Jupiter’s friend gets caught in the crossfire, and new rose-wielding mystery man arrives on the scene.
Read our review here.
In the midst of the battle, Sailor Moon is shocked by the appearance of a white rose.
Theres a tender spot in my heart for this episode for a few reasons.
For one, its a really strong Mako-chan episode.
It also makes a lot of sense.
Though its never really explored in the anime, Mako-chan is an orphan and lives on her own.
For me personally, that comment hit very close to home.
So, yeah, I love Mako-chan and Shinozakis bond immensely.
All the more reason Im supremely pissed we neither see nor hear from Shinozaki EVER AGAIN.
That is some bullshit.
It is pretty darn cute.
Ail and An are not the dual monarchs of a grand kingdom.
Theyre not even the heads of a gang.
Theyre the last two members of a dead species and theyre on the run.
They have no grand agenda, no Machiavellian designs.
Theyre just doing their best not to die.
Sure, theyre sociopathic assholes about it, but whats their option?
Starving to death for the greater good?
Ill give a little tip of my hat to An for choosing a good cardian this time.
It directly references The Wheel of Fortune, and the use of a lion hints at Strength.
And now, the man of the hour… Any semblance of a personality he had is gone.
He has no flaws, no idiosyncrasies.
Hes perfectly handsome, perfectly responsible, perfectly patient, perfectly… well, perfect.
Which is to say boring.
Tuxedo Mask becomes boring.
I hope you all appreciate him inSailor Moon R, because this is his last shout.
Past this season, he becomes basically irrelevant to the plot.
He never even gets any power-ups or new moves.
Hes got the Endymion form, but he only pulls that out as a Hail Mary.
And thats where the Moonlight Knight held immense potential.
Everyone else gets power-ups this season.
Its just a detour for more Tuxedo bullshit.
And on a purely design level…
I hate his outfit.
That outfit is puffy and simplistic, with very few lines or accents.
There are no gauntlets, no gloves, no tunic hanging below the belt.
He doesnt even have those pointed Arabian boots.
He just looks like some dude running around in his pajamas and a bedsheet.
The Jupiter storyline is by a landslide the stronger of the two.
Beyond being merely stronger by comparison, its just a good character story framed by some kick-ass action.
The Moonlight Knight may have claimed the title, but its our girl Jupiter that makes this episode memorable.
Rating:
3 out of 5
