After a long and exciting PGSM Marathon session full of ups and downs and highs and lows, I’ve finally finished watching the series, and I have to say that without a doubt this show will remain in my heart as one of the best (and most unusual) little trips I’ve taken in my years of J-drama viewing!
Anticipation was running high as that last episode loomed closer and closer, and with the fate of Princess Serenity, Usagi Tsukino AND the ENTIRE PLANET EARTH at stake, the there was so much going on that I wondered if they were going to be able to answer all the questions properly as well as wrap the show up in enough time!
* * * WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD * * *
Well, when “Final Act” Episode #49 finally came around and the show reached its inevitable conclusion, I hve to admit, I was mostly…underwhelmed. Though (to me) the story seemd to have remained intact and they answered all (or at least, most) of the questions and tried to tie everything up nicely, I have to say that the last episode DID seem a bit…rushed. I think the show REALLY could have benefited from being a longer show rather than trying to squeeze the entire epic ending into 27 minutes. Plus, it really would have given more impact if they had invested more time and $$ into the special effects regarding the show’s huge climax and solution, i.e: The destruction and subsequent re-creation of no less than the Planet Earth itself! No matter, I still thought the last episode was O.K.
What really helped make the show end on a high note and made me leave the series with a warm feeling in my heart was the following PGSM SPECIAL, and though helplessly zany beyond belief, it is THIS movie that I consider the "final" chapter in the PGSM story : SAILOR MOON SPECIAL ACT: WATASHITACHI KEKKON SHIMASU!!
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| Usagi And Mamoru Get Hitched |
The show centered around the lives of the Senshi years after the conclusion of free webpage countersepisode #49, and we find that all the girls have moved on and are living their own paths. It's only the announcement of Usagi and Mamoru's wedding (and the re-emergence of the evil idol Kuroki Mio) that brings them all together again. Though the girls have long since forsaken their powers, for this special they have been granted a "one-time" spell that will transform them in time to save the day and start the wedding!
Yeah, it may seem predictable and at times cliched, but this ending was really what I needed to really give the show the strong finish I missed in the last episode of the series. Clocking in at an Hour, this show gave enough time to properly say goodbye to the girls, and it was also nice to hear the show close with "Kirari Sailor Dream", the beloved PGSM theme song sung by SAE, since they'd chosen a different song for the #49 ending credits !
Just about the only things I can find to complain about is that they dropped the storyline between Sailor Mercury/Ami-chan and Shitennou Soldier Nephrite which was progressing very nicely in the series. Just a nod towards the relationship would have been nice, but that idea seems to have been completely dropped.
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| Sailor Senshi Minus Mars |
The OTHER thing that bothered me, and is there ANY fan who watched this that didn't think this: How could they have a Sailor Senshi revival without Sailor Mars?! Granted, Kitagawa Keiko IS in the movie, but to have Rei laid up in a hospital while the battle is going on is unforgivable!
Ah well, those points aside, this was still a very, very good way to end the series, and along with PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON : ACT ZERO, helped give the characters in the show a proper send-off, and by it’s end, I finally realized just how much I was going to miss those girls, especially Usagi and her heartwarming smile!
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| Miyuu Sawai As Usagi |
