2026 REREAD:
WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER MOON!
Today I reread 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 4', and picking up where the last volume left off, here are my renewed thoughts and insights, as a lifelong thirty-five-year-old 'Sailor Moon' fan:
I'll start by correcting a mistake I made on my rereview of volume 3: Mamoru did not in fact make a hand puppet of Tuxedo Mask. It turns out he won it in a claw machine game at the arcade, and it is a plushie, not a puppet. In my defence, however, it is not until the beginning of this volume that this is established, and I never took Mamoru to be the arcade playing type, and it is never made clear throughout the entire manga series whether Sailor Moon, the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask are even thought to be real by the general public, or are considered urban myths; let alone that they would be popular enough for dolls to be made of them, that accurately resemble them. I was not aware that the public even knew that Tuxedo Mask existed - mainly it's Sailor V who's the open and popular one, with fans and everything, and who also has her own doll.
Furuhata and his sister Unazuki make cameo appearances at the beginning. They remain a part of the Sailor group's lives... for now.
What exactly is Luna-P? Who made it for Chibi-Usa? It'd make sense if the science and robotics genius Sailor Mercury invented it for Small Lady.
Yeah, Chibi-Usa's other name, what she is called by everybody in the future, is Small Lady, which has always felt so odd to me. It doesn't sound complimentary at all, and it wouldn't boost her confidence and self-esteem. Surely a more appropriate and respectful name would be required for a crown princess, future queen and inheritor of the "Legendary Silver Crystal"? No wonder she never grew up, and is stunted - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
The art continues to be stunning, especially of the characters' facial expressions. There are subtleties present, where a single small detail can convey to the reader what a character must be thinking and feeling. The amount of care and effort shown is as glorious as everything else in the manga.
So Black Moon are a rebel group from Crystal Tokyo on Earth in the thirtieth century, and they use the "Malefic Black Crystal", which is like the dark equivalent of the "Legendary Silver Crystal", and their base is a cursed prison planet called Nemesis - the "tenth planet of the solar system" - which is home to Wiseman and the "Malefic Black Crystal", and to the criminal and murderer "Phantom", aka Prince Demande. Yet Nemesis is also called a "Phantom planet"? Did I get that right, down to the basics? It is rather complicated.
And speaking of, in the future, Crystal Tokyo, ruled by Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion, is the greatest, most powerful and magical place on Earth for a thousand years up until the thirtieth century, that grants its people, and to an extent everyone else in the world, a thousand-year lifespan, thanks to the "Legendary Silver Crystal". The royal family live at the Crystal Palace. And yet, the restored Silver Millennium on the moon, which Sailor Moon/Usagi/Serenity is heir to, also still exists? Crystal Tokyo is called Silver Millennium a few times, too. How does the moon factor into all this? On top of the all time travel are a lot of details and complications that I cannot begin to talk about here.
One thing I will mention about the time travel element that I don't think anyone else has (and there is plenty to discuss there): Black Moon planned to travel back in time to the manga's present day to take over the world of the past... and Chibi-Usa did the exact same thing at the exact same time in order to find the Sailor Moon of said past, to save her mother Neo Queen Serenity and her kingdom of Crystal Tokyo from Black Moon. It's not clear if she knew Black Moon were travelling back in time as well, but they knew of her, and that she was in the past like them. They each have different means of time travel... is the fact that they initially used them to travel to the exact time and spot just a coincidence? WTH?
Usagi being jealous of Chibi-Usa due to the attention she receives from Mamoru, and acting out because of it, is stupid and childish, and she acknowledges this, and is ashamed of herself for it: "To be so jealous of Chibi-Usa at [a] time like this... What kind of nonsense am I up to?! Chibi-Usa is our very own child! There's nothing wrong with Mamo-chan trying to keep her safe!...But...why can't the two of us protect her together...?" She does have a point about that last part, however; Mamoru could be more thoughtful of her feelings, and think to share parenting responsibilities, even before they actually become parents!
