Animation Sailor Moon: Crystal

[Manic]

I don't remember Holly, but I remember Helena for Hotaru. I remember Cloverway, despite not changing her name, kept pronouncing her name wrong. They kept saying "Tomo," but you pronounce the short E at the end of Tomoe.

Speaking of surnames, Cloverway at least gets credit for giving the characters their surnames. DiC changed Amy's name to Anderson (Cloverway changed it back to Mizuno), kept Rei's name as Hino, and never mentioned anyone else's. Cloverway were the ones who finally had Serena introduce herself as "Serena Tsukino."

I never liked Serena. It was a little too close to Serenity. I did like that Rini was short for Serenity instead of Serena, though.

 

[Havok83]

I never liked Serena. It was a little too close to Serenity. I did like that Rini was short for Serenity instead of Serena, though.

which is exactly why it made sense

 

[Manic]

Usagi and Serenity are essentially two different people from different families with different upbringings. While I can see that it'd make some kind of cosmic sense for her to be reborn with a similar name (although DiC originally said the princess was also named Serena, which made Luna's inability to realize who she was ridiculous), it'd also make sense for Usagi to be born with her own identity and a name that doesn't reflect who she used to be in a previous life. Naoko Takeuchi decided that the latter made more sense when she created the character, which is why the names Usagi and Serenity are nothing alike. So why should the dub give her the same or similar names in both lives if that was never the intention? That's why I prefer Bunny to Serena. Hell, you can even make a pun about the buns on her head with the name Bunny.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Except Usagi means rabbit of the moon. So going from Serenity to Serena isn't a big thing imo

 

[Manic]

I still think "de Lune" would've been a cool surname in the old dub.

 

[Leenie]

I agree with Manic's opinion about Bunny vs Serena because Usagi and Serenity are different people. Every version of Sailor Moon has emphasized this.

I think changing Usagi's name to Serena in the English dub makes sense solely because DiC didn't just pull a name out of their butts for the main character. At least there was some kind of reasoning to pick that name.

 

[Manic]

Wow, SuperS. The rest of the Inners got their super transformations a handful of episodes ago, and they still haven't shown us anything.

I was expecting the same formula from the Makai Tree and Black Moon arcs when everyone got more powerful. You know, each episode one of the sailors takes the spotlight, then we get to watch their new transformation sequence and they display their new power while fighting the monster. Even S took it in turn to give each Inner an episode focused on them to show off their new background songs when they transform.

A handful of episodes ago, Pegasus gave everyone their super upgrades, and... nothing. The latest episode released on Hulu focuses on Jupiter, but all we saw was a quick shot of her new transformation stick glowing, then we heard "Super Supreme Thunder" from off screen as a bolt of lightning stopped the monster from killing the two Moons.

It's a tried and true formula, SuperS! Just give everyone an episode all about them, and then end the episode with their new transformation and new attack. I feel so betrayed.

 

[Leenie]

Wow, SuperS. The rest of the Inners got their super transformations a handful of episodes ago, and they still haven't shown us anything.

I was expecting the same formula from the Makai Tree and Black Moon arcs when everyone got more powerful. You know, each episode one of the sailors takes the spotlight, then we get to watch their new transformation sequence and they display their new power while fighting the monster. Even S took it in turn to give each Inner an episode focused on them to show off their new background songs when they transform.

A handful of episodes ago, Pegasus gave everyone their super upgrades, and... nothing. The latest episode released on Hulu focuses on Jupiter, but all we saw was a quick shot of her new transformation stick glowing, then we heard "Super Supreme Thunder" from off screen as a bolt of lightning stopped the monster from killing the two Moons.

It's a tried and true formula, SuperS! Just give everyone an episode all about them, and then end the episode with their new transformation and new attack. I feel so betrayed.

The transformation and attack upgrade episodes are coming, I promise. The new attack episodes will come once the Amazon Quartet is in the picture. Granted, I don't think that excuses SuperS for giving the power upgrades and not showing the new powers right then and there, but they are coming. I think the power upgrades should have been saved for the Amazon Quartet in the first place, but eh. This is SuperS we're talking about here; easily the worst season of the entire show.

There are some good episodes coming in a little bit, though. There's like a two-parter of some sort for the Amazon Trio. Those episodes are among the good episodes in this season. The Trio gets a pretty good sendoff from the series despite me not liking them, haha.

 

[Leenie]

Also, the Rainbow Moon Chalice has been announced for the Bandai Proplica line:

[YT]WVOXZJENVF0[/YT]

GIMME. I don't own any of the Proplicas (and to be honest, I'm not going to allow myself to spend the money to get all of them), but I'm getting this one. I've always wanted a toy of the Grail.

 

[Manic]

I'm only 10 minutes into "True Power Explodes: Ami's Melody of the Heart" from SuperS, and it's already one of Mercury's best episodes.

