#Germatoid

[crossoverheaven]

[chaos-cauldron]

Translation by Miss Dream

[ultraericthered]

Three cases where the Sailor Moon 90's anime totally went against the point of what Naoko Takeuchi's manga. One case I like, one I'm mixed about, and one I loathe with every fiber of my being.

Black Lady in R: I already mentioned the thing with Luna-P in another post, but even beyond that one factor, the way Black Lady behaves in the anime compared to how she did in the manga & Crystal has a huge core difference - Takeuchi's Black Lady put her childish ways completely behind her, while Toei's Black Lady did not. The entire point of Chibi Usa's corruption into Black Lady is that it's the dark extreme end point of why she took the Silver Crystal to begin with: she wanted to stop being treated like a child and instead be a mature grown-up lady like her mother. Which is why she punted Luna-P away when it came back for her, and also why she...well, did the thing she did with her daddy Mamoru. But in the R anime, Black Lady is a Psychopathic Womanchild who still carries about her that sense of child-like mischief, still loves games and trickery, still uses Luna-P and does stuff like weaponize playing badminton against the Sailor Senshi, and is more prone to lashing out at her former family and friends in tantrums. She feels like a kid in an older girl's body, and....I honestly really dig that. 'Cause now it's less that this is Chibi Usa's ideal of a grown-up and more like this is how Chibi Usa would turn out if she was raised by a different family - the Black Moon Clan in this case. As Rubeus said, "love does not exist in the Black Moon Clan", and thanks to Wiseman's mental manipulation and the influence of the Malefic Black Crystal, Black Lady believes that love exists in no family, including her original one, so she might as well just live for herself, embrace the darkness and have fun with it. And this also ties into how she's turned back to the light by the family she'd been decieved into rejecting. It's a different but just as nuanced and interesting take on the character and her time in the story.

Professor Tomoe in S: I'm mixed on this because it works on one end but not at all on another. On the end of Souichi's character itself, the change comes off perfectly. We got to know and like the professor through all the little quirks, eccentricities and humanizing personality traits displayed by Germatoid!Tomoe throughout the season, so when it's revealed that he once was a good man who truly does love his daughter and had turned to extremes to protect her but is now remorseful for what he'd ended up bringing about, it checked out. It's completely against the point of Takeuchi's Tomoe, an irredeemable monster who was never a truly caring, loving father to Hotaru and who willingly threw away his humanity in pursuit of godhood, but it works on its own merits. But on the end of the Outer Senshi, this change works in tandem with their own misues and Flanderization to derail so much about their part in all this. In Takeuchi's narrative, Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna end up becoming Hotaru's real family, as her father had never been a good parent to her. It's important to Hotaru's story that she gets another chance at life to be raised by people who actually love and care about her, and it's important to the other three Outers as a show of growth, how they accept to become the guardians of the girl they know to be the reincarnation of Sailor Saturn, who they'd been fearful of and set to kill beforehand. In S? Haruka and Michiru want to murder Hotaru for completely inane and unsympathetic reasons, do not gain custody of Hotaru since Souichi is alive and around to raise her up himself, and when they do take Hotaru off Souichi's hands for a time in Stars, they prove how much worse off with them Hotaru is because they fucking get her killed by Sailor Galaxia! Moreover, it robs Haruka and Michiru of yet another chance to have an argument with some ideological high ground that even Usagi ends up having to cede to, as in the manga and Crystal Usagi does not want to take any life that is or was human, but Tomoe is too far gone into inhumanity and end up needing to die by her hand just as Uranus and Neptune said. By having him alive and redeemed, Usagi doesn't need to make any hard decisions. and Haruka and Michiru end up not being right about one single thing by the end. And lastly, nothing more is done with Souichi in Stars anyway, so I have to wonder if maybe they should've gone the direction Sera Myu went and had Pharaoh 90 kill the man.

