DreamSword Watches Unfamiliar Toku: Part 8 - Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
 

To be upfront, I'm technically cheating with this one.

Because I have seen this early 2000s tokusatsu adaptation of Sailor Moon before. And I remember rather liking it.

However, that was ages ago, and by this point in time, I barely remember anything about the show except for some very specific plot beats. So I figured, hey, why not give the show a rewatch after all this time?

Plus, from what I understand, this version of SM actually got some new content somewhat recently? So the timing really couldn't be much better. For me, atleast. And hey, maybe some of you aren't familiar with this version of the story, and perhaps this thread could serve to provide some insight.

The rules are the same as usual(keep it civil, no spoilers, etc). And with this preamble done, let's dive right in!

There's an aspect that tokusatsu and Sailor Moon both share.

And most people's' immediate thought would probably be the whole "transforming superheroes fight monsters" aspect, and yeah, that is true.

But the other thing I love about both is how unapologetic they are in what they set out to do, even if what they're doing might sound very stupid on paper. If anything, they lean even harder into it.

Because really, most people would probably read the premise of "school girl gets chosen by a cat plushie to transform into a sailor in order to fight cgi monsters and people in fancy make up" and write the whole thing off as not worth their attention. Probably rolling their eyes at it too.

Me, however? I love this stuff, and it was so great to see this show playing up all the aspects of what it is for all that it's worth. Sure, while the visuals might be dated(though the blu-rays do look rather nice), the writing and overall atmosphere really does a ton of carrying here. I was engrossed in the episode practically right off the bat and never taken out of it.

It's got fun, drama, and comedy all in one go, without any one aspect feeling like it's stepping on the toes of the other. It helps that our lead shows herself to be rather likable too. Serena might be the poster child for "generic school girl" nowadays, but I think episodes like this help to highlight why that makes her such a likable character. She's a klutz and she does her best to stay out of her destiny as a Sailor Scout, sure, but she's also very caring and doesn't hesitate to save her friend in need.

This was a rather nice premiere, and I can see why the me of over a decade ago took a shine to this show, just as kid me liked the anime back in the 90s.

And if you're wondering, yes, I grew up on the 90s dub, so expect me to use alot of dub names. Sorry!

^That's perfectly fine. I also grew up on the English dub from the 90's myself. In fact, that was my very first exposure to Sailor Moon, both as a series and the overall franchise, along with a few of the toy commercials from back in the day. It took me some time to get used to the original Japanese names of the characters by the time I got around to reading the original manga and especially watching the original Japanese version of the 90's anime for the first time years later. Anyway, I watched this particular incarnation of the show just last year and despite its obvious flaws brought upon by its limitations, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a very good show and I would go as far as it being as one of my favorites, Toku series-wise, and it is, arguably, Yasuko Kobayashi's best Toku work since Timeranger and Kamen Rider OOO.

Yes, it's a truly wonderful version. The fact that the writers didn't stick to the original (I'm talking about both the manga and the 90s anime) and instead created their own version really benefited the show. And the actors, despite their young age, deliver engaging and lively performances. So, it's fantastic!

Wow, that's some high praise given how much I tend to like Kobayashi's' writing. Which, by the way, if you also tend to be a fan of her work, I'd highly recommend watching the 2019 anime adaptation of Dororo. Probably my favorite version of that story.

Yeah, one of the few things I do remember about this show is how different it ends up being, and liking it despite said changes. Hope I feel the same by the end!

Kobayashi's' character writing is something I'm almost always a fan of.

This episode introduces Amy, the shy, introverted girl who's destined to become Sailor Mercury. And getting her to become a Sailor Scout takes some doing.

You really get a great sense for who Amy is as a person all throughout the episode. Her difficulty connecting with others, her parents dictating her future profession, and her heartbreak when she misunderstands Serena's' intent.

That said, the aspects surrounding Amy's' character building is equally as impressive. Not only does the episode subvert the usual trope of instant friendship, but Serena's' character glows here too; Her respecting Amy's' boundaries while at the same time showing genuine kindness to a girl she legit grew a liking towards.

