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cybernaght · 4 years ago

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Guardian rewatch: Episode 5

I thought this would be a shorter recap. Ha!

Every now and then throughout this show we are getting CGI wide shots of the Dragon City, mostly establishing the time of day. They have three settings: nighttime, daytime, and sunset/sunrise. While quality-wise those wide shots would not feel out of place in a video game from ten years ago, with buildings looking all rubbery, I actually really like this sunset sky. I also appreciate that they firmly establish that this is city is not, in fact, a real place. I almost wish the architecture was a little bit less familiar, but making the city look truly otherworldly here would make location scouting much harder. As it happens, the buildings on the forefront have a very 60’s art deco revival inspired feeling, and there are some distinctively neoclassical buildings peppered around as well. We can also see that the roads are very wide, and generally there is a hint of Stalinist grandioseness about the downtown. Unfortunately, it looks nothing like the locations and sets the characters are running in; we also get a feeling that the Dragon City is very large, which is not entirely consistent with the very few locations that were available when shooting the series. This shot does, however, remind me the city I grew up in (Moscow).

The actual plot of the episode centres around Huang Linqi and his fiancé, Li Jiaqi, going missing - it will be important, because their disastrous wedding will produce the most Clark Kent moment that Shen Wei will ever have. We also meet the parents of the couple, who are stinking rich and extremely unpleasant. It also introduces us to Butler Wu (Wu Tian’en) and his son, who will become important in later episodes. Butler Wu is not actually the villain of the piece, despite this shot clearly telling us otherwise.

Back at the university, Shen Wei is having a morning tea with his dean. He holding his teacup with almost god-like elegance, very close to actually covering his mouth when he drinks, which is extremely old-fashioned. This is in stark contrast with him brazenly and un-gentlemanly showing his ankles.

Shen Wei is asked to move off campus, because, apparently, having a chief of the special task force showing up at your office is bad for the reputation. Since the professor does not look surprised, and states that he has already found a flat, I’m guessing that he was clever enough to have predicted this turn of events, and used it to secure the place a breath away from Zhao Yunlan. It is up to speculation as to when he started scouting for an apartment: it could not have been more than a few weeks since he met Zhao Yunlan, and finding a flat can take a while.

At the SID office, we are treated to a lovely moment between the team members, crowding around Lin Jin’s new invention: a popcorn-specific microwave.

It’s very sweet to see the team indulge in some nonsense outside of their case work, made even better by Wang Zheng being there. The fact that Zhao Yunlan is on board with his department’s time and resources being spent on a popcorn maker only makes this scene better. He is crouching on the table, because chairs are for the weak.

After inspecting the crime scene, Zhao Yunlan is spending some time outside chatting to Buttler Wu, and comments on Li Jiaqi’s good looks, since Zhao Yunlan is a man who can appreciate beauty.

As Xiao Guo is awe-struck at his boss’ ability to note someone’s prettiness from a distance, Chu Shuzhi literally rolls his eyes calling those “instincts of a beast”, and Zhao Yunlan fails to reprimand him for the remark, because… fair enough. Very fair enough. It’s hard not to relate to Zhao Yunlan, a self-admitted bi disaster.

Shen Wei is being shown his new apartment. He does not even look around it, staring instead at Zhao Yunlan’s front door across the hall from him.

Moving here is a completely senseless thing to do. How on earth is he planning to hide his Hei Pao Shi persona while being a next door neighbour to the chief of SID? My conclusion is that from a character stand-point, it’s nothing but an act of desperate devotion; from a narrative stand-point, this codifies that their relationship is about to get very intimate indeed.

The SID members are interrogating Buttler Wu: as is often the case, instead of bringing him in, like they did with Shen Wei, they hijack a cafe nearby to have a more relaxed conversation. As they talk, Shen Wei is making his way past the cafe, which both Wu Tian'en and Shen Wei notice.

Shen Wei proceed to follow Butler Wu, who calls him out on it. This leads to a removal of his glasses so epic it warrants a jump-cut to close-up, on top of the dutch angle used mere seconds prior to it.

Instantly recognizing Shen Wei as Hei Pao Shi, Wu Tian’en sinks to his knees in reverence. Again, fair enough. After having a brief conversation about their shared history, Shen Wei states that Butler Wu is not allowed to lay a hand on Zhao Yunlan.

“Chief Zhao? You’re stalking him?”

“You don’t need to know more.”

That is not a no. Mostly because that is a yes.

Shen Wei promises to not take Wu Tian’en away before the man resolves his current problems, adding that he hopes his old acquaintance won’t have any regrets when that happens. As Shen Wei walks away, he muses “Then how much time is there left for me?”

(And I have to fight an uncomfortable sinking feeling in my stomach, which is occurring a lot as I rewatch those series.)

The same evening at the SID offices the team is struggling with the case so much Da Qing suggests asking Hei Pao Shi’s help. Zhao Yunlan bristles at the idea, and… calls Shen Wei instead. Of course he does.

To be fair, he does so to check whether the other man is stalking him, but he also calls him by his given name rather Professor Shen, reinforcing that he makes this enquiry as a friend, not at as the chief of the Special Investigations Department.

During the phone call Shen Wei is absentmindedly playing with the corner of the publication he is reading.

While Yunlan does not deny that he still thinks Shen Wei is potentially up to something dodgy, he still proceeds to ask his advice on the case. This continues the dynamic from the previous episode: it’s not that Yunlan is completely blind, it’s just that he trusts Shen Wei regardless of the secrets he might be hiding.

Moving on, here’s what I have to say on he topic of bad CGI. There are several reasons in the world for a piece of visual media to have a poor quality computer animation. It could be laziness, or it could be absence of imagination, both of which are inexcusable. It also could be absence of funds, as is the case with the Guardian. And, honestly, I am alright with that. It’s not their fault, and I would much rather see this drama as it is - bad CGI and all - than none at all.

And, the quality of CGI here has energy similar to Live Action Sailor Moon (PGSM), which I honestly find both nostalgic and endearing.

