Yeah, kids, while you might not learn about this now, there was a time when Pluto was considered a proper planet. All the way up to 2006. Does this have anything to do with the Pluto in this show that has power over space and time? No, just couldn't resist the joke in the title. Welcome to Sailor Moon R!
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| The objectification point from last week still stands, and isn't helped by this cover. |
Right off the bat, I hope you like filler, because that's what half this season is made of. Welcome to the world of having a show try to time its releases alongside a book of some description. Taking the filler out, this season "focuses" on the Dark Moon arc from the Manga, which intern was focused on the new character, Rini, a child from the future, and daughter of Serena and Darien (Tuxedo Mask's out of costume name in the dub). We're on season 2, and we're already getting into a time travel plot... oh boy... Basically, due to being banished from Neo Tokyo by Serena, who in the future goes by the name Neo-Queen Serenity, the Black Moon Clan, masterminded by "Wiseman", sets forth a plan to get revenge by following Rini back through time (She did so because a new Sailor Scout by the name of Sailor Pluto sent her back to keep her safe) to kidnap her and take the Silver Crystal that Serena of the present has. Once they have Rini, Wiseman manipulates her and turns her into the Black Lady (basically evil Sailor Moon, but with Pink hair, and no powers but a magical toy that she uses for combat). As a result, it's up to the team of the present to save Rini and protect the future from the Wiseman. I hope that makes some sense.
While the story itself is good (and far more streamlined than I probably made it sound), the problem is just how much padding there is in the story to get to that point, all because they had to wait for the Manga. It does drain on you especially when the first 14 episodes are filler. It throws the pacing of the season off completely. Granted, season 1 had its fair share of filler, but it was at least balanced through and gave the illusion of a story. Apart from that though, it's a season 2, the good things about the first season are the same here, along with the bad. There are a few extra dumb things added in, like the fact that the powered up scouts now have nail polish on their fingers... fingers that are always hidden behind gloves and the only reason you see the nail polish is because it's a part of the slightly modified transformation sequences. I will admit that I'm more ok with the Sailor Scout uniform on Pluto though, but that's because she's portrayed as a grown woman, it doesn't feel as creepy. Is it any more practical? No, not at all. Rini though is the star of the show, and she's one of the most interesting characters in the show to me. It was interesting to see how the story fleshed out for her. I'm not however a fan of the new villains, like Beryl's forces in season 1, these new villains come off as generic a lot of the time, at least to me. Nothing really stands out about them other then the new designs, which do look alright compared to Beryl's grunts.
Not a lot to say on this one as it's more of a follow-up. Hopefully, the next one will have more to say as up next is Sailor Moon S.
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