Queen Nehelenia in Stars: I had plenty of words to spare about why Nehelenia in SuperS worked so well. She was still every bit the grim and malicious fairy tale-style villain, still the darkness threatening the light of Elysian, still tied directly to Zirconia and fixated on her own beauty, and still evil to the core beyond any hope of redemption. The Nehelenia who showed up for the first six episode arc of Stars was exactly none of those things. She's not deep, she's not interesting, she's not enjoyable to watch, and she's barely a thing like the villain from Takeuchi's Dream Arc save for the design and the aesthetics of mirrors and nightmares. She's just some raging, vengeful hater who fixates on her "loneliness" (y'know, the thing she willingly chose for herself so long as it meant she kept her beauty?) over her beauty, has a sudden hate boner for Usagi that's strong enough to break her free from her mirror because she despises people who love themselves and who love others because she was never truly loved and never truly loved herself in her sad lonely childhood, and said childhood apparently so deeply effecting and so heartbreaking that it renders her deserving of friendship and a chance to start over in a better life where she can be loved and happy. The larger plans she had in SuperS to completely corrupt Elysian, make Earth into a new Dead Moon, and take over the universe with the Golden Crystal's power? Nonexistent now, her only goal in life is to hurt Usagi. Her old lady form? Never seen again, though that's logically what she'd turn back into once out of the mirror. Those Zirconias she could create? Never creates another one. And by pushing her as a personal enemy for Usagi in particular, the writers on Stars inadvertedly made her more like Sailor Galaxia, the very villain who then became that season's Big Bad! Living in loneliness and envying Usagi for the better life she had? The whole "wanting to completely break Usagi" thing? Cursing Mamoru and turning him into a puppet? Wiping Chibi Usa from existence to make Usagi suffer and piss her off? Those were all Galaxia's things! Giving them to Nehelenia instead limited what Galaxia could actually do as an active force for evil other than slapping on and removing bracelets and boom-killing all the Sailor Senshi until it was time to fight Sailor Moon to the death. And sweet Sailor Comos, that forced, bullshit ending. Much like Prince Dimande before her, Nehelenia was not set up as a redeemable villain prior to this moment, not even in Stars itself, and to give the pretense of redemption and a happily ever after to one of the Big Bads who was spawned from Chaos in the manga...it just doesn't feel right! So nothing about this deviation worked. It really feels like a bad dream.

[sailorheadcanons]

Before Germatoid became an abomination, he was a rogue demonic general and genetic engineer on his home planet in the Tau Nebula, who dabbled in wildly immoral experiments with the intent of creating supersoldiers who would overthrow his fellow generals... Namely, a certain 'General & Head of State.'

This ended up backfiring badly, and he got booted off the planet, but not before he collected some DNA from another general (one he was on considerably less ugly terms with at the time), later used for the creation of what became Mistress 9.

[mercurypower]

SM Villains Week Day 7

"Free"? What about a crossover between the four antagonist organizations of the series?

@smvillainsweek

[wormgumz]

2021

[geeky92]

Things I like about the Sailor Moon manga

This might seem like a random thing to post in 2024, but as a Sailor Moon fan, I feel like I don’t give the manga enough love on my blog. So, here’s a quick rundown of things that I like/love in the manga.

The expanded backstories of all the Inner Senshi: While the 90s anime did have a much stronger emphasis on the Inner Senshi’s friendship with Usagi (well, for the first 2 and a half seasons anyway), the manga actually gives us stronger hints about their home lives and overall backstories. For example: Rei’s estranged relationship with her father, Ami’s relationship with her mother, Mako growing up as an orphan, and Minako’s past as Sailor V (though, we do get small glimpses of this in the 90s anime, it’s just presented better in the manga).

We get to see more from Mamoru’s POV: Now, this can be considered both a good thing and a bad thing. The downside of this is that it can come at the cost of giving the Inner Senshi less focus. On the plus side, however, it gives us more insight into Mamoru’s character, and how being the reincarnation of Prince Endymion affects him in his daily life.

