Sailor Senshi 20th Anniversary Reunion Special!!

 

As you all know, I was thrilled when I first heard about the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Reunion (on Keiko Kitagawa's own facebook, no less!)  and was crossing fingers I'd be able to see it in any way possible! 

Sure, I knew there was little hope of anyone translating it and SUBBING it, but I knew I just HAD to see it anyway, and just this morning I happily found a KIND soul who had uploaded the whole half-hour special up for grabs, which I wasted NO TIME snatching up!

First things first, we have to say: the girls look TERRIFIC! Honestly, it doesn’t seem all that long ago that we first saw Miyu Sawai (Sailor Moon), Keiko Kitagawa (Sailor Mars), Mew Azama (Sailor Jupiter), Rika Izumi (nee Chisaki Hama, Sailor Mercury) and Ayaka Komatsu (Sailor Venus)  as the Sailor Senshi....

The girls in 2003:

Miyu Sawai (Sailor Moon), 

Rika Izumi (nee Chisaki Hama, Sailor Mercury)

Mew Azama (Sailor Jupiter), 

Keiko Kitagawa (Sailor Mars), 

 and Ayaka Komatsu (Sailor Venus) 

 

 But here we are TWENTY years later, and those bright eyed youngsters have transformed before our eyes grown into a group of FINE young ladies!

Miyu Sawaii

Mew Azama

Keiko Kitagawa

Rika Izumi

Ayaka Komatsu

VERY cute to see them perusing the wall displaying photos and collectibles of their PGSM heritage, pointing and giggling at it all!

Speaking of giggles, LAUGHTER was surely the main thing about this special as they kept each other in stitches reminiscing about their Pretty Guardian past!

Sadly, it was over ALL TOO FAST, and we had to say goodbye to them once more!

I know we'll still be seeing a lot of both Rika and Keiko, and I know these 5 gals still have mini-reunions on their own (which I think is the sweetest thing ever), but it was really nice seeing them together, showcased like this. Thanks for the memories, is what they seem to be saying!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Reunion of the Pretty Guardians!

The Original Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon girls got together for a Sailor Moon special to be aired this month, with Miyu Sawai (Sailor Moon) Keiko Kitagawa (Sailor Mars), Mew Azama (Sailor Jupiter), Rika Izumi (nee Chisaki Hama, Sailor Mercury) and Ayaka Komatsu (Sailor Venus) all showing up to represent the 2003 series which gave (some) of them their succesful starts in the Show Business!

Speaking of success, it hilariously looked in some of the photos that they had put Keiko and Rika (arguably the two actresses that really "made it" in the biz) strategically shown off in front row, LOLOL!!

Could be just a coincidence, but to give them their due, they certainly are the ones who have kept this particular iteration of the Super Shoujo series alive in the public conscience!

In any case,  it's nice to see everyone looking so hale and happy!

Mmm, Hope I get a chance to check out this Sailor Moon special! 

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon DVD

 “Sailor Moon” live action drama to be released as a Special Box Set

From Tokyohive:

"For those of you who were big fans of the “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon” live action series, a special box set will officially be released on September 22nd!

The box set will contain all forty-nine episodes of the television drama that aired in 2003, “Special Act.“, “Act.ZERO Sailor V Tanjou“, and footage from the “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Kirari Super Live” held in 2004.

218 minutes of extra goodies – such as exclusive interviews with the cast and staff, a fun discussion about the series, and even a special mini drama – are also included for the ultimate “Sailor Moon” DVD set."


I don't suppose this thing is going to be released domestically, is it? Or even more unlikely, Subtitled in English? Because apart from something like that, isn't this almost exactly the same PGSM DVD set they released originally? The Extras and Interviews all seem like the same extras from that original set, unless they somehow got new interviews with all of the girls (including Ms. Kitagawa)...


Oh Well, it's nice to know that they're taking care of all the PGSM Fans that have yet to get this Series on DVD.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 終わり

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!!

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.

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!

Miyuu Sawai As Usagi

Dark Phoenix For D-Addicts

Yeah, yeah, I KNOW that just about EVERY single one of you out there is downright SICK and TIRED of hearing me babble ON and ON about this whole “Sailor Moon” Thing, but HOLY CRAP this show just keeps BLOWING ME AWAY and there just ain’t NUTHIN’ I can do about it! Cackle! Cackle! Cackle!

What follows is MORE Sailor Moon gushing, skip if you want or proceed at your own risk. You have been duly warned Aha Ha Haaaaaaaaaaaaa

Sorejya…

When they revealed Usagi “Sailor Moon” Tsukino’s transformation/possession into Princess Serenity back in episode #36, I thought it was an interesting facet of her past persona, meant to be used as a metaphor for her past life’s memories, but as the episodes went by, the mystical crystal that was so heralded in earlier times was slowly staring to take over Usagi’s total embodiment- and each time the persona reappeared, she became more and more powerful, til the transformation was a thing to be DREADED rather than celebrated…

Finally, with this, the 41st episode in the series, we see for the first time the very, very, dark and utterly DESTRUCTIVE nature of Princes Serenity’s powers as she battles a youma and ends up totally decimating the place and injuring her friends  who have been caught in the maelstrom as well! It has been rumoured that Usagi has within her the power to destroy the world, and for the first time, the truth of this fact has become terrifyingly proved to her!

Man, when I first checked out the Wiki synopsis about the series and read that the second half of the series was “darker” than the first half (not to mention the manga or anime, for that matter), I had NO IDEA just how TRUE that would be!!! “How Dark Can a show Like sailor Moon get?” I thought. Silly Me!