That show also has a talking cat, but it’s performed by a literal plush toy on strings, so Guardian certainly wins here.

While Huang Linqi and Li Jiaqi are being kept together (possibly in an alternate dimension, seeing as how they have emerged from the lake completely dry), they talk through their relationship issues, and the audience finds itself with a sugar-sweet take on the arranged marriage/strangers to lovers trope. I feel a little bit bad about their disaster wedding now.

At the same time, Xiao Jun and Wu Tian’en’s story is a tiny echo of Shen Wei end Je Zun: the son thinks his dad left him to fend for himself when he was young and vulnerable, and distrusts the very concept of love because of that perceived abandonment. Unlike Je Zun however, he stops to have an actual conversation, which ultimately forces him to quit his senseless act of revenge, and make the first step on the path of reconciliation and redemption. This is Guardian telling us that communication skills do, in fact, matter.

He also drops this bombshell of a line, which hurts my heart a lot.

“In the face of death every love in the world is mere foam”

On an entirely separate note, I am very glad that the actor who plays Butler Wu is wearing nice thick knee pads.

They are very visible, and they make a little “boing” when he hits the ground, but the actor has to fall to his knees twice in this episode, both times on hard surfaces, one of which is literal gravel, and I’m happy that the production is being considerate of their actors’ physical well-being.

While this episode does not mark the first time Zhao Yunlan is being understanding to the Undergrounders in pain, this is the first time anti-Unvergrounder bigotry is explicitly framed in a negative light. The two evil businessmen, who cast a child aside just because he has special powers, are shown as unquestionably in the wrong. Xiao Jun is lightly scolded for his rash actions, but he is not brought back to SID in cuffs, and he is not immediately given away to Hei Pao Shi. Far from that: he is brought in softly, to spend some time at his dying father’s side.

As Butler Wu slipping away, we once more see Guo Changcheng being recklessly heroic, as he is prepared to use the Longevity Dial to share his life force. Instead of letting him do it, Zhao Yunlan snatches the Hallow away and decides to perform this particular miracle himself. This is the same man who will later sacrifice his eyesight to bring people’s lives back. Bai Yu’s acting in that moment is utterly phenomenal, showing a whole range of emotion from horror to determination to dismay in mere seconds.

Hei Pao Shi teleports in, and, without a preamble, scolds Zhao Yunlan (the first episode in the series-long “don’t touch the Hallows” saga), and then asks him whether it’s worth shortening his life for an Undergrounder. This is in equal parts a provocation and a test, because I’m fairly certain that Shen Wei was going to save Wu Tian’en anyway.

As SID members beg Hei Pao Shi to save Butler Wu in perfect unison, Zhao Yunlan states that a person is a person, regardless of their origin. Shen Wei notes inwardly that SID had changed, and, as expected, heals Butler Wu, while Yunlan stares at his power with relief and awe.

Since I have talked about the wide shot of the Dragon City, let’s talk about its counterpart in the Underworld.

I have failed to notice before that there appears to be a vast city next to the volcano river, some way away from the royal Palace, looming over it. Geographically, this makes little sense: we will see characters leave the Palace and instantly end up in a city square throughout the series, but I still really enjoy this wide shot. It is also interesting to see the architecture of the place. It is somewhere between (western) medieval abodes and futuristic shipment container blocks, with living spaces built on top of each other, crammed-in, and unpleasant. I also love the lighting here, contrasting blue and red.

Hallows random power #n: projecting their brethren. Imagine how useful it would be if they also did that for the Brush and the Lantern.

The next day, Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are on a leisurely morning jog, while Yunlan is wearing bottoms that my partner refers to as “sheggings” (as in, shorts + leggings)

They are talking about Shen Wei, naturally. In my head-canon, Zhao Yunlan is driving his colleagues nuts because can’t help himself but bring the good professor up every goddamn minute of every goddamn day.

As they turn the corner to go home, they bump into the subject of discussion, who informs them that he moved into the building, and leaves abruptly looking more than slightly pleased with himself.

Finally, we are treated to Guo Changcheng’s surveillance exam. I don’t know why he thought this outfit would make him look less conspicuous.

Eventually, the SID will learn that some of their staff members don’t have to be fighters or detectives. In Xiao Guo, they have found the heart of their team, and that is enough.

Next up, Episode 6: The Coat Zhao Yunlan Will Buy

—

PS: I have mentioned earlier, that I have a sinking feeling as I watch Guardian, and I would like to elaborate on that. You see, I am very scared of flying. It’s an irrational fear, but it is the one I nonetheless have. There is a very specific feeling I get just as the plane starts gaining speed on the runway: there is joy, because at the end of this journey they is something to look forward to (my parents’ hugs, a drink with a friend, a favourite place, a new city to explore), but there is also a painful anticipation, as I brace for the moment the aircraft will tilt upwards, knowing that I will be pushed back into my chair by gravity, battling against an onslaught of a panic attack, shaking, learning to breathe, fighting with everything I have to keep my heart rate down. Watching Guardian from the beginning, knowing where the story is going, mirrors that feeling perfectly.

PPS: The following conversation happened with my partner as I way typing this recap.

My partner: Do you think Shen Wei ever wears sheggings?

Me: Sweetie, I think he would rather die.

#guardian #shen wei #zhao yunlan #weilan #rewatch #recap #please help I can't stop rambling

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sailormoonsub · 4 years ago

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So you've watched a lot of different shows through the patreon and kori donations

If it's not too time consuming I was wondering how you would summarize those shows in a sentence or two

Or maybe just do the most memorable ones?

Not a bad idea! Here’s a one-sentence summary and a one-sentence personal note on every show I’ve reviewed more than one episode of on this blog. TLDR I’ve pretty much enjoyed everything that appears on this blog, though for different reasons. Links to all my posts about these shows can be found here!

This is turning out to be a rather long post so I’m going to throw the list under a Read More.

ANIME

Sailor Moon: I feel compelled to list it here but, like, I think you know enough about Sailor Moon by now.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: Group of high schoolers write and draw a romance manga while simultaneously living the most chaotic reversal of common romance tropes. SO happy this was recommended to me because I never would have picked it up on my own but it’s officially a new favorite!!!

