The final arc of Stunning Protector Sailor Moon has all the time been the darkest. It’s the end result of all Usagi/Sailor Moon‘s battles up to now, the reply to the query of why the enemies maintain attacking, and why she and her mates have been capable of maintain reincarnating within the first place. Whereas this is sensible—the villains have upped the ante and stepped up their techniques with every new arc—it is nonetheless essential that we get to see simply how dire Usagi’s state of affairs actually is. In all the opposite arcs, she had her Guardians and Tuxedo Masks to assist her virtually to the very finish, even when it was solely in spirit kind. However right here, on the finish, Usagi is on their own.
A lot has been mentioned about Usagi’s immaturity as a hero. After we first met her, she was a crybaby and greater than just a little whiny. Even previously, as Princess Serenity, we noticed her surrender on the essential second, selecting loss of life after dropping Endymion. Over the course of the 4 arcs main as much as this one, she’s grown up little by little, studying to belief others and belief herself. All of that is Usagi coming into her personal energy, and it feels pure. All of us must develop up some (or no less than study to pretend it properly sufficient to deal with it) maturity, and for her which means overcoming the errors of previous lives and struggles to totally embody a superhero. With every successive transformation, Sailor Moon turns into a stronger, extra assured individual. Is her final intuition nonetheless to sacrifice herself to avoid wasting others? Sure, however she’s additionally extra reluctant to play that card – she learns that it’s the final possibility, and sees it much less as “giving up” and extra because the final reward she may give: the reward of her heat and like to a galaxy that desperately wants it.
We see this in each movies. Usagi’s journey begins along with her regular world falling aside round her, her day by day life destroyed by Mamoru’s loss of life by the hands of Sailor Galaxia, the brand new villain. Unable to manage, she represses the reminiscence, however when Galaxia’s minions start to take out the Sailor Guardians, and Chibiusa is again within the thirtieth century, she has no alternative however to face the info. Instrumental on this are the brand new characters the Three Lights, a boy band consisting of the Ko brothers Taiki, Yaten, and Seiya. They’re actually feminine Sailor Guardians, the Sailor Star Lights, and they’re those who not solely make Usagi face the reality, but in addition inform her who’s behind the deaths: Sailor Galaxia. Collectively—and with the addition of the Star Lights princess Kakyu and a mysterious little lady named Chibi Chibi—they got down to confront Galaxia and save the galaxy.
Like many different feminine villains, Sailor Galaxia is a determine who falls into disrepair Sailor Moon. In some ways, Usagi/Serenity has lived a privileged life: she’s had her share of setbacks, sure, however to the surface world, she looks as if the luckiest lady on this planet: she’s all the time had a loving household, devoted mates, a good-looking prince, and immense energy. All of her enemies have wished that to some extent, although every has been fixated on a distinct a part of it. Galaxia needs all the things—and she or he’s prepared to do something to get it. Very similar to the queen of the Lifeless Moon Circus, her primal need is to reside within the mild, and her need is born out of the horrific circumstances she endured earlier than awakening as a Sailor Guardian. Whereas the imagery is essentially symbolic in its depiction of her previous, the swords piercing her give us two potential interpretations of what occurred to her: she may definitely have been subjected to an countless, painful cycle of loss of life and rebirth, or the swords piercing her may point out a previous of sexual abuse and torment. Each supply a darkish parallel to Usagi’s historical past (recalling that she stabbed herself with a sword no less than twice), however as a result of Galaxia didn’t have the assist system that Queen Serenity had arrange for her daughter, she was pressured to stroll a distinct, darker path.
The concept everybody who fought Usagi has led to this battle with Galaxia is essential to the movies, in addition to the general throughline of the collection. That is made clear by the various visible homages to the unique 90s anime, one thing that director Tomoya Takahashi did very consciously. The primary theme makes use of Moonlight Densetsuthe unique opening theme from the primary 4 seasons within the Nineties, whereas the second movie makes use of Tune of the Sailor Starthe opening theme for season 5, Sailor Moon Sailor StarsEven the pictures used for these themes are a throwback to the originals and the movies themselves use each factors of view Sailor Moon Sailor Stars And Naoko Takeuchi‘s unique manga. All of this contributes to the message that that is Usagi’s closing battle, the battle she has been going for since her reincarnation on Earth. She wanted the earlier battles to construct her relationships with others, but in addition with herself and her personal power. The Usagi Tsukino of the primary season may by no means have develop into Neo Queen Serenity. The Usagi of Stunning Protector Sailor Moon Cosmos is midway by way of and her final alternative, to lastly make a thought of sacrifice out of affection for everybody within the galaxy fairly than egocentric motives (despite the fact that they did not appear egocentric on the time), reveals what sort of lady and queen she is going to develop into.
Stunning Protector Sailor Moon Cosmos is a a lot better duology of movies than Stunning Protector Sailor Moon Everlasting. It has a greater storyline, and the larger freedom given to the director allowed the movies to stay nearer to the supply materials, each actually and thematically, with out turning into swamped by it. The animation is beautiful, and the artwork captures the breezy, artwork nouveau really feel of the manga whereas making use of some good mythological imagery. The ending is each emotional and cathartic, bringing the story to a conclusion that doesn’t really feel too closing: we all know the long run will occur, and it’ll be a greater one than some other. There’s some info-dumping (Sailor Lead Crow is especially responsible of this), and the little soft-shoe routine the Sailor Star Lights do throughout their transformation could be very awkward, however general it’s a becoming solution to finish the reboot of probably the most influential magical lady collection: with hope.
