Sailor Moon Crystal First Impressions
This morning was the international premiere of the Sailor Moon reboot called Sailor Moon Crystal in celebration of the franchise's 20yr anniversary. The animation style has been updated, the seiyuu have been updated (however Mitsuishi Kotono remains playing Usagi - this represents a sense of familiarity and normalcy for me) and the setting has been brought to a modern era.
I was extremely excited when it was first announced that this was happening. I think a lot of the excitement stemmed from nostalgia over the original series. I had so many good memories with it. Sailor Jupiter (or Lita at the time since I had only watched the dubbed version as a kid) was and continues to be my favorite followed closely by Sailor Pluto. The idea of seeing them return to the media screen, that they'd have new life and that it'd be closer to the manga (which I've not read all the way through) excited me. To see the story the way that the creator meant to tell it - that excited me.
The images started leaking and it was new. It was fantastic and new and the 20th anniversary tribute album brought great covers with names like Tommy Heavenly6 (Papermoon - Soul Eater). But in the months leading up to today's premiere, I started getting really nervous. What if the animation style didn't work out? What if Usagi was still portrayed as the absolute ditz of the original anime? What if Makoto isn't all that I want her to be? How will they portray Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen?
The questions swirled in my head and I vowed not to get too excited, nor to get too indifferent. Nostalgia is best at being that - a memory. It's time for change, and I am just grateful that they even decided it deserved another chance.
I really like the new Usagi. I love that her original seiyuu is still being that same 14yr old voice. I like how the show has a darker tone, but they still kept some of the humor to her behavior there. The animation style is growing on me. It's fluid. Tuxedo Kamen - I love his new voice actor. I love how Mamoru first interacts with Usagi. I love the pace that they are presenting in the storyline.
I know the show is only slated right now for 26 episodes and if it does well it could possibly go on for more - but that makes me excited that I'll get to see Makoto earlier. I'm taking my husband through the remastered version of the original on Hulu at the moment and you don't see Makoto or Minako until the last half of the long season. I still have my reservations about how the other Inner Senshi will be portrayed, but I'll know soon enough. They've already eluded to meeting Ami in the next episode which is super exciting and only gets my hopes up for what will be coming to us in the future.
Releasing an episode every two weeks is not enough for me, but I will be patient and vigilante. I'm now genuinely excited to see what happens. I'm embracing the change and I think I'm ready to see what happens. It's quite possible that like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood I'll love this as a separate series - a separate story than the original. I won't be able to really compare them. Maybe I'll even have a new favorite Inner Senshi. Only time will tell.
Until then I'll just keep drinking some coffee as it's way too early for me to do much more on a Saturday (and being jet lagged). I have a feeling that my music selection today will heavily consist of my Sailor Moon Memorial Song Box and Music Box.