On Sailor Moon and Housekeeping

Not Sailor Moon doing housekeeping, mind.  I think it’s important to make that distinction from the get-go.  Also, get ready for a post that’s more two-faced than Two Face.

Let’s start with some talk about the blog.  I’ve been thinking about this for a little while now, and I’ve come to a decision: from this post on, I’m going to tone down the output.  Or to put it a different way, for the time being there aren’t going to be as many posts as there have been for the past few months.  Two reasons for this: 1) There’s stuff that I want/need to work on, and I can get through that faster if I don’t have to engage in my usual verbal spews quite as often.  And 2) I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but in the interest of comfortably welcoming back I Hraet You I want to tweak the scheduling a little.

So here’s what I’m going to try.  From here on, posts are going to go up on Mondays and Thursdays.  I’m not going to stick to schedules or planned posts for now; whatever goes up goes up (dealwithit.gif).  Granted I’ve already got some stuff all written up, but I want to hold off on it for a bit.  I want to make sure I get it exactly right.  Besides, once I Hraet You chapters pop up again, I can see what happens when story posts and whatever-the-crap posts upload on the same day (albeit at different times).  It could work.  Might not.  We’ll see.

Now then.  Let’s gab about Sailor Moon.

Like many (many, many) things, I can’t say I have a very strong attachment to Sailor Moon.  I know of it, and I’ve seen some episodes, but I’m not exactly what you’d call a diehard fan.  It’s neither the first anime I ever saw, nor is it the most impactful anime I’ve ever seen (and the less time I spend trying to figure out what that is, the better off I’ll be).  So Sailor Moon isn’t exactly a big part of my life.  It’s something I respect, but not something I adore.

That said, I can’t help but find myself intrigued by the prospects of the upcoming Sailor Moon reboot.  Is this the chance I’ve been waiting for?  Is this an opportunity for me to witness the magic for myself, rendered through the awesome power of modern animation techniques and guided by the steady hand of a cabal of master craftsmen and women?  Conventional wisdom would suggest that if you hype something up to a feverish degree, you’re probably going to end up disappointed*.  But like with so many other things, I want to believe.

Sailor Moon doesn’t mean much to me, but it means something to others.  And if you’ll let me play Theory Fighter for a moment, I’d like to think I know why: because it’s good.  It’s a story that’s earned its fans through earnest attempts at putting Sailor Moon and the rest of the likely-loveable Sailor Scouts through adventures and trials -- highs and lows, victories and defeats, friendships and rivalries, and even a bit of love here and there.  It probably wasn’t the best thing ever (at least if the Nostalgia Critic’s take on the first season or so is anything to go by), but it had fans for a reason.

More to the point, I think it’s because it had an appeal that transcended a lot of -- for lack of a better term -- “borders”.  I’m pretty sure that Sailor Moon was something designed to appeal to the fairer sex, but it’s possible -- probable, even -- that plenty of boys liked it, too.  Or maybe they even like it now; after all, I’d bet that part of the reason for this reboot/revival is to farm for some sweet, sweet nostalgia-dollars.  There’s probably an assumption that there’s an inlaid (if not captive) audience here, especially if it means giving viewers a chance to check out Sailor Mars’ sweet gams in glorious HD.

I swear, she and the other girls have got to be at least 80% leg.

I guess the question on a few people’s minds (or mine, at least) is “All right, so how good is this new series actually going to be?”  Reboots and revivals and reimaginings haven’t exactly gone over well in the past, so you can’t just say “DO OVER!” and expect instant praise.  Likewise, speaking personally I feel like there’s a chance the spirit of the original can get lost in the shuffle of modern-day trappings and conventions; I give anime a lot of respect, but I’ll stand by anyone who feels like pointing out one of the industry’s myriad flaws. 

To be fair, it’s not as if I really know “the spirit of the original” anyway, and the art that’s surfaced implies that the studio-heads aren’t going to bastardize the show just to try and get with the times, appeal to others, or just do some furious diluting of the original work.  If only others could move so deftly, we’d be in a pretty good spot right now.  Alas, ‘twas not meant to be.  Some people just don’t (or won’t) get it.  I’d name some examples, but I’d risk being here until the flesh melted off my fingers.  So let’s just say the miserable Devil Survivor 2 anime and leave it at that.

Just looking at Anime Yamato will put ulcers on your ulcers.

So yeah.  That’s about where I stand.  I think at this stage, I like the idea of Sailor Moon more than Sailor Moon itself.  But I’m willing to change that.  And I’m willing to let this new series do the changing for me.  If it can speak for itself and show me what I’ve missed, then that’s great.  Honestly, a part of me is looking forward to it; I’ve said for months now that I need to get back into the habit of watching anime, and anything with Sailor Mercury in it puts up one hell of an argument in its favor.

Yeah, I said it.  Sailor Mercury’s the best one of the bunch.  (dealwithit.gif)

But that’s enough out of me for now.  I’m going to go ahead and open the floor for anyone who’s willing to speak up.  What do you make of the new Sailor Moon?  Or the old one, for that matter?  Lingering attachment?  High hopes for the future?  Wariness that borders on paranoia that borders on precognition?    By all means, voice your opinion.  The more perspective I get, the better.  Lord knows I could use a voice of reason to keep my biases and views at

Oh.  Dear.  God.  Is that Sailor Mercury doing a Rider Kick?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

*For the record, Decapre isn’t the worst thing ever, but I can’t exactly say I’m going to welcome her with open arms.  She’s just another enemy I’ll have to take down, however contentious she may look -- though I’m hoping that her introduction into SF4 won’t be like what Capcom did with Vergil in Marvel 3. 

I may be a little salty, though.  Ah, would that Phoenix Wright could go YOLO like the average Vergil player...