Sailor Moon S Part 2 Episodes 96-100

Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh.  Theyre the two newest and most popular girls on the block and Usagi and the others find themselves inexplicably drawn to them.  Unbeknownst to them, however, Haruka and Michiru are also the mysterious Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.  They have their own mission pertaining to the Three Talismans hidden within the crystals of pure hearts and they will stop at nothing to find them.  As if the Death Busters weren’t enough of a threat, will Sailor Moon and the others find themselves in another battle with these two powerful beauties, or can they find a way to work together towards a common goal?

The rumors that Sailor Moon S might be the best season of the series are not exaggerations it seems.  The season started strong on Monday and I’d argue it’s only getting stronger with each new episode.  Even if the main storyline isn’t progressing quickly, which is kind of the norm for Sailor Moon at this point, there were a strong string of character focused episodes for everyone.  Now that I think about it, Usagi, Mako, Ami, Rei and Minako all got episodes to themselves and they were all pretty good.  Uranus and Neptune were still around too, continuing to show why there the best new additions to the show despite their infurating coldness towards the Senshi…and even that kind of starts to get addressed too.  Considering this also marks the official halfway point of the entire series as we hit Episode 100/200, it makes sense these character driven stories are all very special in their own way.
 
Like I said last week, Haruka and Michiru are more likeable in their normal forms compared to their Senshi alter egos but even that line became murky at times, specifically with how Haruka attempted to get close to Mako just to see if she had a Talisman in her Pure Heart Crystal.  Still, the hot new girls on the block played good mentorship roles to the girls throughout these episodes.  Michiru helped Ami become more confident in her own abilities thanks to a couple of epic swim races (huh so that’s what Free would’ve looked like as a 90’s Anime).  Haruka had a bit more to do in Mako, Rei and Minako’s episodes.  She helped Mako be a bit more comfortable being both a cute girl in addition to being a bad ass; had an altercation with Yuchiro that pushed Rei to get closer to him than ever; and helped Minako who felt burdened by how much she’d given up to be a Sailor Senshi (Haruka being totally unaware of that particular detail).  Haruka and Michiru are both fun to be around older sibling types but also don’t mind dialing up the flirting because, let’s face it, I think even Usagi would jump ship with Mamoru to be with Haruka (lest we forget, Haruka calls Usagi “Bun Head” and never as an insult). 
 
Thankfully, the Senshi aren’t standing idly by and just letting Uranus and Neptune walk off without their crap being called out on.  Jupiter at one point said they were no different than the Daimons when it comes to the Talisman search and Uranus didn’t seem bothered by it.  She might’ve kicked Mako’s butt in a quick fight but Jupiter still managed to graze Uranus, points to her.  But it was Usagi who really seemed to get through to Uranus when the two became literally attached during a battle with a Daimon that saw Neptune in mortal peril.  Usagi continuously called out Uranus on her cold and detached state, wondering how she could be so emotionless when Neptune, her partner, was in danger.  Uranus can boil it down to promises made in the past and the importance of the mission but even Usagi cant just accept that.  Rather than argue til the end of time, Usagi does what she does best: help those who don’t want her help.  “Because I want to help you, whether you want me to or not.  That’s the way I am.”  And that is why Sailor Moon is an awesome role model and while she and Uranus are still on different ideologies of this fight, Uranus admits Sailor Moon earned greater respect from her after this encounter.  After this, Uranus and Neptune were even ok with standing on the sidelines while the Senshi battled the Daimons and didn’t even try to snatch a heart crystal away. So that’s progress I guess. 
 
