#on usagi is bad. not only her character writing is peak but also the story showing contrast between characters is insane

[keyofjetwolf]

Jet Wolf Summarizes Act 45

The manga and I kind of hate each other. This is unfortunate, but still, I’m determined to come out of this with something. Rather than spend energy on a liveblog that’s increasingly negative, I’m reading each manga act (mostly) silently, and then writing up summaries at the end. I won’t pull my punches. There’s going to be criticism and snark about the manga, either wholesale or in details. If that isn’t a thing you feel like reading, please skip this post!

It’s not that I’m disappointed by how surprised I’m not by anything that happened here. It’s more like the resigned haze of going through a vaguely unpleasant experience. Like going to the dentist. You’ll never be happy to go, but you take a deep breath every six months and sit in the chair and get on with it.

Only this is weekly. And I can’t put it off for three years. ALSO I DON’T GET A LITTLE PLASTIC TOY AT THE END WHERE IS MY LITTLE PLASTIC TOY GOD DAMMIT

Anyway, I hate myself, SO IT’S MANGA TIME.

A brand new volume brings the same old shit, as we open with the Inners incapacitated and helpless. Remember how furious I was back in Crystal that I spent several hours combing through the fucking thing to calculate how much collective time the Inner Senshi spent knocked out or otherwise unable to fight? LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT WOULD BE THE MOST ACCURATE FUCKING PART OF THE WHOLE SERIES.

So the Outers burst in, all eyeless and mysterious. But not so mysterious that Haruka can’t be a fucking asshole to Michiru, who is also there. They transform in full view of the Quartet, which in no way seems contradictory to their vows to keep everyone safe. They free the Inners, who spend the next twenty pages or so simply saying the Outers’ names and otherwise doing nothing. Or so you’d think. Off-panel, the girls stand at their portable mini-bar and talk about their job search while CPR dummies in cheap store-bought Senshi costumes seamlessly replace them. After about fifteen minutes, Michiru has joined them. She didn’t bother with a stand-in. Nobody on-panel notices.

Artemis is a cat again. Minako picks up the vodka, pours a shot, and then drinks directly from the bottle.

At Usagi’s house, she’s suffering from Black Rose Syndrome. They still manage to work in Mamoru.

Back in the fight with the Quartet, Pluto lays down the most absurd fucking shit that I actually yelled when I read it.

THIS DOESN’T MAKE ANY FUCKING SENSE

"We can’t avoid our destiny, which is protecting Usagi (and Mamoru too for no fucking good reason I guess), so we’ll do all we can to do the thing we are destined to do to overcome that destiny in order to make a new one which will be identical in all respects to the old one for the next thousand years, minimum.”

SAYING “FATE” AND “DESTINY” A LOT DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING TO AFFECT IT PLUTO AND YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD GET THAT

This entire part makes me so fucking angry. If the manga has reinforced anything, it’s the idea of its characters having exactly no will or control over anything that happens do them. Their personalities are paper thin and their devotion never justified, so literally all that’s left is “because reasons”. And if you want that as a central point of your story, by all means. But you don’t ALSO then get to wave your hand and try to claim this dramatic push toward freedom and choices. IT’S NOT AN “IT’S COMPLICATED” RELATIONSHIP STATUS HERE YOU’VE NOT PUT IN THE WORK TO EARN THAT AND I RESENT YOU TRYING

Or put another way:

Anyway, through all of this, the Inners have been trying to reach Usagi, but she caught mono from Mamoru and it’s not working. So the Outers try, and THAT Usagi picks up. Off panel, Rei drains the last of her whiskey, throws the bottle into the wall, and storms out.

Usagi’s wide awake now and reduced to tears that the Outers showed back up again. I know I always feel the same level of emotion when thinking of a reunion with a small group of people I had five conversations with, only one of which was not directly threatening in some way. IT IS THE STUFF FEELINGS ARE MADE OF

Michiru’s mirror reappears, acknowledging her existence and thereby proving itself unique in all the Sailor Moon mangaverse.

Usagi runs outside, only to see Mamoru running to her. He heard her voice calling out to him. I can’t help but think that things would be a lot more bearable if earbuds had been invented.

You know, something I’ve had to deal with hearing a lot since starting this rewatch project is how the characters are so much smarter in the manga.

The time period between all the Inner Senshi entering that tend and the Outers arriving was, at absolute best, about ten minutes. The Inners were going to the exact same circus show every single day for like two weeks, and the bad guys were laying their global conquest plan WITH THEM RIGHT THERE, so effectively that they could spring it in less time than it takes to watch the average Steven Universe episode, and they still didn’t know what the fuck was going on until someone else told them. I’m not saying the anime had everyone operating at peak observational performance here, I’m just saying I don’t want to hear shit about comparative intelligence again. THE NARRATIVE MAKES CONVENIENT FOOLS OF ALL

Chibs runs through town, noticing how dark it’s getting and how generally shitty Juuban is. Usagi and Mamoru catch up to her, just in time to unite with the other Senshi for ~drama~. Zirconia and Nehellenia appear with my new favourite phrase.

USE IT AT YOUR LOCAL GROCERY STORE AND ENJOY THE REPERCUSSIONS

Immediately, Usagi coughs up blood and collapses. HARUKA IS ALARMED

Michiru finishes her wine and moves to the brandy.

Lots of things GLOW and Pegasus answers the call of “could this possibly be less interesting”. He appears out of nowhere and utilizes what is without question the creepiest fucking “good guy” power I have ever seen.

THE POWER TO MAKE PEOPLE EIGHT YEAR OLDS

GOD I AM SO UNSETTLED RIGHT NOW THAT PEGASUS CAN JUST DO THIS AT WILL

What purpose does this de-aging serve, you ask? WHO THE FUCK KNOWS THE STORY DOESN’T FEEL YOU NEED AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION

Then Pegasus fades, and so do Usagi and Mamoru, and the Senshi freak out as they realize that means they have to carry the story on their own. But the issue realizes what a terrible idea that is too, and it shifts to Chibs and Hotaru, who have run off alone to pursue Nehellenia. Why just them? FUCK YOU THAT’S WHY

They encounter the Quartet, and Hotaru spends a not inconsiderable amount of time trying to convince them that they’re really good. I would like to point out how this is the first time literally anyone in this story hasn’t killed a mini-boss on sight, and how nonsensical and contrived it feels because of that. ONCE AGAIN THIS WAS SO FUCKING EASY TO AVOID

Then shit kind of happens I guess, it’s hard to tell. There are orbs and mirrors and people sucked into both. Then I think they go to Nehellenia, or maybe she’s at a rummage sale and delighted by all the savings.

Next time:

MAMORU’S LONE DISTRESSING NIPPLE