Welcome back to more Sailor Moon reviews! With this set, we’re twelve episodes till the end! We still have goofy villain Sailor Aluminum Siren as the main bad guy, and still presenting a lot of filler considering we’re near the finale. But HOO BOY do we have a dramatic one for you here!
EPISODE #187:
We’re in the home stretch of the series now, but it’s more COMEDY FILLER, as Seiya press-gangs Usagi into joining him on the co-ed softball team in High School, and she’s pissed about it. And so are the fangirls of the Three Lights, jealous over the Sailors always hanging out with Seiya in particular… including a girl with such an ostentatious character design that she looks like the main character of a whole ‘nother series- Sonoko! With her gigantic green mane of hair and a rose in her hand, she’s comedically showy. She doesn’t approve of Seiya dating “that monkey”, but the girls are bowing in reverence as she’s Three Lights Fan Club Member No. 1 (when even AMI is bowing, you know it means something). She’s also an older student, so she outranks them all anyhow.
Anyways, Sonoko makes the silly contest- a softball match, and if Seiya loses, he has to cut all ties with Usagi. As the girls know how bad Usagi is at sports, they get her to go along, as that’ll get Seiya to finally leave her alone (“and leave him to us”- AMI says this. AMI!!). Meanwhile, Sailor Aluminum Siren & Lead Crow are finally given more focus, as Galaxia threatens Siren for continuously failing, and Lead Crow shockingly voices a protest, putting herself at risk (“Was I speaking to you!?”, “Forgive me, master!”).
Seiya tries to train Usagi to play, but she sucks at it and they seem doomed to lose. But her intentions to try her best and hope she wins, even though she probably won’t, impress Sonoko, who agrees with Seiya that “her star shines bright”. But she’s promptly attacked by Lead Crow, leading to Usagi transforming… right in front of Aluminum Siren! Sailor Moon actually KOs the Phage by herself (grabbing a bat and firing Sailor Leaguer’s ball back at her), but Siren now attacks, saying she’s found a TRUE Star Seed- Sailor Moon’s! She attacks, but when Chibi-Chibi arrives and grabs Sailor Moon’s wand… a shining light bursts into the sky, reflecting the creation of a new star! Every Sailor feels it- even Galaxia! Chibi-Chibi is a Sailor Senshi, too! And when she touches Sailor Moon’s hand, she awakens new powers within her (you can tell because the wand gets even MORE pimped out)- the Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss… operates exactly like the “Therapy Kiss” does, with the same results, making this pointless, lol.
In any case, the Phage is beaten and Siren bails when the Starlights arrive to aide Sailor Moon (for once, the villain bailing actually makes sense- she’s way outnumbered here). Back to the ball game, where Seiya hits a home run to break the tie, but Sonoko is at bat with two on base. Sonoko hits it to right field, where Usagi, who’s been playing horribly all game, fumbling again and again… CATCHES IT! Thus saving the game- her team cheers while even Sonoko smiles, impressed with her effort.
A really good episode, actually, with plot development, a “bad guy” with actual DEPTH (taking the “upperclass student” tropes and kind of having an understanding with the character anyways), and a nice bit between them as they make good. The moments here actually feel earned. Though Seiya continually sexually harassing and bothering Usagi definitely does not age well- it reeks of writers pulling the “if you bug a woman for a date enough, eventually she’ll break down and say yes” thing.
(First Appearance: Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss, Sailor Chibi-Chibi)
EPISODE #188:
So things come to a head- Sailor Aluminum Siren is given one last chance, but she knows Sailor Moon’s secret identity, and is prepared to do something about it! So the Three Lights are having some fan club showing event on a charter airplane, and Usagi gets invited by Siren… AS SAILOR MOON! This lets the cat out of the bag, and Usagi (who was previously just pouting about missing the event, since she wasn’t a Lights fangirl) desperately runs to warn them.
Things escalate rapidly, as Usagi hits the flight and talks with the Lights, but the plane already takes off, and Siren puts the entire plane to sleep… minus the Sailors, who are apparently immune to the worst of sleep gas (is that a power I missed?). Then a trio of multicolored flight attendants with airplane wings for arms lash the Lights to their chairs and Siren demands “Sailor Moon” give up her True Star Seed- the Lights are floored, but when Siren attacks, Seiya gives up the facade and transforms into Sailor Star Fighter! The other two soon follow (as the other Sailors brawl with the attendants), and now the OTHER Sailors all transform, leaving everyone all “So you’re—“ even while Siren freaks the hell out at suddenly having EIGHT PEOPLE now fighting her. Getting eight Transformation Sequences in a row makes me think this episode was either running short, or they just didn’t wanna draw all the designs on Siren’s costume this often.
The Lights’ attacks knock the attendants around and Sailor Moon transforms them back to people, and Siren tears up in frustration… then attacks with “Galactica… TSUNAMI!!!”, which is… her throwing a bunch of airplane food at them. And yet the Sailors counter it with THEIR BIGGEST ATTACKS. In giant freeze-frame paintings. This episode is so weird. Siren just leaves in a huff, her plan ruined, and the Sailors now have to deal with this pile of revelations. But not before Siren has to pay the piper… Galaxia is greatly annoyed by the lack of Star Seed that she was promised, which Siren blows off with a “Why should I apologize? I haven’t done anything wrong” while Sailor Lead Crow BEGS her to apologize to their master. Sailor Tin Nyanko, our next “general”, taunts her and accuses her of making the whole thing up.
The absolute horrifying reaction to Siren having her bracelets removed, dooming her to die.
And so with an “I’ve heard enough”, Galaxia removes Siren’s bracelets, dooming her- Lead Crow BEGS for mercy and another chance for her friend/rival, while Siren wails in horror and pleas to deaf ears- she vaporizes in Lead Crow’s arms, the latest victim of their master. The acting was REALLY good here, especially Siren’s “I don’t want to DIE like this!” (though that’s exactly the dub dialogue added to Mimete’s death two seasons ago).
Meanwhile, the plane touches down back in Tokyo, with the Sailors and Starlights merely giving each other pensive, intense stares as they wordlessly part in the crowd.
Crazy-weird episode, being equal parts bizarre comedy (Siren’s whole attack is just a gong-show and a comedy of errors that makes her look silly), and then a villain dies like THAT?
(First Appearance: Sailor Tin Nyanko, Galactica Tsunami)
SWO Productions 