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard: Gem expert and his assistant solve rock-related mysteries while engaging in homoromantic behavior. A lesser known franchise that I think deserves more love!

Snow White with the Red Hair: Herbologist in a medieval fantasy environment escapes her oppressive government and starts a new life in a neighboring kingdom where SHE makes decisions about her life. I’m not even that far into the series but I am OBSESSED with the premise and all the character dynamics are so genuine and honest in a way I can’t describe.

Penguindrum: Himari dies of Glamorous Victorian Illness but is resurrected by the Penguin God in exchange for a favor. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far, although it is Ikuhara so it’s often confusing and abstract and all the characters need therapy.

Madoka: Being a magical girl is bad actually due to the amount of sacrifice involved. Reviewing this one is so effortless because there’s SO much material to talk about and it has such a well-established presence in the mainstream pop cultural consciousness.

My Next Life as a Villainess: Girl is reincarnated as the villain in an otome game and rewrites the script by being nice. I’ve compared it to the Good Place which is one of my favorite shows, and I cannot get enough of these characters, especially, of course, our angel queen, Catarina.

Cardcaptor Sakura (and Clear Card): Sakura has to capture all the cards. I LOVE the low stakes, slow pace, sweet and friendly vibe of this show, which might frustrate some people, but for me it’s the very definition of a comfort anime.

Zenonzard: Speaking of cards; apparently a witch created a card game to get revenge on humanity and now it’s the future where everything is neon, there’s humanoid robots all over the place, and card games are a gladiatorial sport. The visuals are amazing, the world is fascinating, and overall I’m impressed with an anime that’s based on an app.

Princess Tutu: Duck turns into a ballerina and uses unconditional kindness to save everyone from sad feelings, while ALSO working against the author who is writing her fairytale. I can’t describe how much an impact this show left on me!! A Big Fave!!

Revolutionary Girl Utena: High schoolers with swords fight each other for a shot at finding something eternal. If you read this blog, you already know I had a delightful time with this series.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!: Three girls use their skills to make a hand-drawn anime. I only reviewed the first two episodes, but I had watched it while it was airing. I love series that delve really deep into a niche subject, and this one tackles the animation process in a fun accessible way while ALSO having a wonderful trio of protagonists with wildly unique personalities.

Fruits Basket 2019: Professional Cinnamon Roll Tohru collects friends who can turn into the zodiac animals. From what I’ve seen, the characters and relationships are a huge strong point in this series. I want to give them all a hug. This fell by the wayside a little while ago but I would love to get back into it!

CARTOON

Gargoyles: They are gargoyles, who come to life at night. Never got into it as a kid, but certainly appreciate it now!

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: Girl from futuristic underground city arrives on the surface to find out that animals have taken over and have developed arts and culture. It’s so refreshing to see a post apocalyptic world that’s NOT a dystopia! It’s not earth as we know it, but it’s still bright and colorful and full of art.

LIVE ACTION

PGSM: I don’t think I need to list a summary, but WATCH PGSM OH MY GOD. Sailor Moon but with soap opera levels of drama, a killer soundtrack, an incredible cast, puppets, and a really cool reimagining of the Silver Millennium mythos.

Tokusatsu Gagaga: Office lady tries to hide her obsession with tokusatsu shows and makes friends who have similar interests. I fell fast and hard for Gagaga; if you’re a nerd who has tried to function in a non-nerd environment, you WILL relate to this 7-part series!!

Russian Doll: Natasha Lyonne relives the same day over and over and has to make connections in her life. First introduced to me when it won a Patreon vote, and even though it was different from my usual content, I was enraptured by the dark comedy and surreal vibe. Thursday, what a concept.

Good Omens: An angel and a demon low-key turn their backs on Satan and God in order to prevent a war between heaven and hell. I can’t even think of an adjective that’s good enough to describe how well this miniseries was translated from the book. Legendary casting, satisfying plot twists, hilarious commentary on religion.

Cutie Honey The Live: Robot girl fights off an organization that turns people into living weapons through various wacky schemes. Over-the-top in all senses of the phrase. I love a show that’s extremely silly, but takes itself seriously.

Gokushufudo: Former yakuza member becomes a househusband. Only just started this series but man, with a premise like that, how can you NOT fall in love.

#And this isn't even a list of my favorite shows that i HAVENT reviewed #i've been writing one sentence book reviews on goodreads and now i'm very into that method lol #from the ask box #Anonymous

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docholligay · 5 years ago

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DO WE WANT 2,200 WORDS ON REI’S PERSONAL GROWTH IN EPISODE 23 GOD I HOPE SO

So one of the things that comes up over the course of these four episodes is Rei and her personal growth as manifested through her Senshi power. This also comes up in earlier episodes, so I’ll be drawing from them a little bit, too. (Also Minako being a manipulative troll)

Rei is a pretty standoffish and grumpy member of the Senshi, and I really love that PGSM gives her the space to be that. She’s been working on a lot of this youma stuff alone, because that’s how Rei is used to doing things: Alone. She’s spent most of her life alone, and life has taught her that to rely on anyone is a mistake. It takes time to unlearn that, and I really appreciate that PGSM allows her the time for that.

Usagi powered up in the last episode by learning the shocking truth that she can be really fucking selfish and self-centered, and I love that it works as an aspect of her power but not Ami’s evil, because apologizing is one thing, but that doens’t make everything right, right away. Why should it? And so we have the genius of “Fuck your friendship mittens” even though USagi’s power-up magically heals the mittens as well just to remind us all that we are in a Sailor Moon joint ANYWAY, this is about Rei, and how Rei needs to grow.

Rei’s problems aren’t are the same as Usagi’s and it’s a mark of the quality of PGSM that it allows each of the girls to go through their own growth in order to power-up. It’s not just a leveling up, it's a better understanding of how to be a team member, the ways in which each of them can greater contribute to the whole. It’s an important part of teamwork that I think gets glossed over oftentimes, that to really be in harmony with each other we have to change the ways we’ve done things. If you do this portrayed in media, it’s generally only in a romantic setting. The idea of a group of magical girls having to grow and change to fit each other isn’t that common.