The Outer Senshi are much more involved in the action: As much as I enjoy the Outer Senshi in the 90s anime, they aren’t really involved in any of the “important” battles, compared to their manga counterparts. Sure, Uranus and Neptune got plenty of screen time in Season 3, but when it came to the final battle with Pharaoh 90 and Mistress 9, they were mostly just there to scold Sailor Moon about “sacrificing for the greater good” (but at least they got to kill Germatoid in the 90s anime); and poor Saturn didn’t even get to do anything worthwhile in Seasons 4 or 5, but Pluto probably got it the worst in the 90s anime. Meanwhile in the manga, Pluto has a much stronger role in the Black Moon Arc, Uranus and Neptune are much more willing to work together with the Inner Senshi, and Saturn gets a lot more to do from the Infinity Arc through the Stars Arc.

The villains are taken a lot more seriously: Okay, this one’s more of a mixed bag for me, because I kinda prefer the Dark Kingdom, Black Moon Clan and Amazoness Quartet from the 90s anime. However, the Death Busters, Shadow Galactica and Queen Nehelenia are much more threatening and compelling in the manga. If you’ve read the manga, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Chibi-Usa’s character development is much more consistent: It’s not that I “hate” Chibi-Usa’s character in the 90s anime. I liked her in Seasons 2 and 3, but for a majority of Seasons 4 and 5, she was pretty useless. The manga didn’t have this problem, as she became stronger and much more mature as the story progressed.

[smvillainsweek]

Favorite Death Busters member

[ultraericthered]

Sudden Germatoid Flash!

[themattress]

Sailor Moon: Infinity - Original vs. Toei Adaptation

- Mugen Academy, there from the beginning of the original arc, takes until episode 120 to appear, with only 7 more episodes left in the series to go! A truly baffling adaptational choice.

- Chibiusa also meets and befriends Hotaru right from the start of the original arc, whereas it doesn't happen until episode 112 in the anime (also, Chibiusa isn't even there from the start).

- Hotaru's twisted homelife of being a sickly girl cared for by her shady scientist father and his equally shady assistant pops up in chapter 28. Not until episode 113 in the anime version!

- Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune working on their own and being antagonistic toward the Inner Senshi due to not wanting them to share in the burden they must carry is faithfully adapted during the first half of the anime arc. The second half, however, rather than having them develop past the antagonism, only doubles down on it and changes their reason for it as well to just them being really arrogant and hating the Inner Senshi's naive idealism.

- Ami and Viluy's interactions in Mugen Academy from chapter 30 is adapted in episode 122.

- Chibiusa making a Holy Grail for her art project in chapter 31 is adapted in episode 107.

- The scene with Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in chapter 32 is bizarrely moved to the start of episode 113 and with just Mamoru present with them. The respectful way they address him makes zero sense given the anime's context and change in the Outer Senshi's personalities.

- Hotaru's backstory is altered. Instead of being badly burned in a laboratory fire that kills her mother and having cybernetic implants given along with Mistress 9's egg when her father makes a pact with Pharaoh 90, she is almost killed in a laboratory explosion and her father has Mistress 9's egg inhabit her and Germatoid's egg inhabit him as a means to save her life.

- Sailor Moon obtaining the Holy Grail and transforming into Super Sailor Moon from the end of chapter 32 / start of chapter 33 is adapted in episode 111, with a different context and transpiring via the Outer Senshi's hearts rather than Usagi, Mamoru and Chibiusa's hearts.

- Originally, the Outer Senshi seek to kill Hotaru because she's the reincarnation of Sailor Saturn whom they have very specific history with and valid reason to fear. They pity Hotaru, but she's dying of illness anyway. In the anime, they seek to kill her both because she's the reincarnation of Sailor Saturn whom they've only heard bad things about and end up being completely wrong about, and because she's the Dark Messiah, vessel of Mistress 9...basically not caring that this makes her a victim. So basically the anime overcomplicated matters by giving them two reasons, both of them unjustified, instead of only one that was.