Up to Episode #35 and no signs of Stopping

Moving along with my continued addiction with PGSM, I have to say that this shoujo manga tokusatsu* drama is really turning into one of the most rewarding  shows I’ve ever seen! Maybe it’s simply because of how long the series went on, but I really feel like I’ve gotten to know the characters deeply, and I find that I love and care about them and am simply beside myself with what’s gonna happen next!

This comes as bit of a surprise, because there was a brief time there (right after the awesome Darcury arc) where the series seemed to have “plateaued”; the storyline seemed to turn into a one dimensional high-school type drama, and I suddenly felt like I was watching mediocre cliched episodes. This would be the time they introduced Mio as Usagi’s weaselly adversary, but I think it has more to do with (as I mentioned before) Luna turning into an 8 year old girl than anything else. I REALLY had a problem with that! Funny, I never blinked when the Sailor Senshis were talking to Luna as a stuffed cat, but MAN, once they turned her into that little kid in a superhero costume battling alongside them, that was the first time I actually felt like I was watching a show for children.

It was during this time that I mentioned to Car that I was starting to lose interest in the show, and though she never said anything, you could feel her breathing a sigh of relief as if to say, “Thank God He’s finally getting over this embarrassing Sailor Moon obsession!”… but no sooner had I said that when the show suddenly shifted into high gear and got awesome ALL OVER AGAIN!

A large part of what makes this second run so engaging is the fleshing out of the Shitennou, the Dark Kingdom Generals, who, with their colored wigs and garish soldier outfits, seem to be male counterparts (of sorts) to the Sailor Senshi themselves. Whereas in the first half them acted more in the shadows, but the time of episode 20 they were regularly coming”above ground” to battle the girls firsthand, and as the storyline gets more complex, they are interacting more and more with each other, even to the point of shaky but necessary alliances between certain members.

Another point is the fact that Aino Minako’s character of Sailor V /Sailor Venus is almost non-existent in the first half of the series and when she finally makes her (official) appearance in episode 18 with the group, we don’t know quite what to make of her. It is only in these latest episodes that I find how much I like her character, probably because they’re finally devoting enough time to show where her heart lays. Or Lies. Whatever, I love her now!

I’ve read in several Sailor Moon sites that the PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON Live-Action series is more CHARACTER driven than the original manga and anime series, and while not having either read the manga or seen the anime series, I can see where that could be true! They’ve done SUCH a great job of selling me on these people, and with the terrific acting of everyone (ESPECIALLY Miyu Sawaii…though I think I mentioned that already), the end product is nothing short of AWESOME!

Ah, I’m starting to approach the quandary I come across with most of the dramas I fall in love with- I want to hurry up and finish watching it because I’m dying to know what happens, but at the same time, I’m trying to watch them as SLOWLY as possible to prolong my time with them! Just the thought of no more episodes to watch SERIOUSLY bums me out!

Thank GOD Hotaru No Hikari 2 has started…I’m REALLY gonna need something to “latch onto” when this is all over!

* Yametekudasai states emphatically for the record: “Tokusatsu? I just can’t see that this SAILOR MOON thing has ANYTHING to do with REAL Tokusatsu heroes (like Ultraman, Kamen Rider, etc), and therefore cannot label it as such.” Or word to that effect.

PGSM "Darkury" Storyline

Just finished watching the storyline in Sailor Moon where Sailor Mercury gets captured by the Dark Empire and is transformed into the evil (and admittedly pretty sexy) DARKURY. This story arc (spread between chapters 20-28) is DEFINITELY my favorite of the series so far, and that’s no small feat, considering how much I’ve loved each episode up until this point!

So many things happen in this one! Storylines get concluded, mysteries get answered and everything gets set up for the next volume in the series…and of course there’s the actual Darkury story itself, and I have to say that it was Hama Chisaki’s acting that really did it for me- (in fact, I’ve noticed that just about all of my “favorite” episodes seem to center around her) playing the double role of both protagonist AND antagonist and making them both believable and sympathetic, she REALLY sold the character and I found myself just LOVING her more and more!

That I loved this arc is even MORE impressive when you consider that this storyline ALSO featured two of the only things I’ve HATED in the series so far, namely turning Luna into a 8(?) year old girl, as well as featuring a silly episode where Rei becomes an idol singer. An Idol Singer?!

Fortunately, everything gelled by the time of the arc’s conclusion and the ending was very, very satisfying!

Making Of A Banner

So I don't know if you caught the gist of what I've been babbling about for the last few posts, but, yeah, I'm into Sailor Moon. Go Figure. Anyway, Over lunch to day I was relating to a friend about how long it took me to make the banner for yesterday's post (which I worked on in Photoshop), and then I decided, what the hey- I'll SHOW you!

It all started with the PGSM Opening Credits, which I think I've mentioned I think totally rocks (in that 80's Pony Canyon style, don't you know), anyway, within the credits my favorite part is this montage of the five girls in their "HASHIRE!!" poses (check the video at 0:58-1:01), and I REALLY wanted to make THAT into a banner!

So what I did was capture each of the girls when they appeared in the screen, till I had about six or seven usable frames to work with:

From there, I took the first shot Of Usagi / Sailor Moon Running, and created a canvas underneath to paste onto.

Then Added Mako / Sailor Jupiter...

Then Rei / Sailor Mars (Keiko, Keiko, Keiko!!! Oops, sorry, i couldn't help myself, heh heh):

Then Ami / Sailor Mercury:

And the rest of Minako / Sailor Venus' body and arms.

From there I had to photoshop out all the credits and blend together the separate frames before finally centering the characters, color-correcting the picture and framing it to get the final product: Viola! A Sailor Moon Banner!