Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 3 Review

 

The act begins with the villains meeting. Beryl addresses Jadeite and tells him that he has now failed twice, and that with a third failure there will be "consequences." However in the middle of his apologies two more men appear, immediatly apparent that they are of same rank as Jadeite with their identical military outfits. One, Zoisite, hangs in the background and mostly is just there to create an impression but the other, Nephrite, makes a much stronger impression declaring himself the Heavenly King of North America, mocking Jadeite and his pitifully weak youma, and asking Beryl to assign him to retrieve the Silver Crystal.

While the inclusion of his title is a bit awkwardly placed, the main purpose of this scene is both exposition and to build tension. We see immediatly that there are two more of Jadeite's rank, that they are considered far stronger than the monsters the last two chapters built up to fighting, and that one is quite the hot-blooded enemy. The scene concludes with Queen Beryl giving exposition on the central plot device of the series, an important plot device in essentially every chapter of the manga, Maboroshi no Ginzuishou or the Legendary Silver Crystal, also translated as Illusory Silver Crystal or Phantom Silver Crystal. Beryl describes it as the source of all energy, unlimited and infinite, and the one who gains it will have dominion over the universe. 

This is a pretty standard but effective narrative trick. If a central feature of a series will be characters growing stronger, it's fairly common to have a character demonstrate end of series capability near the start so it feels like the characters are building towards a certain goal rather then just endlessly expanding aimlessly. This is also why some video games start you with End of Game capabilities before stripping you of the abilities. In this case, we learn what the ultimate goal is, here, and the Silver Crystal will remain a relevant god tier power up to the end of the series. As a more minor point, I love Naoko's art the page the Silver Crystal is described...it does a good job evoking the majesty the Silver Crystal is meant to evoke, cosmically potent but as its name may suggest, something mysterious like a legend or a phantom force, the Silver Crystal is something to Sailor Moon like the Force is to Star Wars or something like the Green or the Speedforce is to Swamp Thing or Flash comics respectively, it is both the hero's power source, an ambigious cosmic power that sometimes is depicted as somewhat having a will of its own, and wholly mysterious.

Jadeite finishes his apology and proclaims his intent to destroy the Sailor Senshi, and we cut to a shrine maiden, Rei, divine-ing the future from the fire, declaring ominously that something itremendous is coming. A little girl, "Mii-chan" calls out a goodbye and waves to Rei who gives a sweet goodbye back. This is our first impression of Rei Hino and it presents herself as a mystical figure who nonethless is sweet and friendly. 

through usage of a few cuts we find out that from exposition from Usagi's classmates that the "Devil 6:00 Bus" is a bus rumored to come at 6:00 via a certain route driven by a shinigami and takes people to Hell. We are also shown the true culprit, the real driver is Jadeite. On some level this kind of ruins any suspense, but it was also very obvious it was going to be Jadeite regardless so... eh. 

There's a funny gag where Luna, overhearing about the evil bus tries to wake Usagi up so they can go talk strategy with Ami and Usagi doesn't want to, but she mentions they're meeting her at the arcade and Usagi gets all enthusiastic and awake immediatly. Usagi then reintroduces herself and Ami to the audience, noting their roles as Sailor-Suited soldiers of justice. There's also a statement of how the Sailor V seems to be showing different patterns, and they speculate it's running through random scenarios.....foreshadowing...

Ami being the intellectual she is, tries to ask Luna more about their enemies but Luna shakes off the question, saying their main goal is to protect the Silver Crystal and the princess, probably because Luna at this point doesn't actually recall anything specifies about their enemy. Then comes a rather odd scene where Usagi wins from the Sailor V game which Luna says she can....somehow....turn them into communicators for Usagi and Ami and Ami surprisedly asks Luna if she rigged the machines. Luna gives a little wink of affirmation...

So, wait a minute. Luna had the wristwatches she can turn into communicators, and rigged the machine to give them out when Usagi beat a level? Why didn't she just give it to them? Luna, the universe is literally at stake! It's a really good thing Usagi happened to beat this level at this particular time as the communicators become important this chapter, something that only happened because Ami showed Usagi how to do so. 

