One of the things that makes the Doom Tree arc so special is that it's entirely unique to the 90s anime, being the only story arc not based on/inspired by the manga. But what if that weren't the case? What if the Doom Tree arc had been part of the manga? What would it have looked like had it been written by Naoko? What would be the same, what would be different?
Ail & En
Certainly I don't think these two would have looked the same had they been designed by Naoko. Most likely she would have based their designs off of contemporary runway looks. Perhaps Mugler Spring 1992?
Also, their names would have been different. "Ail & En" doesn't exactly follow Naoko's naming pattern for her villains. Had she done the Doom Tree arc as a lighthearted side story or mini-arc (a la the Pet Chapters in Sailor V) she might have named them after botanical terminology (Xylem and Phloem perhaps, or maybe Stamen and Pistil), but if she had done it as a normal, full-length, 10-14 chapter arc, she likely would have given them mineral names, perhaps picking minerals named after plants (Heliotrope [bloodstone] and Hyacinth [sapphire] perhaps?). And, if she had done it as a full-length arc, there probably would have been a handful of other Doom Tree aliens, too.
Moonlight Knight
Given the way the Dark Kingdom arc ended, it seems unlikely the Moonlight Knight would have appeared in a manga version of the arc.
Power Ups
The anime gave the Inners each a unique new attack. Would Naoko have come up with the same new attacks? Different new attacks? Or would she have kept the girls using the same attacks from the DK arc?
Chibiusa
Assuming Naoko would have ended the DK arc in the same way and done the Doom Tree arc before jumping into the Black Moon Clan arc, there's the question of how Chibiusa would figure into the story to be considered. In the second art book, Naoko mentions that early on she had an idea that Chibiusa would have alien friends - perhaps that idea could have been realized in a manga Doom Tree arc. While traveling to the 20th Century, Chibiusa encounters a couple of aliens who have lost their home. Depending on whether or not the Doom Tree would have actually been evil, they could either be Ail & En's fellow aliens who have just gotten separated from them, or they could be the sole survivors of another planet that was destroyed by the Doom Tree. In either case, it would be up to Chibiusa and the Sailors to help restore them to their missing families.
What do the rest of you guys think? Like my ideas? Hate them? Share your own! And: Would you be interested in Naoko doing her own take on the Doom Tree arc now, perhaps as a 30th Anniversary one-shot assuming she ever gets around to writing more manga? Or what about some other adaptation (musical, USJ event, etc) that tried to fit the arc into the manga's continuity?
Ail & En
Certainly I don't think these two would have looked the same had they been designed by Naoko. Most likely she would have based their designs off of contemporary runway looks. Perhaps Mugler Spring 1992?
Also, their names would have been different. "Ail & En" doesn't exactly follow Naoko's naming pattern for her villains. Had she done the Doom Tree arc as a lighthearted side story or mini-arc (a la the Pet Chapters in Sailor V) she might have named them after botanical terminology (Xylem and Phloem perhaps, or maybe Stamen and Pistil), but if she had done it as a normal, full-length, 10-14 chapter arc, she likely would have given them mineral names, perhaps picking minerals named after plants (Heliotrope [bloodstone] and Hyacinth [sapphire] perhaps?). And, if she had done it as a full-length arc, there probably would have been a handful of other Doom Tree aliens, too.
Moonlight Knight
Given the way the Dark Kingdom arc ended, it seems unlikely the Moonlight Knight would have appeared in a manga version of the arc.
Power Ups
The anime gave the Inners each a unique new attack. Would Naoko have come up with the same new attacks? Different new attacks? Or would she have kept the girls using the same attacks from the DK arc?
Chibiusa
Assuming Naoko would have ended the DK arc in the same way and done the Doom Tree arc before jumping into the Black Moon Clan arc, there's the question of how Chibiusa would figure into the story to be considered. In the second art book, Naoko mentions that early on she had an idea that Chibiusa would have alien friends - perhaps that idea could have been realized in a manga Doom Tree arc. While traveling to the 20th Century, Chibiusa encounters a couple of aliens who have lost their home. Depending on whether or not the Doom Tree would have actually been evil, they could either be Ail & En's fellow aliens who have just gotten separated from them, or they could be the sole survivors of another planet that was destroyed by the Doom Tree. In either case, it would be up to Chibiusa and the Sailors to help restore them to their missing families.
What do the rest of you guys think? Like my ideas? Hate them? Share your own! And: Would you be interested in Naoko doing her own take on the Doom Tree arc now, perhaps as a 30th Anniversary one-shot assuming she ever gets around to writing more manga? Or what about some other adaptation (musical, USJ event, etc) that tried to fit the arc into the manga's continuity?
Likes:
HappyMoon, GalX3 and Nadia