Mamoru is an idiot.
That's not a question and I know it, but seriously. I realize the guy was completely unaware of his role as Tuxedo Mask up until he got the orange rainbow crystal (and what bothers me is the fact that there's no native Japanese word for orange, so it's the Orenjizuishou, which sounds STUPID), he was stressed, and basically ONLY searching for the crystals so he could get his memory back via the princess/the Ginzuishou. He didn't think twice about Sailor Moon's secret identity, her crush on him, or anything like that.
Usagi, on the other hand, suspected Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask (though not seriously) at least twice before this, and again-- the first time she slaps him on the back, and again in the elevator. She denies it vehemently, of course. Mamoru, on the other hand, looks like he's just seen Elvis revived when Usagi transforms in front of him. He really had NO FREAKING CLUE.
It's almost cute how, even though he initially teased her a lot (probably a form of stress relief for him, especially once he learned his dual identity), he still vows to protect her. It goes to show he might have cared for her a little -or at least, he would have missed her "genki" attitude. He knew he was going to fight with the odds against him, and when the chance to at least redeem himself a little -when Usagi "randomly" appeared- he decided to be nice to her for once. But I still don't think that translates to him having feelings for her.
While Usagi had crushes on Motoki and Tuxedo Mask, any feelings she had for Mamoru -other than annoyance and revulsion- she denied completely. But they were there nonetheless, and came out when she realized that this guy she kinda-sorta-not-really liked was actually the guy she REALLY REALLY liked (Tuxedo Mask) and the guy that she died to be with (Endymion). But I've NEVER liked the idea that they were together because of "destiny" or their past. I'd like to believe their romance had some real foundations, but the anime doesn't do a good job with this.
The dub makes Darien seem more flirtatious at the very least -when Andrew asks him why he teases Serena so much, he says "I don't know. It's a feeling I really can't explain." He's also smirking, and you could probably interpret that as "He likes her but he can't admit it" because a) she's too young for him; b) she acts like she hates him in return, and likes his best friend instead; c) he's got other (more important) things to focus on, such as the Ginzuishou and 'his' princess. In the original though, he says "Every time we meet, we end up fighting," which really can't be interpreted as anything other than what it is: a statement of fact.
Well, it's an interesting form of foreplay, to say the least.
Ugh, "Princess Moon."
I don't know that many people that say they liked the BGM for when Sailor Moon became Princess Serenity (Princess Moon, the 2nd ED) over the dub's song, "My Only Love." Admittedly, "My Only Love," like many other dub songs, colors the meaning of the episode a bit (like I said, neither Serena nor Usagi -if you want to think of them as separate entities because of how the dub characterizes Serena... even though like the whole Yu-Gi-Oh Anzu/Téa thing, I consider them the same person- like Mamoru romantically until his other identity is revealed).
"My Only Love" is still a NICER song, and it fits more with the tragedy that has just happened. This episode had PLOT! It had romance, drama, action, angst! It was both a closer for many of the plot points up to this point, and the jumping-off point for many more. I like it a heck of a lot more. There are few exceptions to my liking the dub music during critical episodes-- I liked "Rainy Day Man" in Makoto's episode in SMR1, when she reunites with Shinozaki, only to see him attacked by a cardian. I liked "The Power of Love" in the final battle of SMR2, and "Carry On" (Sailor Scouts vs. Rubeus and the Weird Sisters) as well. I even liked some of the tracks that never got used in the show (as far as I know), like "I Want Someone To Love", "Nothing At All" (Raye image song), and "I'm Not Ready." But "Daddy's Girl" pissed me off, just because it's known in both universes (original and dub) that Makoto/Lita's parents are both dead. :(
What's with the Starlight Tower, anyway?
Apparently it was one of, if not THE original entrance point from the Dark Kingdom into the mortal world. Kind of like how Crystal Tokyo has its 10 points (5 on each tip of the star, 5 on the inner pentagonal points), the Dark Kingdom had a few entrances into the mortal world, but while the points had been there for a while, Queen Serenity's sealing powers made it hard for them to just immediately break out anywhere in the world and start sapping energy. Reasonably speaking, there were only the two points-- the tower, and D-Point up in the North Pole. One is prime for attacking a large city so they DO, even though the Senshi there (and people wonder why they always attack Tokyo), or there's the North Pole, with NOBODY AROUND. Presumably, their teleportation powers only work with a reasonable distance, so it's not like Kunzite could transport from the Dark Kingdom to D-Point to France. The thing that messes this theory up is the destruction of the Starlight Tower after this episode... and how Kunzite and Endymion are still able to transport to places in Tokyo and in Japan with relative ease. One would assume that the portal isn't completely sealed, but it's far from accessible to humans.
Your question/comment/nitpick here!
Whether it's about Mercury's strange VR Goggles/Mini supercomputer or a canon plot hole, I wanna hear it! I LOVE discussing Sailor Moon. In fact, aside from my Another Story novelization project, I'll also be nitpicking the "Scout Guides" Mixx published (did I already mention that) for mistakes. And there are LOTS of them. Does anyone have the original Japanese so I can make a comparison? I'll buy them off anyone who has them, or if you can point me at an auction or somesuch, let me know! I'm pretty sure they're out of print though...
And as always, I'm on the lookout for cheap, but decent-quality books of Sailor Moon. That means the anime guidebooks (mainly for S, SuperS, and Stars), doujinshi, and other similar things. :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-01 05:46 pm (UTC)