- Mistress 9 awakening through the seizure of Chibiusa's soul in Chapter 33 is adapted in episode 123. Subsequently, Mamoru keeping Chibiusa alive through his energy while the Sailor Senshi head to Mugen Academy for a climactic showdown is the same in both versions, although the anime kind of forgot to explain how Mamoru can even do that.

- The only things the climax of the arc has in common is Hotaru's spirit appearing before Mamoru and Chibiusa to say goodbye, and Sailor Saturn going to the Tau Nebula to kill herself along with Pharaoh 90 only to reincarnate as a baby on Earth. However, these are still drastically different in context. Originally, Hotaru's spirit appears because she died, splitting from her body in order to save the souls of Chibiusa and the Inner Senshi, while in the anime it's just Hotaru awoken as Sailor Saturn astral-projecting herself before making her sacrifice. Sailor Saturn is originally a different personality from Hotaru and was going to destroy Earth along with Pharaoh 90 until Sailor Moon dealt a crippling blow to Pharaoh 90 that made him retreat back to the Tau Nebula, with Sailor Saturn following to fulfill her duty and Sailor Moon using her Messiah power to teleport her infant reincarnation to Earth afterward. In the anime, Sailor Saturn is Hotaru and pushes Pharaoh 90 back through the Tau Nebula as a heroic sacrifice, with Sailor Moon using her Messiah power to go in after her, destroying Pharaoh 90 alongside her offscreen, and returning to Earth holding her infant reincarnation in her arms.

BONUS:

- A major climactic event from the Black Moon Clan arc that the anime neglected to adapt there was Sailor Pluto freezing time and dying as a result, which caused Chibiusa to transform into Sailor Chibi Moon. So here, Chibiusa makes her reappearance in the series as Sailor Chibi Moon in episode 103, having gained the form off-screen, while Sailor Pluto has a different time freeze-induced death involving an exploding helicopter in episode 124.

[sulan1809]

Hotaru Tomoe - Curiosidades sobre a herdeira de Saturno

Sailor Moon é uma obra que obteve bastante popularidade na década de 1990, revolucionou o estilo Mahou Shoujo e inspirou obras como Magical Knight Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura e Futari wa Precure. A adaptação mais recente, Sailor Moon Crystal, teve o enredo desenvolvido às pressas para se manter fiel ao material base do mangá de Naoko Takeuchi. Usagi Tsukino é a protagonista central da obra, mas este artigo é dedicado a Hotaru Tomoe, uma garota que viveu como sofredora até os momentos de estrelato como Sailor Saturn. Embora ela tenha um grande carisma como Sailor Senshi, a história de Hotaru é muito triste, com elementos sombrios e jornada de superação. Qual segredo Hotaru tanto esconde? Veremos.

Hotaru foi forçada a ser o hospedeiro de Mistress 9

Hotaru vivia uma vida normal e descomplicada, até o dia do acidente desconhecido que aconteceu com ela quando estava com o pai dela, Souichi Tomoe em um laboratório de experimentos científicos. Em Sailor Moon Crystal, Hotaru já vivia com ambos os pais dela antes da morte da mãe dela, causada por um fogo durante uma tempestade furiosa. Hotaru também morreria, mas o pai dela a salvou usando um Daimon no corpo dela, conhecido como Mistress 9, sob ordens de Pharaoh 90, já no anime dos anos 1990, a mãe de Hotaru já estava falecida, Hotaru também morreu, mas foi durante a chegada de um Daimon chamado Germatoid. Desesperado, Souichi pedia a Pharaoh 90 que salvasse a filha dele. Em vez de Souichi, foi Pharaoh 90 que teve responsabilidade na transformação de Hotaru em Mistress 9.