Speaking of Ami, she mentions to Usagi that around this a time an incredibly beautiful girl appears on the bus with a sly wink...Rei comes on with a shojo "pretty" close-up with flowers around it and Usagi goes cartoonish heart-eyed and follows her basically "just because"

As mentioned last time, I am not one of those people that think a female character calling another female character "cute" is evidence of their sexual orientation, particularly in a Shojo Manga in 1990s. That's why I didn't think Usagi calling Ami cute last chapter was evidence of it. That said...this is really extreme, even for the time. The joke is Usagi's comical overreaction to seeing a beautiful girl. If this isn't evidence Usagi is bisexual...I can hardly imagine what would be.

Usagi gets attacked by Rei's crows, Phobos and Deimons (which if you know mythology are the gods who are sons of the God of WarAres or Mars and if you know your atronomy are the two moons of the planet Mars.) Rei senses an extraordinary supernatural presence (probably Usagi's power as a Sailor Senshi) and hits Usagi with a mystical ofuda knocking her out. The two then formally meet with Rei apologizing saying she was certain she felt a supernatural aura and Usagi responds by saying something to the effect of "I'll forgive anything done by such a pretty girl!" ....I think Usagi might be a bit of a simp. More seriously, this is a pretty fun gag. It doesn't introduce Rei's character, just her supernatural abilities and great beauty, but it is very in-character for Usagi and funny. 

Back with the plot a bunch of people come to the Hikawa Shrine including the mother of Mii, the little girl from earlier, who asks Rei if she knows anything about where she is. Rei shows no emotions which causes the crowd to start thinking she's creepy...she keeps crows as pets, she says odd prayers, her face doesn't seem to change, and she has supernatural senses. Because of the last two points and a few others, Luna wonders if Rei might be the princess they're looking for... once again we're seeing the theme of the last chapter...people make rumors about Rei and begain to assume the worst of her for being different. I wonder if in a way, Luna concluding the opposite might hint that assuming grandiose things about people, that they may not live up too through no fault of their own, is similarly bad to assuming bad things about them. Or perhaps it's just meant to intrigue the reader,  incite a bit of mystery into this already mysterious shrine maiden. Much of this chapter makes Rei out to be mysterious and otherworldly, it plays to one of Naoko's strengths as a writer, her ability to evoke an atmosphere.

Speaking of which we cut back to our villains Jadeite and Nephrite in some spooky dark castle for literally less than a page

Nephrite notes that Jadeite has allowed the children he's captured to live, but Jadeite responds he's using them as a trap. The children are hostages to lure in the Sailor Senshi. It's not hugely complicated but it's a pretty decent plan all things considered. We all see a bit more of the contrast of Jadeite and Nephrite's persona. While both are evil, Nephrite is a bit more fiery and impulsive, while Jadeite is a bit more of a patient planner.

Returning to Usagi we see everyone is, as one might expect, clamoring over the lost children. Luna says this smells like the enemy and suggests to Usagi they should take the cursed bus route and visit Rei saying Rei might be their nexy ally. Usagi replies Rei might be an enemy instead. This is a pretty neat little bit I think because up to this point, especially this chapter, Usagi has seemed somewhat naive and carefree save for in earlier chapters when she got scared. This shows, I think, she at least has some suspicion. 

There's a little repeat of a gag from the last chapter when Usagi starts talking to Luna without Mamoru is right next to her after she and Luna get on the bus. This leads to a rather funny bit where Usagi asks Mamoru if he's also a Junior High student and Mamoru angrily shoves his student card in her face and declares that he's a High School student. You get the feeling Mamoru is one of those people that looks younger then he is and so people consistently mistake him for a younger age.

Usagi and Mamoru then realize "Hey....that person.....looks really like Tuxedo Kamen/Sailor Moon" and they start getting all dramatic, and seemingly even sensing each others true selves....Yeah people always ask "why don't people recognize the Senshi if they look identical" but that's a question that the series answers. The 90s anime says in one random episode that "oh yeah the senshi look totally different transformed than in their civilian forms", PGSM actually has their characters look noticably different between their forms. But in the manga, it's just not a thing. People who see both quickly realize they are the same person. The keeping identities secret thing was an invention to allow the 90s anime first season to run 46 episodes, but the manga's first arc is 14 chapters, it has no time for that nonsense.

