Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon Act 53 Review

 

Lead Crow addresses Phobos and Deimos recalling the time when they ere all young soldiers in training on the alien world of Coronis. However the were the lucky twins chosen by a princess of the Solar System, which Lead Crow claims was the most shining place in the galaxy, presumably because of the Silver Crystal. They were chosen to serve Princess Mars, becoming her partners and given names and moons of their own. This is a pretty cool backstory, though it does kind a bit of a paradox. This would have had to happen in the Silver Millennium hundreds of millions years ago or longer and Saturn dropped the Silence Glaive since then, meaning nothing should have survived since then. I think the best way to handle this paradox is to assume that Lead Crow is talking about their past lives and that the power of a Sailor Crystal, the Coronis Crystal given to Lead Crow or the Mars Crystal that Phobos and Deimos are connected to allowed them to remember that time.

Sailor Lead Crow says that all living things have a star seed, and those with special star seeds are given the protection of their planets, Sailor Crystals and Sailor Senshi. Phobos and Deimos comment that she must have taken the protection of Sailor Coronis, something only Sailor Coronis could do. Sailor Lead Crow launches an attack "Galactica Tornado" which destroys the Hikawa Shrine, boasting that Galaxia gave her the power of the Coronis Crystal as one  of her Sailor Animamates, and once she brings her the Sailor Crystals of the Sol Senshi she will be reborn a real Sailor Senshi with a real planet.

I think Sailor Lead Crow has a really cool aesthetic and backstory. It also shows the distinctive trait of Galaxia and the Animamates; their ambition to get their own world with the Animamates desire being a mirror of Galaxia's own motive, shown later. Lead Crow is motivated by a sense of envy; angry at Phobos and Deimos for becoming the partners to a Senshi and getting their own satellites, and now she rubs in that she is going to become superior; a real Sailor Senshi with her own planet. 

Phobos and Deimos are shocked that Lead Crow betrayed Coronis and its Senshi but Lead Crow declares that Coronis and all its people are dead before taking Phobos and Deimos' Star Seeds just as Mars and Venus arrive. Mars shoots her Mars Flame Sniper at Lead Crow who equals the attack before grabbing Sailor Mars to use her as hostage, telling Venus not to move or she will steal her Star Seed as well.

I really like the picture of Mars and Lead Crow crashing. I've also always theorized that the reason Lead Crow can physically hold Mars in place is while both have the power of a Sailor Crystal, Lead Crow also has soldier training besides that. 

Sailor Venus calls out for Sailor Moon which far away the other Senshi in their civilian forms sense. Lead Crow questions who to take the Star Seed from first, Sailor Mars or Sailor Venus only for Sailor Moon to show up. Sailor Moon uses her Eternal Attack, Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss to destroy Lead Crow, hitting her without hitting Mars, saving Venus and Mars.

then Galaxia kills Mars and Venus

This is really well thought out narratively, for Galaxia and for Usagi, all in a linked way. It's a representation of what makes Galaxia so threatening and entertaining, that she always wins, that even when you think you beat her, she just immediately reverses it. Galaxia has initiative and agency in a way most villains don't. When one of her minions fails, she just completes the mission herself without any struggle. Galaxia this entire arc feels inevitable and unstoppable yet entirely unpredictable. Even when Usagi thinks she's saved some of her friends, they just immediately die because...Galaxia. Once it breaks audience expectations and its suddenness relates the pain of things in this temporal world we live just suddenly disappearing and throwing your perceptions into Chaos.

Galaxia laughs at Usagi's horror as visions of everyone who have died so far flash before her eyes. Usagi faints. In Crystal Tokyo, everyone's celebrating Small Lady returning to the future but there's been chaotic strange weather. Small Lady goes to bring flowers to Pluto, overhearing Pluto talk to her mom saying that a maelstrom is warping spacetime and that history may change.

I'm not...exactly sure how this works. Wouldn't there be storm clouds every day from the Present Day to the Silver Millennium? The Mechanics of it are deliberately vague but it still feels kinda strange that things are happening in the 30th Century and...only the 30th Century seemingly.

