This… this could have been better.
Sloppy animation and shortcuts ALL OVER THE PLACE. But hey, at least the content was good.
First of all, have you noticed all the tweaks to the intro?
I guess that’s one way to make up for the poor episode animation.
This episode starts off right where the previous one ended, with Luna presenting the Moon Stick to Sailor Moon. We’re also treated to a dream of the moon, but this time it’s Mamoru who’s dreaming.
The main thing to get across with this episode was Usagi’s trust in Tuxedo Mask. But before that, I appreciate that the explanation of the power of the Silver Crystal was kept in. Yes, it has the power to easily destroy a planet, and Sailor Moon has this power as early as the first arc.
Also, dat arcade secret entrance.
Haha… I’ll show myself out.
The improvement I wanted most out of this episode was the battle. In the manga there was no battle at all; the senshi arrive at the TV station and Zoisite runs away. Here, Zoisite not only fights, but does flippin’ well. Somehow goes from being the weakest of the Four Kings in the original anime to the strongest showing so far. Disappointed that there was no Zoisite/Mercury interaction, but made up for with Mercury actually ATTACKING in battle.
The arrival of Queen Beryl was unexpected and freaking menacing. Beryl actually looked like a serious threat for once.
And of course, we have the ending where Usagi finally realizes Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask. I mean, it’s such a brilliant disguise.
Overall definitely a major step up from the manga chapter, though I suppose my hope of mixing this chapter with the next one was too much. But seriously, I do NOT want to see anything close to a plot where energy is drained through video rentals. Next episode BETTER have a Mercury / Zoisite showdown.
Also, Venus.
Making the next episode focus primarily on Usagi/Mamoru would be the best, and shoehorning the evil video subplot would be a terrible waste of time. True, there needs to be a showdown to allow Venus her dramatic entrance, but… not the videos.