Wednesday, June 23rd - 4:31 am
Update - Jay Navok

DVD Review: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Volume 3

 

Lighting your fire since 2003

Once again from Bandai Visual comes a third DVD of the Sailor Moon live action series. No surprises here: included is episodes nine through twelve episodes of the show plus a bonus feature. It'll set you back about 55 bucks plus shipping.

Many thanks to aDam for graciously providing screen captures from the DVD!

Disc stats:

Region: 2
Release date: 05/28/2004
Official length: 98 minutes
Languages: Japanese
Sound options: Dolby Digital (stereo)
Subtitles: None
Catalog number: BCBS-1814
Bonus: 10 minute omake "Sailor Moon ni Oshiokiyo"

Packaging: I like the cover of this disc more than the first two because the covers of the first two volumes seemed to look the exact same and were kind of dull. This one has a slightly different layout, putting Mars in the forefront, and giving the general layout a red/orange contrast which is fitting of it being the "Mars" volume. Notable on the cover is that Venus is prominently featured in Princess attire, with the moon sigil on her forehead and tiara on top. The spine work has the same picture of Mars from the front cover on the top of the spin, as well as information that tells us this is disc three. The back artwork features Mars in one of her kuji poses, and as with the previous discs, it has information on each of the Acts included, along with two photos. The disc artwork is of Sailor Mars, again in the exact same pose as on the cover and spine.

Inside the packaging are three flyers, which is fewer than the previous discs. There is the menu guide, a Bandai Visual Emotion Family Club (sounds like the name of a horrible kids drama) registration form, and a different issue of "Chibi Beat" with a summer attitude to it and featuring anime I couldn't care less about.

Menus: The menu features the same overused Mars pose from the front, spine, and disc artwork.

The second to the bottom option is the chapter menu, and the bottom button starts the bonus feature. An example of the chapter menu:

Video: 問題無し。

Audio: There's only Japanese, there's only one sound option (Dolby digital), and there are no subtitles. The audio on it is good, the sound is loud enough for you to enjoy Ayaka's squeaky clean voice, and that's about as good as it can get. There are no subtitles but as with volume 2 it's slightly tougher to get through this on only basic knowledge of Japanese.

Content: This disc contains episodes nine through twelve of the television series. Each episode consists of a brief trailer or summary of the previous episode, followed by the series opening, the three main body sections, and a teaser for the next episode. (No ending sequence, of course.)

As there are full synopses in our archives I don't think it's necessary to go into content summarization, but in effect:

Act 9: In which Tuxedo Mask becomes better known to the public than he'd like
Act 10: In which Princesses are in peril
Act 11: In which Minako's Manager steals the show
Act 12: In which Minako and Usagi go for a ride

Opinions: This volume starts off slow but picks up greatly in the second half. Considering that Miyuu had already been acting for two months at this point her acting skills had improved notably, but that's not saying too much given how it wasn't at a particularly high level to begin with. Still, it was noticeable enough by Act 10 or 11 that she had shaken off relying on base-acting movements and speech patterns, and had found her own rhythm. Jyoji, who gets featured a bit more in this volume, seems to have reached her level in the same amount of time as well, as he does a bang up job of things. Chisaki and Myuu do a good job but they were still unpolished, with Myuu pulling ahead due to some natural talents and background in the field. The wildcard here was Ayaka.

The first episode one this volume, Act 9, involves the Ginzuishou getting on the news and people on the look out for a certain masked man. I don't have much to say about this episode because I've forgotten it, and while it had some basis in the original storyline, it was simply used as set up in the live action series for the senshi (and Venus) to say to Usagi that she shouldn't go near Tuxedo Mask, thus creating tensions. (This act was also used as setup for the next episode where Zoisite has his Princess Requiem attack completed.) It was entertaining to see Miyuu dressed as Tuxedo Mask, but the episode as a whole wasn't great in any sense of the word.

Act 10 is the "Princess Kaguya" episode which focuses on mother-daughter relationships and the complications therein. It kicks up with appropriate but somewhat standard television-fare framework whereby Usagi gets angry at Ikuko-mama, and stomps out. Looking for a place to stay, she eventually finds Rei willing to take her in, but says ill of her own mother and later regrets those words when she hears of Rei's background. I found it interesting that Luna of all people would not know the Princess Kaguya story, but then someone has to be the pawn of the writers so that they can exposit the story for those kids who don't know it. The episode is supposed to be emotional but also move the story along. It does an okay job of the latter, but for me, not a very good job at the former. In the bonus the girls will talk about their experience with the ending scene of the Kaguya drawing theatre and how it was moving for them, but for some reason I didn't find it particularly impactful. The episode ends with Minako nearly getting hit, which is a great cliffhanger.

I really liked the next act if only for the fantastic acting ability of the fellow who plays Minako's manager. This guy was funny as hell and did an awesome job and deserves his own television series on his many trials and tribulations of being a manager-slash-Dark Kingdom zombie. Usagi's infiltration into the hospital was typical, classic Usagi which was refreshing (no pun intended) to see, and she played off with Minako excellently. I know some people liked the way that Minako was shocked at Usagi's nonchalant nature, but I actually find it kind of irritating. In this case it was only partly because of the difference in Minako's character, and more the fact that I happen to like silly Usagi and think that's part of what makes her character endearing. The episode's climax is the confrontation of the brainwashed Mars and Mercury, and Sailor Moon being saved by Tuxedo Mask despite the fact that the other senshi had labeled him dangerous. (It doesn't come off as heavy in irony, though, which I suppose is just as well.)