Admittedly the title of this episode is a little fucking crackers, even more so when you consider that it is in fact literally what happens here: Rei sings to get her power-up. That’s nuts. That’s wild. Why am I holding this up as a paragon of character development? Because, as with all crackers things that actually work, it’s not about Rei singing at all. It’s about her learning important object lessons that the leader of the senshi has to convey through on the ground knowledge, because Rei won’t fucking listen to a thing she says.

(It’s actually hilarious how little the senshi listen to her given that they think she’s the actual fucking princess. Rei wouldn’t go after the youma, Usagi wouldn’t fight Ami, like I need PGSM background that’s just Mina swearing about how SHE IS LITERALLY THEIR SUPERIOR WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER WITH THE TOY R US CROWN IF THIS IS WHAT I’M GETTING)

And admittedly, this first lesson I’m about to point out is the less important one, but it is the more hilarious one: Mina told Rei to leave her the fuck alone and she won’t. The fun way of thinking about this is that Mina knows Rei has feelings for her even if Rei doesn’t quite know that yet because our darling and beloved Rei hino is a little bit of a repressed sunflower. Mina knew that Rei would, in no way, listen to Mina or keep her promise to leave Mina alone and stop following her. Mina knows a dumb lesbian when she sees one, and she can see the writing on the wall, but if at least for this moment, she can teach her: Fucking listen to me.

Now the less fun way (for most of us, but not for my evil ass) is to remember that MINA IS GOING TO DIE. She knows this. No one else knows this. Mina has a vested interest in getting everyone’s shit together before she fucking dies, and has no interest in anyone’s pity. For all she knew Rei was never going to listen to her, no way no how, there has to be a small part of her that hoped Rei would. Because Rei getting closer to her is a mistake, no matter how much Rei wants it. Mina is distant for a reason. There’s no benefit in letting anyone get close to her when she knows that her Narratively Convenient Illness is going to claim her sooner rather than later, and I admit that I LOVE THIS SHIT. People covering up their illnesses to try to spare those around them is a trope I fucking feast upon like a fat Roman emperor with a grape. However annoyed I get with the conclusion to this whole fiasco, AND I DO, I love that I got a little bit of this delicious angst.

That isn’t to say that MIna really spends a lot of time beating around the motherfucking bush

The absolute shade that she has going on here, the way she says “that sure surprised me” and Rei of course takes it personally from Mina in a way that I’m not sure I think she would from anyone else, because she respects Mina in a way she doesn’t anyone els eon beyond her being “the princess” A lot of people wonder where I get this idea about Mina being the leader and specifically Rei being the second in command, and it’s pretty much here in PGSM that all of that arises from, although given my general feelings on Rei I admit it may have come of its own accord eventually.

Rei takes that role as leader so seriously, and she feels in her heart that’s why she’s a fuckup, because fucking USAGI powered up before her, before any of them, and how is she meant to be leader, when she’s failing so hard? Her immediate lead in for Rei is that Mina will think her shameful, that she should say Rei is shameful, and you know what? Mina fucking does it, ebcause she does not have time for this shit and she is not here pat heads and make everyone feel better. She’s working on a tight timeline, and I LOVE that she doesn’t hesitate before saying “Yes, I was going to say that you’re shameful, actually.” And then she points tot he fact that awakening is a problem of the heart (which is what we’re going to get into with what she needs to learn) and without telling her what she’s lacking as leader, simply tells her that, she is lacking.

Mina’s not going to leave her to twist in the wind here, even if it feels like it--her grand plan for Rei Hino with all of this is coming down the hallway just shortly--but I like that she doesn’t spoonfeed the answer of “You can’t do all this shit alone (she said, doing everything alone, Mina you hypocrite) and you have to learn to ask for help. That’s how you become leader” because Rei wouldn’t learn anything from that. Rei reacts to asking for help like a cat to a fucking spray bottle. She wants nothing to do with it, and while, yes, this is a bit of goofy way to cast the idea she can trust her team and ask them for help, I think it still manages to be effective.

AND THERE IT IS, HER MASTER PLAN. This is particularly hilarious given the fact that we know Rei fucking hates karaoke, and so maybe that particular aspect of it isn’t exactly for Rei’s edification so much as MIna’s amusement, but there we are.

AHAHHAHAAH oh Mina how I fucking adore you.

Anyway, Rei goes to go sulk in the batcave over Mina’s challenge, is beleagured and thrown to the ground in a definitely unnecessary and highly dramatic sense, and then, the worst thing that could ever happen, happens. SHE IS FORCED TO ASK FOR HELP.

I want to give full credit to the actress who plays Rei here, because she makes the absolute awkwardness of this, the way this is like pulling teeth for Rei, so clear. This is the Fareeha Amari experience of asking for help. Usagi is the only person she knows that can help her with this, because I feel like mad karaoke skills don’t necessarily get a lot of play over at the shrine, and you can tell this is just killing her. She never expected to have to ask this kind of help from anyone, let alone Usagi, who is immediately thrilled and runs to her aid. (It must also be noted that Rei stays in this exact dramatic position on the floor until Usagi gets there, Rei, my god, please, you lesbian bowl of porridge, Mina is not wrong and you desperately need to pull it together)

Even when Usagi gets there, her body language is so stilted and uncomfortable, this is so foreign and almost frightening to her, which was pretty much exactly Mina’s point: It’s easy for Rei to fight, easy for her to curse, but it isn’t easy for her to put herself in a place of vulnerability, in a place where someone can say no or otherwise reject her, leave her out on her own, which we all know Usaig as no intention of doing, which was also, I think, why Mina chose this exact mode of torment. She’s setting Rei up for success.

Rei expects so much of herself at all times, and is so used to being alone in the world, and its really very striking the way she reacts to this entire thing. Rei, you’re singing for children not letting someone die on the battlefield.

