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The Silly Saviors
🕑 Added 2023-10-28 17:48:16 +0000 UTCThe Silly Saviors
Oh wow, a super serious battle with scary and charismatic villains talking about the futility of life and resistance is happening. So many dark shadows on the characters, such a thunderous soundtrack.
Better call the Silly Saviors, who, with a shot of goo, a bunch of unnecessary references, and a yo-yo right in the face, will utterly ruin the mood and the expose the charismaniacs as the hacks they are, not even able to keep their cool after they lost a magical game of Old Maid and now they have to marry the Old Maid.
Better call the Silly Saviors, who, with a shot of goo, a bunch of unnecessary references, and a yo-yo right in the face, will utterly ruin the mood and the expose the charismaniacs as the hacks they are, not even able to keep their cool after they lost a magical game of Old Maid and now they have to marry the Old Maid.
🔥 Prince Burst
"In the night's embrace, flames aglow,
Prince Burst, here I come, a radiant show.
Igniting hope, a fiery spree,
Cower, evildoers, for I'll burn fiercely."
Prince Burst, here I come, a radiant show.
Igniting hope, a fiery spree,
Cower, evildoers, for I'll burn fiercely."
💧 Prince Plunge
"Born from the ooze of eons' sway,
Prince Plunge, in me, myriad spirits play.
I'll bend, not break, in the primal flow,
In every drop, my power does show."
Prince Plunge, in me, myriad spirits play.
I'll bend, not break, in the primal flow,
In every drop, my power does show."
🎴 Prince Gambit
"From the realm where luck conceals,
Prince Gambit', the wild card reveals
You're invited to my house of games
Hit the jackpot or go down in flames."
Prince Gambit', the wild card reveals
You're invited to my house of games
Hit the jackpot or go down in flames."
🪀 Prince Spin
"Spirit of knight, spirit of jest,
In Prince Spin, both find their nest.
In the vortex, a running start,
In every twist, a tale to impart."
With the last two, you might have noticed that the Sailor Moon references are getting more direct, and they will become overt with the second half of this series. Prince Spin and Prince Gambit are respectively inspired by Chibiusa and Mamoru. The first with his playful nature and his pink attire, and the second with the "Tuxedo" and the lack of a traditional weapon.
In Prince Spin, both find their nest.
In the vortex, a running start,
In every twist, a tale to impart."
With the last two, you might have noticed that the Sailor Moon references are getting more direct, and they will become overt with the second half of this series. Prince Spin and Prince Gambit are respectively inspired by Chibiusa and Mamoru. The first with his playful nature and his pink attire, and the second with the "Tuxedo" and the lack of a traditional weapon.
Oh, Mamoru
Mamoru always occupied a weird place in Sailor Moon lore and world-building. He's not a Sailor Guardian, but he can handle some magical power. In the anime, he can transform magically and generate throwing roses, in the manga, he has to manually dress, but he can cast a supremely generic energy attack.
I prefer the anime version, which embraces its weirdness and doesn't take away screen time from the characters we actually care about.
Because the problem with Mamoru wasn't being constantly damselled, lacking firepower, or never getting in the thick of any fight: That was the expected contribution a character like him could give.
His problem was embodying a very creepy concept: an arranged engagement. There was no bonding scene between Usagi and Mamoru before the big reveal of them as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, and after that, the feelings from their past lives came back, and now they're in love without having done any of the legwork.
And no, I don't consider Usagi drooling after Mamoru in the manga a bonding scene, just because in the manga they can recognize each other even with a mask or a tiara on their faces. It's just novelty, idealization, and lust: a Twilight-kind of romance.
In this regard, I appreciate much more the 90s anime's finale for hinging on the power of friendship than love because Usagi earned her bond with the other Sailors, whereas with Mamoru she's just coasting on the relationship she had with him in her past life, which we barely see.
(Because, let's admit it: life on the Moon Kingdom must have been boring as hell: Nothing to do but run in meadows and make flower garlands with your handmaidens.)
And we could have ended this predestined stuff right here. Having Usagi and Mamoru date as their current 20th century selves and build a real modern relationship, then a girl drops from the sky and she's their future daughter.
I prefer the anime version, which embraces its weirdness and doesn't take away screen time from the characters we actually care about.
Because the problem with Mamoru wasn't being constantly damselled, lacking firepower, or never getting in the thick of any fight: That was the expected contribution a character like him could give.