The two really are polar opposites, but it's never shown to be in an utterly negative light. Sure, it causes the brief schism during the third act, but the two manage to find common ground and decide to become actual friends by the end. It's the sort of thing that I've seen many other tokusatsu which try to portray friendship mess up(and typically pretty badly at that). Shows like this and Precure and very much appreciated by comparison.

Combine all that with the first episode's' same great sense of comedy and atmosphere and this makes another episode that I rather liked, and given that the next episodes features my favorite Sailor Scout, I sure hope that the show can keep this moment for atleast a little longer.

One thing in these two episodes that really make them stand out is the use of CG monsters. Granted, the second does have a traditional suit monster, but it’s the attack dog that’s the bigger threat.

And for those who are fans of Kamen Roders and want to come up with crack pairings (a ship based less on canon interactions and chemistry, and more because it’s funny), this one gives you the Green Mage’s wife from Wizard/Kouta’s sister from Gaim.

And Tuxedo Mask is played by Ibuki!

I've got mixed feelings on this portrayal of Raye.

See, Sailor Mars is actually my favorite of the Sailor Scouts, and a big part of why is her generally fiery personality.

So when Pretty Guardian comes along and instead portrays Raye as an outcast loner who barely talks, somewhat like Amy but less nerdy, it kinda just doesn't feel at all right to me.

Granted, for what the characterization is, it works well enough. It gives the group another unique enough personality(to the point she outright rejects Serena's' friendship), as well as once again highlighting the empathy that Serena has for others. I just don't feel it's as strong as the past two episodes.

Even setting aside my personal bias towards the portrayal of Raye that I'm accustomed to, there were certain plot bits that didn't quite work out in this episode either. Like how Raye gets her magic bracelet all on her own, when episode 2 showed that Luna was required to obtain one of those and thus gain the power to become a Guardian.

Again, I liked the episode enough for what it was, but I dunno, it just felt like a noticeable step down from the two that came before. And hey, if nothing else, this episode has the funny quiz segment towards the start, which gave me some serious Ryukendo flashbacks. Always a plus.

Rei's rejection of friendship is a very unexpected moment in terms of plot tropes, but it's perfectly reasonable given Rei's character. Also, as far as I know, this is precisely the case where the character is closer to the original manga than the anime.
https://i.redd.it/rrhi9anmtsoe1.jpeg
Well, and of course, when talking about Rey, played by Keiko Kitagawa, we can’t help but mention her expressive facial expressions:
https://i.ibb.co/CstBd2Zz/cff6a13163...2f0d38be03.jpg

Funnily enough, this is what might be my favorite incarnation of Sailor Mars and her actress did a great job with the role.

One of the rare cases where I prefer a character being made totally different.

I doubt she'll surpass the 90s anime version for me, but I do hope to grow to like her more as the show goes on.

I realize that I haven't really talked much about the plot up to now.

Part of it is because I figured many are kinda already familiar with the premise of Sailor Moon, but it's mostly because it's been rather secondary.

So for those unfamiliar, here ya go: The story goes that there are two opposing forces. The Moon Kingdom, and the Dark Kingdom, who are currently hunting down something known as the Phantom Silver Crystal.

It's said that whoever has this crystal will be granted ultimate power to do with as they please. The Sailor Scouts are the chosen Guardians of the Moon Princess, and together they fight against Queen Beryl and her forces, who create monsters to suck the life energy out of humans.

I bring all of this up now because, atleast so far, this is the episode that most has to do with the plot at hand, as it features both sides hunting down a jewel that they suspect of being said ultimate artifact. But that's not to say that character development is completely sidelined. This episode also features the softening of Raye, and the three girls learning to work together as a team.

And to that end, yeah, it all works out pretty well. Every character has their moment, and there's enough fun action and comedic beats to keep the ball rolling and keep me invested. My favorite bit being when Serena attempts to save Sailor Mars, only to then realize that she can't transform, thus causing the theme song in the background to come to a screeching halt. I always love it when shows do music gags like that.

There's of course other things like Tuxedo Mask and the "mystery" surrounding Sailor V's' identity("cest la vie" is pretty on the nose), but the plot is kept pretty thin on purpose, and I feel as though it's to the show's' strength, really. Especially this early on when the audience is still getting to know the main cast. It's a rather underrated form of storytelling in the online toku sphere, I've come to realize.