Usagi gets to the shrine where she watches a crowd of people including Mii's mother around Rei. Mii's mother asks if Rei can't use her sixth sense to find the children but Rei apologizes and politely says it doesn't work that way and they should rely on the police. Mii's mother becomes angry, and begins insulting Rei and suggesting Rei might be the one who stole the children. I can't imagine the type of despair someone in Mii's mother might be going through, but this is clearly unacceptable behavior yelling at a 14 year old girl for not being able to mystically find one's missing children and then imply she's the one who did it. Rei understandbly breaks, with first a Shojo-y shot of her sadness-filled eyes, followed by an angry demand from Rei that they all leave. This is a really good overall introduction to the nuance of Rei's character. She feels massively and strongly, but simply doesn't show it usually. She cared for young Mii as her friend who clearly didn't think of her as creepy, and to be accused of her kidnap evokes understandable sadness and anger. 

Rei goes back to looking into the fire to try and divine some information and sees an image of...Jadeite choke-ing Usagi. This is a pretty weird image to be honest because...Jadeite doesn't actually do this at any point. Even without Rei's intervention this probably wouldn't have happened because when Usagi actually faces off with Jadeite she's doing it transformed, though I guess it's not impossible to imagine a scenario where Rei doing nothing leads to Jadeite choke-ing Usagi in her civilian form.

Rei goes out to do...something it's not clear, probably just following her sixth sense, where she runs across the 6:00 bus and she sees the man in her fire divination, Jadeite, in the mirror. Jadeite uses his magic to compel her body to move of his accord. Usagi sees Rei aboard the bus, as well some kind of portal between dimensions open up for the bus to go through. 

Usagi does the only natural things and changes into a bus stewardess. Even Luna is confused by this and asks why she turned into a bus stewardess and Usagi says it's because "it's the stewardess' job to ensure the passangers have a safe trip." I personally think it's just because Naoko wanted to draw Usagi in a stewardess outfit.

Luna falls off Usagi and is caught by Tuxedo Kamen which Usagi sees as the bus enters into Jadeite's dimension leaving the two behind. Usagi thinks to herself that Luna and Tuxedo Kamen can't save her this time. This is I think a really good setup for Usagi's development. She had relied on others a lot, Tuxedo Kamen saved her in both prior fights and Luna is the one who advises her. Now she's going into a scary other dimension completely alone. Knowing Usagi's character as a crybaby increases the drama of the fact. 

Tuxedo Kamen thinks to himself that he saw her transform, confirming that he does know Usagi's identity. I guess you could maybe say he knows Usagi can transform and looks like Sailor Moon but doesn't know they're the same, but considering it's pretty clear in subsequent acts that he knows. Luna runs off to Ami and says that due to Usagi's communicator they can track her into alternate dimensions.

...it's a good thing they have those communicators, Luna. Would have been a real trouble if Usagi hadn't won them earlier this act.

The sensor pops out of Ami's computer and goes...straight down. So is Jadeite's dimension below them or something? Below them is where the Dark Kingdom is, but I don't think the dimension Jadeite is in is the Dark Kingdom because of the end of this act, is the Dark Kingdom a series of small dimensions, maybe a castle for each Heavenly King or something? Maybe Jadeite's dimension is not the Dark Kingdom at all but if so why did the sensor go down. It's just an odd part when combined with details revealed later. 

Luna reestablished contact with Usagi....about 2 pages after Usagi is like "Tuxedo Kamen and Luna can't help me now." I have to say I think this is a real missed opportunity. Yeah Luna isn't physically there, but she is still advising Usagi basically as normal. This was a really good opportunity to increase the drama and Usagi's development in a fairly natural way. Usagi transforms and Ami somehow uses her transformation magic to teleport in. The two then run into Jadeite who takes Rei hostage. Once again, not a genius plan or anything but a fairly pragmatic logical villainous decision to make. 

Ami tries to create her mist to disguise where they are, but Jadeite use his powers to transform Ami's mist into hail. Usagi starts getting teary-eyed but Luna tells her not to cry because if she does it will....destroy the dimension?

