[Starscream Gaga]

Finally caught up with Sailor Moon Crystal!

...Ugh.

OK. The good: the animation is definitely better then the previous couple of episodes. There is still the stupid scene where Sailor V saves Mamoru and Usagi in which from behind she's in her Sailor V suit and from the front she's in her Sailor Venus suit, but while whoever did that is beyond stupid, its not massive. The animation is a lot prettier, although I'm not a huge fan of the "sets" they draw. Everything seems so vast and empty. Just look at the place where they fight Zoisite the second time. What kind of park is just a single tree and then cement tiles as far as the eyes can see? Its a bit bizarre. Everything looks beautiful, but sometimes I really think beauty is the only thing that Crystal has going for it so far.

The bad: Naoko's shitty writing is faithfully taken into Crystal. I'm just incredibly annoyed at this BS. I can't believe nobody was reading the Manga (including Naoko herselft) and thought "Hold the phone. This makes absolutely no fucking sense". So, in Episode 5, Tuxedo Mask appears in Usagi's bedroom. He wakes her up and takes her to where Nephrite is attacking Mako. We even have Luna see the entire thing. Hell, we have Luna and Usagi both comment on it. Now we have Episode 6 Tuxedo Mask and Usagi have a conversation about leadership and their responsibilities in which it is plain as fucking day that Tuxedo Mask knows Usagi is Sailor Moon and that Usagi is aware of that fact. But you know, she'd already know that because he woke her up and took her to the battle just last episode. So they have their conversation about whether or not Tuxedo Mask is a villain and whether or not Usagi can lead the other Soldiers and then Usagi is informed by Luna she's needed in which *sigh* Usagi is worried because she can't transform in front of Tuxedo Mask because that would reveal to him that she's Sailor Moon. You know, because apparently Usagi and the writers have short term memory loss or something. But then. WHAT A TWIST! Tuxedo Mask reveals, to Usagi's shock, that he already knows she's Sailor Moon! OMG!

No. Just fucking no. This awful, awful plot hole was not OK back when Naoko wrote it in the manga and its even less OK 20 Years Later. Its just unforgivably awful writing.

Then we have super brave dependable Sailor Moon against Zoisite. She arrives and within seconds Zoisite grabs her, in which she immediately defaults into praying for Tuxedo Mask to arrive and save her. Wait. What was that lyric in this show's opening theme song?

"Ah, even for girls, certain pride can't be given up--
the determination to not put their fates in princes' hands,
but to fight for themselves."

Hm. The opening implies much better characters then are actually in the series. At least Mars, Jupiter and Mercury had the sense to at least try and attack Zoisite (although Thank God Mars and Juptier's attacks failed because they would've killed Moon as well!) before, for the second episode in a row, being very quickly taken out.

I swear, the second Usagi commits suicide because she's selfish and useless and because Naoko is so ignorant that she thinks girls who literally won't live without their boyfriends is romantic I'm done with this series. I was so hoping they'd improve from the awful Manga Dark Kingdom, but its really becoming apparent they have zero intention to.

(Also, I was really bored by the fact that Zoisite used the exact same plan two episodes in a row. Come on, guys.)