But, such moves almost always work out for the better in my eyes, and atleast right, PGSM is no exception.

This episode was way too real.

Anxiety and loneliness is a combination that's really difficult to deal with. Especially when you're an introvert in an extrovert's' world.

Such is the tale of Amy in this episode, who's beginning to feel rather insecure about her friendships with Serena and Raye. And in a desperate attempt to fit in, tries to match the energy of her peers.

I was rather impressed by how down to Earth Amy's' struggles were being portrayed, as well as the lesson being told that being completely self-sacrificing for the sake of others, while sounds noble on paper, is hardly if ever worth it, and will only end up hurting you in the long run.

And on the opposite side of things we have another lesson via the actions of Serena here, who, while she does mean well, ends up hurting Amy via the constantly nudging and urging Amy to be something that Amy isn't. Real friends should love you for who you are, and being your authentic self is typically the best way to find the people right for you.

My only real critique comes at the very end of the episode, which seems to imply that Amy changing is ultimately for the better? Sure, it's in a rather small way'; that being not wearing her glasses all the time, but by the same token, it kinda goes against the entire message the episode had been aiming for about letting people be and respecting their boundaries. Had Amy gone completely back to the way she'd been before, I'd've respected this story alot more.

Still, it's ultimately a minor gripe, and I felt big emotions throughout the majority of this episode all the same.

The one where we’re not sure if Ami has some kind of disorder, (I mean, seeing a j-drama in which someone is murdered by someone else they considered a friend and assuming that’s going to happen to you… as someone on the Spectrum, albeit high-functioning, that seems like a sign) or she’s just antsy about losing the first real friendship she’s had.

Anyway, I think this is where the show starts getting more of its own voice, since the previous episodes were pretty much following the broad strokes of the manga’s first 4 chapters. Which meant that a portion of viewers who preferred this to the anime suddenly lost a leg to stand on.

I've never been super huge into the Sailor Moon fandom, so I honestly have no clue how debates between this, the anime, and the manga tend to go.

Part of me is curious, the other part of me says "No, no, stay out of it."

This is an episode that I feel will be greatly affected via hindsight.

On face value, I get it. It's essentially a sped-up version of the same arc that Raye just had via the past two episodes.

This one is about Lita, or Sailor Jupiter. And like in the 90s anime, she's a tomboy who likes sports, gets into fights, and has trouble with men she likes. Unlike Raye, she's generally friendly with Serena right at the jump though.

Where the (atleast for now) big difference between the 90s anime and PGSM is, however, in how exactly both shows portray Lita's' more "boyish" traits.

The 90s anime right from the jump made it very clear that Lita wasn't a freak for her more stereotypically masculine interests. Infact, that she was able to celibrate both masculinity and femininity at once was her strength and what made her unique. But here? The masculine side is kinda treated as a curse.

Like don't get me wrong, I get it, this show is meant to be a bit more downtrodden and dramatic than the versions of the story that came before it, but at the same time, this take seemingly removes a rather forward-thinking and cool element to Lita's' character. Granted, it's only her intro, so there's plenty of time to turn it into an arc as we go, but the starting point does make me uneasy.

But, on face value, separated from the versions of Sailor Moon that came before, this episode does work out pretty well for what it is. The general lesson it has, that you frankly shouldn't just someone as a whole for what they at first appear to be, is an important one to teach. And the basketball bullies getting dunked on(both physically and metaphorically) is rather satisfying to see play out. There's plenty to like here.

Oh, and this version of Raye is asexual. My glorious queen.

I think this show was the first time I ever saw a Triple Date. Like, ever.

And while I'm not usually one for romance stories, I actually rather liked this episode, possibly even more than the past me did.

A big part of it is how this episode actually ends up subverting some common tropes I've seen in various other tokusatsu shows. The biggest of which being the "Misunderstanding Plot" of which Toshiki Inoue is most known for.

Because that's a big part of the story here: Serena mistaking the guy who works the front desk at the karaoke place she likes for being Tuxedo Mask. But because this is Kobayashi, the angle taken here feels rather fresh, and alot of the character stuff therein feels fun.