Hotaru foi transformada em uma Cyborg

Em Sailor Moon Crystal, além de tornar Hotaru como a hospedeira de Mistress 9, Souichi salvou a filha dele, alterando o corpo dela com partes cyborg. Sem querer que os outros descobrissem, Hotaru usou a versão de mangas compridas do uniforme dela, mesmo durante o verão, e fora da escola, usava roupas mais escuras. Devido ao fato de Hotaru ser a hospedeira de Mistress 9, ela sempre sofria de convulsões misteriosas. Ironicamente, no anime original da década de 1990, Hotaru nunca foi transformada em uma cyborg, mas ela ainda assim sofria de convulsões, e o amuleto que Hotaru recebeu do pai dela parecia manter o mal estar de Hotaru sob controle.

Hotaru sofria de ostracismo na escola

Antes de conhecer Chibiusa, Hotaru não era mostrada tendo quaisquer amigos. Na escola, ela sofria bullying das outras pessoas por causa da doença dela, além de não usar a versão de verão do uniforme dela quando o tempo exigia. A natureza introvertida e tímida de Hotaru também não ajudava nisso. No anime original, Hotaru estava ciente de que outra pessoa residia no corpo dela. Mistress 9 teve um papel maior em fazer os colegas de Hotaru a evitar, já que às vezes ela tinha mudanças dramáticas de humor que não podiam ser explicadas. Hotaru também tinha poderes de cura, o que infelizmente apenas adicionava para o bullying que ela recebia diariamente dos colegas dela, sem falar do lado sombrio que tentava dominá-la.

O pai de Hotaru era muito diferente em Sailor Moon Crystal

Antes do acidente, Souichi Tomoe era um cientista obcecado com a possibilidade de formas de vida alienígenas, e experimentos desumanos, o que causaram que ele fosse banido da comunidade científica da qual ele fazia parte. Ele foi ainda mais desprezado quando ele usou os experimentos dele na filha dele, Hotaru, para transformá-la em uma cyborg. Para adicionar insulto à injúria, ele não viu nenhum problema em implantar a semente de Mistress 9 em Hotaru, uma vez que isso significava mais poder para ele em retorno. No anime original, Souchi mostrou ser um pai mais amável para Hotaru. Este fato se provou verdadeiro quando ele implorou a Pharaoh 90 que salvasse a vida da filha dele. Ele até afirma não se importar com o que acontecesse com ele, desde que Hotaru estivesse segura. Embora ele estivesse ciente do que estava por vir, indubitavelmente Souichi estava mais preocupado com Hotaru do que com ele mesmo.

Como Sailor Saturn, Hotaru adquiriu o título de Guardiã da Destruição e Renovação, ou seja, ela tem grande poder para destruir um planeta inteiro. Por causa desse fato, Sailor Uranus e Sailor Neptune tentaram matar Sailor Saturn, pois acreditavam que se Hotaru despertasse como Sailor Saturn ela levaria o mundo para a destruição total. Hotaru teve um papel fundamental no despertar de Usagi Tsukino como Eternal Sailor Moon durante o conflito com a temida Queen Nehellenia, que queria levar o mundo a uma nova era de trevas.

[ultraericthered]

My Top 75 Favorite Anime Villains

Had to put a lot of thought into this, but here it is in full evil glory!

1. Cell (Dragon Ball)

2. Light Yagami (Death Note)

3. Johan Liebert (Monster)

4. Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

5. Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)

