Let's do a community Crystal rewatch

  • This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more.

JunoDX

Solaris Luna
Nov 8, 2018
2,220
3,841
1,665
39
#61
Rewatching Act 2 and 3 reminded me of:

my disappointment watching act 2

my anger watching act 3

how could Toei deliver such a badly made product? yes, the blu-ray version fixed the worst things animation wise. but it doesn't change that the series has no charisma, no atmosphere. i find it quite boring, to be honest.

the soundtrack has some very nice songs and some very generic ones.

act 2 and 3 have some nice frames though, maybe all made by the same animator? those are outstanding. i won't post the bad ones, because we all know how ugly especially act 3 was. here are the pretty ones:



 
May 18, 2016
616
487
165
#64
I hope you decide to watch the rest. After episode 12 I dropped Crystal for a while, but one I continued I found out it improves bit by bit. Plus there are other cool episodes - like episode 5 and 8. Don't just read blog posts and watch the show properly. It is your decision of course. But it is really not as bad as internet makes it (just episode 6 and 12). It is a community watch thread so please consider being part of it :happy::happy::happy:
Looks like I shall then, I'll give my thoughts on how it compared to the manga also, and try to leave any thoughts of the original anime out unless necessary.

And rats, I just started a forum saying Hisako was back without seeing said post here... :eek:
 
Jul 11, 2013
3,433
3,211
1,665
31
#65
Act 3 review

+ Pros:



Jadeite looks so young and cute, like the youngest brother among the four generals.



Half of the episode was directed by Kozue Komatsu, the director of episode 1 so I am very OK with this.

+ Cons:

Every episodes of Crystal (except episode 1 and 5) has its very specially and distinctively off model frames:



And this scene is really scary.



Not to mention that infamous "We have nothing to do" scene.

Really. Why didn't they have a proper plan, a proper working schedule?
 

GalX3

Luna Crescens
Nov 13, 2018
249
256
165
#66
Thank you for starting this re-watch thread. If you have read my posts you probably know how much I... adore SM Crystal.
I'm going to be focusing on what I see as the nice points/interesting moments as we go along.

Act 2's nice points/interesting moments:
- I enjoyed the brief scene when Usagi shakes the machine like a maniac and gets her own pen. I can't help but wonder what she was supposed to do to deserve the pen though.
- I love the awkward moment when Mamoru bluntly states that Usagi's cat talked. It's not like "Did your cat just talk?", it's like "Hey, your cat just talked, is there something wrong with it?"
- When Ami says "tomodachi"(friend) you can really feel the significance it has to her even though she is brainwashed at the time (perhaps this makes it even more pertinent as she cannot suppress her true feelings). It's not clear if she initially knows that the nurse in front of her was Usagi or that Usagi is Sailor Moon but Luna said it pretty loudly earlier when standing right next to Ami (I don't think this positioning was by accident).
- Mercury certainly goes from being brainwashed to knowing everything about being a senshi super quick, even to the point of telling Moon to use her attack even though she has actually never seen Sailor Moon attack before. Must be that 300 IQ. Thinking more deeply about this Mercury would not have any recollection of what Sailor Moon is... she doesn't know she is the princess and even if she did know this I am not sure from memory exactly what powers Princess Serenity possessed... apart from causing mischief of one kind or another. So basically she just took a leap of faith that this person in front of her was a sailor guardian and that her powers would be useful. Luckily Sailor Moon was not Pluto or she would have stopped time and killed herself as a result.

Act 3's nice points/interesting moments:
- Phobos & Deimos are loud and looking ferocious and deeply intelligent. Excellent!
- It's funny how Luna gets abused (used as a hoodie, etc) and can't tell Usa to stop because Mamo is there on the bus. I reckon Mamo is pretending he doesn't know Luna can talk at this point.
- Crystal's animation style suit's Rei's hair colour/style. Good to see the purple. I did a quiz on another website and lost because I answered that Rei's hair was purple not black. Go figure? (くだらない ね)
- I do like the classic Crystal wrist communicators and it makes sense to have an everyday object that looks like a bracelet/watch which they can carry round without drawing much attention (like a pen, for instance).
- The scene where Rei clearly recognises Moon as Usagi and Moon tries to deny it even why being frozen is hilarious. Makes sense because she wouldn't want Cookie Jar Jadeite [sorry, random SMCA reference] to figure that out.
- It's beautiful how Usagi connects with Rei as both being girls alienated by having special powers, just try not to think about how alienated Usagi rally is yet because I don't think it crossed her mind until she met Rei. Regardless Rei really comes out of her shell at that point and becomes amazingly confident in herself and proud of her abilities. This is the fiery Rei we love.
- The scene at the end with Rei comforting the child is a great touch. In a bite-sized way it reminded me of the the PGSM Rei who always cared so much for the children at her shrine.

