[DreamSword]

Act 3

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.