iaria

• I loved that we opened on Usagi cooking, competently at that, and how it seemed like something she did a lot. It immediately made me think of Makoto giving Usagi, and the other senshi, cooking lessons at her apartment. About how Rei banned them from doing so at the Temple after the Great Currie Debacle of which they don’t speak (except when they do all the time because it’s a favourite thing to tease about), and days spent laughing and trying food, of Usagi chasing the girls around with a spoon trying to get them to try her latest attempt (in the beginning), the way that Usagi was so determined to get good and how Makoto was similarly determined to help her because of it (even when she covered the entire kitchen in unnameable food things, and I can imagine her gentle smile while watching Usagi being so resolute while trying a sauce and her grin when Usagi laughs in delight at success). Plus of course there would be food fights (duh), and shopping trips, and Usagi wanting to make that dish Mamoru loved on their last date and dragging all the girls into finding out how to make it. Or, Minako bringing a recipe back from some other country and the girls gathering at Makoto’s to try making it. Or Ami sending Usagi and Makoto interesting recipes from America that they try, often with Rei dragged along, sometimes with Minako when she’s there, and then they send Ami the results complete with pictures (taken by Luna). I can just see it all in my mind and it makes me so happy.

• Rei being a Miko was nice to see and I loved when all the candles lit for her. That was such a cool moment. We didn’t get much about Rei’s special abilities and connection to fire for most of the series so I loved that not only was it highlighted here but that it was implied that she’s spent the last few years honing that gift.

• So Ami’s a doctor, Minako’s still an idol, Rei’s a miko and Makoto is... a florist and studying to be a flower arranger? It’s kind of random but I think it does also fit. Plus it makes me think that she still has her connection to trees and that makes me happy. It makes me very curious about what Usagi is doing or is planning on becoming. Everything about her in this special is her being caught up in her wedding, understandable, but less so is the fact that no mention is made of what Usagi is doing with her life. Did she go to university or is she taking classes in something? Is she planning on being a housewife? I love the idea that she’s a chef.

• So Luna now lives at Usagi’s home in her human form now? Who does Ikuko think she is? Is this a Chibi-Usa thing where the Tsukino’s think that she’s a cousin? It is very cute, if inexplicable.

• I am choosing to believe that the giant stuffed turtle sitting in the middle of Makoto’s couch means that Motoki is living with her. It certainly doesn’t have to, and could easily have just been a gift, though it’s presence did confirm that she and Motoki were together for me from the beginning. But I love the idea of them living together so that’s going to be my canon now.

• Mamoru easily and steadily going along with Usagi dragging him around all day was amusing. I love it. He loves her and is going to marry her so he should be used to it. Why Usagi decided to stop in the doll aisle of a store and then hold a doll like a baby I cannot say but I’m choosing to believe that she’s purposefully choosing to mess with him. I also loved his expression when she ran off distracted by something cute practically mid sentence – tired, a bit annoyed but also with exasperated affection.

• “Whatever. If it’s going to end then it should just end.” – Mamoru
“I see. (pause) If that’s your position, Mamoru, then I’m also declining!” – Usagi

Oh, those two. Several points here:

1) It appears that Mamoru really is tired of all the wedding planning. I can’t really blame him considering he spent the entire day dragged around by Usagi and for who knows how many days/weeks before as well and this is an enthusiastic Usagi so he’s probably exhausted. Its especially so if he really hasn’t cared about the planning but has been going along with it for Usagi.

2) Them ending up doing their whole ‘baka/who you calling a baka’ moment made me go awww. I loved that TPTB slipped that in there.

3) Usagi is such a drama queen! “I’m not marrying you!” and then giving him back his ring? Oh, Usagi. I’m rolling my eyes at you.

4) I really can’t say how much I love the whole Usagi/Makoto and Mamoru/Motoki thing that they had going. To be honest it made me squee. It’s like two couples who are best friends and when Usagi and Mamoru fight she goes to Makoto to complain and he goes to Motoki to roll his eyes and Makoto and Motoki play peace makers and then later return home to shake their heads together at their drama queen best friends. I’d say that the opposite would happen in turn when Makoto and Motoki fight but I just can’t see the two of them fighting. Anyway – BFF couples for the win. Or at least for making me very happy.

• I had a thought seeing Rei in high heels: wearing those heels as Mars, fighting and running in those heels, probably really helped her once she started wearing them as Rei. She probably has amazing balance.

• Tuxedo Kamen saving Usagi, one last time (perhaps), was really nice. Man, the nostalgia is really getting to me. I mean I wasn’t even all that annoyed by Usagi standing there instead of moving out of the way of the sword and thus needing him to step in.

• I loved that Usagi’s first thought after they were stuck in the cage was to be worried about Mamoru seeing the Shitennou as enemies again (that is so Usagi). Instead he’s musing about women and weddings, and opens his mouth about it so of course it devolves once again into them fighting. I am amused. They are so cute.

• “Before I could just transform and get out right away! I used to be with everyone else too...” – Usagi. This just made me aww. I guess it’s just that I love her missing being a senshi and actively wanting a return to before. I like the idea that it isn’t even being Sailor Moon that she misses so much as all of them being together all the time, and being so close that she misses.

• The Legendary Sword being so fake looking is pretty much as usual. Serenity says it’s a blade ‘possessing great power’ but specifically mentions only for those with ‘souls of senshi’ and I wonder if by ‘souls’ she means star seeds (and thus any senshi could use it) or if she means specifically that the senshi of Moon Kingdom could use it because it’s somehow attuned to their specific souls? I also find myself wondering if this could be the sword that Venus wields in the manga. It could or could not be but I love that it ends up being Minako who holds it in the end.