Yet despite her annoyance at Chibi-Usa (and who can blame her?) that could be equated to sibling rivalry, Usagi is simultaneously depicted as acting serious, mature and grown-up when it comes to the child, beyond scolding her. She is even drawn to look older, more contemplative. More motherly? Was that intentional?
The biggest cause of Usagi's fears, anxiety and stress this arc is three of her friends - Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter - get kidnapped by Black Moon. It's not all about her love life; friendship is as important as ever. It is because she is worried about her friends that Usagi is taking things very seriously, and thinking smartly, in a way she didn't before.
Sailor Venus manages to avoid capture by Black Moon, when even Sailor Moon falls victim to them, and good on her, even if it doesn't reflect well on her as a Sailor Guardian leader.
The scene where Makoto and Asanuma are at her apartment in the volume's first act/chapter is absolutely wonderful. Revelations! Character development! Asanuma is an ordinary citizen who is putting two and two together about Makoto, Mamoru and their group, and is aware of something supernatural or extraterrestrial going on, and in turn Makoto confesses how much she treasures her friends, to make up for taking someone from her past for granted. She's a different person since becoming a Sailor Guardian, who knows the "true value of friendship". She's less selfish and flighty, and more caring of others. Makoto and Asanuma are teenagers doing the best they can in bizarre and impossible circumstances, and they never forget to stop caring for people, no matter what. Theirs is a platonic relationship, I believe, even when Asanuma holds Makoto's hand and declares he wants to be strong and able to protect her, and she responds by kissing his forehead. They leave it there. You would not expect such nuance in a magical girl manga from the early '90s, but here we are: 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' is full of surprises, and genuinely good writing.
Surely Makoto's parents' deaths are the main cause of her troubled past? And is it because she's tall and could therefore pass as a legal adult in Japan that she is able to live in an apartment on her own? Doesn't she have other family?
Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask's power is named as psychometry.
Black Moon's plot in the first act/chapter is suspiciously similar to that of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', with alien pod people replacing real people via a "virus" and "infection" from space and a UFO. It's entertaining, and even meaningful to Makoto's character, regardless.
Holy Moonie, Sailor Moon's mask comes back! - as a way for her to identify the enemy aliens.
Usagi's best schoolfriend Naru has a significant and sad moment in Act 18, where she reflects how much Usagi has changed, and doesn't seem to have any time for her anymore. "The minute Usagi heard the word, "Black Moon", the color in her face drained. [...] ...Actually I've been aware for a long time that... Usagi has a certain something that I don't possess. [...] That there exists another world for Usagi that somebody like me can't enter... [...] But I just wanted to be of some help." It's as close as she gets to self-awareness and cognizance. It is a shame that Naru is never made aware of her friend's identity as Sailor Moon, and isn't a part of that "world", or anything, really, and she is pushed further to the sidelines the more the manga series progresses. Is it canon that she dates Umino's? That would be something for her character, at least.
I would be remiss not to mention - Sailor Pluto appears in this volume! She is as awesome, complex, multilayered and unique in her own way as the rest of the Sailor Guardians. She is the guardian of time - of "the Door to Hades" - and is immortal, sort of, and the god Chronos's daughter, or descendant? She has his blood, and that's all the explanation we get as to her origins.
It looks as though Usagi and Mamoru have sex in Act 19... while Chibi-Usa is sleeping in another room. What could have been deeply romantic becomes extremely awkward in so many ways.
Perhaps Chibi-Usa's best line in the whole series: "Say, Luna-P, is this person really Mama in the past? The invincible Sailor Moon? [...] She seems really unreliable, always getting scolded by everybody! [...] Just like me."
There is foreshadowing of Black Lady at the beginning of Act 21, not just the end...
Mamoru contacts the spirits of the Four Kings of Heaven in Act 18, for guidance, support and reassurance that he isn't powerless and useless - powerless to protect Usagi, his princess and true love. I'd forgotten that he kept the stones of Kunzite, Jadeite, Nephite and Zoisite.