But of course we get around to the day, and Usagi gives her what I think Mina always knew she would, the reassurance that not only would Usaig help her, but that Usagi genuinely wanted to and enjoyed helping her, and also that it brought them together as a team. Usagi knows, really for the first time with Rei, that she’s trusted, that they are doing this together, and it reaches Rei, too, in such a way that we actually see her tear up:

I’ve thought about this a lot over the times I’ve seen this episode, but I think what I finally land on for Rei and her tears is that sense that she’s been holding back so much aand being so strong for so much of her life, and maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t actually have to be literally all of the time. Maybe she’s allowed to get help, and to face things with people who care about her, and this is something she’s been able to do on the battlefield, but really not translate into her real life, and here Usagi and Mina have really woked ina tandem that Usagi didn’t even know was happening to show Rei that her life is not just her own, and that she matters and that when you have a real team, help is expected.

And then rei sings a deeply overserious song for a group of seven year olds but I will get into that in detail next post.

ANd then that trust is immediately reciprocated by Usagi, who goes to fight the youma on her own and simply mouths to Rei that she will go on ahead and Rei can come afterwards. It isn’t as if Rei has ever particularly been unrelaiable in a fight, but I think given the exchange they just had, there’s definitely a sense of it having greater weight here, where Usagi would be delighted and surprised when Sailor Mars shows up. She knows she can trust her, and Rei knows that she is trusted, and that they are part of a far greater web than she ever assumed was possible in her life.

And with that, in the battle:

The deal with PGSM is that there are largely your finest cheapest MS paint special effects, and none of us really care because the senshi are people. BUt even with the finest cheapest effects the emotional impact of this moment really hits. It’s done in slow motion, and you can really see on her face the realization that her power has grown within her, that she has known grown as a person and as a soldier, and there’s this look of competence and of self-assurance that runs through her every movement. It’s just something that was shot and done in a really compelling way, and given that this whole episode has really been devoted to Rei’s growth (with a mamoru B-plot, to extra assure we don’t care about anything else) I’m glad they gave it the emotional gravitas it deserved.

MIna, as ever, gives her effusive praise, immmediately after saying “But there’s a lot more you have to do.” this inclusion is only for me to profess my love for her and that’s all I’m sorry. And also for Rei to finally get what I’ve taken over 2,000 words to say.

And then the most perfect ending to an episode ever, Rei re-asserting that she is still the same grumpy gus, and just because she trusts Usagi doesn’t mean she’s going to put up with the horseshit Usagi loves. THERE IS TRUST BUT NEVER KARAOKE >:(

#Doc watches PGSM #pgsm ep 23

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sailor-neptunus · 7 years ago

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Sera Myu Tag!

I wanted to do this so I’m gonna say I was tagged by @sailorzakuro ! Putting it under a cut because it’s long

1) You are Myu fan since…?

2013! I found a clip from La Reconquista on Youtube and wanted to check it out.

2) The 1st Musical you saw?

La Reconquista!

3) Your Favorite Musical?

For old myu it’s Kaguya Shima Densetsu Kaiteiban

For new myu it’s either Petite Etrangere or Un Nouveau Voyage

4) Your Favorite Sailor Moon Actress?

Satomi! Even though she can’t really sing....

5) Say one positive thing about every Sailor Moon Actress.

Anza: Really set the bar high for her successors. A great actress and singer.

Fumina: Very elegant and I like her voice.

Miyuki: A perfect Usagi, she was a great performer.

Marina: A great singer and dancer. She was amazing, especially considering she was only 12 when she got the part.

Satomi: Real life Usagi to me. Such a great actress, she really nailed the part.

Hotaru: Really cute, and she did a good job even though she was thrown into the middle of the story.

6) Is Sera Myu your favorite version of Sailor Moon?

Yes, as well as the old anime and PGSM.

7) Who is your favorite cast member?

Old myu: Hikari Ono

New myu: Riona Tatemichi

8) Are your first favorites your actual favorites? (name them)

I always loved Satomi and her Inners (from PE and UNV), and they are still among my favorites. Since then I have gotten a lot more favorites though, like Nao and Yuuka, Ayumi Murata, RIONA, Sayaka Fujioka, Mikako Ishii... I have a lot.

9) If you could say one sentence to your myu favorite: What do you want to say him/her?

I would tell her that I really admire her and that she did great in the different roles she had for myu. Also that I love her dancing.

10) Which Sailor Moon Story do you want on stage?

I want to see everything that Haruka and Michiru were doing during Super S.

No but really a Sailor V story would be cool. Or a PGSM spin on the first arc.

11) Tell me your top 3 underrated actors.

Ado Endo, Hisano Akamine, Nao Inada.

12) Give 3 actors new roles.

Airi Kanda: Sailor Moon. I would love to see this in 2019 myu.

Fumina Hara: Ami! I think she would have been a great Ami.

And Hikari Ono as Professor Tomoe.

13) Combine classic and revival myu: What does it look like?

New myu costumes, wigs, and set designs with the old original story myus, kaguya and the dracul arc!

14) Revival myu song you want in classic myu?

Eye of the Storm, Line up, Ai no Starshine.

15) Tell me an unpopular opinion you have about myu.

I don’t really know what the popular and unpopular opinions are hahaha.

16) Ai no Starshine or Music of the Spheres?

I love both but Music of the Spheres because it always gets stuck in my head! And the scene with it in LMF was amazing!

17) The Last Change or it’s 21st Century Version?

Marina’s lower pitch version hehe

18) Choubi Uranus to Neptune or Harsh Saint Cry?

Harsh Saint Cry, but Choubi is soooo catchy.

19) Is there something about Myu what annoys you?

Hmmm, that there’s no subtitles for the DVDs...

20) What do you expect for the 2019 Musical?

What I want for 2019 myu is some original stories or something, but I expect they will just do the 5 arcs over again with a new cast and maybe some new twists. Maybe it will be more anime than manga based this time.

21) How important are dancing abilities of the actors for you?

