Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 22 Review

 

Act 22 begins where Act 21 left off. As Chibiusa takes Wiseman's hand, a great chaos engulfs space-time which alarms Sailor Pluto and suggests to her something happened to Chibiusa

There's a general idea that the Silver Crystal and the psychological state of its users has dominion over the cosmos, that the cosmos reacts to their emotional state. This is just another example of Naoko including an interesting idea just because. You can view it as her not developing her own ideas, or you can view it as her including ideas worthy of being their own stories just to make her world feel rich and atmospheric. I'm more inclined towards the latter.

King Endymion senses something is wrong, and thinks it might have to do with Chibiusa. He and Tuxedo Kamen go to consult with Sailor Pluto, while Minako is told to just stay there. She comedically grumbles about not getting to do anything anymore but finds a file on the ol criminal Phantom, who re-created crime, who created the evil techniques "Evil Eye" and "Beast Hands." Despite his powers, he was still human so the Queen showed him mercy, exiling him to the end of the Solar System and making it so no one could go near. 

Meanwhile Sailor Pluto tells the two Mamoru what she knows, that Chibiusa disappeared beyond space-time without a key, and underwent a strange transformation creating this storm. Mamoru, being the wonderful father he is, runs in after into the storm despite not having a key himself. Impulsive and reckless perhaps but also a sign of his fatherly love.

Also meanwhile Usagi begins sneaking around on Nemesis despite the extremely difficult pain and effort it puts on her body to be walking around on this Black Hole, though she comments that it's like a labyrinth and she feels like she's just going around in circles. Usagi's courage here to me is so commendable given what she's faced and where she is.

She spies on a conversation between Rubeus and Saphir where they comment that Demande only wanted the Guardian Senshi to get at her, and so is just leaving them to rot in the Room of Darkness. Usagi comments in sadness and anger that the Black Moon Clan speak of the Senshi as though they were just objects. I really like this line, and I relate to Usagi. While obviously it was nowhere near as extreme, I remember the time when I realized sadly there were people that would view me and people I care for only as objects and I really like what Naoko is about to do with it.

Rubeus and Saphir talk about how creepy the Room of Darkness, a room with no exits, is. Saphir implies that the Room of Darkness was the holding area for Phantom, and comments that they should be quick to be rid of the entire place. Rubeus asks what he's so afraid of and Saphir comments that he has intimations that the planet Nemesis has a sentience of its own, using them as just pawns, that its intentions towards them are changing

In other words, it's using them as objects ironically. I love this part. Naoko's major antagonists are all flavors of cosmic horror, yet I think the second arc has the best build-up to the final antagonist's eldritch nature and little atmospheric scenes where people speculate on things barely understood, with strange surreal going-ons are a part of it. And it's also just suitable that they are being used as objects as they treat others as objects.

Unfortunately at this point Usagi collapses from the pressure Nemesis is exerting on her body. Demande finds her unconscious form and brings her back to where he brought her to Nemesis. It cuts back to Tuxedo Kamen lost in the space-time storm and he yells for Chibiusa. 

Usagi senses this and though Demande moves to touch her, a barrier forms around her. Usagi speaks defiantly to her kidnapper, demanding the location of her friends

Demande lies to her, proclaiming they're dead in an attempt to break Usagi's will. Usagi refuses to even consider this and runs off again, reaching the big energy reactor where Saphir creates the droids.

Saphir talks to two ghostly looking droids, commenting how much energy is takes to create droids like them. Saphir comments that droids are helpful, they never betray or stray from plans. You can just tell he's talking about his short-sighted impulsive brother, and also he's the type of nerd that relates better to machines than to people.

Saphir actually welcomes the future Neo-Queen Serenity to the reactor politely, telling her this is where they send droids back into the past for their plan to rewrite history. Saphir describes the process of taking energy from the Planet and how it's playing with dynamite, causing disruptions to Nemesis itself. He then poetically describes the planet as being like his older brother, self-destructive.

Saphir says his brother is impulsive and diverts from plans for no reasons. Even the attack on Earth by implanting the Black Crystal was not part of the plan. It's clear Saphir just wanted to cleanly and efficiently send people back in time to rewrite history. If they had, Chibiusa would not have gone to the past, and the Black Moon Clan could have succeeded. 