6. Myotismon (Digimon Adventure)

7. Freeza (Dragon Ball)

8. Dewey Novak (Eureka Seven)

9. Zorc the Dark One/Yami Bakura (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

10. Askeladd Olafson (Vinland Saga)

11. Sir Crocodile (One Piece)

12. Father (Fullmetal Alchemist)

13. Griffith (Berserk)

14. Shinobu Sensui (Yu Yu Hakusho)

15. Queen Beryl (Sailor Moon)

16. Giovanni (Pokemon the Series)

17. Gakuho Asano (Assassination Classroom)

18. Maximillian Pegasus (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

19. Reiji Miyabi/Head (Star Driver)

20. Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

21. The Major (Hellsing Ultimate)

22. The Dark Gundam (Mobile Fighter G Gundam)

23. Marik Ishtar (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

24. Ken Ichijouji (Digimon Adventure 02)

25. Katsuhiko Jinnai (El Hazard)

26. Rosemary Applefield (Nadja of Tomorrow)

27. Suzaku (Yu Yu Hakusho)

28. Makoto Shishio (Rurouni Kenshin)

29. Younger Toguro (Yu Yu Hakusho)

30. Blackbeard (One Piece)

31. Piedmon (Digimon Adventure)

32. Zofis & Koko (Zatch Bell)

33. Master Asia (Mobile Fighter G Gundam)

34. Xellos Metallium (The Slayers)

35. Yukio Oikawa (Digimon Adventure 02)

36. Lord Darcia III (Wolf’s Rain)

37. Akito Sohma (Fruits Bakset)

38. Akio Ohtori (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

39. Lelouch Vi Britannia (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion)

40. Vegeta (Dragon Ball)

41. Rezo the Red Priest (The Slayers)

42. Professor Tomoe/Germatoid (Sailor Moon S)

43. Colonel Muska (Castle In The Sky)

44. Shinsuke Takasugi (Gintama)

45. Ryoko Asakura (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

46. Toya Todoroki/Dabi (My Hero Academia)

47. Shion Sonozaki (When They Cry: Higurashi)

48. Akane Shinjo & Alexis Kerib (SSSS Gridman)

49. The D-Reaper (Digimon Tamers)

50. William James Moriarty (Moriarty the Patriot)

51. Chrollo Lucilfer (Hunter x Hunter)

52. Miyo Takano (When They Cry: Higurashi)

53. Wiseman/Death Phantom (Sailor Moon R)

54. Meruem (Hunter x Hunter)

55. Lucemon (Digimon Frontier)

56. Lord Ilpalazzo (Excel Saga)

57. Roswaal L. Mather (Re:Zero)

58. Suigintou (Rozen Maiden)

59. Nui Harime & Ragyo Kiryuin (Kill La Kill)

60. Yuno Gasai & Murmur #1 (The Future Diary)

61. Masquerade (Bakugan Battle Brawlers)

62. Creed Diskenth (Black Cat)

63. Izaya Orihara (Durarara)

64. Ladd Russo (Baccano)

65. Kagato (Tenchi Muyo)

66. Satou Matsuzaka (Happy Sugar Life)

67. Lucy (Elfen Lied)

68. Kirei Kotomine (Fate series)

69. Naraku (Inuyasha)

70. Medusa Gorgon (Soul Eater)

71. Yuri “Yurippe” Nakamura (Angel Beats!)

72. Atsumu “Yukiatsu” Matsuyuki (Anohana)

73. Fumito Nanahara (Blood -C)

74. Dilandau Albatou (Vision of Escaflowne)

75. Edmond Dantes & Gankutsuou (Gankutsuou)

[geeky92]

Top 10 BEST Changes Made in the 90s Sailor Moon anime

What’s interesting to me about the Sailor Moon fandom is that we all have different tastes when it comes to our favorite adaptations, whether it’d be the musicals, the PGSM tokusatsu series, the 90s anime, or the Crystal anime. However, the one that tracks the most controversy here (at least from my experience) is the 90s anime. For a lot of older millennials, the 90s anime was just about the only version of Sailor Moon they knew, and therefore influenced their perception of the characters for many years. So, I can definitely see how that would annoy diehard fans of the manga.

However, as someone who respects the manga and adores the 90s anime (or at least the first 4 seasons of it), I actually think that some of the changes made in the latter work really well. So, along with a few honorable mentions, here are my top 10 favorite changes made in the 90s Sailor Moon anime.

