It’s weird. While
this isn’t the first time I’ve done a year long look at a particular franchise
(See Full Metal Panic in 2017 and Slayers in 2019), Sailor Moon is easily my
biggest endevour to date, though I think I’ve spaced it out pretty
comfortably. It’s been a few months
since we last checked in with Usagi Tsukino and company, not since February
actually with the Sailor Moon R Movie. Since
I did a look back at the First (and Sub Letter-less) Season of the show before
heading into Sailor Moon R, I figure I might as well make this a nice little primer
for the year before heading into a new chapter.
With Sailor Moon S set to start next week to kick off Summer, let’s jet
back a page to look at the highs of an equally fun second outing for Sailor
Moon and the Sailor Senshi. These are my
Top 5 Favorite Moments from Sailor Moon R.
One of the major highlights of Sailor Moon R were the
Spectre Sisters, a team of siblings from the Black Moon Clan who were on pretty
even fighting strength with the Senshi.
They’re familial dynamic was very different from past enemies and helped
them stand out.
Even better was a nice
redemption story for each sibling, beginning with Koan.
Basically kicked out of the Black Moon Clan
after many failures, Koan thought the only way to appease Rubeus was to end
herself along with the Senshi.
But
seeing how cruelly she’d been treated by someone Koan thought she’d loved
convinced Rei to step in and defend her, even taking a pretty nasty blow from
Sailor Jupiter in the process.
While the
other Spectre Sisters got to see the light in their own way, Rei helping Koan
cross the road to the side of the good guys was very moving and a well earned
happy ending for bad girls who just needed to get away from a bad influence.
#4-Sailor Senshi vs. The Volcano
Considering everything thevye faced from handsome
psychopaths to the stuff of nightmare to interdimensional would be Gods, you
might forget that Monsters of the Week or Final Bosses aren’t the only threats
Usagi and the others have to deal with.
After Chibiusa goes missing during a beach trip, the girls go to search
for her.
They find her on an island with
a dormant Volcano about to erupt, plus there’s a baby Dinosaur and its Mother
that are in danger to.
There’s no Black
Moon Clan foe to face, no otherworldly Monster of the Week.
This is a pure natural disaster that the
Sailor Senshi have to face…and they don’t even hesitate.
It’s fun to see the series break the mold a
bit and see the girls face something they normally wouldn’t and yet they face
it like seasoned veterans who’ve been at this for a while, even putting their
powers to use slowing down lava and blocking destruction so Chibiusa and her
Dinosaur friends can escape.
It’s like
the girls have proven they are their own Justice League or Avengers level Super
Team with this feat.
#3-Chibiusa wont abandon her school
Chibiusa is a character I don’t remember liking much when
I originally watched Sailor Moon and I came into Sailor Moon R ready to hate
her…and I did, for the first few episodes.
It wasn’t until Chibiusa finally dropped the spoiled brat façade and
opened up about her mission to save the future that she began to grow into a
genuinely good character.
Before that
kind of got torn down a bit by her transformation into Dark Lady, Chibiusa had
what one could see as a “Final Exam” kind of episode.
When her entire school is corrupted by a
Black Moon Clan plot and all turn into raging psychos trying to beat the mess
out of each other, Chibiusa has a chance to flee to get Sailor Moon and the
others.
Instead, she sends Luna and
Artemis to do that while she stays and tries to find a way to help her friends,
not wanting to abandon them.
It’s both
bad ass and very brave of Chibiusa despite the ferocious terror around her.
It’s a solid step forward for the girl we
eventually learn is the daughter of one of the Best Heroines in Anime (I mean
we already knew that though).
#2-Sailor Senshi vs. The Spectre Sisters and Rubeus
I honestly never expected we’d get a throwdown like this
but it was a nice turning point for the Season.
Rubeus and the Spectre Sisters are nearly close to capturing
Chibiusa.
After Usagi overhears
Chibiusa’s tearful chat with Sailor Pluto, she comes to understand Chibiusa a
bit more and, together with the Senshi, stand against Rubeus and the Spectres
in an epic Team Deathmatch.
All of the
match ups leading up to this are shown: Mars vs. Koan, Mercury vs. Berthier,
Jupiter vs. Petz and Venus vs. Calvaras.
Of course, leader fights leader as Sailor Moon gets her first showdown
with Rubeus and while he is an arrogant bastard, he is powerful but Usagi
stands her ground, more determined than ever to protect Chibiusa, who she cant
ever bring herself to hate no matter how much they bicker.
We hadn’t gotten a large scale duel like this
in the show yet and it was even backed by a pretty awesome track that has made
a couple of reappearances since, including during a pivotal scene in Sailor
Moon S.
#1-Sailor Moon and Chibiusa vs. Rubeus
This was the halfway mark of the Black Moon Clan Saga and
man the stakes were huge.
With all the
Senshi captured, Usagi went off to save them.
Feeling responsible (because let’s face it, she was), Chibiusa went with
her and together they faced the guy we’d all wanted to get see get his ass
kicked.
This fight is easily one of the
best in the entire series as it shows more and more of Usagi’s determination,
drive to save her friends and her heroic heart as she takes everything Rubeus
can dish out and more.
Chibiusa doesn’t
just sit back and observe either and its thanks to her quick thinking that
gives Usagi the edge she needs to defeat Rubeus and save the others.
Yeah it’s epic to see Future Mother and
Daughter defeat Death Phantom in the Season Finale.
But this is the first time Usagi and Chibiusa
are truly united together in battle and the payoff is great…especially when
Rubeus is left to die on his exploding ship by Esmeraude…Karma is such a bitch.
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