Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 01 Discussion Post

[laceblade]

[In the future, I plan to post these way closer to the actual episode lol.]

What'd you think?

Comments

[laceblade]

I'm super disappointed by the lack of animation quality. It honestly makes this a little hard to watch for me, :/

[sarajayechan]

The animation and the designs were beautiful, in my opinion. Usagi's expressions remain as spot-on as the old anime and Mamoru looks positively gorgeous. The theme songs were great, too!

[tani]

I really liked it. I'm super-excited that things seem like they'll be moving faster in the original series, and I can't wait to see Sailor Mercury next episode. :D

[ilyena_sylph]

I'm thrilled with it.

I love the opening credits (Fighting Evil By Moonlight is still my favorite, but) and the glorious art in the placards/eyecatches. I love the watercolor-effects in the backgrounds.

And, probably most of all and I devoutly hope it continues, I love that they toned down the, ah, 'comedy' factor. I love that Usagi is a klutz, and a ditz, and terrible at school, but that this time the anime doesn't want me to be laughing at her instead of sympathizing with her.

Also I love the upped creep-factor on the youma, the obvious malicious evil, and I'm so very excited to see the next ep!

[laceblade]

Oooh, I agree about the eyecatches, they were very lovely.

Your point about comedy/Usagi's personality solidified something for me, and I hope it continues, too.

[katarik]

The animation sometimes veers into Uncanny Valley territory for me, and I'm not super-thrilled with the opening or ending credits (they're really pretty! I... liked the American dub opening a lot better), though I like this one better than Moonlight Densetsu.

However, I LOVED how they toned down the humiliation squick and turned up the creepy, and the placards are incredibly beautiful (I'm getting a strong Utena vibe, artistically), and I really like all the seiyuu thus far. My fiancee can't watch the original with me because she never saw it as a kid and has no nostalgia factor softening the humiliation squick moments all through the first half of season one, but this one she's enjoying thus far.

I love how they're emphasizing the past-life dreams angle this early, and that they're her dreams, too, not just Mamoru. I'm hoping they do more with Usagi/Mamoru than we saw with Serena/Darien -- I never really got why they were in love *as themselves*, you know? But that instant of connection, that 'I _know_ you' in that exchanged look but without anyone going drooly... I have hopes.

Overall, I don't super super love it, but I *really* like it.

[jeweledeyes]

I never really got why they were in love *as themselves*, you know?

YES, YES, YES. x1000

I loved how they handled it in PGSM and I'm hoping they'll do something similar in Crystal.

[taichara]

That was sure a first manga chapter, alright --

Ehn, I'm undecided. There's something emotionless and wooden to the animation -- I'm sure the relative lack of expression is a factor -- and the designs in many cases just feel off. Also the animation quality in general, those zooms in on a bit of static art that even revealed lineart irregularities at least once were just painful. and I swear Seishirou Sakurazuka is cosplaying as Mamoru, speaking of design

On the other hand, the tiara toss didn't look as much like stock attack mode footage as I expected. Fewer stock attacks would make me very happy.

But yeh, right now I'm undecided leaning towards apathy. I'm glad we have a new version, but ... this is what we waited extra time for?

[laceblade]

Also the animation quality in general, those zooms in on a bit of static art that even revealed lineart irregularities at least once were just painful.

Same. I think I have fewer issues with the character designs than you do, but the movement/etc. is just painful. I can't think of a worse studio to be handling this show, honestly. Comparing it to most recent shows makes me angry! Part of me hopes that as time goes on & they make more $, the quality will improve, but that's probably wishful thinking.

[taichara]

The perplexing thing is that for my admittedly limited at the moment experience, Toei has managed decently enough.

Saint Seiya Omega was another "fresh take" of sorts, and while the designs looked odd when still the animation was fine when I watched the show, fluid even, and I don't recall (granted it's been a bit) egregrious shortcuts on the level of what was in this first episode of Crystal ...

Blah. Time will tell I suppose.

[alexseanchai]

Pretty animation. Less 'look she's nude' during the transformation scene, which is all to the good since she's fourteen. Ami! Still prefer the original.

[jeweledeyes]

I really liked the animation, which surprised me because I was expecting to hate it. I love the watercolor feel it has, it reminds me of Pretear (my favorite magical girl anime). I didn't love the way some of the characters' hair got bizarrely lightened (Ikuko and Haruna especially), and I don't really get why they did that, but otherwise I actually like this animation better than the original.

I don't really feel like I can comment too much on the plot because at this point, we've seen this particular storyline 875 times. I can't wait to see later episodes and see how it diverges. I did really like that Usagi was the one having past-life dreams. I also like the lyrics of the theme song, how it says, "We don't need boys to rescue us," etc. I have a feeling I will like this version better than the original (Japanese version, anyway). PGSM will of course always be my favorite, though ♥