This brainwashing bit worked well only because they didn't keep at it and let it go quickly. But it, and the way the character of Minako has been retooled, highlights one of the differences between the live action series and the anime. We saw in the previous volume the episode in which there was antagonism between Mars and Jupiter. It's no surprise; these characters were strangers until a short while ago. While some stuffed cat gave them a magic wand and allowed them to transform, they really don't have any reason to be friends or to trust each other apart from the fact that they, perchance, are members of the same team. They all, however, do have this bond toward Usagi, and in that way they are interconnected. In the anime, once one of the girls joined the team, it seemed like they became fast friends and very trusting of each other. It doesn't happen that quickly in this series, which is more realistic, but at the same time feels very odd to me. Maybe because I want them to be good friends quickly, or am expecting that they will become friends fast without reason to. After considering how they really don't know each other all that well yet, though, it makes Usagi's reaction at their brainwashing a bit more believable.

At last we get to Act 12, which is where Minako's manager turns into a youma and Minako and Usagi get chased about the town. I think it was supposed to show to Minako that there was more to Usagi than the fangirlish appearance she has on the surface, and it works. The two of them continue to play off each other well, and the contrasts are very interesting. Ayaka's acting ability has been in question from the start; they made a point in the Toei preview months back that she had improved drastically in a couple months given her experience of zero at the start of the show's taping. She's good, she's not terrific, but that's okay because she can get better. (Although her voice still grates on me for some reason.) I've said many times that I believe the line between actress and character in this series often gets blurred, and I take issue with where they've taken the character of Minako in this series. Maybe I'm subconsciously blaming that on Ayaka, thinking that her lack of experience with the Sailor Moon storyline somehow influenced the writers to change her. But I'll get into my problem with the character of Minako in this series in another review.

The story in this episode begins to get more complex and high-paced, and many have said that it's Acts 12/13 which are the first turning point of the series. The staff changed, the pace changed, the feel changed, etc. Of course it won't be until later episodes that you'll know the results of these changes, but you can see the effect of it in Act 12 already. This is the first episode which really feels to be a part of the Sailor Moon storyline, which is interesting because the events of Acts 11/12 are so completely new to the Sailor Moon universe. But maybe this is because the writers decided it was time to stop setting things up, and begin diving into the storyline. How that turns out is what we'll find out next volume.

Bonus: The bonus feature in this disc takes place in a different theatre from the first one, and features Sawai Miyuu with Kitagawa Keiko. Miyuu's got on some nice clothes but Keiko's wearing a shirt that seems like a muumuu and everything I see a muumuu I think of that episode where Homer got off work for disability and that just ruins the image.

Their initial conversation is about the day they all met for the first time. Miyuu says that all she heard from Keiko was "Rei-chan, Rei-chan, Rei-chan, Rei-chan." I recall this all too well. Keiko explains, "I really wanted to play her. I really wanted to play her." Just as interesting, Miyuu mentions (Miyuu really does all the talking and Keiko simply inserts a comment here or there) that the two of them were big fans of the manga and had seen all the anime, and so they chatted to each other about Sailor Moon with great interest. Ayaka, however, didn't know anything about it not having read the series, and could only respond with, "Oh, is that how it went?" Miyuu further mentions that Keiko, at that point, had an older-sister feel to her (the word "shita" appears on the screen, meaning had) but that apparently quickly went away.

They watch over some scenes; when Miyuu was dressed as Tuxedo Mask in Act 9, and the end of Act 10 at the Kaguya kids play. "You were doing your best" Keiko says to Miyuu, about the tears. They comment that it was a very sad scene, but they do so jokingly.

We have next some outtakes.

Most are not particularly special. There's a scene cut from Act 10 where Mamoru insinuates to Motoki that Usagi had come Crown just for him, and there was a scene cut with Usagi and Rei laying down the little girl from the Princess Kaguya episode after she faints. They then go on a brief tangent about the Ferris wheel ride in Act 12 and how they were kind of goofing around in there. One of the production people in there said, "We have to create a work atmosphere in here" although with so many people and equipment in there, things were kind of tight. Miyuu points out something to the effect of the cake that they were eating being different from the one in the script, and says that Ayaka didn't want to eat the one they had because she didn't like it. I couldn't entirely catch everything of what she's saying in this specific segment but I'd like to put it up here, so if someone has a clean translation of what Miyuu's talking about in regard to Ayaka, send me an e-mail.

There was also a scene cut in Act 11 where Mamoru reads about the Star Festival on his PC. This is the only missing scene which seemed somewhat important to the storyline of the episode.

In the last portion they briefly comment on acting in a battle scene, and then Keiko mentions to Miyuu that she should talk about what to look forward in the next volume. Miyuu makes a heart sign with her hands.

Conclusion: The potential of the show is starting to show in this volume, but for non-Sailor Moon fans or non-sentai/drama fans, there's nothing in it that would really catch your eye yet. Either way, as always, if you're a fan of the show the DVD is highly recommended. If only for the oddity of seeing Keiko in a muumuu shirt. Oh, and for the DVD quality.

Setup: JVC 27" Television (regular, non-digital and non-flat TV)
Aiwa stereo system
Sony NS300 R2 DVD Player
Monster S-Video cables

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