Small Lady interrupts their discussion and in shock asking if history is gonna change and then saying she needs to go back to help Sailor Moon. Neo-Queen Serenity however tells Small Lady her training is completed and that she's going to be studying here at a Remote Moon Palace for her own safety before sending her to bed. Small Lady does so but talks to Diana about what they said about the part and telling her that she needs to go back.

It's a fairly standard conflict for Chibiusa at this point of her development but I like how she says "Yes Mama." and thinks "No Way!" and the adorable picture of Diana in a little basket.

Back in the past, the Outer Senshi are standing around Usagi's unconscious body questioning what to do. Haruka suggests they put up a shield around the system but Michiru comments that it's too dangerous, it could disrupt the balance of the system, and they don't have the power to do so. Haruka says they'll have to borrow the power from their Sailor Power Guardians and even says they'll have to get the cooperation  of the Starlights...which coming from Haruka is how you know it's serious. Haruka asks Luna and Artemis to take care of Hotaru and the princess before the three teleport off.

The Starlights give a wellness visit to Usagi at her home after her faint, briefly seeing Chibi-Chibi with angel wings. That will be relevant later. As Usagi awakens, she talks to herself about remembering. She remembers seeing Mamoru die before her eyes. Usagi didn't want to believe, didn't want to remember. Usagi remembers in horror the way Galaxia laughed as Mamoru...as Venus and Mars...

I've seen people who don't even like Sailor Moon comment before that the Stars Arc has "some of the best writing in the Shojo genre" and I really couldn't agree more. Usagi is at her most evocative this arc, the way she awakens both literally and symbolically at the same time, admitting she knew what happened but she didn't "want" to believe, didn't "want" to face the reality that is Galaxia. It's painfully understandable, and I think almost anyone could relate, having a sad thing happens and just...refusing to think about it because you don't wanna face it. Though for some of us this is a bigger struggle than others. The first half of the Stars Arc is broadly about Usagi's emotional inability to face Galaxia even as her world ends around her. Metaphorically it's about the degeneration of the world around us as we try to turn a blind eye to it until we can't anymore, until it laughs in our face and forces to confront the painful reality.

Usagi asks Seiya if Galaxia's the one she was talking about and Seiya confirms so, that Galaxia is by far the strongest enemy she's ever faced. Usagi asks if Galaxia is another Sailor Senshi, why she's attacking them. Taiki says it's not just the Sol System, she's attacking Senshi from around the Galaxy, and it's possible she wishes to stand atop all of the Sailor Senshi. Once again Galaxia is associated as the top of the Sailor Senshi Hierarchy, the pinnacle of ability. Seiya tells Usagi that their planet and princess were attacked as well and that the Guardian Senshi died as humans. However, Yaten says they've only died as humans, that their Sailor Crystals are eternal.

Yaten tells Usagi that Galaxia is only after Star Seeds, which is true, and symbolically the point of Galaxia. Galaxia only cares about the eternal and not the temporal, their identities as Sailor Senshi instead of their mundane identities in temporary lifespans.

The Starlights depart but before they go Seiya throws Usagi a card of the Milky Way, a giant blazing "star" in the center, the galactic center, where Seiya says Galaxia is. Usagi realizes Seiya was sending Usagi the mysterious cards she was receiving. Seiya comments on the incense burner in Usagi's room, commenting that she smelt the faint smell of olive leaves, commenting that "I'm very sure..."

The next day the teacher is calling attendance and Usagi has say that Minako is absent today, reminding her of the fate of the Senshi. It could have twisted the knife in even more if people assumed Minako was up to one of her antics and Usagi had to listen to them speculating knowing the grim reality. An exchange student comes to their class from living in Libya for three years, whose name, appearance and speech patterns are all meant to evoke a cat.

Gee, I wonder if she's the cat Animamate? It's a little bit of a mood whiplash going from "all your friends are dead" to "here's this silly cat villain."