Kind of important, I mean they don’t have to be great but at least not look stiff.

22) Which Myu Merchendaise you want? (you can name non existing too)

I would like officially subbed DVDs.

23) Are you sad that Luna and Artemis disappered after Gaiden?

Nope lol.

24) And interessting (non-existing) Haru-Michi couple?

Nao and Sayaka would be cool.

25) Your favorite Moon x Tux Couple?

None because I don’t like the couple lol

26) Your favorite Musical Only Character?

SPACE KNIGHT

I’m kidding, probably Vampir.

27) Which character you would play in a musical (senshi, villian etc.)?

I’d probably be awful but I’d like to be Michiru. Or Usagi or Rei or Ami.

28) Something else you want to say about Sera Myu?

Myu is such a good version of Sailor Moon and I wish it was appreciated by more fans. I also hope I’ll be able to go see the new musical in 2019!

#sera myu

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usaghinanami99 · 7 years ago

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@myucornerorg I feel you so much! I’ve had very little contact with Sailor Moon while I was still attending Primary School, and that meant I only happened to catch some random episodes of the old anime on TV, but I soon stopped watching them out of boredom - at the age of 8 I was already a pretty big anime fan (other than being a Disnerd pretty much since being born, lol) and I decided it was better to leave this awful show on its own to concentrate on the series that actually interested me, which were mainly Mermaid Melody, Pokémon, Yugi Oh, Roses of Versailles and Cat’s Eye... all of which are still among my best favourites. It’s funny to think that back then I treated Sailor Moon the exact same way I did with Dragon Ball, casting it aside because of the bad impressions I got from both shows... even funier considering how, while I’ve done a complete 180 regarding Dragon Ball, which after actually reading and watching I have come to appreciate as one of the best series ever, I still retain the same opinion about Sailor Moon. I mean that in 2012, when New Myu and Crystal weren't a thing yet, I found myself versing in a big crisis of Sailor Moon withdrawal, having already read anything ever published by Naoko Takeuchi and watched all of Old Myu and PGSM, I finally found the courage to buy the DVD boxes of the old anime and binge-watch all 200 episodes, 3 films and 3 shorts... only to find out that it was actually a horrible show XD That obviously happened when I had already become a Sailor Moon fan, which was all thanks to the manga: it all started in 2010, when I had just started attending Middle School and my favourite comic book publisher happened to start releasing the shinsoban edition of Sailor Moon, of which I bought the first volume just out of curiousity and, admittedly, marveling at the awesome cover illustration, which seemed to be such a sharp contrast with the bad animation I had come to associate Sailor Moon with during my childhood. Well, the result was a literal mindblow: just a few pages were sufficient to realize that it was actually the very best thing I had ever read (and it still is to date), thus falling completely in love. Needless to say that my utter adoration of the series only grew completing it, when, after having spent a year and a half waiting for the following month to deliver the new volume, I turned to the Internet to discover that there was just so much of my worshipped Naoko to read and more niche Sailor Moon products to watch. When I finished them too, this lead me to the crisis of which I've written above... But this was all to say that, after 12 volumes of Sailor Moon, 2 of Sailor V and 2 of short stories, I was finally able to find out that in fact, something even better than Beauty and the Beast really existed in the world, and I was so utterly enchanted by it. Starting from 2013, I decided to do a ritual re-read of the whole manga every summer, similarly to how I rewatch Beauty and the Beast every single month (of course the videotape is very ruined, but it's a symbol of love – not to say that, back when I was 3 to 6 years old and I had tons of free time, I usually watched the film every single day and sometimes even more than once a day), but unfortunately I haven't got enough time to do it with the same frequency with a full-length manga series XD As of now, I am actually re-reading it still another time because every month I buy the new volumes of the kanzenban edition, which is currently being published in Italy. Just to prove how much of a crazy SM fangirl I am, I need to say that last year, when I came of age, I finally managed to purchase copies of the first tankobon edition of Sailor Moon and Sailor V in Japanese, other than all the artbooks and the tankobon of all the other mangas and light novels written and/or illustrated by Naoko, of which I can't understand anything but at least now I own them (and yes, I had already read all of her mangas via Miss Dream, sooo...). Very recently I did the same with the PGSM DVD box, the Memorial Music and Memorial Song CD boxes of the old anime, all the Memorial Albums of the musicals and the AnzaMoon and FuminaMoon DVD boxes, and I'm looking forward to buying also the videotapes of the MiyukiMoon and MarinaMoon era musicals, but I prefer to do it in a bundle with all the DVDs of New Myus, so I'm waiting for the LMF one to be released in order to proceed with the order. Needless to say that my greatest dream is actually buying copies of all the paperback issues where Naoko's series were originally printed, I mean Nakayoshi, RunRun, Nakayoshi Deluxe, Nakayoshi Spring Vacation Land and Young You... but finding them is painfully difficult! Last thing to say, I am so in love with Naoko that actually went so far as to read every manga ever written by Yoshihiro Togashi just because he's her husband, and then proceeded to do the same with Miwa Ueda because she was Naoko's assistant and with Wataru Yoshizumi because Naoko was her assistant. Really. (Also yes, I too am one of those who really prefer Yukie Sako's character design to Akira Takahashi's one... I deeply hate the works of each one of the character designers of the old anime, but the Aikatsu-style season 3 of Crystal managed to surpass them in horribleness, IMHO!)

