Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 9 Review

The act begins right where the last one left off, Tuxedo Kamen is gravely wounded in Sailor Moon's arms. As Mamoru lays there dying he realizes this has all happened before, seeing finally the girl in his dreams was Usagi, Princess Serenity. Mamoru realizes that he was the Prince Endymion who was born again on Earth so he could see her again, and he brushes Sailor Moon's cheeks before dying.

Sailor Moon screams in anguish and her tiara, formed by her love for Mamoru, bursts, and a crescent moon appears on her forehead. The Senshi all feel... something in shock, as does Luna and Sailor V gets the symbol of Venus on her forehead.

Usagi's dress transforms into her Princess Serenity dress and notes that Mamoru's pocketwatch is running backwards, that time itself is running back just as their memories unfold before the Sailor Senshi. As their memories unfold before them the Sailor Senshi remember being Princess Serenity's guardians, reborn to protect her. 

Princess Serenity, hovering in an orb of light in the air, sadly speaks of her memories as she recalls them. She remembers her lover, Prince Endymion of the Earth. She recalls looking down on the Earth from the quiet Moon, and that it had the same blue of Mamoru's eyes, that shone of infinite hope and possibilities

If the last act had Mamoru giving his iconic description of why he fell in love with Usagi, this is Usagi's iconic description of why she fell in love with Mamoru and it's so good. This whole sequence has so much majesty to it, such grandeur. It's so evocative how Usagi from the Moon sees in Mamoru's eyes the same blue of the Earth and sees in both potentiality; excitement, and danger and hope making her feel alive. In their relationship Mamoru represents the Earth, and Usagi the Moon. The Earth represents that which is real and physical, it represents life in the barren void of space, it represents the concrete and the tangible. The Moon in its shifting phases and association with the night is instead associated with the feminine, the mysterious, the mystical, the emotions unconformed to any particular reality but existing in an unreal eternal cycle from which magical ideas are formed. Usagi and Mamoru conform to these symbols. Usagi, the Princess Serenity, is Mamoru's guide into the world of magic, as she called to him like some strange siren in his dreams. Mamoru, the Prince Endymion represented to Usagi life and adventure, and for the cowardly girl, a sense of something greater she could aspire to adventure into. They're my favorite romance in fiction.

Usagi recalls her time as Princess Serenity, that it was forbidden, "God's Law" for people of the Moon and Earth to interact. But she was entranced by the Earth and by its prince, stronger and more handsome then anyone, and snuck down to the Earth to see him so many times. It's so beautifully evocative, especially the images of the two interacting which portray her as slightly more ethereal, hinting at something fey-like just as the two forces they represent call to each other. 

However tragedy struck. Beryl, under the guide of Metaria, led the people of the Earth in an assault against the people of the Moon, asking Endymion as he protected Serenity why he stood against his own people, and slew Endymion as he moved to protect Serenity.

They had been reborn again on Earth, only now for Endymion to be taken away from her again, just as they began to recall each other. Serenity pleads with Endymion to open his eyes again, asking was this fate all along, that they be taken from each other, which with the statement earlier about God's law, doesn't sound so out there.

Serenity thinks to herself that he can't go because she still hasn't shown him her true self. I find it so painfully beautiful that Mamoru had just last act thought to himself that he wanted to know her true self. It shows that their hearts were already as one. It ties into the arc's theme of identity as Usagi tries to assert her identity. Serenity cries a tear for Endymion, calling him her one and only beloved, and the tear shines a brilliant poweful light causing Kunzite and the Guardian Senshi to guard themselves from its power, and night to appear as day

Emerging from the tear, it finally appears, the Silver Crystal

This part is exactly as dramatic as it needs to be. The Silver Crystal is the most important plot element across the entire Sailor Moon story, crucial to understanding every single arc and its appearence is appropriately treated as an absolutely immense deal. I love the way it's depicted somewhat ethereal before coming into more clear form appearing as a crystal. This befits it's somewhat untranslatable full name; Maboroshi no Ginzhuisho; translated as "Phantom Silver Crystal", "Illusory Silver Crystal", or "Legendary Silver Crystal", a sensation of something ethereal and guiding but out of any reach just as Serenity is to Endymion, the Moon is to the Earth. Much like how Usagi's crying was used as an attack in the first act, it's also meaningful it appears from her tear, taking something often derided about women, sensitivity, and turning it into the source of strength. The Silver Crystal, the ultimate power of the universe, is not found by searching the Earth high and low, it is found in the sensitive heart of a loving girl like Usagi. 

Everyone begins freaking out from the sheer power, with Queen Beryl just viewing it in her crystal ball proclaiming her crystal might burst, and with Kunzite and Minako coming quickly to the realization of what they're viewing. Through a bunch of cuts we see the Silver Crystal's influence upon the Earth. The power is mistaken for a supernova and Kunzite's barrier starts to falter. The sick are restored, the dead are restored, and the whole Earth is revialized and becomes active. It feels like a messianic power, a spiritual power, befitting the meaning of the moment. I really love this sequence. I don't know if people feel the same, but I really don't like how in Superhero stories when the presence of these demigod like entities doesn't really change society or alter the world in any noticable way other then people fight sometimes. Sailor Moon mostly avoids talking about how the Senshi's presence affects the mundane world, but I love Naoko was not shy at all to let Sailor Moon completely alter the world, literally healing all sickness and resurrecting the dead. Sailor Moon is not just a soldier of justice, she is a spiritual guide, an inherently moralizing civilizing force. Next arc this trend will really continue. This whole sequence is filled with a downright theological aesthetic, with the dead coming back to life and sick being healed, which is set up for other points later.

