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Episode Review: Sailor Moon Crystal


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:31 pm Reply with quote
I think this is an alright series. It didn't entirely meet my expectations though especially when it comes to the animation/transformation part.

From what I understand, some parts were also changed although I haven't read the manga yet. I also miss the original OP song. No episode this week but I'm curious to see spoiler[Sailor Jupiter] soon.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:48 pm Reply with quote
I don't think this should be in Talkback section, but I'm sure the Mods will sort that out.

But on topic; one can not expect two separate productions to be exactly the same after 22 years. I highly recommend you read the manga before watching any more episodes, you might find that useful. Wink
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1767
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:53 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, I'm curious to know why episode five was pushed back another week. Unless it were pre-emptied due to news or a special program, pushing back a series which is already being released every other week isn't a good sign. I don't know what the Japanese ratings are for SMC but it would be interesting to see how it's standing up to PreCure.

I feel very underwhelmed by this series. The character designs still bother me. I also wouldn't mind a couple of fillers since they contributed to fleshing out a character's personality. It's just been a neutral experience for me. I love Sailor Moon and I wanted to love this series, but thus far, I feel as if there's so much emphasis on making the series sparkly and shiny that they've forgotten to add in what made the first series so special to fans around the world.
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Spotlesseden



Joined: 09 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:58 pm Reply with quote
Cutiebunny wrote:
Yeah, I'm curious to know why episode five was pushed back another week. Unless it were pre-emptied due to news or a special program, pushing back a series which is already being released every other week isn't a good sign. I don't know what the Japanese ratings are for SMC but it would be interesting to see how it's standing up to PreCure.

I feel very underwhelmed by this series. The character designs still bother me. I also wouldn't mind a couple of fillers since they contributed to fleshing out a character's personality. It's just been a neutral experience for me. I love Sailor Moon and I wanted to love this series, but thus far, I feel as if there's so much emphasis on making the series sparkly and shiny that they've forgotten to add in what made the first series so special to fans around the world.


I think you feel this way because there are just better magical girls show out there those days. Sailor Moon is dated. People really only watch it because of the title(Sailor Moon), not better this one is good.
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blackstarlee



Joined: 13 Nov 2012
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:04 pm Reply with quote
The delay is due to episodes airing on only the 1st and 3rd weeks of the month. August has 5 weeks this year.

Also read the manga, its much more faithful to that then the older anime. If you were thinking it was just going to be the original anime with updated graphics you are going to be very disappointed
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Thunder_God



Joined: 07 Jul 2009
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:14 pm Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:
I highly recommend you read the manga before watching any more episodes, you might find that useful. Wink


Useful to comparing the manga and anime, and filling in what might be missing, rather than actually discussing what is there.

I hate when people say that. The show stands or falls on its own.
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Fedora-san



Joined: 12 Aug 2014
Posts: 464
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:16 pm Reply with quote
Cutiebunny wrote:
I don't know what the Japanese ratings are for SMC but it would be interesting to see how it's standing up to PreCure.


SMC was never meant to stand up to PreCure. That's why Toei regulated it to streaming only. They knew it wasn't going to compete with the current cash cow. What one has to wonder is if SMC only exists to justify remaking Sailor Moon merchandise and selling it. If you notice, all the new merchandise use their 90s anime designs, not their manga/Crystal designs. So it doesn't seem like they're pushing Crystal itself that hard so much as they're just pushing the brand in general.

Spotlessedan wrote:
I think you feel this way because there are just better magical girls show out there those days. Sailor Moon is dated. People really only watch it because of the title(Sailor Moon), not better this one is good.


I'd argue the original anime holds up pretty well and could still rub elbows with some current series, the problem lies with the source material unfortunately. The thing with Sailor Moon is Toei's strengths are doing anime-original stuff. Ojamajo Doremi and Pretty Cure were not based on manga, they were original series and they were and are huge franchises and helped shape and explode the genre. Sailor Moon did as well back in the day, but at the expense of all of Toei's changes for the anime and making it much more marketable for TV. Toei's great with magical girl stuff when they're able to get some creative control. Crystal is more about being faithful to the manga, which isn't the kind of stuff modern little girls in Japan probably like.. but old Sailor Moon is pretty similar to OD and PC so it might do okay in reruns.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:22 pm Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:
I don't think this should be in Talkback section, but I'm sure the Mods will sort that out.

But on topic; one can not expect two separate productions to be exactly the same after 22 years. I highly recommend you read the manga before watching any more episodes, you might find that useful. Wink


not to mentioned that the crystal series is technically supposed to be faithful towards the manga similar to what brotherhood was for the FMA manga. besides i highly doubt anyone would gripe considering its been decades since that SM version was released.

Quote:
I think part of the issue is that the animators wanted to be faithful to Naoko Takeuchi's original manga designs, which were in no way designed for animation


Actually that is how she wanted the new series to be.

besides, if they wasnt faithful to her original manga designs , a hell of a lot of those moonie fans would be crying bloody murder on their backsides like if there's nobody's business and the series wouldnt have happened at all.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:30 pm Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:
I don't think this should be in Talkback section, but I'm sure the Mods will sort that out.