• For all that I loved Queen Serenity’s appearances and thought she was awesome there is also a lot that confused me about her as well. Like, the fact that she was there and communicating with Luna at all considering the fact that she is dead. It appears she was coming from a restored Moon Kingdom so that gives three options:

1) she is communicating with Luna, and giving actual physical help and knows what’s happening in the current time, all from the past before she was killed which is... weird. I mean... how the hell? I don’t even know where to start in all the ways that seems crazy. I mean not impossible certainly and the reasons/explanations for it can all probably be boiled down to two words: ‘Silver Crystal’ but, just, how? And why now (and not say during the whole Beryl/Metaria thing)? Or, wait, has Luna been in contact with Queen Serenity throughout the entire series?!

2) when Usagi, um, rebooted the Earth perhaps she also brought back the Moon Kingdom too? So for the past four years the Moon Kingdom along with all its citizens who weren’t re-incarnated including Queen Serenity has been back. It’s been cloaked with the Queen’s powers or the kingdoms powers, and Serenity has been in contact with Luna since but decided to let her daughter and the others live their lives peacefully as humans while they could. That could be interesting actually.

3) she’s a ghost. A very active ghost. She ‘lives’ on the Moon and watches over her daughter and occasionally communicates with Luna.

In the whole ‘evidence’ file you have: The way that Serenity said “I sense an evil power” which felt very... current and as if she was sensing it right then which supports her being alive. But then there’s when she sends the legendary sword to Earth and there are a bunch of broken columns around it... so a ghost? Hmm.

- Then there is the fact that the show brought back Queen Serenity... and then never let Usagi meet or interact with her! WTF? In fact by the end it appears that neither Luna nor Makoto have told anyone about her (though perhaps they told the other senshi to explain the giant sword?).

- Oh, final Queen Serenity point – she was very pretty, very regal but... why no odango’s? I know they made the princess not have them, and it still annoys me, but the Queen too? Also her hair is supposed to be silver!

• When Ami said to herself “What do I do?” I went ‘well, clearly you get in the driver’s seat and run them down!’ and then... she did. Sort of. She tried to avoid when I thought she should have tried to take them out (they’re youma!) I love that she did it in her own Ami way – putting her glasses on (because she’s required by law), putting up her ID, putting on her seatbelt – oh, Ami.

• I loved Ami showing up with the fire extinguisher and Minako on the motorbike to save Makoto and Luna. Minako on the motorcycle in particular was nice. Now I’m imagining her pulling up beside Rei one day at the Temple and then the two of them taking off together.

• “Even you guys aren’t that dumb.” – Mamoru
“Master, splendid jest!” – Zoisite.

Hee. They were very... cute, which is something we didn’t get to really see during the series. I also loved Jadeite jumping around cheering ‘yatta’ after Endymion defeated the youma and then Jadeite and Nephrite bickering and about to start fighting. (Jadeite is definitely the youngest and I’m finding him strangely adorable.) And of course it would be Zoisite who would be able to stand to protect Endymion even when injured. Their interactions in this Act really felt like how they had been during their previous life.

• As nice as it was to see the Shitennou again, and them fighting alongside Endymion, this show is PGSM and I want the Senshi and the Senshi fighting, damn it! Usagi is supposed to be fighting not being told to ‘stay here’ and listening. It’s just wrong.

• When Endymion and his Shitennou were being all celebratory about defeating the youma I was going all ‘um, Mamoru, are you forgetting something?’ I was completely expecting Mio to go after Usagi while she was alone and defenceless, especially since its Usagi that Mio hates most.

• I really liked the youma that Mio transformed into. It was so different from what we saw during the series.

• “Just for today we can transform.” – Minako. Boo. So, what happened to the sword? Is it completely gone? Did it return to the Moon? How the hell does it temporarily make them Senshi again anyway? Especially Usagi who used the Silver Crystal in order to transform. I think that the Senshi all have the power to henshin anyway. I mean they still have their star seeds don’t they? I think the sword was just giving them a prop that they thought they needed.

• I loved that they all kept the tambourine weapons, and that Venus had the daggers that Mars was using, but I wanted more of a fight! We got to see them use their weapons to deflect Mio-youma’s attacks and then they used Sailor Planet Attack (which, um, missing a planet there girls! If TPTB really couldn’t get Mars into the final battle they really shouldn’t have used that attack) but we didn’t get one Senshi power attack! I don’t think I really realised that when watching but, yeah, in the entire act not one senshi power was used. That is just bizarre. I mean TPTB already have all that footage of attacks if they didn’t want to do new ones. This is the Sailor Senshi in what might be their final fight (it’s not lalalala) and it was very much a letdown. Actual fighting with the weapons would have been nice but there really should have been each of the girls using their powers. Sigh.

• I did love that Venus had Rei’s daggers but I wonder if that’s really the weapons they’re meant to have? I mean if both of them were in the battle would they each have just one dagger? That seems wrong especially compared to Mercury and Jupiter’s weapons and the fact that it would mean that they’d have the same weapon. So if they were both going into battle what weapon would they have? Hmm.

• The four girls (sigh) after defeating Mio was great. Makoto asking Usagi about the wedding, and Usagi being adorable, and the look Ami and Minako exchanged... I loved them cheering and laughing and just being so happy. I also loved how Makoto grabbed Mamoru and dragged him into the group and was being all friendly with him. And Mamoru patting Usagi’s head – heh. It could definitely have been longer though. Aw, girls I love you.

• I loved that the Shitennou were at the background and I think it could plausibly be said that they’d continue to hang around. We don’t actually get any Ami/Nephrite interact (boo!) but it was at least left open as a possibility that something could happen which is definitely better than it could have been.