Regarding the Old VS New Myu argument, I have actually watched all of the released myus at least once, and the same can be said for the various fankans and omake, other than the recordings of officially unreleased material present on YouTube – even if, admittedly, the ones I rewatch more frequently are those from the first two stages, because of them being, as stated above, the only ones I own physically. And well, I still stick to my point: I find New Myu to be better, but I prefer Old Myu. (...I know this sounds awkwardly meaningless) Even the first two (released) ones, those with the most WTF plots and screenplayings, are to me extremely enjoyable thanks to their stunning songs – well, except maybe for Chohatsu – and the amazing ability of the cast. It amazes even me how I can enjoy so much two shows with so bad story and characterization, but that is: it just proves how miraculous music can be that it made me love two productions written by the dreaded Sukehiro Tomita, who was also the screenplay chief of the first two Sailor Moon seasons and the director and writer of Wedding Peach, which means that he's only got a record of horrible things on my list. I do agree that the musicals got much better plot-wise starting with Yume Senshi, when Takuya Hiramitsu replaced Jo Nobushi as the director, but what still bugs me is the very poor characterization that I find in pretty much all of Old Myu. Still, speaking only of the pre-hiatus musicals, my favourite ones plot-wise (and I put much emphasis on "plot-wise", because to me the best music-wise are the First Stage ones) are those directed by Junya Saiki and in particular Marina's first ones, as you said: my problem with Black Lady is not in the story itself, but in the very poor characters of the Inners, and the same can be said of Mughen Gakuen, adding the fact that I find the Hoshino family subplot to be quite bland. That is to say that, while in terms of strict "plot" Black Lady can easily hold up against Petite étrangère (except for the treatment of Demand's attempted violence, which I prefer in the latter), it is the true-to-the-manga characterization of the Inners and their actual utility in the story that make the second one better in my opinion. In the end, I think Hiramitsu definitely improved his writing skills during his long time of absence from Myu! Needless to say that I also love everything out of the constant little reference that New myus make to First Stages myus, which is very much Hiramitsu referencing himself and his previous works. To end this already-much-too-long post, here's a practical list of what I think New Myu needs to change in order to be as awesome as Old Myu, if not even better:

re-recruit Akiko Kosaka as the composer for the songs and BGM;

cast a Moon that is actually skilled at singing (it's very evident that Satomi and Hotaru put their whole heart into their role, but they clearly lacked the skills of their predecessors*, which sticks out as a sore thumb against the great ability of all the other actors);

leave the Takarazuka-style casting and let Mamoru be played by a man, also one as skilled and sexy as Yuta, please;

bring the sexy back: it's true the show can do without shirtless Yuta and Ryuji, but as a fangirl I would be more than pleased;

bring the Three Lights confusion scenes back.

Here, this is what I sincerely hope they'll do in 2019 and what I think would make New Myu simply perfect.

* = I must add that, while Satomi was pretty mediocre from La Reconquista to UNV, I was literally blown away by how much she improved when she returned as Cosmos – I was all like "heck, is this even the same person?"

PS: I'm sorry for the awful length of this post, I found myself carried away!

submitted by @usaghinanami99 :)

#sera myu #sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #old myu #new myu

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real-life-senshi · 1 year ago

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10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 4: The Costumes!

Yes, I'm serious. No, I'm not necessarily talking about the Senshi costume, though they aren't bad especially once you can appreciate the bulkiness is due to the necessity to protect the cast wearing them - let's be honest, wearing a skimpy sailor fuku isn't that realistic for battles (yes, I said it). And they get points for being more faithful to the manga material than ‘90s anime was.

Thematic, colour-coded, stylistic choices for the Senshi

Many fans know that Takeuchi Naoko is a fan of high fashion, just look at many of her official art that uses runway fashion! While the live-action isn't about that, the costumes team was certainly phenomenal in providing the Senshi with a stylish and thematic selection of everyday clothes that speak to their respective personalities. And frankly, the girls' daily wear feels pretty timeless for a series that's 20 years old.

Their costume choices were even explored in the "PGSM Complete Edition Memorial Book". As a treat, I translated the comments here:

In addition to this, generally speaking, Usagi, Ami and Minako's outfits are pretty feminine, next is Rei's which is a bit more of a mix of feminine and unisex, and Makoto's is mostly unisex, though I wouldn't go as far as say it feels masculine.

Symbolism in colour!

While the girls supposedly are matched with their own signature colour and stylistic choices for casual wear, they do switch up the colours often. The girls' costume per episode is occasionally symbolic of their dynamic and relationship when there's significant character interaction in the episode's plot. Some examples:

I’d also say that Minako's general style of black and white is quite symbolic as well given her character story in PGSM. But I'll leave that for another time when I introduce PGSM's spin to Minako's character later.

Seriously, this show is one where you can rewatch time after time, and you'd still find MORE symbolistic things slipped into the product, either subtly shown right in front of your face or hidden in the background. It brings me much joy when I feel like I caught another glimpse of symbolism in costume choices.

Past life Earth Kingdom style(?)

The Shitennou, Queen Beryl and Prince Endymion's costumes all got a huge upgrade in their design. The overall designs are a lot more ornate with golden or silver trims, and the intricacies seem to be of the same design, suggesting that royalties and guards of the Earth's Kingdom from the past life get their uniforms designed by the same designer?

I truly love that they colour-coded the Shitennou! The original manga/anime design was so plain it almost makes me think they feel more like foot soldier's uniform, only Kunzite had a cape to be fancy. In the live-action, all of them have capes and they are well-used! There are many mighty and flashy cape-flicking in the series!

I especially appreciate Beryl's costume, the ornate design just seems a lot more befitting of the queen. They managed to make the costume sensual but not sexual and also found ways to make the random horn on her shoulders stylish without making it seem like she's grown horns. Honestly, it was an amazing casting choice too!

Fun random costumes:

Similar to Usagi's gadgets allow her to transform into different costumes and personnel for sneaking into situations in the manga/anime, all Senshi have the means to copy any costume/clothing for situations as needed.

This leads to some hilarious and generally awesome scenes with the ladies dressing up in all sorts of random clothes. Some examples:

Like I said, the show doesn't take itself too seriously, despite some twists and turns they added to the storyline!