There's an admittingly confusing bit where Beryl teleports in, teleports her and Kunzite back to the Dark Kingdom briefly to see some stuff, and then back. It's a bit odd. In the Dark Kingdom Metaria comments to Beryl that she can feel immense amount of power on the surface and that she's being filled with energy, proclaiming it must be the Silver Crystal. Kunzite notices to his shock that the other Heavenly Kings have been brought back to life by the Silver Crystal's resurrecting power, though they are in some kind of sleep.

Spurred either by seeing the other Kings dormant, or the Silver Crystal's restorative powers, or a combination Kunzite remembers the past, that the four Heavenly Kings used to be Endymion's guards in the ancient past. They warned him against the Moon Kingdom but Endymion angrily said that Beryl was feeding them that hateful idealogy. They were reborn on Earth to find their prince but had their minds and bodies twisted by Beryl. As evidence of the way Beryl magically warped their bodies, the bodies of the other kings turn to stones.

The light from the Crystal enters Endymion's body and the immense power stops. Beryl demands Kunzite take the Silver Crystal and he attacks. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus create a barrier that manages to stop Kunzite's attack but Kunzite, likely from his memories unlocking, instead grabs the prone body of Prince Endymion. I like this point, it's subtle if you aren't looking for it, but Kunzite disobeyed Beryl here prioritizing his prince over the Silver Crystal. 

Serenity yells in anguish for Endymion but Kunzite simply raises one hand and pushes back Jupiter and Venus, causing them to say they can't take him right now, they need a tactical retreat. Serenity starts freaking out but Beryl teleports in behind Kunzite and teleports her, Kunzite, and Endymion away. It's a really cool dramatic sequence. 

Back at the base Serenity is softly weeping to herself. Minako goes to her and asks if Serenity remembers her, Sailor Venus. Serenity remembers back to the happy times of the Moon Kingdom this fades into memories of the Earth people attacking them. The Guardians speculate a little on Metaria, the nameless mass of darkness that somehow escaped its seal, Beryl and her role in leading the Dark Kingdom, and on how a piece of the Silver Crystal entered into Tuxedo Kamen's body.

I wanna highlight this part because I feel a lot of people still undervalue the manga's characterization in favor of the 90s anime. The 90s anime characterization is much more over hte top but plenty of times the manga characterizes the characters in a more subtle manner that I prefer. Look at this sequence which is mostly just exposition. We see first Rei looking all determined, intuitively stating she is sure that this enemy was behind the death of the Moon Kingdom. Then there's Ami who is less sure of her, taking about the scientific qualities of Metaria, describing with some uncertainty her physical attributes. Minako, trying to be the team leader, thinks tactically talking about how Beryl is probably the one behind the Dark Kingdom's mobilization and they need to find their base. Finally you have Makoto who thinks empathetically worrying about Mamoru, someone she has no connection too but knowing he means a lot to her princess. Maybe you think I'm seeing things, but to me I see these traits constantly in how they speak, just not very over the top. If you read the manga quickly it probably will seem like their dialogue will mesh together, but if you take your time through it, I guarentee you will notice more characterization then you thought.

Usagi has a nightmare where after Beryl can't get the Silver Crystal from Mamoru, she melts the flesh from his body.

Like I said in Act 1, I'm so impressed by Naoko just not caring at all what was normally considered safe to put in a teen girls' manga. Usagi states she has been having these nightmares many days, crying constantly, making her eyes puff up, giving her red eyes "like a rabbit's." 

Meanwile back with Luna, Luna recalls that she and Artemis were put into deep sleep by Queen Serenity so that they may guide the Senshi when they reincarnated. Luna's first objective was to find and awaken Sailor Moon which is where she came in during the first act. Her memories were sealed so she would not be able to give away somehow that Sailor Venus was the body double for the princess, drawing the Dark Kingdom's attention away. Luna begins really laying into herself, saying if she had believed in Usagi more, if she had remembered Tuxedo Kamen was Endymion, she could have prevented Usagi from suffering so much, declaring she's caused Usagi so much pain and failed as her partner. In a cute bit, Artemis finds her sad and comforts her, saying Usagi still needs her.

I said I was gonna try and avoid comparisons, but I just can't impress how much Manga Luna is best Luna. She's so supportative, she takes responsibility, she wants to believe in Usagi, and she tries the hardest to help her.