Legit, I had a good time seeing how every pair acted off of one another. Serena and Motoki get the most focus, sure, but Raye and Lita's' dates leave great impressions with what time they do get. Raye's' especially got a good laugh out of me, with how much she just doesn't want to be there. And of course there's the dramatic irony of the audience knowing who Tuxedo Mask is already.

There's of course the lingering "mystery" of who Sailor V is and Zoicite getting introduced into the enemy forces, but that's very secondary to the meat of the episode at hand, and I appreciated that because it showed that the more personal character stuff was the primary focus. And while it's obvious the plot stuff will get followed up on in due time, I really hope that Motoki and his feelings get some sort of follow up after this episode.

Admittedly, Tuxedo Mask learning who Sailor Moon is is a neat little wrinkle in the established formula.

Raye and Lita don't get along.

The episode is interesting in many ways. Both in how it handles our two lead characters and in how it handles the message of independence.

While Serena would definitely prefer every get along, she's not actually a driving force that brings Raye and Lita together. It's something the two figure out themselves via finding some surprising common ground.

Connecting to that is even more of a shake up to how Raye is portrayed here when compared to her 90s anime version. Her grandpa? Not a thing. Instead, this Raye chose isolation due to her troubled relationship with her father. And Lita, also someone without a proper family, really empathizes with that.

As for the lesson of the episode, how it talked about independence vs community actually rather surprised me, given that from what I understand, Japanese society tends to be very community driven, with lone wolves looked down upon. Here though, the episode actually portrays both ideologies as something needed in order for people to grow. It's a rather refreshing take.

And on a total personal note, I was very happy to see how Jadeite was portrayed here. He's was an incredibly effective villain back in the 90s anime, and it was nice to see him going toe to toe with the Sailor Scouts without much issue during this episode's' climax. The show had me worried for a bit, given how his relationship with Beryl had been going up to now. I can only hope that Nephlite is done similar justice in the future, given he was my favorite of Queen Beryl's' generals back in the 90s.

Just a really well rounded package of an episode, this one.

For sure. Loved his reaction of "oh man, for real?" Upon the discovery.

We're back to plot with this episode, as Tuxedo Mask makes a major move.

And while a good majority of the episode is about him making a bigger attempt at the Phantom Silver Crystal, I wanna take some time to talk about the villains.

Because while their scenes are brief compared to everything else in the show so far, I also find the way they're presented to be rather interesting. Especially in the atmosphere department.

With the heroes, all of their scenes tend to incorporate big swings in terms of the storytelling, whereas with the Dark Kingdom, it's been a bit of a drip feed, with tiny steps taken each episode. And yet, atleast when comparing to the 90s anime, they make quite the impact.

The biggest example is probably that Beryl is alot more forgiving in this version, while in the 90s anime she'd kill off her generals despite how useful they'd been proven to be. And it makes me wonder what changes will come about with the rest of them. We've already seen Zoicite having a design that more resembles Malachite. Will the two still be lovers here?

It's just something I found myself thinking about during the Sailor's' mission to guard a crystal that might be the real deal this time(and it's obviously not). That's not to say I wasn't into the episode at all: I found it fun for what it was, and it does provide a step towards uniting Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon themselves, but given how the character work of the show has been so far, I just found myself more intrigued by the personal stakes that the Generals and Beryl seem to have in their mission, despite being the bad guys.

Nephlite was my favorite of the Generals in the 90s anime by the way. I wonder if his relationship with Molly is still gonna be a thing or not. His design is certainly way different this time around, that's for sure.

Look at how cool that monster design is!

With that out of the way, this episode not only focuses on creating a stronger bond between Serena and Raye, but also a major step forward in the plot.

And while I think putting this almost immediately after Raye got an episode with Lita is a bit much, I did like how down to earth the entire scenario was, with the two girls bonding over their relationships with their moms.

The plot with the victim of the week was cute too,, which help reinforce both Raye's' soft spot for estranged kids and Serena realizing how good she actually has it with her family. It made the stakes with the monster fight in the climax all the more personal too.

Speaking of the climax, this episode is also where Queen Beryl makes herself known to the Sailor Scouts, and Luna is forced to give a bit more information on who exactly the Guardians and their Princess are. And tying to that is how this version of the story purposefully leaves it ambiguous as to if the identities of the Sailors is that of reincarnation or if it's literal.

Overall, the added character development is of course nice, but I do mostly like how it seems as though our villains about to play a much bigger and more direct role from here on in. They certainly got a notable bit of increased screen time here, which made for a nice shake up. In the end, it's a nice episode. And it seems we might be getting Venus sooner rather than later.

This is actually an interesting observation, because the episode could have been completely different and about something else (well, maybe not so radically). Originally, according to the script, Rey was supposed to send Usagi home. But the actress said her character didn't do that, and the plot was rewritten.

That IS interesting. I imagine it would've taken the episode in a totally different direction, and it makes me curious about how that would've been handled if nothing else.

I understand that because the actresses were very young and without much filming experience, the director was primarily trying to make them feel natural in their roles. That's why such decisions were made.

It's the start of our first two-parter!

And one problem I've always had when covering multi-part episodes is that I find myself not knowing what to say when talking about only one part.

I dunno, it's just always felt weird to me to judge something that isn't complete. Thus many things I can think to examine is immediately stonewalled in my own head with the idea that the next part might bring it all together.

As such, this post will be less about my impressions and opinions and moreso about the events of the episode itself. of which the core of the plot here is a bit of a deeper look into Sailor V, and more importantly, her idol/civilian identity of Mina. Who also believes herself to be the Moon Princess.

There are some interesting bits of foreshadowing here too. Namely in some characters not being who they appear to be. Hints that Mina might not actually be the Princess and that Serena shouldn't be Sailor Moon for some reason. And that's not even getting into the weird min meld that Tuxedo Mask ends up doing with Zoicite in the episode's' climax.

I will say this, there was a noticeable amount of tiny character moments that I did appreciate. Stuff like Motoki still trying to impress Serena, Darien keeping the handkerchief he got from Sailor Moon, and all the puppetry with Luna(even when she's in the background!). The episode is certainly an enjoyable one, but I dunno, I just can't feel myself going all in on it until I see how the next episode closes things off. Take that for what you will.

You know, I really have to respect the dedication to the bit.

Despite the knowledge of just how popular Sailor Moon as a franchise is, Pretty Guardian does not stray away from being genuine about itself.

I've seen "everyone knows the story already!" as a justification thrown about to defend controversial decisions made in reboots and remakes, PGSM goes to show that you can still keep what's familiar about a story that many love and still make it all work out, both thematically and emotionally.

Namely, the idea that Sailor V(enus) is the Moon Princess, and that Darien's' past life might be more elaborate than what was first shown. And that's not even getting into everything going on with Beryl's' forces.

But that's all primarily plot stuff. The big meat of this episode is Serena managing to find time to bond with Mina, and Mina's' disposition about her duty as the Princess and a Sailor Scout. The main lesson being that all work and no play just isn't healthy, much less any sort of fulfilling way to live. Mina might be right in that Serena isn't the most immediately qualified to be a Soldier, but heart and vigor are just as important as a dedication to the mission.

And it's all pulled off pretty well, but I feel as though, with both parts now in play, I need to make one minor critique? And that is how a majority of the cast are loners. Don't get me wrong, I get the thematic idea that Serena is the heart that brings everyone together, but having every other member of the Guardians be an outcast makes certain story beats very same-y, when one of the big strengths of the original anime was just how varied each girl was in terms of social status, interests, personality, etc.

It's not a horrendous change that ruins the show for me or anything like that, but I do definitely feel that it's a bit of a step down; atleast so far. There is still time to highlight the bigger differences between the girls, what with 4/5s of the show left to go and all.

In any case, this was a nice little proper intro to Mina, and nice jump forward for the mystery of our overarcing plot. Solid stuff.

My interesting fact for this episode is that Ayaka Komatsu, who plays Mina, hates whipped cream and was uncomfortable with filming the cake scene.

Also, appropriately enough, given how wildly different this incarnation of Sailor Venus is, she was unfamiliar with the franchise before starring in the show, and made no effort to familiarise herself with the elements of it during the show’s run.

I imagine she channeled that energy into how awkward Mina was feeling about Serena during their encounter.

So are we just doing two-parters from now on, or...?

Because yeah, this is the start of another one, but unlike episode 11, I think there's quite alot that makes this episode work as a standalone.

