Sailor Moon Crystal Act 2 Review – Mercury Power, MAKE UP!
Welcome to our ongoing episode reviews of Sailor Moon Crystal! In this episode: Sailor Mercury, guardian of wisdom, has arrived!
While Sailor Moon Crystal episode 2 deviated slightly from the manga, it still maintained the standard of quality and magic established in episode 1.
At the start of the episode, we’re introduced to Ami Mizuno, the girl genius of Class 5 at Juban Middle. She’s rumored to have an IQ of 300 and receives perfect scores on every test. Because she a quiet and reserved individual, many of the students at school view her as unapproachable.
If this episode was to remain true the manga, Ami wouldn’t have been introduced until the third scene. However, I was really pleased to see the episode open to provide background on Ami. This initial focus on the character helps her stand as an individual rather than appear as just one of Usagi’s future gal pals.
We also get a first look at Queen Beryl (if you don’t count the opening credits), and a more detailed look at the layout of the Dark Kingdom. The scenery is incredibly well done here – we’re painted a clear picture of the dark, isolated, and cold location of the Dark Kingdom’s headquarters. Not to mention, the simplistic, medieval architecture hints that this palace has existed for some time. I WONDER WHY THAT COULD BE, HMMM?
Episode 2 also featured a lovely subtle nod to Sailor Mars. As Luna investigates the possibility of Ami being Sailor Mercury, the reflection caught in her eye shows a background file on Rei Hino. These small moments really make me love this remake; the subtle nuances and foreshadowing woven through the narrative give us the feeling that there are far deeper factors at play than young girls discovering that they’re guardians. In this case, we know that there’s a reason Luna knows so much: she puts considerable effort into her research on the identities of sailor senshi.
The episode comes to a climax when we discover the Dark Kingdom has been brainwashing cram school students using the “Crystal Disk.”
Small aside of awesome: Not gonna to lie, while a CD is certainly more relevant, I was slightly disappointed it wasn’t a 3.5″ floppy disk. I mean, could you imagine? In the original anime, Ami stops using her disk because it makes her feel sick. In Sailor Moon Crystal Ami would choose not to use the disk because it was obsolete technology. In addition to the nostalgia factor, had the Dark Kingdom used floppy disks, it would have satirized the fact that the bad guys’ plans for world domination are usually pretty poorly thought out and silly. No? Just me on that one? Well OKAY then…back to the review…
Once Usagi and Luna discover the enemy’s plot, they rush to the Crystal Seminar to put an end to things. They arrive to find Ami fighting with the instructor, who, for some reason really took offense to Ami’s pen. Ami soon transforms into Sailor Mercury, with some really wicked transformation music and effects. It’s a contentious topic, but I really loved the water CG effects.
Lest we forget about him, Tuxedo Mask also makes an appearance. While it’s true that Tuxedo Mask makes an appearance during this fight sequence in the manga, it’s far more relevant there. In this episode, it seemed a little forced. However, we did get the first shot with the two of them together, and I was pleased to see that the pair look close in age. Fingers remain crossed that they keep Mamoru in high school instead of college.
Next week on Sailor Moon Crystal, Sailor Mars joins the team! I’m especially excited for this because Sailor Mars is one my top three favorite sailor senshi. So be sure to tune in August 2! Or, if you’re too lazy to watch the show, check back for my review here on Nerdy Show!
