|
Sailor Moon Crystal
|
Anyone seen the new anime yet?
youtube link to op: http://www.youtube.com/v/c0Va228UhRs&ve ... tube_gdata __________________ Into terror!, Into valour! Charge ahead! No! Never turn Yes, it's into the fire we fly And the devil will burn! - Scarlett Pimpernell
I've seen the first two episodes and it looks like they're aiming to fast-track the original story line - Ami has already been introduced as of episode two, and Rei is being brought when Episode 3 arrives.
The new style is kinda jarring, but I can live with it. My one complaint about the new style is that they've made Usagi's buns so big that when she transforms into sailor moon they look like railroad crossing signals. :p Thus far, it's living up to the original material, and I kinda like how they seem to have eschewed the Mamouru Chiba identity. Usagi's thoughts: "Who the hell goes around in a tuxedo like that!?" Bonus points for improved Tuxedo Kamen design - he actually does look like royalty with the extra little bits added on. And he has yet to throw a single rose - iconic as it was, it was definitely kinda silly. Oh, and Usagi's Tiara? It now turns into a discus-style weapon and therefore looks a lot less silly now. And Mercury's role as the ECM fighter is cemented early on as her primary mist attack is clearly shown to have blinding capabilities. 
So they basically shaved off all the dumber edges off the original, streamlined the plot, and made some the stuff they retained (liked the tuxedo thing, which always struck me as a little stupid at best) actually make more sense?
The animation seems a little sterile to me. I'm not sure why. It's not just the digital art either...
________________________________ --m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
It's less that they streamlined the plot and more that they are closely following the manga. The first two episodes are virtually identical to the first two chapters of the manga, and it seems the third will follow the pattern since it introduces Rei.
I guess we will know for sure in this third episode. If it follows the manga, 
Just saw the first ep last night; I'll watch the second tonight after RWBY.
A few thoughts -- the animation doesn't seem "sterile" to me, but crisp. Sharp. Maybe a touch washed out, but that might just be my monitor/color settings, or maybe a subtle lean toward pastels. And it looks very much like Takeuchi's manga art. Things I liked -- the blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot showing Usagi pinning up her buns (for some reason, that makes them more... um... rational to me; I seem to recall that the live-action Usagi's were actually some kind of knots in her ponytails, which always seemed like a recipe for trouble); Usagi's one-off sonic attack (I have plans for that one in DW-S); oh, and the fact that Kotono Mitsuishi came back to do her voice, when no one else in the original cast returned. Quote:Bonus points for improved Tuxedo Kamen design - he actually does look like royalty with the extra little bits added on.Actually, I thought he looked like he was in a Bela Lugosi "Dracula" costume. Quote:It's less that they streamlined the plot and more that they are closely following the manga.That was the biggest surprise for me when I finally read the manga, just how much freaking filler there is in the original anime. Glad to see it's not here. -- Bob --------- Then the horns kicked in... ...and my shoes began to squeak. Quote:Bob Schroeck wrote:I have noticed that filler occurs when the manga is still being published when the anime is produced. Look at Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist:Brotherhood. Former had filler and the other had a manga plot line. __________________ Into terror!, Into valour! Charge ahead! No! Never turn Yes, it's into the fire we fly And the devil will burn! - Scarlett Pimpernell
I don't think that was the case here... the original anime did, what, dozens of episodes with Usagi as a solo act before finding Mercury? There couldn't have been that much time between the installments in the manga. I mean, yeah, the Doom Tree arc is clearly an entire season of filler... but I'm pretty sure the manga got a bit farther than "Usagi's Sailor Moon" before they did the anime.
-- Bob --------- Then the horns kicked in... ...and my shoes began to squeak.  Bob Schroeck Wrote:I don't think that was the case here... the original anime did, what, dozens of episodes with Usagi as a solo act before finding Mercury? There couldn't have been that much time between the installments in the manga. I mean, yeah, the Doom Tree arc is clearly an entire season of filler... but I'm pretty sure the manga got a bit farther than "Usagi's Sailor Moon" before they did the anime.Ami first appeared in episode 8 of the first anime. I think she was in either chapter 2 or 3 of the manga. -- Rob Kelk "Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of the same sovereign, servants of the same law." - Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Well, seeing as how Crystal is apparently going to be 26 episodes long, hopefully its pacing will be somewhere between those of the manga and the '90s anime: decently fast-paced while still allowing for plenty of characterization. Or at least that's what I'm hoping happens, anyway (knock on wood!)!
Quote:Bob Schroeck wrote:The question would had been the time lag for production for various story arcs. If they can't produce a story arc because it's still in the installment phase in the manga, then you have filler. __________________ Into terror!, Into valour! Charge ahead! No! Never turn Yes, it's into the fire we fly And the devil will burn! - Scarlett Pimpernell Quote:robkelk wrote:I stand corrected. It's been almost a decade, I think, since I watched the ADV box set of the first season.Quote:Bob Schroeck wrote:Ami first appeared in episode 8 of the first anime. I think she was in either chapter 2 or 3 of the manga. -- Bob --------- Then the horns kicked in... ...and my shoes began to squeak. 
So, my wife and I've been watching this and the old series back to back, and the comparison is pretty significant. Usagi's... a lot less derp, is the best way I can put it. She doesn't flail nearly as much as the old style cartoony animation tended to make her.