Gekkou/Moonbow is a beautiful song to finish off with, I love how serene it is. (かんぺき です!)
So far, those short moments when the Senshi awaken as guardians and make a deep connection (either through friendship or sense-of-belonging) with Usagi are my favourites.
 
Last edited:

sapphire91

Stella Nova
Jul 6, 2018
6,668
9,485
1,665
#69
Act 4 - Masquarade
This episode started with a very unnecessary recap. I know it was in the manga, but the manga was published monthly on a magazine and if you miss an issue you need it as you probably won't be able to find it later on, so in order to attract new readers you should do some recaps. But here we have an ONA, and all the episodes were available. A recap in episode 4 was unnecessarily used and this time could have been spend much better. The artwork for this recap was beautiful but also very stiff. The manga in black and white looked way more dynamic and evoked movement. Rei and Ami in the arcade was the cutest scene. I loved Rei blushing and feeling embarassed for showing so much excitement. And it showed some progression for Ami's character feeling lively and more open to others. But once Usagi joined and Luna started explaining, I realized this is not the manga Rei, which I thought I would get. In the manga Rei is very humanized, by being against risking her life, without knowing why and was very vocal about it, showing some character. In Crystal she is too mellow and too conforming. At least she was ominous by saying to Usagi becareful what you wish for. I really liked the introduction of papa Kenji, as I was worried they might omit him like granda Hino. The girls were so cute in these outfits and matching tiaras. At least here we got some small Rei teasing by saying "We will find the princess faster without her(Usagi) anyway, but I remember the subtitles were mistranslated the first time I saw it and even this little moment was lost. I was expecting the dancing scene between Usagi and Mamoru and it was cute, but a lot of these ugly frames were not fixed... I really want to know who was responsible on what to be fixed and what not because it was uneven. Some stuff that could pass were fixed, while some ugly key frames were left. On this dancing scene that is the whole point of the episode. The rest was done well. Ami and Rei attacking in real time was done quit6e well. Usagi's transformation being cut because of the missing tiara was something very refreshing. I do not know why she didn't say her Twilight flash line here in the Japanese track. For a very long tike I believes a rumor Kotono was conscious of the way she pronounced Twilight, but I learned on this form she did it for a video game, so tjis remains a mystery. And then, they decided to deviate from the manga. It was cool to see the generals all together, but it was used in a clumsy way, opening plotholes. Why didn't they simply attack them?What was that Team Rocket like moment? The rest of the episode I quite liked. I love how Usagi didn't got drunk. Sone people kade a huge problem about the infamous kiss and how it was rapey. It could be out of context. But here we have to people destined to be together that are attracktes to each other, the girl os not drunk this time, the guy is 16 and some 19 year-old creep and we have narration that shows Usagi is well aware of the kiss, giving us hee reaction. Plus we had Luna interrupting and being the authority here. So I think this is a rare example of Crystal changing something and it worked. I loved how once again we had the next senshi introduced. And thank god they fixed Makoto's running animation, though it was still a bit jarring. Overall this episode felt even more fillery than in the manga, the recap was unneded in an anime form of the story, the generals were usedin a bad way here, some ugly frames were not redrawn, but there were some nice changes, beautiful art moments and Luna was adorable. So a mixed ok from me
 
Last edited:

Zyvik

Lumen Cinererum
Oct 26, 2014
336
331
165
#70
This one is a mixed bag. The second half is mostly good, but the recap at the beginning is totally unnecessary and could've been spent on something actually useful. The added scene between Ami and Rei at the arcade is cute, but Rei's characterization throughout the episode (and pretty much the whole first arc) is atrocious and the opposite of what she's like in the manga. And I hate how instead of expanding on Rei's unwillingness to work with the others (like PGSM did) they just removed that aspect completely.
 