Saphir asks Usagi to forgive them, saying that Wiseman appeared before them, guiding them down this path. I normally really dislike statements like this as it's a character pushing off responsibility for their own actions onto others, but what I like about this is that is actually the point. The Black Moon Clan push responsibility for their actions onto others.

Saphir describes the Black Crystal Wiseman gave them, the opposite of the Silver Crystal, it absorbs energy and light, warping space-time. Wiseman gave it to Demande saying that with the Black Crystal and Silver Crystal, he can have the whole universe causing Demande to excitedly divert their plan and attack Crystal Tokyo. Demande wanted to use the attack to test the power of the Black Crystal but Saphir wisely recognized that Demande's playing around with the Black Crystal is threatening "everything."

Saphir blames his brother's "brainwashing", his actions on the Wiseman. I love the comparison between Demande and Nemesis, as well as the repetition of the idea that tampering with the Black Crystal and Nemesis is threatening everything. It evokes Demande's evil, the chaotic impulsive whims of a selfish spoiled prince.

However Saphir's tone quickly shifts, as he commands the two ethereal droids from before to grab Usagi, holding her down. Saphir with an evil expression in his eyes holds down Usagi, choking her. He declares that the Silver Crystal is what threw the history of humanity off its natural course, that its Usagi's fault that his brother went mad, calling her "hateful woman." It is a perfect supernatural metaphor for victim blaming. It's placing the blame for the Black Moon Clan's evil actions on Usagi. Saphir prepares to kill Usagi with a swing of the Black Crystal shard

Usagi internalizes his statement for a moment, that all these events are because of her, but far away Mamoru and Minako sense something, and Neo-Queen Serenity begins to glow.

Back on Nemesis, Usagi begins to glow with the same radiance, causing the Black Moon Clan, Wiseman, and Mamoru to see the strange glow, with Wiseman in shock describes it as the light that disrupts space-time even to the end of it

A strange woman in silhoutte tells Wiseman it is the power of the Silver Crystal, saying she'd be happy to accompany him if he's going to go down to Nemesis.

At the same time Usagi's light burns away Saphir's droids and Usagi is overflowing with light and power. Triumphantly Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon again, to the shock of everyone present. I love the aura that envelops Sailor Moon in this scene, going from the scared but courageous fragile Usagi to the completely confident and powerful Sailor Moon; it is clear the degree of transformation is not just physical but goes to Usagi's soul. She quickly finds her friends on Nemesis via her magic

Sailor Moon's hand on the surface of Nemesis, rips open a fissure to reach her friends, awakening them from their unconsciousness. Sailor Moon then lends the girls her power, and they transform reaching the surface in a surge of power so great that Minako on Earth senses it.

Demande is not clear how this is possible, that it should be impossible for them to transform on Nemesis. However Wiseman teleports next to him, commenting on how amazing the Silver Crystal is. Rubeus notes Wiseman has a gigantic shadow, and Wiseman comments on the Silver Crystal's power again overcoming space and time. Though it also seems to make him stronger absorbing such a power with the Black Crystal. 

Demande tries to play it cool and says that the Silver Crystal's power is indeed impressive, saying that's why everyone goes after it, for its ability to cause war and discord. But Sailor Moon finally shuts him down, that the Silver Crystal stands for love and tranquility and tells him straight out that if he hadn't accepted warped knowledge, if he hasn't been led by evil, there would have peace. She is not responsible for the evils he does.

And then, in that fearsome expression, in those eyes burning with righteous justice, the image of Neo-Queen Serenity appears behind Sailor Moon 

I adore this part. It's maybe my favorite part in the Second Arc. It's a message I hope resounds throughout eternity. You're not responsible for the evils others do to you. You are not any less or worse a person, and you are never responsible for evils others do they try to blame on you. It is a powerful message against victim-blaming.

And I love the imagery of Neo-Queen Serenity behind Sailor Moon. Reading this in my youth, it sent me a powerful message. The dictator will use murder, rape, and slavery as his tools to break our bodies as best he can, but there's something that he can never touch. The spirit will live in our hearts untouchable to him, it will haunt the dictator to the ends of eternity, and it will appear within us, preserving us. In the context of the scene I love it too because it once again is Naoko's merging of the literal and the metaphorical. Sailor Moon is literally channeling Neo-Queen Serenity's spirit, channeling being set up earlier in the arc, but it's metaphoric for the way a person, especially a young person can sometimes channel the aura, the air, the strength, of the person they will become. What Demande hated most about Neo-Queen Serenity were those eyes burning with hatred and defiance, that he couldn't make heel, representing that untameable human spirit, and now Sailor Moon has that same spirit within her. 