Coming off that, had you told me that this episode was written by Toshiki Inoue, I'd totally believe you due to just how similar this story ended up being to a specific episode from Kamen Rider Kiva.

The premise being that Serena and Darien run into an amnesiac, and decide to try and help him recover some of his lost memories. Not all is as it seems, however, as the man with little memory ends up being Malachite, the last of Beryl's' Generals for the Dark Kingdom.

And on the note of Malachite, I'm a bit peeved that Zoicite ended up looking like Malachite, while Malachite ends up looking like Nephlite, and Nephlite looks totally different from any sort of design that I'm familiar with. Given how much Jadeite looked like his anime counterpart, why couldn't they keep the designs for the other Generals consistent too?

Regardless, this episode was rather sweet. Sure, "Shin" and his missing memories are the goal and catalyst, but what this episode is really about is once again not only showcasing Serena's' empathy, but allowing Darien to see it for himself, and to that extent also allowing Serena to see Darien's' softer side. It's a big move in characterization for them both, and only serves to highlight just how cruel Queen Beryl really is, given her role in all of this.

I do legit want Malachite to find redemption after this, and given time, I might feel the same of the other Generals too.

This... this was so good.

The premise is that Serena is incapacitated for a majority of the episode due to the spell that Malachite put on her, and the rest of the team have to try and help her break the curse, before it's too late.

I really, really have to give it up on part of both the writing and the actors in how they've made it very believable just how strong the friendship between the girls has grown over these past 14 episodes. From the fun they have at the start, to the determination and danger they face later on, I was totally engrossed in the entire episode from start to finish.

And really, that's the big crux of the episode. The emotions of it all were something I did genuinely get swept up in. And given the past experiences I've had with these mediums, I both love and am saddened by just how well friendships are written in most of the magical shows I've seen.

It's a big love due to me being a sucker for these types of tropes to begin with, but I sometimes face disappointment due to how shows aimed at boys tend to not write friendship nearly as well(looking at you, Kamen Rider Build). If there was any one thing I'd want "boy" shows to take from "girl" shows, it'd be the ability to make bonds between friends feel big, important, and natural. It's sadly much more rare than what I'd like.

Just, man, this was such a big feeling episode all around, and I really have no idea what to say outside of that.

Molly sets Serena up on a date with Darien, and then some jewel thieves arrive.

The set up is rather simple, but the execution of the idea is another step in bringing Darien and Serena closer, which is important.

I also rather dug how, despite being the start of another two-parter, the consequences of what happened between Amy and Molly last episode are what end up leading to a big chunk of the events in this one.

And yeah, the duping of the jewel thieves and ensuing monster fight are fun for what they are, but the real meat of the episode is all of the character interactions. Not just between Serena and Darien, but literally everyone involved. Again, Motoki gets only a little screen time, but what he does have really highlights his personality(he's cued in that Serena isn't into him).

There's also a B plot involving the other Sailors investigating a string of kidnappings, but it's literally only a hook for next episode and to give them something to do since they're not in focus this time around. We get to see plushit Artemis though!

Anyway, yeah, a simpler episode, but still a fun one.

Amy and Molly's' jealousy of one another comes to a head.

While it's a bit of a shame that the episode primarily focuses on Amy over Molly, I still overall liked how things played out.

Raye gets in on things too; telling Amy that her feelings are nothing to be ashamed of and that someone doesn't need to be 100% pure in order to be a good person was a great moment.

It's not as if Molly was totally left out either. She's not only had her moments throughout the past couple of episodes, but here too she shows how she's felt spurned by both Amy and Serena, and it's only at the end how alike her feelings align with Amy and she gives Amy a chance.

There's also the subplot of Serena trying to sort out her newfound feelings for Darien, but it's mainly a hook into next episode. Heck, the only character who doesn't get much of anything here is Lita, in a way that makes me think that her actress was busy with other things while the show was being filmed; Given both this episode and one where Sailor Venus is unveiled.

It's a rather straightforward episode, but a good one all the same.

This time, we get two one-on-one connections!

As Lita tries to help Serena with the latter's' feelings towards Darien, Raye runs into Mina, with Mina's' identity as Sailor Venus exposed.