His problem was embodying a very creepy concept: an arranged engagement. There was no bonding scene between Usagi and Mamoru before the big reveal of them as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion, and after that, the feelings from their past lives came back, and now they're in love without having done any of the legwork.
And no, I don't consider Usagi drooling after Mamoru in the manga a bonding scene, just because in the manga they can recognize each other even with a mask or a tiara on their faces. It's just novelty, idealization, and lust: a Twilight-kind of romance.
In this regard, I appreciate much more the 90s anime's finale for hinging on the power of friendship than love because Usagi earned her bond with the other Sailors, whereas with Mamoru she's just coasting on the relationship she had with him in her past life, which we barely see.
(Because, let's admit it: life on the Moon Kingdom must have been boring as hell: Nothing to do but run in meadows and make flower garlands with your handmaidens.)
And we could have ended this predestined stuff right here. Having Usagi and Mamoru date as their current 20th century selves and build a real modern relationship, then a girl drops from the sky and she's their future daughter.
Oh, Chibiusa
I like anime Chibiusa, who is an actual child that cries and misbehaves like a child does, while I loathe manga Chibiusa who is a 900-year-old dragon with fluctuating leg length and a way less forgivable Electra Complex.
But both versions have two uneasy implications:
After just one arc, the author was so out of ideas that she pulled out time travel to shake things up.
Now the engagement between Usagi and Mamoru is sealed. They have to marry, or the girl with pink hair and the timeline where they rule over the entire Solar System won't exist.
It has already been decided. They can just try to enjoy themselves and get to know each other as the people they are.
Chibiusa and casual time travel are part of Sailor Moon's DNA, but I wish the big reveal was about her being Usagi’s little sister from Queen Selene, who would have reincarnated in present time and restored the Silver Kingdom on Alpha Centauri or something.
It would have been a weaker reveal compared to Surprise Daughter, but also an occasion to iron out the lore about magical guardians outside the Solar System before the fifth arc and how Usagi would have felt about a woman who was her mother in a past life but not in the current one.
Most importantly, Usagi and Chibiusa already behave like sisters for the vast majority of the series, since it's something relatable while living with the teenage version of your parents from the past is not. It's a veil that the anime authors and the audience willingly draw over the narrative, so we don't feel uneasy every time Chibiusa teases her future dad and belittles her future mom.
It would have greatly benefited the series in the long run.
But — he — a better story doesn't mean a better product. The Chosen One narrative works great with a teen and kid audience because the idea of being born special and being destined for something special is very comforting for people who might feel alone, invisible and directionless.
But maybe the manga author overdid this. Usagi was already a magical girl and a princess from a bygone era. Did she need an unbreakable engagement and Solar System domination too?
So yeah, this is just the first part of my long dissertation about Sailor Moon, spiced up with various magical boy concepts. I hope you will enjoy my ramblings
But both versions have two uneasy implications:
After just one arc, the author was so out of ideas that she pulled out time travel to shake things up.
Now the engagement between Usagi and Mamoru is sealed. They have to marry, or the girl with pink hair and the timeline where they rule over the entire Solar System won't exist.
It has already been decided. They can just try to enjoy themselves and get to know each other as the people they are.
Chibiusa and casual time travel are part of Sailor Moon's DNA, but I wish the big reveal was about her being Usagi’s little sister from Queen Selene, who would have reincarnated in present time and restored the Silver Kingdom on Alpha Centauri or something.
It would have been a weaker reveal compared to Surprise Daughter, but also an occasion to iron out the lore about magical guardians outside the Solar System before the fifth arc and how Usagi would have felt about a woman who was her mother in a past life but not in the current one.
Most importantly, Usagi and Chibiusa already behave like sisters for the vast majority of the series, since it's something relatable while living with the teenage version of your parents from the past is not. It's a veil that the anime authors and the audience willingly draw over the narrative, so we don't feel uneasy every time Chibiusa teases her future dad and belittles her future mom.
It would have greatly benefited the series in the long run.
But — he — a better story doesn't mean a better product. The Chosen One narrative works great with a teen and kid audience because the idea of being born special and being destined for something special is very comforting for people who might feel alone, invisible and directionless.
But maybe the manga author overdid this. Usagi was already a magical girl and a princess from a bygone era. Did she need an unbreakable engagement and Solar System domination too?
So yeah, this is just the first part of my long dissertation about Sailor Moon, spiced up with various magical boy concepts. I hope you will enjoy my ramblings