I have to say, while the Minako episode wasn’t bad at all, I kind of wish that she and Rei had swapped episodes so Rei could have the big 100^th Episode.  Ok, that’s a little biased because Rei is my favorite but I’d also argue Rei having the more consistent story arc plays into that decision too.  We’re still learning more about Minako, including her love of Volleyball (Seriously we got Sailor Moon versions of Free and Haikyu in this set).  But her character is still kind of all over the place in terms of multiple interests and a past that just keeps having more and more built into it on a whim.  There’s plenty you focus on more closely with Minako and the 100^th highlights some of these possibilities.  She has given up a lot to be Sailor Venus and before that Sailor V.  She’s missed out on sports and romance and Minako’s been at this a lot longer than any of the other girls.  That can stress out anyone and I wish Sailor Moon would delve more into this rather than roll a D20 on what Minako’s interest will be in her next episode.  As I said though, her episode in this set isn’t bad and I like the ending with Artemis giving her flowers, showing how close these two are.  No theyre not romantically involved but they are best friends and he’ll be there if Minako needs an ear.  Also, I don’t remember Artemis ever calling Minako “Mina” before in the series.  Not sure if that will continue but it just reminded me of Minako’s old US nickname when the original English Dub was trying to give the girls more American sounding names. 
 
Anyway, Rei’s episode, man I wish this had been Episode 100.  Rei and Yuichiro have had a will they/wont they going on since Yuichiro was first introduced all the way back in Season One.  Like many characters who aren’t the Senshi, Yuichiro’s been relegated to occasional guest appearances maybe once or twice a season.  Everytime he pops in though, you know sparks are going to fly between him and Rei.  Now that I think about it, besides Mamoru, Yuichiro is the only other guy in the series who’s been a recurring love interest for one of the Senshi (there is also Umino with Naru).  And that love was tested in hilariously dramatic fashion when Yuichiro saw Rei with Haruka and, like everyone else, thought that Haruka was a dude trying to hook up with Rei when “he” was already with Michiru.  I like that Usagi urged Rei to stop Yuichiro from leaving and clear things up.  Outside from being hurt that Yuichiro jumped the gun on Haruka, Rei didn’t even really do a lot of scolding with Yuichiro.  Their moments had her smiling and being pretty nice despite Rei exhausting herself trying to solve the mystery of her apocalypse dreams.  The episode even ends with Rei asking Yuichiro out for coffee, of course he said yes cause you’d be crazy not to go on a date with Rei if asked.  Who knows if this means they’re 100% officially dating because who knows when Yuichiro will pop up again.  Still, this was a good continuation of one of Sailor Moons few successfully continued romantic story arcs that don’t belong to Usagi and Mamoru.
 
Speaking of the guy I love to hate, Mamoru didn’t really have a major presence in this set but he did have one scene I actually liked: when he and Ami had a chat about Ami doubting her future plans and wondering if studying so much had gotten her anywhere.  These are the kind of scenes I wish Mamoru had more of.  He’s grown a bit, it’s true and isn’t a condescending jerk anymore.  But if you just eliminated the creepy romance with Usagi, he’d make a great big brother and mentor figure to the Senshi, kind of like what Haruka and Michiru are being positioned right now.  Also it’s been forever since we’ve seen Mamoru interact with anyone who isn’t Usagi in this show.  It’s a nice change of pace.  Wish I could say the same of the Death Busters, who continue to be one note villains despite their demented way of doing things.  Evil Professor just cackles like a guy who hasn’t gotten a lot of sun in a long time and Kaolinite shows up to make sexy postures and check crystals before bugging out.  I should’ve mentioned last week, I do like how the Daimons take on the forms of various objects their seeds implant themselves in.  Motorcycles, Trams, Volleyballs, even something as tiny as a scarf can be turned into a weapon of terrifying destruction and they might be my favorite Monsters of the Week of the series so far.
 
Whew, that’s a lot of praise and rightfully so.  Sailor Moon S is freaking great and I’m not bored with it at all.  Uranus and Neptune continue to excel at being complicated, with both positive and negative aspects to their characters.  Usagi and the others are growing up and showing off why theyre still champions despite their doubts and fears.  It’s been amazing spending 100 episodes so far with these amazing girls and I cant wait to see where the next 100 take me in this year long journey.  Said journey continues Next Monday with more Sailor Moon S right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.