Nyanko immediately tries to cozy up to Usago, commenting on her hairstyle. Usagi doesn't notice anything strange about this and makes friends with Nyanko but in true cat fashion Nyanko doesn't like the loud noise coming from the crowd beign all excited over the Three Lights. One of the boys in the class tries to hit on Nyanko and asks her if she "likes cats" No, I'm sure the girl who looks like a cat, makes cat noises, and has a catlike name doesn't like cats.

Nyanko rejects him and tells Usagi that only people she trusts are girls, before telling Usagi that she also probably shouldn't trust girls that pretend to be boys, referencing the Three Lights

We cut to the Three Lights who comment to each other that the next exchange student reeks of alien pheromones, but Yaten snarks "like we're ones to talk." Taiki comments that it seems they've infiltrated the school before the Three Lights teleport away.

We cut to the Outer Senshi arriving at their Planetary Castles, Miranda Castle orbiting Uranus, Triton Castle orbiting Neptune, and Charon Castle orbiting Pluto. Pluto has a really sweet little moment where she comments that she never thought she'd step foot on Charon Castle again,, flashing back to Little Pluto before she was assigned to the spacetime door happily stepping into her castle, given to the Outer Senshi when they were born by Queen Serenity. 

Guardian Pluto greets her princess, commenting she has messages from Princess Uranus. The Outer Senshi prepare to set up a shield around the system but before they do they investigate the meteor data, finding that each and every meteor have exceeded the escape velocity of the Solar System, the speed a celestial body needs to escape the Sun's gravitational orbit, a level of energy Pluto says is unlike anything in the Solar System. The Outers can only conclude that their theory is correct, that the Invaders came in on Shooting Stars. As Setsuna comes to this conclusion, suddenly Galaxia like a slasher villain appears behind her causing her to turn in shock. The screen observing this goes static on Miranda Castle and Hotaru, who was playing in a sandbox with Chibi-Chibi, senses danger to her mamas and flies off to help them

Once again I love how Galaxia is so unpredictable in that she shows such initiative and agency, constantly attacking when the reader doesn't expect her, breaking the series and genre conventions that lead the reader to expect her to act a certain way. I also like the theory that Galaxia attacked the Outer Senshi herself because she knew the Animamates had no chance against them. 

We cut to Usagi dramatically looking off into the distance, considering what Yaten told her of how they have died as humans. She wonders "Is death always so sudden and unexpected?" I can scarcely think of a more universal thing to feel. I love how many lines in the Stars Arc both fit the particulars so clearly yet feel like they could apply to any series or indeed real life, making the whole arc feel larger than life. Usagi thinks of Yaten telling her only their physical bodies were destroyed, but everything that makes a Sailor Senshi who she is lives eternally in her Sailor Crystal. Usagi asks herself "Do we need physical bodies?"

It's funny. Galaxia wants Usagi to think the way she does, and as soon as she confronts the reality Galaxia represents is something like what Galaxia would think. There is a gnostic impulse in people that Galaxia represents, the antithesis of the nihilistic impulse. That gnostic impulse leads us to wonder if these transient things we live among have any real meaning. Particularly when we lose things close to us, it makes us wonder if these strange temporary lives we lead are important. Gnosticism holds that the material is inherently inferior to the spiritual and not needed. It's a religion, but the underlying emotion can be felt by anyone regardless of faith; a skepticism of the instance, of the mundane and material. In an hour I might consider briefly the weather, the afterlife and the fate of my soul, what to eat, how to complete this blog, the great issues of society and a small rip in my clothing. There is something perverse in the mixed chaos of unfocused thought, that the most important matter and the least important are given equal weight. The Nihilist impulse feels that in light of the ultimate chaos and meaningless of things it makes no difference, that no weighty matter deserves privileged concern. Nothing matters. The Gnostic impulse feels in light of the ultimate order and meaningfulness of things, it makes all difference, that all transient matters must be sacrificed to the ultimate importance. Everything matters. This arc will focus itself on proper orientation between the two impulses, the proper relationship between the temporal and eternal, the material and the spiritual. Usagi asks herself if physical bodies aren't essential to us, the gnostic question, can we live just as eternal spirit, what's the point in all these painful temporal material details we live within in light of the perfect eternal big picture?