Most of her episodes tend to focus on how... well, focused she is. She's the smart one, and she works very hard at being the smart one. But this episode, like the swimming episode from S, focuses on what she likes to do outside of computer/bookwork, and it's drawing out her little insecurities and pieces of her backstory. I don't know what her father does that has him traveling so much, but I kinda like this unspoken artistic bond between them, where he sends her his sketches of his surroundings in the mail instead of letters. Someone really put some effort into this episode.

I'm pretty sure I must've stopped watching SuperS on Toonami during the Amazon Trio saga, because I remember very little about the Amazoness Quartet. They do seem to be a lot more fun than the Trio so far.

 

[Leenie]

I'm only 10 minutes into "True Power Explodes: Ami's Melody of the Heart" from SuperS, and it's already one of Mercury's best episodes.

Most of her episodes tend to focus on how... well, focused she is. She's the smart one, and she works very hard at being the smart one. But this episode, like the swimming episode from S, focuses on what she likes to do outside of computer/bookwork, and it's drawing out her little insecurities and pieces of her backstory. I don't know what her father does that has him traveling so much, but I kinda like this unspoken artistic bond between them, where he sends her his sketches of his surroundings in the mail instead of letters. Someone really put some effort into this episode.

I'm pretty sure I must've stopped watching SuperS on Toonami during the Amazon Trio saga, because I remember very little about the Amazoness Quartet. They do seem to be a lot more fun than the Trio so far.

Yup, SuperS has some very good episodes here and there; it just takes a lot of time and bad episodes to get there (unfortunately). Mercury's power up episode is definitely my favorite of the power upgrades from SuperS (the others get more of a "comedic" episode, whereas Ami gets the most serious one).

The Amazon Quartet is infinitely better than the Trio; at least I think so. Even when an episode with the Quartet isn't so great, there's still some fun with those characters that make it worth watching. I think that Palla Palla is my favorite of the four (if I had to pick one); the show makes her morbidly cute, and I find that really funny.

Despite the season's many shortcomings, I do quite love the finale to SuperS. The last few episodes of the season carry a tone that I wish had been present throughout SuperS's entirety. The ending to the season is especially exciting when you consider that Sailor Stars gives a final conclusion to Nehelenia ... And it's awesome.

 

[Leenie]

So my DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack of Sailor Moon R: Part Two arrived in the mail this week.

I haven't been able to watch much, but I've been excited to listen to Sailor Pluto's new dubbed voice, Veronica Taylor. I decided to watch two episodes where I know I would hear her voice.

In short, Veronica Taylor is one of my favorite voices from the new dub (Pluto's voice is the best, along with Jupiter's and Mars's). I can't believe the same voice actress who was Ash from Pokemon is Sailor Pluto now. The two characters sound nothing like each other!

 

[Leenie]

Been spending this rainy day watching some more episodes of the Viz dub.

While I don't dislike the Viz dub, I feel like it could be so much more than it actually is. The translation is faithful to a fault, as they have their actors constructing sentences that are a very formal translation of the Japanese language. The dialogue doesn't flow easily because of it, thus not making the characters sound very natural.

Also, the more I hear it, the more I dislike Stephanie Sheh's voice for Sailor Moon, sadly. I think she is easily my least favorite voice of the Senshi. While sometimes her voice sounds good, I feel like the young and cutesy voice sounds way too forced at times. I find that a ton of Sailor Moon fandubs over the years have been very guilty of this, too. I don't need Usagi's english voice to be borderline squeaky; I just want her to sound youthful. Laura Bailey would have been amazing as Usagi, in my opinion. Just watch her work as the main character on Fruits Basket; that voice would have been perfect for Usagi.

Also, Stephanie Sheh's transformation and attack phrases get very grating on the ears after a while ...

Overall, I think the cast of the villains come across stronger than the cast of our heroes. The strongest Senshi voice-wise in the Viz dub are Jupiter, Pluto, and Mars. Venus is pretty good, and I think Mercury is forgettable. I also quite enjoy Tuxedo Mask's voice.

 

[Leenie]

Well, for my fellow Sailor Moon merch collectors out there, Tamashii Nation 2015 happened ... And a few new Sailor Moon figures were announced: http://www.sailormooncollectibles.c...vealed-at-tamashii-nation-2015/#comment-99706

I will definitely not be getting the new "R Season" S.H. Figuarts of Sailor Moon. I can't get them all because I'm not made of money, and I already own my favorite versions of Sailor Moon anyway (the original with the Moon Stick, and Super Sailor Moon from the S season). If I get another Figuarts of Sailor Moon, it will be if/when Eternal Sailor Moon comes out. Plus, I think the Crystal Star brooch is actually Sailor Moon's ugliest brooch (unpopular opinion, I think) ... So yeah, I'm skipping on that figure with no regrets.

The Black Lady S.H. Figuarts is very, very pretty ... And it looks like she will come with a Wiseman, which is really awesome. I'm on the fence about getting her, though. Firstly because she's not my favorite villain, and secondly because I'm holding out for Sailor Stars Figuarts (like the Starlights, for example).

That Figuarts Zero of Princess Serenity, though! That is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Sailor Moon figures I have ever seen. I am likely to break down and get it! Hopefully she won't be any more expensive than the other Figuarts Zero figures (which I think are already overpriced).

 

[Leenie]

So ... For those who are planning to purchase VizMedia's release of Sailor Moon R: Part Two, I recommend waiting a while before buying. I've been watching my Blu-Rays, and I'm very annoyed, to say the least.

The release of this set has some unforgivable glitches and mistakes. The effort for this show feels perfunctory at the moment, and that really ticks me off as a Sailor Moon fan. Sailor Moon fans have dealt with SO much crap when it comes to its North American release for the past 20 years ... And the drama seems to continue! There's no reason for the release to be like this. No reason at all. This show and its fans deserve so much better than this. It's times like these when I really do wish that Funimation had gotten the rights instead. :\

The biggest problem with this set? Episode 80 is f***** up. The audio doesn't sync with the video during the second half of the episode, and that happens no matter what language you watch the episode in.

Other problems with this set include some major subtitle f-ups. Some of the subtitles are just completely missing, and some of the names (like Mamo-Chan) are incorrect as well. This is just really annoying.

Apparently VizMedia is "on it" now, and they're working for a solution to fix this. I will be ticked off beyond belief if they release an improved set and expect the fans to repurchase it. At the very least, fans who have already bought the set should receive a replacement disc that has episode 80 fixed.

I guess once we hear more news, I'll post it.

EDIT: I still have the Japanese "Region 2" DVD rips on my external hard drive. I am so glad that I decided to not delete those. I don't feel bad at all. If this current VizMedia release is the best that North American fans can get, then I'm holding onto my Japanese DVD rips forever. Thank goodness for the internet.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Im starting my rewatch of Crystal since the DUB is on hulu. Lets see if I can tolerate it more this time around.

 

[Manic]

Dubbing the dialogue won't fix the animation errors.

The first episode of Sailor Stars (subbed) is on Hulu now. Really looking forward to this. That little mini-arc at the beginning of the season is kind of glorious.

 

[Leenie]

I'll check out a few episodes of Crystal's dub at some point, though I am not rushing to do so.

This week is pretty historic for North American Sailor Moon fans. Finally, legit access to Sailor Stars without having to rely on fansubs and torrents!

 

[Primal Slayer]

Dubbing the dialogue won't fix the animation errors.

The first episode of Sailor Stars (subbed) is on Hulu now. Really looking forward to this. That little mini-arc at the beginning of the season is kind of glorious.

The animated errors are fixed for the blu rays. Now they aren't fixed for Hulu but that was only partof my problem with the series

 

[Havok83]

the show sucked and it wasnt bc of the voices.

 

[Primal Slayer]

The voices can certainly make it more bearable. The first 5 episodes weren't bad and the new VAs fit in a lot more than they do on the original

 

[Leenie]

I've watched a couple of English dub Sailor Moon Crystal episodes (I definitely watched Act 5 in English, because that is really the only episode I flat-out love from the series).

Um ... Yeah. I actually like Sailor Moon Crystal's English dub better than the Japanese dub, based on what I saw. Viz's dub of the 90's anime leaves quite a bit to be desired, but I feel that their Crystal dub has a lot more creativity and effort to it? The dialogue is far better and less stiff, as it's not just direct translations of formal Japanese like in the 90's anime.

That said, Sailor Moon Crystal still sucks because of the story, pacing, and animation, but the voices are better in English, in my opinion.

And for something unrelated to Sailor Moon Crystal ... I got the Sailor Pluto S.H. Figuarts for Christmas (my brother is awesome). I finally have the main 10 Senshi (Super Sailor Moon is my 11th Figuarts)! The only Figuarts I don't have are Tuxedo Mask and Sailor V ... And I don't know if I'll ever get them (Sailor V looks really cool, though).

Anyway, I love that I finally have Pluto, but I am a little disappointed in the figure in some aspects. I feel like quality control on this figure was a bit lacking; the pain job isn't perfect, I don't like the plastic used for her hair (it feels SO fragile; heaven forbid I ever accidentally drop her on a hard surface), and she's the most difficult Figuart to pose yet (her joints are very stiff). Still, though, she's very beautiful, and I'm happy to have her.

EDIT: Pluto's stand is also the shortest of all the Figuarts! I was worried it was just my figure, but apparently that's the case with all of them. So strange! It actually makes posing her that much more difficult, actually. I may switch part of her stand with Saturn's (since Saturn is a shorter figure/character).

I'm really crossing my fingers for Eternal Sailor Moon and the Starlights (and maybe Galaxia, omg I would die). Until those are possibly released, I think I'm done collecting the Figuarts for now!

 

[Manic]

I decided to check out episode 5 of Crystal's dub, and yeah Viz's dub actors seem to fit better for this than the 90's anime.

 

[Primal Slayer]

 

[Leenie]

That is a gorgeous picture. Kind of looks like something from a Doujinshi, but I know it's official.

The Infinity Arc for Season 3 has a new art director ... Looks like this might be what the show will look like! I hope that's the case. It would be amazing if the show turned its act around.