So there was a bit of a major problem with Crunchy today, meaning I had to resort to watching the episode on Nico… which wasn’t bad.  But since Crunchy was derpy today, HorribleSubs took longer than usual to up their copy.

Once again, the subtitles for Crunchy were a different style from Nico’s, but it was still the same  translation.  Also, Crunchy is back to having poorly-placed commercial breaks.  Oh well.  I also learned that the HorribleSubs subtitles differ greatly from the Crunchy subtitles.  Not nearly as stylized.  I should probably go back and make some comparisons.

Surprisingly, not a lot of animation errors, allowing me to actually focus on the episode’s content for once.  Overall, probably the best-flowing episode so far, and that includes the first one.

The episode confirms that Jadeite is alive, resulting in a major departure from both the anime and manga.  The best part is that all four Shitennou are on the same page and actually care about *gasp* working together to accomplish their goal rather than backstabbing each other for episodes on end.  On the other hand, no Nephrite / Naru subplot, which was to be expected.  The subplot was one of the best parts of the original anime, but that’s primarily because most of the rest of the series was so vapid that it stood out.

Honestly, the fact that Nephrite gets his turn without having to wait for Jadeite to die is just… it’s such a novel concept, isn’t it?  None of this one general at a time bullshit.

The henshin music used this time is the same one used in Mercury’s episode, which was good music, but I was kinda hoping that would be Mercury’s theme and the music during Mars’ episode would be her theme.

Speaking of Mars’ henshin theme from last time, AuroraPeachy (who does regular reaction videos to SMC, but also does some entertaining Guild Wars 2 reaction videos) put forth that that track may be a homage to “Tsuki ni kawatte oshiyoki yo!” which is an image song from the original anime.

 

It sounds like a good theory given the song’s use.  It was used in a rather throwaway episode involving a duo of animators who both used a lucky pencil and were turned into Youma by Zoisite.  The notable part is that that episode was the last episode to feature the Moon/Mercury/Mars trio; the very next episode was the debut of Jupiter (who, funnily enough, was introduced after Nephrite’s death).  So it makes sense for the song to herald the trio finally coming together.

Just one major disappointment: the Moon Twilight Flash is not given its name, depriving us from a new attack call from Kotono Mitsuishi.  On the plus side, the direction leading up to her new tiara was on point.  Her transformation sequence is interrupted before the regular tiara-forming part.

One of the high points of the entire episode was ALL FOUR of the Shitennou revealing themselves to the Sailor Guardians, which is something I don’t think was ever done before.

Also, I couldn’t help but notice that Usagi falling asleep from getting drunk off wine was left off.  I was actually expecting this change, though, since it’s a 14-year-old drinking alcohol.

The episode closes off with Jupiter commenting on a thunderstorm in the least natural way possible.

Overall, unexpectedly spectacular episode all around.  Just a bit odd that Luna knows Tuxedo Mask’s true identity Usagi doesn’t… and Luna never seems to think sharing this information could be, y’know, useful.

Unexpectedly, most of the next episode preview is new animation, with only a few flashes of Jupiter’s henshin sequence.