The Guardian Senshi look at Sailor Moon in shock, recognizing the spirit of the Queen. Demande and Wiseman try to re-assert the Silver Crystal is the source of all hate and delusion, that love and tranquility are illusions and they'll kill her to take it but Sailor Moon stands defiant and tells Demande to his face that he can't kill her.

I love Demande's expression in response to someone he can't bully and harass

It's like no one has ever told him "No" directly. 

The Reactor is going crazy from all the power being tossed around by the Silver Crystal and Black Crystal and Rubeus tries to flee, but Wiseman and the woman in silhouette chase him down and kill him, something the woman seems to find amusing as she giggles at his death. In his death Rubeus cries out for the prince, showing their closeness.

Sailor Moon gathers everyone together and invokes Pluto's power with the Time Key to teleport them out of there. Demande tries to stop them by using the Evil Eye again but to his shock it does nothing and the Senshi teleport off Nemesis

This is the culmination of the sequence of showing Usagi's defiance of Demande, showing that even his ultimate attack, the thing he was so confident in, and which he used to bully all his subordinates no longer works on Usagi.

Wiseman comments to his new assistant that Sailor Moon even escaped Nemesis with that hateful power of hers. However observing Tuxedo Kamen in his crystal ball laughs to himself that they will see her again soon.

Meanwhile Tuxedo Kamen is lost in the space-time storm looking for Chibiusa but the silhoutted woman appears before him, declaring that she is Chibiusa and transfixing him with her magic, asking him to come with her

Meanwhile Sailor Moon and the other Guardians reappear back with Sailor Pluto, leading to a sweet reunion with Sailor Venus. Sailor Moon excitedly says Neo-Queen Serenity gave her unbelievable power, causing King Endymion to race off to check on the queen. Sailor Pluto tells Sailor Moon that Chibiusa disappeared into the space-time storm with Tuxedo Kamen running after her, ending the chapter.

Act 22 is the finale of the middle sub-arc of the second arc and is fantastic. I like the third sub-arc of the Black Moon Clan arc more than the second sub-arc because it's in general more consistent, but I think Act 22 might be my favorite act of the entire second arc. And it's not because it has a lot of good things, it's really just for one long sequence, but that sequence meant and still means a lot to me.

For the entire arc to this point, especially the middle sub-arc there's this constant theme of misplaced responsibility, the Black Moon Clan blaming the Senshi and the Silver Crystal for their misfortunes, Chibiusa taking all the blame on her shoulders for the destruction of Crystal Tokyo, Usagi wondering if she's really at fault for all the attacks. This moment is a massive breakthrough moment of Usagi saying "no, I'm not responsible for all your evil, you are." It is a moral about victim-blaming wrapped up in more classical message about the spirit of humanity that will haunt the evil. It's a beautiful poetic irony that Demande in hate for that burning gaze of Neo-Queen Serenity kidnaps Usagi, the hypothetical "weaker" version of the queen, only for his actions to inadvertently to light the fire in Usagi's eyes, give her the spirit of her older self. This is the self-defeating nature of Tyrannies, that the very fire of defiance they try to suppress are only invigorated from their cruelties. 

And on that subject, Demande for the entire arc so far has seemed to be an unstoppable force, threatening anyone who wanted at any time, and with no able to resist. Yet Sailor Moon defies him and several times shows her superiority, ending with rescuing herself and her companions. It's incredibly over the top in a wonderful way, expressing the strength of Usagi's ideals and moral.

I can understand the complaint that there is only really one big strength to this act, and that's true, it's a very long sequence. I love it regardless, and besides there were some other good things in the act. There was Mamoru running after Chibiusa, or the Lovecraftian element of the Planet's intent towards the people on it shifting. You also have the entire Saphir sequence if you consider that separate, Saphir being easily one of the most complex of Naoko's villains, an abused younger brother projecting his hatred on what his brother is towards an innocent girl his brother sought to take.

Act 22 in general is a great act, and I can't express enough how much I love the message it gives. Even if you mistakes, the evil people do to you is never your fault, and no matter how the villain hurt the body, the spirit within us is invincible and eternal and shall haunt them till the end of their days.