#71
but Rei's characterization throughout the episode (and pretty much the whole first arc) is atrocious and the opposite of what she's like in the manga. And I hate how instead of expanding on Rei's unwillingness to work with the others (like PGSM did) they just removed that aspect completely.
Agreed! PGSM Rei is the best Rei! I loved the live-action toku Rei best because she was well-rounded.
 
Last edited:

GalX3

Luna Crescens
Nov 13, 2018
249
256
165
#72
Act 4's (Masquerade Ball) nice points/interesting moments:
- I like the guitar riff'd theme at the beginning when Usagi is waking up and going to school
- Pouty Usagi is cute when she wants to transform into a runner but is forbidden by Luna
- The scene where Ami/Rei high 10 after Ami teaches Rei how to play Mina's game is a good touch
- Usagi's dress is beautiful and when she & Mamo dance it is really well done
- Always love when Usa & Mamo float down from the balcony, so graceful!
- "Do you think Umino would look that good without his glasses?" ...cracks me up every time! It's actually really silly how glasses are drawn in Sailor Moon. I think that if Chibi tried to hypnotise Umino his glasses would reverse the attack. How funny would it be if Chibi accidentally hypnotised herself into thinking she really was Usagi's sister? Sanju-seiki would be doomed!
- Love how super cross Luna is when Mamo kisses Usa-chan, so funny because I just watched episode 94 from 90s where Usagi asks Mamo if he remembers their first kiss and he blushes and changes to topic. The kiss is so wrong but when you consider their past lives it is very romantic. I think the kiss makes more sense in the Manga & Crystal because they both are far more tightly connected to their past lives from the beginning.

Act 4 is the kind of episode Crystal's art/animation style really works well for and some moments really are a delight watch. If they had cut the re-cap as suggested more time could have been spent on the romantic and beautiful moments such as the dancing, the kiss, and the umbrella scene.

Looks like a storm is on the way for Act 5...

I know it was in the manga, but the manga was published monthly on a magazine and if you miss an issue you need it as you probably won't be able to find it later on, so in order to attract new readers you should do some recaps.
I did actually wonder about that as I read the Manga. Makes sense now. Thank you for clearing that up for me.
 

sapphire91

Stella Nova
Jul 6, 2018
6,668
9,485
1,665
#74
Another funny omission that was in the manga:

The Senshi picturing Umino without his glasses.
They didnt even showed the princess without glasses on a close up, so if somebody doesn't know the joke from other iteration they won't really get the joke... I mean it is really hard to tell the princess is beautiful, when you do such a long-distance shot.
 

Seira Hazuki

Solaris Luna
Jan 17, 2007
2,899
4,270
1,665
#75
They didnt even showed the princess without glasses on a close up, so if somebody doesn't know the joke from other iteration they won't really get the joke... I mean it is really hard to tell the princess is beautiful, when you do such a long-distance shot.
What’s even funnier is that the first two seasons of Crystal LOOOOOVES doing extreme close-ups of its characters to save time/money... and the one time it was extremely appropriate they actually didn’t do it.
 

sapphire91

Stella Nova
Jul 6, 2018
6,668
9,485
1,665
#78
Whatever people say, Crystal 1 and 2 artsyle, when done right looked very stylish, unique and quite pretty. Sadly a lot of the anmators couldn't translate it well or at all. For the upcoming films I hope not just the designs to be pretty, but the animators and animator directors to be able to recreate it.
 
Jul 11, 2013
3,433
3,211
1,665
31
#79
Whatever people say, Crystal 1 and 2 artsyle, when done right looked very stylish, unique and quite pretty. Sadly a lot of the anmators couldn't translate it well or at all. For the upcoming films I hope not just the designs to be pretty, but the animators and animator directors to be able to recreate it.
It must be beautiful and smooth, because it is a movie this time.
 

sapphire91

Stella Nova
Jul 6, 2018
6,668
9,485
1,665
#80
It must be beautiful and smooth, because it is a movie this time.
It depends, not all of Toei's films are done equally. I hope they do it justice, but I keep in mind these will be movies on the longer side so they will most likely cut corners. But hopefully they work hard and they will bring a finished and beautiful product. I just wanted to point out that the artstyle for season 1 and 2 in its high points was really beautiful.
 
Last edited: