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[MikeMyers]

Sailor Moon S 125

The battle with Mistress 9 continues, and wow, this episode certainly packed a punch. Kotono Mitsuishi really outdid herself in this episode, she really brought out a strong sense of despair in Usagi losing it due to everything that was happening.

I really wish Toei would fund/release an anniversary special, it would be nice to see all of them together on screen again.

Are there any other notable Toku that the PGSM writers worked on? I'd like to see another Toku written by them.

 

[Midonin]

Are there any other notable Toku that the PGSM writers worked on? I'd like to see another Toku written by them.

PGSM was written entirely by one person - Yasuko Kobayashi. She's also worked on Kamen Rider Ryuki, OOO, Den-O, and for Sentai, Gingaman, Timeranger, Shinkenger, Go-Busters and the currently airing Toqger.

Of that long list above, I'd say that Ryuki, OOO, Den-O and Go-Busters are worth checking out, though Shinkenger has plenty of fans.

She's also the head writer on the anime version of JoJo's, Attack on Titan, and the currently airing Garo: Seal of Flames.

Kobayashi's super-prolific.

 

[SpikedGunner]

^What he said, haha...I loved her work on Ryuki, it's my personal favorite Kamen Rider series. Den-O was fun too.

Word to the wise, if you do look for her work...avoid any TVN translation if at all possible.

 

[MikeMyers]

PGSM was written entirely by one person - Yasuko Kobayashi.

Wow, that's actually really impressive.

She's also worked on Kamen Rider Ryuki, OOO, Den-O, and for Sentai, Gingaman, Timeranger, Shinkenger, Go-Busters and the currently airing Toqger.

Of that long list above, I'd say that Ryuki, OOO, Den-O and Go-Busters are worth checking out, though Shinkenger has plenty of fans.

She's also the head writer on the anime version of JoJo's, Attack on Titan, and the currently airing Garo: Seal of Flames.

Kobayashi's super-prolific.

Hmm, I'll look into Ryuki first. There's a recommendations in the opening post, but it only caters to fans of the 90s anime. We need to add a section for PGSM fans and manga fans too. Would you like to make one for the former?

^avoid any TVN translation if at all possible.

Which is exactly what I use for PGSM, but to be fair, the only alternate I know of was Miss Dream which isn't exactly any better.

 

[Pluto]

Which is exactly what I use for PGSM, but to be fair, the only alternate I know of was Miss Dream which isn't exactly any better.

Imagination Station will do PGSM, their Abaranger subs were very good. they already released the first PGSM episode as a preview some time ago during Abaranger.

 

[MikeMyers]

Yeah, I heard about that (I think from Midonin actually) not too long ago, and am looking forward to that. Having an improved version of PGSM certainly makes up for not getting an improved version of the 90's anime since Viz botched that. :/

 

[SpikedGunner]

I know the guys from IS, they've done a great job with their releases (Aba/DISK Wars) and they're working on getting a PGSM release in order for the future with great care for the translation...so expect a great release.

Which is exactly what I use for PGSM, but to be fair, the only alternate I know of was Miss Dream which isn't exactly any better.

Yea, I used Miss Dream, agreed that it could be better (and WILL be better). I don't blame you for having to use TVN for older stuff that is readily available (some people are releasing their own versions however, it's just a matter of time and them actually finishing it), newer material has more options these days though.

 

[Midonin]

Would you like to make one for the former?

I'll be glad to help.

Ryuki and OOO are good starting points for Kobayashi's works. They both have tragedy and comedy, and explore some similar themes of desire. For Sentai, Shinkenger and Go-Busters are my recommended choices, but only because they're recent. Go-Busters may not be for everyone (and is an odd duck for Sentai in general), while Shinkenger is above average, if a bit drifty in the middle. I don't know much about Gingaman or Timeranger, and Toqger isn't finished so I can't make a final judgment on it, but it's alright. Den-O is a bit tough to recommend, but only because it has so much extra material due to its extreme popularity boost for itself and Rider in general. Ryuki is still being resubbed, and OOO is completely done by Over-Time. OT is still working on Shinkenger, but they've finished Go-Busters completely.

 

[MikeMyers]

Okay, this episode seriously has to be divided into two reviews, because one part was really good and the other was really WTF:

Sailor Moon S 126 A

The falling action of the previous episodes climax. Pretty touching with some nice moments for Chibiusa and Setsuna here. Did Stars ever explain how

Spoiler

Setsuna was able to return

? I know how it worked in the manga, but I can't remember if the anime ever explained it.

Sailor Moon S 126 B

Haruka and Michiru challenge Usagi to a fight due to clash of ideals that Usagi has already proved them wrong on several times this season. This honestly felt like bad fan fiction, and it's annoying because outside of this plot point, I actually really liked this episode. Hopefully S's last episode tomorrow is a good one.

Yea, I used Miss Dream, agreed that it could be better (and WILL be better). I don't blame you for having to use TVN for older stuff that is readily available (some people are releasing their own versions however, it's just a matter of time and them actually finishing it), newer material has more options these days though.

Do you know around what timeframe the new PGSM sub will be released?

I'll be glad to help.

Ryuki and OOO are good starting points for Kobayashi's works. They both have tragedy and comedy, and explore some similar themes of desire. For Sentai, Shinkenger and Go-Busters are my recommended choices, but only because they're recent. Go-Busters may not be for everyone (and is an odd duck for Sentai in general), while Shinkenger is above average, if a bit drifty in the middle. I don't know much about Gingaman or Timeranger, and Toqger isn't finished so I can't make a final judgment on it, but it's alright. Den-O is a bit tough to recommend, but only because it has so much extra material due to its extreme popularity boost for itself and Rider in general. Ryuki is still being resubbed, and OOO is completely done by Over-Time. OT is still working on Shinkenger, but they've finished Go-Busters completely.

Thanks. I'll definitely add that to the guide. Now we just need a manga guide. Doesn't seem like Takeuchi had any other notable projects outside of the Cherry one.

 

[SpikedGunner]

Do you know around what timeframe the new PGSM sub will be released?

I don't know when to be quite honest, still quite early in the project from the last time I heard them mentioning it (and they're also handling Avengers DISK Wars at the same time)...but I can tell you that they're striving for a better quality and in a few instances have caught things that both TVN & Miss Dream have either missed or translated inaccurately.

 

[MikeMyers]

Speaking of PGSM, I found this today. Can't believe I had never seen it before.

SpikedGunner you gotta tell your buddies at IS to cover that too, or maybe Ayumi can give us a recap.

 

[MikeMyers]

Sailor Moon S 127

A damion has managed to escape and attacks everyone, and as shown by that picture above, Ami is awesome enough to make her own video game by herself. An enjoyable falling action episode. Asta la vista S!

Overall thoughts on S: This was my favorite season when I first watched it, but on this rewatch, I noticed a lot of things that I liked and didn't like. For instant, I never realized how uneven the pacing was. The screentime of the sub-bosses wasn't balanced at all, and some just came across as fodder since they never got to develop as a character and a threat. It's also the season that begins shafting the Inners by having episodes where they only show up for the fight, but this season really improved Minako. Her comedic episodes were really fun, and you can tell the writers have found the right direction for her character since late R. The major reason for shafting the Inners seem to be to focus on the Outers, and I know that when you have a new character you have to go out of your way to sell them to the audience, but did the Talisman arc really have to obsess after Haruka and Michiru so much? Things definitely got better with the Hotaru arc. Setsuna and Hotaru's friendships with Chibiusa are pretty adorable, and the climax was to the Hotaru arc was fantastic. I never actually realized it, but this season (and even latter R) really did a good job on maturing Chibiusa and setting her up as a future main character. Speaking of main characters, this season really began the resetting on Usagi's personality, right down to even bringing back the romantic rivalry with Chibiusa. That rivalry worked for me in R, since Usagi was single and Chibiusa was unaware of that the person she was in love with was her own dad, but it comes across as a bit awkward here in S. So while I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed R, it still had a lot iconic moments for the series. Well time for the Amazon Trio and Diana!

 

[Cheerilee]

Viz is using advanced new techniques to try and eliminate the ghosts which were totally not created by their botched attempt to de-interlace interlaced material, combined with their attempt to defy the laws of God and Man to summon high definition out of thin air.

Perhaps it's time to contact an exorcist.

 

[Simply Sarah]

Viz is using advanced new techniques to try and eliminate the ghosts which were totally not created by their botched attempt to de-interlace interlaced material, combined with their attempt to defy the laws of God and Man to summon high definition out of thin air.



Perhaps it's time to contact an exorcist.

You know that feeling when something is super depressing and makes you want to cry, but at the same time it's so ridiculous that you sorta also want to facepalm and just laugh dejectedly? Yeah, that's me right now.

 

[Cheerilee]

Just arrived. I saw it in Amazon's Deal of the Day, and couldn't stop myself.

You know that feeling when something is super depressing and makes you want to cry, but at the same time it's so ridiculous that you sorta also want to facepalm and just laugh dejectedly? Yeah, that's me right now.

Yes, I know that feeling, because my emotional needle tipped ever so slightly in the other direction. I laughed, but I wanted to cry.

 

[MikeMyers]

We should probably get a Holiday-themed topic title, maybe a reference to the Xmas speech in the S film.

So for SuperS I admit everytime I watched it all the way I found it inconsistent, so I have lined up for the watch: 133-134, 136-138, 140-141, 143-145, 147-149, 151-152, 154, 156, 159-166. So that is still most of it. Look forward tor revisiting this series.

@Cheerilee: Awesome action figure. As for Viz, I've given up on them completely. Too much of a mess.

 

[MikeMyers]

Toru Furuya really is Tuxedo Mask!

 

[Ayumi]

Just got back from a friend's wedding. She chose Tuxedo Mirage as one of the songs during the dinner. It was really great!

 

[MikeMyers]

Sailor Moon SuperS 133

Artemis is accused of having a secret child, and despite the fact this misunderstanding could have been solved straight away by Chibiusa correcting the facts straight away, it was still a pretty funny episode. There's an absolute hilarious scene of Minako trying to intrude on Artemis, and a hilarious monster battle that involves:

Artemis being turned into a Joey.

I wonder how Mamoru would get away to drinking beer with his friends cat.

 

[MikeMyers]

Double post but I just finished re-reading Volume 6 covers S. I wonder if Takeuchi was a fan of the Love Square in the Ali & Ann arc considering what's happening here?

Just got back from a friend's wedding. She chose Tuxedo Mirage as one of the songs during the dinner. It was really great!

Wow, that's awesome. Either that one or "Heart Moving" is my favorite ending theme.

 

[Conan-san]

Artemis being turned into a Joey.

Neyh.

 

[Syrinx]

Why isn't that Narag's avatar?

 

[Ayumi]

Just arrived. I saw it in Amazon's Deal of the Day, and couldn't stop myself.

Okay, so I was really debating on whether I should tell you this or not.. but I think that you deserve to know since you probably paid around the original price for this.

I'm really sorry to be the one to tell you this, but that figure is a bootleg.
I hope that I haven't ruined it for you by telling you, but I think you should contact the Amazon seller/report them if possible and get a refund.


How I noticed:
Compare these things to the official one (link below):

- Left shoulder is way off (compare it to the right shoulder and you can see it
- Left arm is twisted around the elbow.
- Original box does not have the "Sailor Moon" logo on the middle bottom
(Instead a golden sticker (like the one to the left) should be placed there, with black writing, not purple)
- Some bootleg boxes are hard to tell form the original. The early ones didn't have the Tamashii/Bandai logos on the bottom right, but eventually the bootleg creators added it.
- The color of her hair is kind of off, too yellow.
- I don't see this on your figure, but a lot of Usagi bootlegs also have transparent hair at the bottom (completely blank instead of a proper fade)
- Your box is also missing a very important big golden sticker on the middle

From Google,
Original box: https://pyramidcat.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/s-h-figuarts-sailor-moon-2.jpg
Typical bootleg: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jub-pFxpwd8/UhAXqcbkIcI/AAAAAAAACRs/uNECnL-TGMQ/s1600/DSC_0151.JPG
(The WARNING Bandai/Tamashii is different on a few bootlegs)

Also, that small golden sticker with a cat on it is always golden with black font. Most bootlegs have a purple font on it.

 

[MikeMyers]

Any idea what we should do for a Holiday-themed title?

Why isn't that Narag's avatar?

lol. I'll send it to him.

 

[Narag]

Why isn't that Narag's avatar?

Too little, too late.

 

[Syrinx]

Too little, too late.

Douche.

 

[Cheerilee]

Okay, so I was really debating on whether I should tell you this or not.. but I think that you deserve to know since you probably paid around the original price for this.

I'm really sorry to be the one to tell you this, but that figure is a bootleg.
I hope that I haven't ruined it for you by telling you, but I think you should contact the Amazon seller/report them if possible and get a refund.

Don't worry, I can handle bad news. And it's always better to know the truth, so thank you.

Fortunately for me, and to take some weight off your mind, it's apparently neither a bootleg nor a Japanese original. It's a North American re-issue made by Bandai for a company called "Bluefin". They seem to be a legit licensee. They call themselves Tamashii USA, and they were my Amazon seller.

The arm looks funny because the ball joint is twisted backwards. Yikes. Now I want to open the package and straighten it (I was tempted to leave it in the box for a while).

The hair has a nice, proper fade.

The gold Toei sticker is mostly for the Japanese market. Toei does other things with their stickers, but it's not exactly clear what means what, which makes it hard for fans to tell if it's fake or not. I guess Toei knows the difference.
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Merchandise_FAQ

This is a typical Japanese sticker.

This one's similar to mine. Silver background, number three, English lettering. But mine is printed with purple ink, not orange.

 

[Ayumi]

I'm happy to hear that!

Never knew that they would release a different kind of type in the US. Never heard that before. I guess the best way to be sure is to look at the painting details on her, like her choker, moon on top of boots etc. The color difference I saw could be just the camera too, I suppose.

I'm still kinda skeptical since your sticker has purple font likke bootlegs do, as well as that Sailor Moon logo the official releases don't seem to have. But I guess you'll be able to tell if you look at her details and check the joint flexibility etc. Sorry to poop your party, haha. I just saw her shoulder (poor girl) and started looking at the box. It looks like it doesn't have the same 3 white lines like the left shoulder, could just be the angle though.

Speaking of that fig, I should probably buy Saturn soon for my collection.. But she's still full price here, at least last time I checked.

 

[Pluto]

I'm still kinda skeptical since your sticker has purple font likke bootlegs do, as well as that Sailor Moon logo the official releases don't seem to have.

I have an american Saturn and figuarts zero moon and mercury, they all have a silver sticker with purple font, the silver sticker is used for internationally licenced products afaik.
The japanese figuarts added the Sailor Moon logo at the bottom starting with Mercury, so maybe the american box design for moon was finalized after this was decided and they added it to the american version?

 

[KDash31987]

Does that one include the extra winking and crying faces? If not, it might be a new shipment. The extra faces were for early shipments only, and then anything after that would obviously be different.

 

[Ayumi]

I have an american Saturn and figuarts zero moon and mercury, they all have a silver sticker with purple font, the silver sticker is used for internationally licenced products afaik.
The japanese figuarts added the Sailor Moon logo at the bottom starting with Mercury, so maybe the american box design for moon was finalized after this was decided and they added it to the american version?

Does that one include the extra winking and crying faces? If not, it might be a new shipment. The extra faces were for early shipments only, and then anything after that would obviously be different.

Not surprised it's different over there, just not something I thought of. There are A LOT of bootlegs on the western market, it's almost crazy.

I got mine just when it was released so I suppose the box might have actually changed by now. Maybe that's why the bootlegs added that Sailor Moon logo to it as well, because it wasn't there during the first bootlegs.


Unrelated, I bought the newest ViVi Magazine and was surprised to see tons of Sailor Moon Crystal pages there. They weren't really about Crystal, just our girls used to promote various non-Sailor Moon stuff (but also including the Blu-ray and the pads.

Will post pictures soon!

 

[MikeMyers]

Sailor Moon SuperS 134

Makoto's friend, a meek and shy girl who is basically a cheap bootleg version of Ami, publishes a novel about Pegasus and gets targeted by the Amazon Trio. It was nice to see Makoto finally getting some time to shine, since the last season was too busy worfing her character for Haruka's sake. The battle was pretty hilarious too, including some Looney Tunes-esque gags here.

Not much of a fan of 135, so I'll probably write about 136 tomorrow.

 

[Ayumi]

Found some pictures of Sailor Moon stuff in ViVi January 2015.
Sorry for rushed bad quality (the original resolution is huge), let me know if you want a close-up of any of them.

Part 1: https://twitter.com/Ayu/status/544396318253121536
Part 2: https://twitter.com/Ayu/status/544396639658467328
Part 3: https://twitter.com/Ayu/status/544397151451635713

Spoiler

Was kinda hesitant to post my Twitter here.. but I can't be scared of GAF forever, heh.

 

[MikeMyers]

That is awesome, I retweeted it. Also, you already had your twitter page on your GAF profile, so you might want to take it off there if you didn't want more people to be aware of it.

 

[Ayumi]

That is awesome, I retweeted it. Also, you already had your twitter page on your GAF profile, so you might want to take it off there if you didn't want more people to be aware of it.

No I know, but it was far more subtle. Kind of like first step into "I don't care about sharing it". If you understand.

Kind of surprised I didn't see any photos of this yet, usually people make a big deal out of nothing when it comes to the promotion. Not sure when the magazine was released though, maybe this weekend or something.

 

[MikeMyers]

We should probably get a Holiday-themed topic title, maybe a reference to the Xmas speech in the S film.

NONE OF YOU RESPONDED, so I decided to pick my own title (it is indeed a reference to the S film). Although, since we've had a lot Mamoru titles recently, I decided in 2015 we balance it out more:

January: Usagi
Feburary: Ami
March: Rei
April: Makoto
May: Minako
June: Chibiusa
July: Haruka
August: Michiru
September: Setsuna
October: Hotaru
November: Luna/Artemis/Diana
December: Mamoru

Sound good? I guess November can be more of a wild card, meaning we can do the Starlights or a villain instead.

 

[Ayumi]

Aww, sorry, I missed your post!

That list sounds good.. What are your plans or ideas, just a title change?

 

[Simply Sarah]

Not surprised it's different over there, just not something I thought of. There are A LOT of bootlegs on the western market, it's almost crazy.

I got mine just when it was released so I suppose the box might have actually changed by now. Maybe that's why the bootlegs added that Sailor Moon logo to it as well, because it wasn't there during the first bootlegs.
...

Yeah, it seems super likely that the bootlegs have adjusted to mimic the official western releases rather than the Japanese ones, which resulted in many things on the box setting off your bootleg alarm.

NONE OF YOU RESPONDED, so I decided to pick my own title (it is indeed a reference to the S film). Although, since we've had a lot Mamoru titles recently, I decided in 2015 we balance it out more:

January: Usagi
Feburary: Ami
March: Rei
April: Makoto
May: Minako
June: Chibiusa
July: Haruka
August: Michiru
September: Setsuna
October: Hotaru
November: Luna/Artemis/Diana
December: Mamoru

Sound good? I guess November can be more of a wild card, meaning we can do the Starlights or a villain instead.

Looks good beyond my usual mild obsessive annoyance at Setsuna's positioning in the this fairly traditionally ordered list. They're in appearance order except for the fact that Sailor Pluto appears in Black Moon. On the other hand, Pluto as Setsuna doesn't appear until S/Mugen...but just to make things more messy she appears before Hotaru in the anime and after Hotaru in the manga. I think what I'm trying to say is that I'm sweating the very small stuff and can probably be safely ignored. XD

 

[Pluto]

Not surprised it's different over there, just not something I thought of. There are A LOT of bootlegs on the western market, it's almost crazy.

Definitely, that's why I tried to get all them all from Japan initially, now I buy the american ones from amazon directly, not from third party stores.

 

[MikeHattsu]

Sailor Moon R 17

Rei's grandfather gets exposed as an old pervert.

So he does the obvious thing. Retires as a priest and starts up his own workout school so he can watch young girls all day long. And the monster this week is some kind of female Hulk. She seems to be angry at all times though and not just when she turns green

 

[MikeHattsu]

Sailor Moon R 18

Strange things can happen when there's no gravity.

Like when Tuxedo Mask manages to slip on a can... And there's lots of thunder and lightning and Usagi has to look for Chibi-Usa for over 20 minutes as well.

 

[KDash31987]

And the monster this week is some kind of female Hulk.

Sorta like...a She-Hulk, you might say?

 

[MikeHattsu]

Sorta like...a She-Hulk, you might say?

Hehe. Yeah. Only know her from MvC3 though

 

[MikeMyers]

Someone on my feed retweeted this awesome picture of Toshio Furukawa (Hawk's Eye), so I wanted to share:

He's kind of a big deal, even if he only gets a small role in this series.

Aww, sorry, I missed your post!

That list sounds good.. What are your plans or ideas, just a title change?

Yeah, we'll give a Senshi their own title for each month. I guess December is Mamoru's return, January for Usagi, February for Ami, etc.

Looks good beyond my usual mild obsessive annoyance at Setsuna's positioning in the this fairly traditionally ordered list. They're in appearance order except for the fact that Sailor Pluto appears in Black Moon. On the other hand, Pluto as Setsuna doesn't appear until S/Mugen...but just to make things more messy she appears before Hotaru in the anime and after Hotaru in the manga. I think what I'm trying to say is that I'm sweating the very small stuff and can probably be safely ignored. XD

I thought about that too, although I was mostly going in order of the manga covers in the Kodansha release. I think September fits Setsuna better, so I went with that.

Strange things can happen when there's no gravity.

Like when Tuxedo Mask manages to slip on a can... And there's lots of thunder and lightning and Usagi has to look for Chibi-Usa for over 20 minutes as well.

One of my favorite gags. Mamoru and Chibiusa's relationship is pretty adorable too.

 

[Ayumi]

Yeah, we'll give a Senshi their own title for each month. I guess December is Mamoru's return, January for Usagi, February for Ami, etc.

Is it possible to request Hotaru for April since that's my birthday month? :3

 

[MikeMyers]

Hmm, I guess we can move Hotaru up for April.

We should probably come up with an order for 2014 ends though.

 

[Ayumi]

Nothing better than Mamoru for December, imo. I'll post some artwork of the characters during their month.

Meanwhile, excuse me while I clean up my ovaries after they exploded:

Source: http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=39570962

 

[MikeMyers]

January: Usagi
Feburary: Ami
March: Rei
April: Hotaru
May: Makoto
June: Minako
July: Chibiusa
August: Haruka
September: Michiru
October: Villains Month
November: Setsuna
December: Mamoru

Maybe that? Although if several people make requests its gonna overlap at one point. :/

 

[Ayumi]

No problem if you want a system, it's all up to you!

 

[Bladenic]

Sailor Moon SuperS 134

Makoto's friend, a meek and shy girl who is basically a cheap bootleg version of Ami, publishes a novel about Pegasus and gets targeted by the Amazon Trio. It was nice to see Makoto finally getting some time to shine, since the last season was too busy worfing her character for Haruka's sake. The battle was pretty hilarious too, including some Looney Tunes-esque gags here.

Not much of a fan of 135, so I'll probably write about 136 tomorrow.

omfg that gif I love it.

I love Mako-chan, hate the treatment she receives.