Naru, Asanuma, and Rei's friend Kotono act as concerned ordinary citizens and friends to the Sailor girls, who aren't in on the secret Sailor Guardian business but wish to help nonetheless (especially in regards to the missing Rei, Ami and Makoto). They should have been given actual stuff to do, and not just be victims of the enemy. They'd be much better friends to the Sailors than Furuhata, who knows their secret but does nothing, zilch, about it.
Villains are defeated and killed a little too easily at the end of fights in 'Sailor Moon', with nearly no fanfare, thought and lasting consequences.
Diana, the future daughter of Luna and Artemis, is a cutie, and a friend to Chibi-Usa along with Sailor Pluto.
I did end up feeling sorry for Chibi-Usa, especially towards the end. She is 900 years old (!?) but acts like a spoiled, reckless kid, and doesn't realise how much her loved ones care for her; notably Diana, and Sailor Pluto, her most unlikely but truest friend.
Every female is in love with Mamoru/Endymion, whatever his incarnation and age, aren't they? Even his own daughter! Even Sailor Pluto. To be fair, she leads a solitary existence guarding a door in a dimension between space-time, for presumably thousands of years, and is in desperate need of company, such as with Chibi-Usa, and King Endymion.
Chibi-Usa's schoolfriend Momo makes her first appearance.
There is loads more I could add, but let's leave it for now.
Next up is volume 5.
Happy September Moon!
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
Where to begin? Chibiusa becomes more tolerable as the characters - and the reader - get to know more about her. Sailor Jupiter is next to be kidnapped by Black Moon, but not before we are treated to an awesome character piece concerning her caring, motherly and tough badass nature. A guilt-ridden and frightened Chibiusa reveals that she is from the future - the 30th century, and is the princess of Crystal Tokyo, a utopian earth. Sailor Moon, Venus, Tuxedo Mask, Luna and Artemis, by using Chibiusa’s Space-Time Key, travel to the future to see what has become of the revived Silver Millennium. What happened that was bad enough for Chibiusa to desperately break a taboo and go into the past for Sailor Moon's help, and for the Legendary Silver Crystal of that time period? In between space and time is where we meet the best character of the Black Moon arc, Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of the Underworld and the Door of Space and Time. Despite putting on a cold and formidable front, Pluto is warm friends with Chibiusa, who is called "Small Lady" in the 30th century. In the ruins of Crystal Tokyo, it's revealed that Chibiusa is the daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion - Sailor Moon’s and Tuxedo Mask's future selves! And that she's really 900-years-old! And that Luna and Artemis also have a kid 1000 years in the future - Diana! Usagi struggles with this knowledge of the future, and of Chibiusa's relation to her - in addition to her grave worry for her missing friends - on top of her jealousy of Mamoru's almost-blind devotion to protecting the little princess. She's ashamed of herself for her selfishness, but it's understandable given the universe-shattering circumstances (in a time paradox, she was in danger of disappearing from existence from being near her comatose future-queen self, trapped in crystal). Through all this emotion, and in a good twist and subversion on the predictable, Sailor Moon is the next to be taken prisoner by Black Moon - on the forbidden planet Nemesis, where their base is. Black Moon oppose the rule and immortal life conditions of 30th century Crystal Tokyo. Their leader, Prince Demande, is in love with its queen, Serenity; he wishes for what he cannot have. So in his twisted obsession he’ll make do with the queen's past self. Meanwhile, Chibiusa continues to be lost and confused. She feels useless, without any power, and, not for the first time, doubts herself as Neo-Queen Serenity's daughter. The creepy Wiseman takes advantage of the plight of the little girl who can never grow up: He offers her a sure place of power, where she can at last become a lady and earn respect...
To be continued!
So much is going on now, what's not to love?
Sailor Jupiter /Makoto Kino is the star of her own beginning chapter, where, like with Mars and Mercury in the previous volume, we learn more about her. The tall, domestic "tomboy" delivers an insightful speech about humanity and friendship to Asanuma. This shows how deep she truly is. Having had no lasting friends before the Sailor Guardians, she is all the more loving and protective of them. Mako-chan is outwardly confident, but possesses a great loneliness deep down. In view of so much tragedy in her life, it’s admirable that she lets nothing get the best of her. She is a fighter in every sense of the word; strong both physically and emotionally.