Also, Ami in the second episode, seemingly Rei due for the 3rd. Here's hoping they actually DO have some filler, as in the manga, Jadeite? Gets fricaseed by Rei in the third chapter. Just shows up, boom, done. He's a glorified named mook. I much preferred the more elaborated on versions of the Dark Generals from the anime, over the manga where... they're background dressing. At best. The manga does eventually mention they were Mamoru's protectors in his past life, but by the time it does, we've seen all of them unceremoniously killed off, so it's hard to care. But yeah, anime "filler" that wasn't in the manga? - Jadeite hit by his own plane. - The entire Nephrite/Naru romance-by-accident arc - Zoicite and Kunzite as a couple - Pretty much all of Zoicite and Kunzite being a competent set of minions. Zoicite's one plan is to go on live TV and yell "Hey, Tux! Come at me, bro!" Sure, he wins that fight, but then he gets decapitated by the Venus-rang five seconds later. - The entirety of the Antarctic segment with the Senshi getting whittled down as they push to finish Beryl once and for all. All very iconic moments, but all made up from scratch by the anime crew. I'm really hoping they stick with this. Mostly because I don't know how Usagi trying to commit suicide because Mamoru died on her is going to play with network TV. On the plus side, the animation is really gorgeous, and I like the differentiation between senshi and normal IDs. They did a good job of using frumpy clothes to hide that Ami's actually a stunner under all her poor fashion sense choices (her uniform looks at least two sizes too big on her, and her hair's not nearly as neat). So I'm still looking forward to how this goes. --- "Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay waste." Quote:OpMegs wrote:And so Jadeite gets offed on Episode 3. So...manga version for the plot. So all the way to Galaxia in 26 episodes? __________________ Into terror!, Into valour! Charge ahead! No! Never turn Yes, it's into the fire we fly And the devil will burn! - Scarlett Pimpernell Quote:ordnance11 wrote:Did he? No corpse, no evidence of body harm from the fire, just the flames blocking our view and then cut to the next scene.If I didn't know the manga I would be sure that he just teleported away. (there, his death was rather gruesome.)
Yeah, I think Jadeite teleported there before he could get taken out, as the manga left a (crispy) corpse after he got barbecued by Rei. We'll see if he gets put into "eternal sleep" for his failure, or if we're going to see the ongoing spiral of desperation to keep his head attached that he had in the anime.
Also interesting is that Jadeite is apparently aligned elementally with ice here, which I think is a first for Sailor Moon. Back in the day, the Four plus Endymion were pretty explicitly counterparts to the Inners and Serenity, but I think this is the first time we've seen them get counterpart elemental powers. The anime kinda played them as having more obscure stuff (Jadeite mentions "mental powers" to control the planes, Nephrite has astrology, Zoicite with crystalomancy, and Kunzite with...um...well, that black hole thing he did once), so this might be a bit of a change. --- "Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay waste." 
I thought it was interesting that we see Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoicite in this one, but Kunzite's nowhere to be seen. Which makes me wonder if they're borrowing a page from the Live Action's take on them. (Which really is the best rendition of the Shitennou hands down. They gave all of them personality and character. (Though Zoisite & Kunzite got the bulk of that).
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power. Its burning grip tells me to defeat you.... Shining FINGER!" -Domon Kashuu, Mobile Fighter G Gundam 
Watching the animation for Sailor Mars' transformation, I was impressed at how good that planet looked. These were obviously drawn with a maps of Mars, Phobos, and Deimos as a reference. I appreciate good science, even in the middle of magic.
New Horizons should pass by in Pluto on 14 July 2015, which should give us plenty of time to get Pluto's henshin sequence right. Assuming they redo R, of course. -- ∇×V
Whelp, just watched episode four. Jadeite's not dead, just a little singed. And it seems that the Four Demon Kings will be taking turns being Baddy of the Day. Also, Mako will be arriving in Episode Five!
Episode 5 is up, and it's time to play "just how tall is Makoto, really?"
-- Bob --------- Then the horns kicked in... ...and my shoes began to squeak.  Quote:Bob Schroeck wrote:I suspect that, like an Eva, exactly as tall as the scene requires is the functional answer. Thank goodness Moon Kingdom magic doesn't run off traumatized orphans.
On a different tangent, Viz has uploaded (for a limited time) the first episodes of the new redub of the original '90s anime (specifically, episodes 1-23 of the first season) on Hulu; I highly recommend that you guys check them out (assuming that you haven't done so already)!
Ressing this thread, because as of episode fourteen, First Story Arc is complete and we've already rolled on into the next one, complete with Chibi-Usa bouncing off her poor mother's head and pulling a gun on her! WOOO! Guess some jokes are just too good to let go of.
 ETA: Oh, and the fanon that the Four Dark Generals were the lovers of the Sailor Senshi? IT'S CANON NOW!!! Too bad they went and killed them off anyhow. (;_
Gah... fell out of watching this just before the holidays, gotta get back to it.
-- Bob --------- Then the horns kicked in... ...and my shoes began to squeak.
Caught up on this last night myself. Frankly, it's a bit disappointing. Closer to the manga, maybe, but the whole reveal of the Four Generals was kind of wasted when it... doesn't really change anything. They find out and get brainwashed back into service, then when it's broken, they literally get vaporized by Metallia seconds later.
Between that and Usagi's brilliant plan of "Eh, I can't beat Evil Brainwashed Mamoru, so I'll slash him with the magic moon sword and then kill myself so we can fall in love in our next reincarnation", the finale was... not quite as impressive as Classic Sailor Moon's, in my opinion. All in all, Crystal just feels rushed, what with cramming both the Dark Kingdom arc and the Black Moon Clan in 26 episodes. --- "Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay waste." |
|
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
|
![[+]](/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Spoiler