The two plots get an equal amount of screen time, which is just great to see right off the bat, but I was also equally invested in both. Even with the idea that the Serena story is "done" here while Mina's' continues into next episode.

And keep in mind, I'm not typically one for romantic melodrama, but I've really grown to like these versions of Serena, Lita, and Darien as characters, so seeing Serena finally come to terms with her feelings, even if not in the most ideal of circumstances, was a journey I was into.

Meanwhile, it's funny how despite arguably being the most anti-social of the group, Raye has had the most heart to hearts with the other characters, and now she's paired up with Mina, who's arguably even more distant than Raye is. It makes for an interesting scenario where now Raye has to be the "softer" one of the two, thus showing how far she's come as a character.

Given the subject matter of some of these episodes, and especially with the increased focus on romance, I'm thinking that fans of Kamen Rider Kiva might also like this show? Just a little bit? Some of the monster aesthetics have certainly been in that same wheelhouse, that's for sure.

One of the show's strengths is that the relationships between the characters aren't so much predetermined by past lives, but rather develop naturally and unfold before the viewers' eyes. So here, the characters have much more agency and the opportunity to express their individual personalities.

With the irony being that so many of them have very similar starting points.

The way this show has handled its character development certainly works for what it is, but I think there's strength to be found in the way the 90s show did it too.

...Eh.

I really don't think I can say all that much about this episode, given that, despite being the second half of a two-parter, it's really just more of the same?

And by that I mean that despite concluding both plots of last episode, this episode doesn't really do anything new with them, let alone give them any sort of huge climax or development.

Darien has a girlfriend, and Serena ends up respecting that enough to stay away despite her heartbreak. Something already decided upon last episode. Mina and Raye still stay at odds with their philosophy despite Mina softening very very slightly towards Raye.

Really, the only sort of advancement made here is at the very end of the episode, with the mystery surrounding Venus' motives thickening and the end goal of the Dark Kingdom drawing closer. It really makes it feel like this episode could've been cut in almost its entirety and no one would miss anything of any real substance. But for what it is, it wasn't bad, I guess.

But hey, cool shot with the villains at the very end. That was neat.

It's the Valentine's Day episode.

And like, I get it, it's a show meant for girls, and the romantic melodrama comes with the territory of the holiday.

But man, I just really feel like this plot has overstayed its welcome. It's been here for three episodes in a row. Can we get a break atleast? Not helping was that I really didn't like the message it spread.

I get the idea that the show is using the little girl that Serena helps out as a parallel to Serena's' own love life, but that is an entirely different scenario, and I for sure don't like that most of the characters in this episode essentially tell Serena to be a home wrecker.

And instead of jumping through all these hoops to make Serena look like the one in the right for not respecting that Darien has a fiance, maybe, I dunno, don't write that Darien has a girlfriend in the first place? Again, I get that this is a romace story and so it kinda comes with the territory, but still, bad message to be spreading to young girls, I think.

As such, I found myself much more focused in on the overarching plot side of things, with Raye being suspicious of what Sailor Venus has said and done so far and, surprisingly, the revival of Queen Mettalia, known to us in the USA as "The Negaforce" on the horizon. I expected that particular plot point to come in way later than the halfway point, but hey, maybe something cool will be done with it, especially given the change to Malachite's' character here.

I just hope the romance stuff gets toned down atleast a little bit soon.

I don't know how I feel about this one.

There are four separate plots going on all at once, and I understand that that's the point; showing how disjointed everyone has become recently.

And yet, I don't know, I just couldn't find myself getting full on invested in any of them. It was like, as soon as I was beginning to settle in to the idea of one story, another would jump in and interrupt.

Again, there's a high chance that it is very much the intentional effect, and thus, in a technical sense, this episode and the way it's structured is really smart. But in terms of my own personal feelings, it's not quite optimal. Wouldn't argue with anyone who really liked this episode, though.

As such, I'll end this post off by just detailing the important bits of the story thus far: Serena figures out that Darien is engaged, Lita figures out the identity of Tuxedo Mask, Raye suspects that Mina might not be the Princess afterall, and Amy ends up getting taken by Malachite. The cliffhangers that this episode ends on are great, but I feel like the journey there could've been a little cleaner.