Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal – 02 Review
美少女戦士セーラームーンクリスタル
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystal episode 02

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Queen Beryl is displeased with Jadeite for not bringing her the Silver Crystal. On Earth, Usagi decides to befriend MIZUNO Ami, who is the top ranked student at their school who also attends the Crystal Seminar after school, in order to try to improve her own grades. At the local arcade, Ami shows great skill at the Sailor V game, winning a pen for a prize. Usagi is jealous and shakes the machine to get her own pen prize. When Ami goes to attend class at the Crystal Seminar, she’s given a special software on CD by the director, who is a youma in disguise.

The next day, when Usagi invites Ami for ice cream, the conditioning from the CD kicks in, putting Ami into a trance to return to the Crystal Seminar. Usagi and Luna are curious about this and the software CD, check into it at home. There, they discover that the software has a subliminal conditioning element to it, so they return to the Crystal Seminar, where Usagi uses her new pen to transform into a nurse to get past security. Inside, Usagi and Luna confront the youma, who quickly traps Sailor Moon. Seeing this and remembering her friendship with Usagi, Ami transforms with the help of Luna while Tuxedo Mask frees Sailor Moon from being captured, whereupon she defeats the youma and leaves with Ami, aka: Sailor Mercury.

Thoughts/Review:

Ah, the silliness continues. You’ve got to love a villain who looks sinister, but at the end of the day is hapless and basically allows themselves to be killed.

You also have to love a heroin who’s so hapless, her main power is amplified crying. Luckily for Sailor Moon, the youma are stupid and hapless, so they stand there for her to toss her tiara at them to slice them in half.

It is also lucky for Sailor Moon that Tuxedo Mask is always around to bail her out.

As for Ami, the not so attractive character designs aside, I couldn’t help but laugh at how easily she accepted all of this and her role as Sailor Mercury, and that despite having read this in the original manga.

But, it is what it is in terms of story. The anime is following the manga fairly closely thus far, making some changes to match modern times (Usagi’s laptop for instance), and adding some scenes, such as Jadeite summoning the youma.

Speaking of youma, I’m a little surprised that the official translation doesn’t use the term. When I was doing research into Sailor Moon a while back, the term “youma” came up a lot, suggesting that among fans of the show, they preferred the term untranslated, and after reading the manga, I understand why. So I’m not a fan of translating the term as “the Evil” even though youma are evil. In this case, youma should be treated for what they are — a race.  But that’s just my opinion.

Of course, it could have been worse. They could have used a more literal translation of youma and went with “monster.” ^_~

Anyway, I plan to continue watching this, even though I’m reminded of why I couldn’t continue to read the manga.