Honorable Mention #1: Kunzite and Zoisite’s Relationship

While it is kinda questionable that nearly every homosexual male character in the 90s anime is a villain, the thing that made Kunzite and Zoisite’s relationship so refreshing at the time was that it gave them more depth as characters. They may not have gotten a redemption arc like Nephrite did, but the way they genuinely cared for each other, and had to keep their relationship a secret from the rest of the Dark Kingdom was what made them more sympathetic than your average queer-coded villain duo.

Honorable Mention #2: Professor Tomoe

Admittedly, I did think the more evil version of Tomoe in the manga and Crystal gave Hotaru better closure with the Outer Senshi, following his well deserved death. However, I still have a big soft spot for the more remorseful and sympathetic version of Tomoe in the 90s anime. Sure, him staying alive at the end makes Hotaru living with the Outer Senshi a lot less meaningful, but him doing whatever it takes to save his dying daughter, even metaphorically selling his soul to an alien parasite, is just so beautiful to me. Plus, Germatoid!Tomoe is absolutely hilarious in the 90s anime, and totally worthy of meme status!

10. Saphir

Compared to the other Black Moon Clan members, Saphir really didn’t get as much screen time in the 90s anime, but with the little screen time he did get, he still managed to make a huge impact. For one thing, we get to learn more about Saphir’s relationship with his brother, Prince Demande, and we see a bit more of his internal struggles with trying to stay in his brother’s good graces while keeping a cautious eye on Wiseman. Another interesting thing that makes this Saphir stand out from his manga and Crystal counterparts is his past romance with Petz, and while their reconciliation was brief, the little time they had together was still very sweet (and appropriately tragic, considering what happened to Saphir afterwards).

9. The Entire Climax of the Infinity Arc

Now, I realize that this is a very hot take, but hear me out. Yes, the manga and Crystal version of this climax is better in terms of character development and teamwork between all 10 Sailor Senshi (and Mamoru). Plus, the manga and Crystal had a much better payoff with Pharaoh 90, since we never got to see all of him in the 90s anime, but in terms of higher stakes and emotional impact…I just think the 90s anime does it a bit better. I mean, just look at all this!

Not even the Season 5 finale could reach the level of intensity this climax had! Seriously, this was the darkest the anime has ever gotten, and it still hits all the right emotional beats for me! Though, there’s still another season finale from this anime that sticks out in my mind a bit more, but I’m saving that one for later.

8. Black Lady

I think this post perfectly sums up how I feel about Black Lady in the 90s anime, and I couldn’t agree more.

7. The Final Battle with Death Phantom in Present Day Tokyo

Again, might be a bit of a hot take, but I really liked that the 90s anime had the Black Moon finale take place in 20th century Tokyo, instead of having it take place in the 30th century on Nemesis. Not only does it make the stakes a lot more personal, but it also fixes a small, yet kind of annoying plot hole from the manga.

6. The Search for the Talismans

So, the way this plot point plays out in the 90s anime is very simple, yet interesting. Uranus and Neptune set out on a mission to search through people’s pure hearts to find the 3 talismans, which have the power to summon the Holy Grail, because they know the Death Busters want it for nefarious purposes. I like this, because it gives Uranus and Neptune a more logically sound reason to collect the 3 talismans. I also really liked how Uranus and Neptune didn’t believe that their hearts were pure enough to be holding talismans, because it gave them an added layer of depth and nuance (this post delves into it a lot better than I ever could). Again, it does a great job at fixing a particular plot hole from the manga.

So…if you knew this, then why couldn’t you three have just stayed away from each other in the first place?? Might’ve been a much easier option for you than making an attempt on a 12-year old girl’s life! Just saying.

5. The Spectre Sisters

I absolutely LOVE what the 90s anime did with these ladies! In the manga, they were really just there to be disposable monsters-of-the-day, whereas the anime made them actual characters. Koan is the often underestimated and insecure younger sibling with a romantic streak; Berthier’s an intellectual who’s very cold on the surface, yet very humble and caring towards her sisters (especially Koan); and Petz is the tough, no-nonsense leader who also has a bit of a romantic streak.

