Sailor Moon Crystal

Episode 16

There's actually a lot done right in this episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. Not only do we have the excitement of seeing a formerly manga-only attack animated, Mercury's Shine Snow Illusion, but we also get a decent amount of character development for Ami. Not that this alleviates some of the show's more persistent problems (how can Mamoru walk with calves that short?), but it certainly makes for a better viewing experience.

One of the most important things that we learn early on is that Sailor Mars, captured by the Black Moon last time, is still alive. There's a disturbing hint that she is being severely tortured, with Demande mentioning that she is “stubborn” about giving up any details. (Incidentally, this comment is as much character development for Rei as anything in the show.) She's being kept alive for now, but the Black Moon needs a new source of information. Berthier, the water-based Specter Sister, offers to go round up Sailor Mercury and gets the go-ahead. This may be one of the best things the Black Moon has done for the plot.

Ami, as the most intelligent member of the Sailor Guardians, is also one of the most attuned to her element. Rei may read the future in flames, but now we see Ami connect with water on a spiritual level to guide a worker to where a water main has broken. While not screen-cap material, it is one of the most interesting parts of the show, as we see Ami trace the path water would take to the broken faucet in school, giving us a firm idea of how comfortable she is with her powers. She also takes to the water when she has a problem to sort out, swimming by herself in the pool. This turns out to be far more symbolic than it at first appears, as Berthier points out that Ami's greatest fear is being left alone. We see flashes of where that fear has come from, both in this life and the last, which certainly sheds some light on why she's so careful in everything she does, from her interactions with the other girls to her studying: if she's good and does everything right, she won't get left behind. While a piece of her recognizes what she's doing and how little it matters – this is what snaps her out of Berthier's control, really – she can't help doing it, because somewhere inside her is that little girl, watching her father walk out the door.

This also creates an interesting parallel to Chibi-Usa, who turns out to be the “rabbit” the Black Moon is looking for. She has been left in the situation Ami fears the most, and now must decide who she is supposed to trust. Usagi is openly antagonistic, and even though she's been assured that Sailor Moon is invincible, she's now twice seen members of the team get taken away by the Black Moon. This can hardly be reassuring to a little girl who has lost both of her parents and came to Tokyo with only a crystal, a key, and a talking toy.

Sadly this episode still has its issues, the largest one of which is probably that it repeats the same mistake it made with Sailor Mars' abduction. Sailor Mercury is dangling right there and only Sailor Jupiter throws a single attack at the bubble holding her. Granted, Rubeus comes much more quickly this time, but it still looks like the Sailor Guardians need some team-building exercises. The usual artistic problems are also still present, with one passing shot of Usagi's crotch in a bathing suit standing out as the most glaring. Seriously, that girl should see a doctor, and maybe Ami should too about the absurd thinness of her neck holding up her bulbous head, an issue that lessens and worsens depending on the shot. Luckily Chibi-usa's lipgloss has been toned down, although she does have an enormous backside in one scene where she bends over. Granted, Naoko Takeuchi often had problems with giving little girls big girl bodies, but one might have hoped to see that correct in the anime.

Issues aside, this is one of the more enjoyable episodes of the second season thus far. The Black Moon is a more interesting group of villains who appear to work together better than the Dark Kingdom ever did and the slow reveal of Chibi-usa's story seems to be working well. Giving Ami more background certainly makes her feel like a more important, and real, character, thus making her abduction stand out more than Mars' did. On the whole, it feels like things are improving for Sailor Moon Crystal. Let's hope the show can maintain this upward trajectory.

Rating: C+

Sailor Moon Crystal is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.