We cut to Luna and Artemis who are running along, sensing someone with the same powers as them, another cat-person. They reach the side of Usagi who has Nyanko by her side and suggest they hang out and have a bird dinner. Luna and Artemis confront her before Usagi can respond, calling her an imposter and demanding she show her true form. 

Sus.

Meanwhile at the Tsukino residence, Chibi-Chibi is taking a little nap when the Three Lights show up, demanding the incense burner. Chibi-Chibi stands in front of it protectively protesting "No!" over and over. This raises an eyebrow knowing who Chibi-Chibi is but I can think of some explanations when we get to it. A voice comes from the incense burner telling her it's ok, that these are her friends and emerging from it like a Djinn is Princess Kakyuu, the princess the Starlights have been searching for.

Act 53 is pretty good overall. It's not as good as Act 52 mostly because it's mostly a more surface-level connecting act that's meant to introduce some plot points and reiterate the themes that were already expressed. 

This act continues to emphasize Galaxia's sheer power in the narrative. You think based on what happened with Mercury and Jupiter that Lead Crow would kill Mars and Venus, yet the narrative subverts this with Moon actually killing Lead Crow and saving them, only to double subvert it with Galaxia showing up to kill them anyway. This not only is a surprising twist in the narrative on a literal level but also reinforces that Galaxia doesn't lose, her agenda will always come to pass even if only because of her overwhelming power, building her threat level and unpredictability. I can think of few villains more effective that don't outright win. Likewise, her surprise attack on the Outer Senshi further breaks conventions as usually in this act there's only one battle with the enemy per act, though Galaxia attacks without warning or build-up. 

I also think this act does a better job than any other act in the Stars Arc of developing members of the Sailor Animamates. Lead Crow and Tin Nyanko are both given more of personalities than Iron Mouse or Aluminum Seiren, Lead Crow having more of a motive and a backstory, and Tin Nyanko having more gimmicks and a more unique style of infiltration. Tin Nyanko does cause a little bit of mood whiplash going back and forth from these serious scenes about death to this silly cat villain, but I think Naoko was trying to provide a little comic relief. 

I love the overarching theme of this arc, but I feel it's only really touched upon here, Usagi questioning if people can live without their bodies and it's not really given any developments in thought, only really a stepping stone to be referenced in a future act. Yes the act is atmospheric and I can read that part while listening to sad music and feel myself swept up in the tragically beautiful temporalities of life, but I can do that with most acts this arc. 

Like with every Stars Act, there's some cute or interesting details spread everywhere like Chibi-Chibi's cute defense of the Incense Burner, the Outer Senshi trying to raise a shield around the Solar System noting that the meteors have exceeded the escape velocity of the Solar System, or Lead Crow's shared history with Phobos and Deimos on Coronis. I do like that Naoko tries to connect the history of the Solar System with the history of the galaxy she is working on by connecting Lead Crow with Phobos and Deimos or Luna and Artemis with Tin Nyanko, which I know has to be a hard balancing act given that she also wants to impress upon Usagi the alien-ness of the wider universe, the way our Solar System is another spec of dust floating in the cosmic winds to make this threat truly seem bigger than any prior. 

This act overall acts as a bit of a culmination of what the first few Star Acts were establishing. The Sol Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, representing Usagi's material ties to the world of the Solar System and the ideals she trusted in are lost, the new threat is named and established, Usagi has been forced to confront the eternal reality represented by Galaxia, and the Starlights have found their Princess. The theme is in the mind of the protagonist just as it should be ours. If someone were to say the first four acts of Stars made up a sub-arc to themselves, I wouldn't agree but I would very understand. However, while I wouldn't call this the end of a sub-arc, I would call it the end of an emotional arc, and not just of the first four acts but of the entire series. We are introduced to Usagi in Act 1 as a coward and a crybaby who becomes strong and brave for her loved ones, and the two themes of this entire series this whole time have been the ennobling power of love and the pain of isolation. But now Usagi will have to ask how she can be strong when she is alone.