Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 7 Review

 

The act begins with Mamoru expressing his concerns for Usagi and Usagi stubborly refusing to get it for a few pages until finally

As she realizes Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen she comments on his eyes and their color that seems to suck her in, this is an image she used earlier, and will become important later, and it's cool symbolically that it's the moment that it's associated with her coming to understand, to have someone's identity more fully known to her. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and if you know your Plato, the soul knows all from past lives and all learning is just the soul remembering that knowledge in the process Anamnesis. To see in someone's eyes, is to see the world and all its secrets reflected back at you.

This leads into Mamoru's tragic backstory as he states he wants the Silver Crystal to restore his memories. On his 6th birthday, he and his parents were in a car crash, killing the young Mamoru's parents and giving the young Mamoru amnesia from a head injury. It's heartbreaking yet also resonant with the theme of the first arc as Young Mamoru asks himself frantically "Who am I? ... I can't remember...Who am I?" 

Mamoru's dreams had an indiscernable woman whispering to him of the Silver Crystal which can restore his memories, and he found himself wandering the streets, sleepwalking, or sleep-prowling as the case might be as Tuxedo Kamen. 

A complaint I sometimes hear that baffles me is "He was only 6 when he lost his memories, he probably wouldn't have remembered that much earlier anyway, why is he so distraught?" This objection to me seems to lack empathy. Mamoru can't remember his parents, and from that fundamentally has the sense he does not recall who he is as a person. That he wouldn't have that many more memories doesn't diminish the importance the meaning those memories would have to him. It's also important thematically for the arc because even though Mamoru may not consciously realize it, he's the Prince Endymion's resurrection and needs to unlock those memories as well.  

There's a funny moment when Mamoru asks her in return why she's searching for the Silver Crystal and Usagi awkwardly has to say basically "I don't know, my cat told me to do it." Usagi even comments to herself how uncompelling it seems compared to Mamoru's reason.

I also really like Mamoru's response there "...I see." He doesn't emphasize the obvious point, that he needs the Silver Crystal much more then she seems too. It's an unspoken assumption holding a bit of tension even as the two quickly begin to fall for each.

Usagi thinks that Luna would be telling her not to trust Mamoru, but her heart is clearly with him already. Usagi goes to leave but the two have a romantic moment as Mamoru gives Usagi her bag and the two get very physically close and the two change their names for each other to Usako and Mamo-chan. Mamoru realizes he still has Usagi's hankerchief from the Masquerade and Usagi realizes she still has Mamoru's pocketwatch, feeling close to each other and remembering their kiss. I love Usagi and Mamoru's relationship, it's my favorite in fiction, and I can't express why easily because it's for so many reasons. Even here where they have every reason to be opposed, they can't bring themselves to be so; for they represent and though they don't know it yet, they are the thing each other was searching. I'll elaborate in a later act review.

Cutting back, Luna is reporting to a very familiar silhoutte (Sailor V) saying that the Senshi aren't ready, especially Sailor Moon who is only halfway as good as the others, the voice responding that they don't have time, that the enemy is advancing. It then switches to those very villains watching footage of Sailor Moon restoring everyone in the city at the end of the last chapter. Zoisite wonders what kind of amazing power was it that Sailor Moon unleashed restoring everyone to life and Kunzite speculates if the Senshi already have the Silver Crystal. Beryl is....displeased at this suggestion. 

Beryl travels into the depths of the Dark Kingdom where she sacrifices the energy they have collected to awaken their great ruler, Queen Metaria. The great ruler they've alluded to all this time, first appears. Metaria appears like some kind of large shadow, deliberately vague and hard to make out but with a monsterous jaw and eyes. This is the first appearence of one of the large draws of Sailor Moon to me, each arc has a final villain that is some kind of eldritch abomination. This is actually an oft occuring element of the magical girl genre, to fight something horrific, alien, and otherworldly as the final antangonist, and I don't think any series does it as well as Sailor Moon's, whose final villains are as otherworldly and cosmic horror as some of Lovecraft's creations. Metaria, the living darkness shall be seen more later...

Beryl apologizes to Metaria that they have not found the Silver Crystal proclaiming they have searched the four corners of the Earth and only the nation of Japan is left. Metaria speaks ominously, speaking of sensing the Silver Crystal up above on the Earth's surface, speaking of being sealed away long ago by the soldiers of that cursed kingdom and that they can't let them stop them again. 

Metaria demands Beryl retrieve the Silver Crystal so that Metaria may swallow the Earth in darkness.

On one level, yeah it's a pretty standard villain speech. On the other, the point of this scene is to introduce the Dark Kingdom's "great ruler" and set up the tone, and in large part due to the art, as well as the archaic vague but mystical wording, it to me creates the exact right tone. 

Beryl leaves talking to herself in fear at how great and strong Metaria has already grown, but that there's no going back now. She goes a bit into her backstory. She was an arctic explorer when she heard something calling to her from deep within the Earth. She entered a cavern to find the ruins of the Dark Kingdom and broke the seal on Metaria, and Metaria awakened her, giving her powers. 

While that itself is interesting enough, even more interesting is her saying she doesn't truly intend to give Metaria the Silver Crystal but instead intends to take the Silver Crystal for herself and take dominion of the Earth.

Centuries ago it was believed that witches made dangerous bargains with demons for power. Beryl messes with forces out of her control. I think this is a really interesting development for Beryl. Her backstory has elements of cosmic horror (particularly At The Mountains of Madness) and also a tragic element. Even she concludes it was all fated. 