Then there’s Calaveras, who, um…well, okay, Calaveras doesn’t actually have much going for her in the 90s anime. Ironic, since she was the only Spectre Sister that had any real semblance of personality in the manga (and had much more interesting abilities there as well). On the flip side, she’s easily outshined by her sisters in the 90s anime, both in terms of character and abilities (the latter of which only amount to cracking a whip, and nothing else). Still, her frenemy-sibling dynamic with Petz is endearingly funny, and all four sisters had great redemption episodes. Though, Petz’s redemption did seem kinda forced, her emotional reconciliation with Saphir later on made up for it.

4. The Battle with Rubeus on the UFO

Following the Spectre Sisters’ redemption storyline came another interesting change in the 90s anime’s Black Moon arc: The Final Confrontation with Rubeus. In the manga, Rubeus was just an okay villain at best, but in the 90s anime, he’s much more ruthless and sinister. After a last failed attempt at killing the entire Sailor Team (and the Spectre Sisters), he kidnaps all four Inner Senshi, crucifies them with their hands frozen in Malefic Black Crystal, and uses them as ransom for Chibi-Usa and Sailor Moon! I won’t spoil every little thing that goes on in this fight, but it is epic!! It’s one of my favorite episodes in the entire anime, because it truly is one of those episodes that prove Usagi can hold her own without the aide of Tuxedo Mask, and Chibi-Usa contributes to this fight in a big way too. Just a great fight and great episode all around.

3. Nephrite

If you were to ask me which fictional character I’d consider to be the embodiment of an emotional gut punch, Nephrite from the 90s Sailor Moon anime would be one of the first to pop into my head. At first glance, Nephrite appeared to be a much bigger threat to the Senshi than Jadeite, and in some ways, he was. He’d formulate his plans more carefully, consistently stick to one disguise while fooling his victims in more subtle ways, and he had the ability to create youmas from the stars themselves! However, there was one weakness he had as well: the kindness of a stranger.

Now, I know that plenty of people find this relationship to be very problematic in the 90s anime, for admittedly valid reasons, but putting aside the weirdly ambiguous age gap between Nephrite and Naru, I find their relationship in his last two episodes to be very sweet and touching. Up until the moment Naru protected him from Sailor Moon’s attack, Nephrite didn’t know what human love was like, which makes his death here all the more heartbreaking. It also helps that Nephrite wasn’t an attempted rapist like Prince Demande, but I digress.

2. The Expanding of Haruka and Michiru’s Relationship

I’m kinda cheating a bit with this one, since it’s more of an expansion than an actual “change”. However, these HaruMichi moments I’m referring to don’t really happen in the manga, so it still checks out. Anyway, I love this, because we don’t just get to see Haruka and Michiru on screen more, but we get to learn more about them as characters. In the manga, the only real backstory we get of them is one about their past lives in the Silver Millennium Era. In the anime, we get to know more about their civilian lives and how they first met. Plus, we get great moments like these:

So, yeah. I’ve really got nothing else to add here. Moving right along…

The Entire Climax of the Dark Kingdom Arc

See, now this is a season finale! I cannot understate how much I adore episodes 45 and 46 of Sailor Moon Classic! Those 2 episodes make up a perfect finale to a first season of this 5 season long anime; from the Inner Senshi each taking down a few of the DD Girls at a time while dying to protect Usagi, to Queen Beryl and Metalia fusing together to become Super Beryl, to the Inner Senshi coming back as ghosts to aide Usagi.

It was just a great season finale all around. In fact, it was so great, that it motivated Naoko Takeuchi to continue her manga into the 5-arc story that we know today. Without that Season 1 finale, the Dark Kingdom arc in the manga would’ve been a one-and-done thing.

[smvillainsweek]

Favorite Death Busters member

[nakamorijuan]

第124話 「話迫り来る闇の恐怖！苦戦の8戦士」