Sailor Moon Crystal

Episode 19

Things are really picking up in Sailor Moon Crystal as the story heads towards its climax, which is sort of a mixed bag for this series. On the one hand, we meet Sailor Pluto, King Endymion, and Diana, all of whom are interesting characters in their own rights and do a lot to expand the story's world. On the other hand, when Sailor Moon Crystal tries to cover too much ground in a single episode, things tend to go downhill. This is definitely one of those times, as the show races to introduce us to Pluto, let Esmeraude have a chance to fight, and brings us to the Tokyo of the 30th century, now called Crystal Tokyo. That's where Chibi-usa is from, as we learned in the last episode, and now we find out that she reached 20th century Tokyo by using a time key which she obtained from Sailor Pluto, the lone(ly) guardian who protects the gates of space and time. Venus asks Chibi-usa to bring them all to the future so that they can figure out what's really going on, and at first the little girl refuses. The plot demands that she relent, however, and midway through the episode, the remaining members of the gang are off on a journey through time.

As has been noted, Sailor Moon Crystal sticks very close to the original manga, and with this part of the story, I found myself wondering how they were going to handle the fact that Naoko Takeuchi included a sex scene between Usagi and Mamoru. It has been left in with slightly different (from the manga) imagery, but the implication is strong. It really is a non-issue, to be honest; I was simply curious how it would be handled. Given that Usagi is jealous of a little girl, I can't say that I feel she's mature enough to be sleeping with her boyfriend, but whatever; it does work with a revelation coming in the next episode concerning the future.

Perhaps the most major plot point this week is the introduction of Sailor Pluto. While she doesn't get much screen time, it is still fairly clear that she is very attached to Chibi-usa, with the implication from a flashback being that the little girl is the only person she's ever really had a chance to befriend. There's a sad quality to Pluto herself, and we can see that her stoic outside belies a want for human companionship, one of the better parts of the episode. Her time is too brief to do much more, but when you compare it with poor Sailor Venus' role in the episode, it positively shines with character development. Venus is basically just tagging along – she has the occasional line and gets to use her Love-Me Chain once, but otherwise she's just there to show us that she didn't get kidnapped. It's a waste of the character.

As with other pivotal moments in the series, this episode tries to cover too much ground in twenty-five minutes. As two episodes, it could have given more time to the characters, both heroes and villains alike, and added a sense of growing urgency to the proceedings. While this is not as ineffective as the climactic battle of season one, it still really goes too quickly to lend any weight to what's going on. Chibi-usa is returning to her ruined homeland where dead bodies still litter the streets, frozen like the people of Pompeii in paroxysms of agony. Her mother is acting out the plot of “Sleeping Beauty” and she doesn't know where her father is, so she's operating under the assumption that only she can save her world. This really deserves better treatment and development, especially given what's in store for her as a character.

But hey, they left in Diana's adorable tinkling bell. That counts for something, right?

Rating: C+

Sailor Moon Crystal is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.