Usagi's friends come to her home to visit her. Usagi's mom is thankful they came saying Usagi has just stayed in her room for days, not going to school, not eating, seemingly in shock. The Senshi go to her, to find her hair has grown massively long. As they help her comb and manage it, Minako says it was because when she was Princess Serenity her hair was always very long. Usagi then has one of the most important statements in the arc, and one that is a big moment in the development of the series and genre's themes; that perhaps as she becomes more and more princess-like, she is losing herself.

The Magical Girl genre was originally used as a metaphor for growing up and the coming of age theme can easily be seen here with the growing of hair is an obvious image oft associated with adolescence. Originally this was treated as difficult but happy, magical girls had the power to change into an adult version of herself, an experiementation of the trials and joys of adult life. But with the loss of potential, is also something that may cause a measure of despair. As we grow and develop, there is a feeling just as we are growing into something, that we are losing something, we are losing the carefree innocence of childhood, and if the future looks dim, it may seem we are cursed by fate itself. I can easily see this metaphor in this scene.

There's another metaphorical way of looking at this. The Princess Serenity was a tragic princess who lost her kingdom, her love, and her life. When she lost Endymion again, she asked in despair if this was fate. Another way to look at it is if she is falling again into the doomed state she had forgotten about in her past life. These will be very important, come the finale of the arc. 

Usagi begins freaking out again, thinking that Mamoru's body will melt like her nightmare but Venus begs her to get a hold of herself and Usagi thinks to herself that she is Princess Serenity, last heir to the Silver Millennium, she's got to stay strong. Luna suggests that to get more information, that the Senshi go to the Moon, where they will be able to unravel all the secrets holding them back, ending the chapter.

Act 9 is absolutely amazing. This act alone is better than the vast majority of series I've seen, that's how much I love it. It's shocking to me it's not my favorite act from the first arc, but that's just how good the second half of the Dark Kingdom Arc is. I don't even know where to start. This is one of the best things about Naoko's breakneck speed. At its worst it can indeed feel rushed at points. But when she's on point, it is the most concentrated blast of awesome of anything I've ever seen, with more to think and feel in one chapter then most series can do in hundreds of chapters, every other line being full of meaning and making me want to write paragraphs and paragraphs of analysis.

I guess one place to start is to point out just how much of a creative, risky, yet so well thought out expansion of what the Magical Girl genre was to this point. There was a joke I saw that the Sailor Moon Manga was the Magical Girl Deconstruction before Madoka. And while I don't think either series are deconstructions, I know what they mean. The Magical Girl genre had been defined by children turning into adult versions of themselves as a coming of age metaphor, and princesses from far away magical lands that made things better. Somehow Naoko took this metaphor and subverted it, exaggerated it to a cosmic extent, made it darker and made it more triumphant (though that last part is for later), all at the same time. Usagi doesn't turn into a false adult identity; her true identity is the immortal Guardian of Justice with an extensive past life including fall in love and tragically dying. She comes not from some vague magical dimension, she comes from the Moon as its princess that was destroyed and her awakening literally resurrected the dead like a religious savior. Usagi's despair as she finds herself falling again into her fated tragedy, losing herself to become a mysterious self she doesn't know is both universal in its application yet painfully potent in its relatibility. It contrasts so delightfully against Usagi's wish to the dying Mamoru, that she had been able to show him "her true self." For the future self we evolve into is at once a tragic princess, characterized by our flaws and the hero of justice that others see we can be beyond our knowledge.

I love this act for the way Serenity describes her love for Endymion; it bridges the gap for me between being intellectually stimulating in trying to suss out the meaning and being immediatly viscerally emotionally resonant. Somehow when Serenity says that Endymion's Eyes are the same blue of the Earth, brimming with infinite hope and possibility, somehow I immediatly "got" it even as I would spend years trying to rationally understand it. I love the way that Usagi's tears are what summons the Silver Crystal, especially knowing that Naoko has admitted she's a bit of a crybaby too, and the way it turns out a relatable, easily mocked, stereotypically feminine trait into the ultimate source of power.

I love how noble and mature all the characters are. None of the Senshi reprimand their princess, not just from her authority, you can see how close they are in their attempts to comfort her. Despite needing her to be strong, none of them pressure her to be because they all believe in her. I love how they were right, how Usagi is the one to regain her composure of her own will to be the proper last heir of the Silver Millenium. I love how Luna took the burden of Usagi on herself, and how Artemis comforted her, showing at once the importance of taking as much of the burden of responsibility you can and also to forgive yourself and to focus on what you can do to help. Encompassing it all, I love that Naoko made a manga for teenage girls and didn't talk down to them, but made a manga depicting girls as capable strong people capable of maturity and wrote presuming that was true. 

Even in the smaller points about this chapter, I think it's great. The way Kunzite subtly possibly goes against Beryl's orders retrieving Endymion instead of the Silver Crystal. The way Usagi's will as the light of the Silver Crystal goes into Mamoru's body, a representation of her heart always being with him. The way Minako's first quesiton alludes to her loneliness waiting for the others to awaken stretching back to Sailor V. The way the ending is a gripping cliffhanger using the Moon as a symbol to the audience what it is to the characters; a symbol of mystery, the unknown mysterious magical element out of synch with time. Act 9 is a great example of why Sailor Moon is my favorite manga.