I heard a theory people said that Luna was just saying that to try and get Usagi to focus and not cry during this big fight. Respectfully, I think that may be giving the manga too much credit for subtlety. When Luna does something coyly, the manga will usually acknowledge it. I think this was just an attempt to both force and show Usagi's development in that she can't cry in fear this fight.

Usagi throws her tiara but Jadeite just PUNCHES it away casually, only for Luna to proclaim he fell into their trap and for Usagi to somehow bind Jadeite with the tiara. This is a pretty random ability that comes out of nowhere, and honestly wasn't even really needed given how the rest of the short fight goes. It WAS a cool moment for Jadeite to just sort of knock the tiara away as that's been Usagi's finisher the last two fights.

Luna tells Ami to throw Rei the transformation pen, really emphasizing that everything rides on this to try and amp up the tension. The Mars Insignia appears on Rei's forehead and she transforms into Sailor Mars. Phobos and Deimons suddenly just sort of....show up and Mars throws a fire attack at Jadeite that not only burns him to death but starts collapsing the dimension

As for why Jadeite couldn't stop this attack, I have two theories. One is that Jadeite is always seen moving his hand when doing things so while bound he might have not been able to do anything. The other thing is Jadeite's seems to be control of matter. He made monsters, the youma, from dirt, he changed fog to hail, he controlled Rei's body, that might even be why he wasn't moondusted by the tiara...but fire isn't really a state of matter. It's closest to plasma, but really fire is a chemical reaction. Jadeite might have been able to stop that by messing with the gases that made up the fire but given it was large enough to destroy the dimension maybe he just didn't have the scope to stop it. 

The Senshi teleport the children out of the collapsing dimension. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury welcome Sailor Mars, soldier of flame and passion, as one of them, and there's a pretty sweet scene where Rei thinks to herself that the reason she has powers, the reason she was different was because she was a Senshi? Nephrite and Zoisite look on from a crystal ball with Nephrite being enraged the Sailor Senshi were able to defeat one of them, the four heavenly kings, concluding the act.

I have probably made more criticisms in this blog than in my previous Sailor Moon reviews, but Act 3 may be my favorite act in the first half of the Dark Kingdom arc, itself something being of a finale for the start of the manga. It's problems are only not living up to its potential and some janky logic in the worldbuilding. Emotionally, it raises the stakes and the drama of the series so far, progresses the ideas introduced in the first two acts, and sets up future developments in the manga. 

For the first point, we have a battle against the strongest villain so far, with the start of the arc setting Jadeite up as far greater than his youma. Despite some strange elements in it, it really does feel like it. Morga and Garoben used relatively mundane abilities and seemed to just be monsters. Jadeite uses all these really cool broken magical powers such as controlling Rei's body, completely no-selling Usagi and Ami's attacks (the former of which destroyed the youma), and taking the fight into another dimension. He also acts more strategetically and patiently, using tactics like taking hostages and setting up an ambush. Combined with Usagi being trapped in another dimension without Tuxedo Kamen to help serves to amplify the stakes and drama of the chapter.

For the second point, some of the most notable ideas in the prior two acts is Usagi's transformation from a crybaby into a hero of justice from her love and the outcasting of the Senshi due to the rumors about their strange abilities. Both return and are amplified, with people actually accusing Rei of villainy for her powers and otherworldy nature, and Usagi having to be more courageous than ever lost in a dimension that will break from Usagi's crying. I do wish the two points were connected more with Usagi standing up to the mob of people for Rei's sake. This is, off the top of my head, one of two changes Sailor Moon Crystal made to the manga that I liked.

This chapter also foreshadows further elements of the manga. Obviously it introduces Rei. Beyond that we first learn of the true scope of the story as the Silver Crystal's importance is expressed, we meet two more of the Heavenly Kings getting especially clear knowledge of the next one, Nephrite, and Usagi and Mamoru's relationship is developed further as they become aware of each other's identities (though Usagi will deny it to herself a bit longer.) Just as this act concludes the manga's beginning, it prepares one for further developments of the manga.