Going from one of the most atmospheric dramatic scenes so far to one of the goofiest, it cuts to some of Usagi's friends talking and they come to the discussion of a chain video rental store, in case you forgot this was the 90s, called.... "Video Rental Dark." Let me ask you, would you ever have gone to a store called "Video Rental Dark"? Even outside being obviously evil it's also such a generic name. Naoko also CLEVERLY works in another person mentioning watching videos all night, feeling exhausted from how good they are and, just in case you missed it, Rei says she feels a bad aura from this place. Rei didn't actually have to use her sixth sense for that, that was just basic observational skills. 

It cuts to the other Senshi at school having lunch and there's a really cute little part where Usagi asks Makoto what she has for lunch and Makoto happily offers some to Usagi. Ami however is intent on avoiding the cute and brings up on her computer their current information on the "Phantom Soldier of Justice" Sailor V. The Senshi speculate on her. 

While Luna had dismissed that Sailor V was one of them, believed by the others, Usagi is persistent in her perception that Sailor V is one of them. Ami speculates that Usagi might have other perception abilities they don't, pointing out Luna stated they were still awakening and Usagi as their leader may hide great powers. Usagi denies this to herself, proclaiming everything's she done, has been because the help from others; the other Sailor Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen, and the Moon Stick. This further sets up Usagi's development this arc and further on, her feelings she can't do anything on her own, that she has to always rely on others. Thinking of Tuxedo Kamen brings Usagi's mind to guilt she hasn't told the others that Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen or that he knows she is Sailor Moon, but she begrudginly keeps it to herself.

Umino interrupts to ask if they're still talking about Sailor V, and right now everyone only cares about Sailor Moon. Usagi notices all her classmates are looking empty and drained and Luna, hyperintelligent cat that she is, declares it must be because of Video Rental Shop Dark. So they head off to the arcade to investigate where we get Luna demanding Usagi ... stick the video cassette into the Sailor V game. How? I guess it must just have a slot for videos, but you'd think that would be noticable to the normal people who have played it. 

There's an electric flare, and the game unsurprisingly rejects the video cassette. What is a bit surprising is that the Sailor V figure in the game...

I love this introduction for Minako. If you've read Codename Sailor V, you know it's a much wackier manga that has random toonforce and gag feats like this, and Sailor V did this kind of nonsense all the time. It also fits right in, the Sailor V game has been there since the beginning as a recurring element that's been kept relatively low-key yet they imply it keeps changing depending on what you're doing in it, giving the sense it's more alive. Sailor Venus is Naoko's favorite Senshi, and you can tell. 

The Senshi find out the videos are brainwashing energy-draining tapes from the Dark Kingdom and it cuts to a large crowd of people calling for capturing Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon shows up and un-brainwashes them with the Moon Healing Escalation but this was all a trap and Zoisite ambushes her. Sailor Moon tries the Moon Twilight reflection but he teleports behind her and grabs her. Despite clearly using her as cover, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter....for some reason attack anyway and Zoisite just reflects their attacks back.

You might be wondering why Zoisite was so afraid of them last chapter if he could do this and why he bothered to take Sailor Moon as a hostage, but there's actually kind of an explanation. When Nephrite died, Kunzite specifically told Zoisite he'd have to be "careful" in order to not meet the same fate and in the side story Casablanca Memories when Zoisite tried to ambush Sailor Mars as vengeance for Jadeite, he found out Sailor Mars is much more powerful then him, so it's most likely just an abundance of caution combined with Zoisite naturally being a more cowardly underhanded type figure. I'm more curious as to why Mars and Jupiter shot their attacks at Zoisite when he was holding Sailor Moon right in front of him, especially with how both their attacks cover a wide area.

Sailor Moon calls for Tuxedo Kamen to help her, but he can't even get close due to Zoisite's energy barrier which might be the thing Zoisite used to reflect Mars and Jupiter's attacks, it's not clear. However at the last moment before Zoisite can bring down a blow on Sailor Moon, she's freed and immediatly after, Zoisite is cut to ribbons by a boomerang. Sailor Moon looks up to see she was saved a mysterious Sailor Senshi and her cat ally...and realizes it's Sailor V.

And that's the end of Act 7, and the first half of the Dark Kingdom Arc. I mentioned Act 3 might be my favorite of the first half of the Dark Kingdom and I said "might" because Act 7 is competition for it, it's a really good act. While Video Rental Dark is a really underwhelming villain plot with a really dumb name, this act has three really good points going for it in my view.

First there's the part where Mamoru reveals his backstory. This part not only sets up later symbolism but is already a fairly compelling backstory giving him a good reason for his actions, while also fitting the vibe Sailor Moon has of occult mysteries with hidden secrets and lost memories and the like. This also is a really sweet moment for Usagi and Mamoru's relationship as though they feel they are posed to be enemies, they can't help but fall in love with each other regardless.

Then you have the part with Metaria and Beryl and, mildly exposition-y it might be, it's also just really atmospheric having the the witch Beryl sacrifice energy to this demon made of darkness who shifts around and comments ominously of its intentions. You also get Beryl's backstory and her motive showing a greater depth then most Sailor Moon villains get, that she has reasons for what she's doing, she was tragically led to this position, and she's not so dumb as to actually give Metaria the Silver Crystal and is instead planning on betraying her. It's a dangerous overly ambitious move, yet also makes some sense with her motive and position.

Finally you have the introduction of Sailor V. Sailor V makes a dramatic impression right from the get go somehow appearing in this act both as a mysterious elegant "Phantom Senshi", yet also a cartoonish gag character that can literally appear in a video game. It also recontextualizes the Sailor V game, a recurring element from the start.  You can tell just how much fun Naoko has when writing Sailor V. Even the Video Rental Dark plot is somewhat remniscient of similar plots from Sailor V when villains would do things like send out idols with names like Twin Dark and the Dark Guys to brainwash people with their music.

This chapter, in my humble opinion, makes for a fantastic midpoint for the arc.