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

7 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

#pretty guardian sailor moon #pgsm #reasons to watch pgsm #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #sailor moon live action #bssm #pgsm 20th anniversary countdown #pgsm appreciation #pgsm costume #khmyh translates #khmyh's fansub & translations

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real-life-senshi · 3 years ago

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Omg Haikyuu is one of my favorite sports manga but I never knew there were Sailormoon connections!!?! Ookubo as Kiyoko is amusing to me because Kiyoko is so different from Usagi. Definitely intrigued, thank you for sharing this!!! -- jt (I don't have tumblr but I've commented before, figured I'd start "signing" so you know which crazy anon this is lol)

Hi! :D

Ahaha, thanks for "signing", I'd love to know when I'm speaking with someone on multiple occasions, and thanks for dropping by my blog even if you don't have a tumblr! :OOOO

Yeah, Haikyuu's also my favourite sports manga! :D You are also SO right that it's funny to see Satomi as Kiyoko. Satomi was the perfect Moon IMO, coz even her personality seem very Usagi from all the bts we see from the Sera Myu, which is pretty much the exact opposite to Kiyoko. Can you imagine Usagi ever being organized and efficient enough to be a manager and deal with the rowdy bunch at Karasuno?! lmao

Honestly, if you haven't seen Haisute (short form for Haikyuu stage plays) yet, I strongly recommend you to give it a try! They also have one of the most beautiful soundtrack I've ever listened to in 2.5D productions. If you don't care for chronology and just want to get an experience with the production series, I suggest watching Summer of Evolution. It's just so fun, emotional and full of energy, and filled with Easter Eggs from the manga.

Since this is a PGSM blog, I also feel honor bound to say that I think Summer of Evolution is also the stage play I feel you get to best see the different range of Naoki (PGSM Shingo's) acting and talent since he takes on multiple characters in the same show. :DDDD

#takeshi naoki #pgsm cast #pgsm cast appreciation #jt #khmyh replies #anonymous #tsukino shingo

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real-life-senshi · 5 years ago

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Here’s a bunch of photos i’ve missed in the pass two weeks from Ayaka’s twitter. Ayaka and Miyuu hung out.

Ayaka also made a post to celebrate 2020 and reflected on her year in 2019. I find it SOOOOO heartwarming that out of the 9 photos she chose for 2019, 3 of them are of the Senshi reunions. :’)

#komatsu ayaka #pgsm #sawai miyuu #kitagawa keiko #azama mew #izumi rika #pgsm cast reunion #pgsm cast appreciation #senshi reunion #pretty guardian sailor moon #pgsm cast

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real-life-senshi · 6 years ago

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THIS IS A PGSM CAST APPRECIATION POST

I remember Keiko in an interview several years back saying how because unlike Kamen Riders (Masked Riders) and Super Sentai (Power Rangers) the Sailor Senshi’ design do not have masks on so they had to do most of their own action scenes instead of relying on stunt doubles, and so they would get bruised up from the fight and stunt scenes.

This HD version definitely shows one of Miyuu’s bruise quite clearly... Now that I think about it, I do wonder if the ballet-fu created in the early stages was because of consideration for the actresses’s physical abilities. They were selected for many things, but probably not for their physical abilities, so they had to adjust it. At least other Super Sentai, even the older ones I’ve seen their fight scenes were nowhere this cheesy...

Anyway, many thanks for Miyuu, Rika, Keiko, Mew and Ayaka for all there work on PGSM. Seriously though, those girls must have worked their butts off! I honestly can’t say if it’s any other show with this kind of budget and quality, I wouldn’t have gone through watching it if it wasn’t because of the stellar story writing and the actresses’s dedication and performance!

#pgsm #pgsm act 3 #khmyh rewatches pgsm #khmyh liveblogs #pgsm appreciation #pgsm cast appreciation #pgsm trivia

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real-life-senshi · 3 years ago

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Opening a bit of a personal soapbox here, because I realize I’m having a lot of trouble formulating my thoughts already to liveblog this episode, and I realize if I don’t get it off my chest, it’ll be hard for me to move past and get going on my analysis. Feel free to not read this post if you’re not interested in reading anything that isn’t PGSM analysis. I should be able to resume normal liveblogging and analysis after this. :)

I know this is Naru and Usagi’s dynamic and it works for them. But tbh, I would not want someone like Naru as a friend. Too pushy and nosey... And too much gossiping. It just makes me cringe. I don’t hate Naru though, even though Act 15 and this Act 16 nearly made me dislike her when I first watched PGSM.

The biggest issue here I have is actually personal, that some of Naru’s behavior and the storyline here just hits a bit too close to home for me with some personal issues I had gone through with my peers in middle school, where I was bullied by being intentionally isolated by others. Act 16 was a really tough episode for me to watch the first time I watched PGSM, and despite my love for PGSM and how strong of a lasting impression this episode had left in me, I’ve usually skipped watching PGSM act 16 again when I re-watch the series, because I feel triggered by what Ami goes through in this episode.

Rei and Ami’s interaction in the climax of this episode had left a really strong positive impact on me, and solidified why I love Hino Rei in PGSM SO DAMN MUCH, but the build up of this episode was painful for me to watch.

Despite all the challenges this episodes causes for me at a personal level, (and I’m sure I’ll talk about this again when I eventually get to the end of this episode, coz I know it’ll take a while lol), this episodes’ story also is such an AMAZING proof of why I love pgsm so damn much and why I think it’s so good!

Scenes like this and the clashes between Ami and Naru, shows that PGSM ISN’T shy in showing weakness or flaws in characters, but instead willing to embrace them to portray realistic characters as individual persons and take time to explore how these people grow, and how they can come together and form healthy and strong relationships despite their issues. The script writer, cast and production crew were willing to give time for this show to dive into individual character portrayal and storytelling even for side characters, and to show them in a way that uplifts the characters, not to just put a main character up by putting a side character down. It’s not only with Naru here, but even for Hina - Mamoru’s ex-fiancee, who is the main obstacle in our titular character’s love life, was given a positive portrayal, and valued enough to have a side short post series. For things like these, I really appreciate the love and care PGSM creators have for its characters and series, despite the less than ideal reception the show received when it first aired! All characters are loveable, even with their flaws, so much so that even the villains have their moment to shine and show more than just pure malice or evil, allowing them space to be better. I love that, so much, about PGSM!

#pgsm appreciation #pgsm act 16 #khmyh rewatches pgsm #khmyh liveblogs #me

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