But on topic; one can not expect two separate productions to be exactly the same after 22 years. I highly recommend you read the manga before watching any more episodes, you might find that useful. Wink


It's in response to a piece of editorial. It belongs in talkback.
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:35 pm Reply with quote
Spotlesseden wrote:
I think you feel this way because there are just better magical girls show out there those days. Sailor Moon is dated. People really only watch it because of the title(Sailor Moon), not better this one is good.


Nah, as someone who's been re-watching the old anime on Hulu, I don't agree with this at all. I was expecting to feel that way, but there's a lot of very inspired writing and especially direction in that old anime, which are why it holds up so well and something I think future generations of kids will continue to enjoy.

It's unsurprising really, considering how much talent was behind that old anime - such as Kunihiko Ikuhara, Junichi Sato and, in later seasons, Yoji Enokido. People behind some of the best shojo anime series of all time, including Utena, Princess Tutu and Ouran High School Host Club. It's no wonder that the new adaptation feels so flat by comparison. It may be shinier but it's soulless with all that talent sucked out.
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PlatinumHawke



Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Posts: 204
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:59 pm Reply with quote
Streaming was the only option Toei had for getting Crystal out the door. Breaking the "once a week" standard for airing anime is extremely unusual. Not to mention the constant delays and (presumed) production issues. I doubt PreCure factored much into the decision of airing.

SMC has the unfortunate luck to start airing right when idol shows are starting to dominate, and Toei is trying to keep PreCure going. The lack of support the show has gotten up to this point is pretty dire. It's not at Nanoha StrikerS level for needing to be reanimated for home release, but for a show of this prestige that really shouldn't be the case.

Quote:
The first episode - [has] some pretty good direction.


I kind of disagree with this. The first episode feels the weakest out of the four episode in terms of direction and storyboarding. It's a very flat feeling affair with a lot of head-on or direct camera angles and simple framing. Rather than feeling like a show destined to be a classic, SMC comes off as just another 2014 show going through the motions. Later episodes get a bit better, yet not really rising above even the weaker episodes of the original series.

Calling it a nostalgia cash-in gets tossed around a lot with SMC... and with the poor showing thus far, it's hard not to think that label has merit.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
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Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:03 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
Mohawk52 wrote:
I don't think this should be in Talkback section, but I'm sure the Mods will sort that out.


It's in response to a piece of editorial. It belongs in talkback.
When I wrote that the title just said "Sailor Moon Crystal" which to me implied it was a thread for "Anime". I see that some editorial updating has fixed that now, so I withdraw my previous thought and give way to the house.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:12 pm Reply with quote
SailorTralfamadore wrote:
It's unsurprising really, considering how much talent was behind that old anime - such as Kunihiko Ikuhara, Junichi Sato and, in later seasons, Yoji Enokido. People behind some of the best shojo anime series of all time, including Utena, Princess Tutu and Ouran High School Host Club. It's no wonder that the new adaptation feels so flat by comparison. It may be shinier but it's soulless with all that talent sucked out.


The Junichi Sato who did Sgt. Frog knows how to throw a bit of humor into fantasy-tinged girls shows.
Like Fool's occasional, er, lapses on Kaleido Star, or Duck's klutziness and Mr. Cat's neuroses on Princess Tutu.

The original Sailor Moon hooked us because Usagi was made such an endearing disaster--like Keroro, the utter never-say-die optimism and compete blindness to their own mistakes--and even Rei, Minako and Makoto got their funny moments of personal quirkiness between battles.
The new show is stylized, and captures Naoko's Usagi humor from the manga, but it doesn't quite know or have time to make up new humor for filler.

Gabriella Ekens wrote:
I've been told that you can't really tell where a Sailor Moon adaptation is going until after Sailor Jupiter's appearance (which is next episode), and I'm inclined to agree with that.


True, that--They always hit that big brick wall of "What to do about Venus?"
How is she different from Usagi, and while she's "perfect" when we think she might be the princess, what role does she serve on the show past the big Beryl climax once we find out spoiler[she isn't]?
Which is another problem the original Sato/Ikuhara series solved brilliantly--Minako is essentially the other half of Usagi's personality, only without the lack of self-confidence. Smile

As for Jupiter, I don't know how much of "He reminds me of my old senpai!..." was from the manga.


Last edited by EricJ2 on Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:31 pm Reply with quote
I'd be embarrassed to have my name tied to this, the anime comes off as a pathetic attempt that seems more concerned with meeting some kind of contractual obligation for more animated Sailor Moon than actually being a good show. Delayed tremendously, given a week delay episodes and still manages to look awful in just the third episode, and shuffled off to Nico Nico where the viewing numbers have dropped; it's just all kinds of sad. Too bad it's biweekly, meaning it'll still around for another year instead of disappearing by Christmas.

As for any kind of sentiment saying it's better to have this over nothing, if it of for something I held dear, I'd have gone with nothing.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:35 pm Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
As for any kind of sentiment saying it's better to have this over nothing, if it of for something I held dear, I'd have gone with nothing.


It was done for the 20th anniversary, and as an excuse to get the marketing and licensing out of "exile"--
Apart from that, it's sort of like back when Robert Zemeckis went around saying he was going to do his own remake of Yellow Submarine--The presiding fan opinion was "Who cares? Let the nutball do whatever the heck he wants, as long we get the original on disk! Very Happy "

(As it happens, we did get the original Moon back on disk, and if we want to keep getting it up to the later series, this is the price we happily pay.)


Last edited by EricJ2 on Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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