Usagi also shows surprising new developments to her character. When it comes to Chibiusa, she can be forceful and determined to get answers when the fate of her loved ones is on the line. As she grows in her responsibilities as a Sailor Guardian, we see that even the protector of love and justice has limits, and she can't always remain cheerful or level-headed. The part where she outwardly accuses Mamoru of caring more about Chibiusa than her or anyone else - even though she knows Chibiusa's their future child - really sticks out, because here is a taste of her expressing her frustration and confusion in an outburst that is selfish but human, and above all understandable. A genuinely angry Sailor Moon is something to behold, I can tell you.
Her and Tuxedo Mask are growing up and tackling obstacles that come with being a couple, including jealously. Their making-out moments are lovely and beautifully-drawn, too.
I love Sailor Pluto - her design; her set convictions in never breaking time-travelling taboos; her hard demeanour barely hiding a heart filled with love and loneliness; her sweet friendship with Chibiusa, whom despite superficial and positional differences, she shares quite a lot in common. You want to know more about the Sailor Guardian who nobody knew existed beforehand. An existence of protecting space and time for all eternity - what must it be like for her? It's also hinted that Pluto has a soft spot for King Endymion. But then again, who isn't in love with Mamoru Chiba in this series?
Even his daughter wants him all to herself. I would like to take this opportunity to express how confusing Chibiusa's character is in relation to the whole of 'Sailor Moon'. She's from the future - that in itself makes her a walking contradiction and plot hole emitter, for if she exists in a utopian kingdom where everyone lives for a thousand years, then the audience knows how the series ends no matter what dangerous enemy subsequently comes. If there is no happily ever after, then Chibiusa won’t exist; we know that things will always turn out okay. And why is she so infatuated with Mamoru, and annoyed at Usagi, when she knows they are her future parents? Anything she does in the past might affect her own timeline. She's in constant danger of ceasing to exist, especially when she makes herself a rival of Usagi for Mamoru's affections, which doesn’t change throughout the series’ run. Jeez, she must have serious daddy complex issues. But she clearly loves her mother from the future as well, so...
Oh, and if she is meant to be 900-years-old, why does she still act and think like a little kid?
But in spite of all that, the Small Lady has her share of excellent moments in the manga. There is far, FAR less of the obnoxious kiddie crap serving as filler in the anime. The manga gives us glimpses into Chibiusa’s thoughts, her anxieties, and her inferiority complex (it could be she acts like her appearance suggests because she feels she is no better than a worthless child with no future as queen). Even though she cries more than Usagi does, it's shown she holds within her courage and determination; qualities inherited from her parents.
Mamoru also doubts himself in this volume. In moments of self-reflection and awareness, he feels useless compared to Sailor Moon and the others. But he receives his own magical attack power from Endymion's old guards, and from his future self, strangely enough. Like with everything else, it makes sense in context.
Naru is given a brief but significant instance where she acknowledges how Usagi has been spending less time with her. She wishes to be involved in her friend's other life, which is kept secret from her. It's a pity Naru pretty much disappears from the manga after this (the anime expands her role more, if just for getting saved from trouble every week), as it could have been very interesting to see how she'd fare with being Sailor Moon's friend, and a reminder of her old, ordinary life.
So the fourth volume of 'Sailor Moon' has great character development, along with action, suspense, heart, and humour. It has a bit of everything. Nuanced and exciting, it’s wonderfully good.
Final Score: 5/5
P.S. I am sad to hear the news of the legendary David Bowie's passing. In light of this I can't help but notice that the majority of Black Moon/Nemesis's rebels bear a striking resemblance to Bowie's many famous styles of dress, and his body shape. I wonder whether this was intentional on Takeuchi-san's part...
RIP, David Bowie.
No comments:
Post a Comment