Whenever Sailor Moon Crystal appears to actually getting its act together somewhat, it usually never lasts very long. Since this arc moved into its hot phase two episodes ago, the series could at least be called somewhere between decent and good again. The question remained: Could it hold that level for once?
Technical Performance
In light of my incapability of watching my HD files at the moment, I have to forgo this again. There was, however, a notable lack of motion in this episode. This will be addressed below but even so... I think a lot more could have been made out of this episode with some will.
Characters and Practical Performance
First of all, we are back to 1.1:1 adaption rate. Sailor Moon Crystal once again plays it safe which is especially frustrating after the last two episodes showed small changes that for once actually worked. This one's source material could have used a few improvements.
The biggest problem with this episode is that very little happens. In fact, Demande is about the only one that actually does much worthwhile. The Senshi are taken out right away, Black Lady stands around cackling maniacally most of the time (or throwing more monoliths on her own home) while Sailor Moon is mostly kneeling and praying/channeling the Silver Crystal's power. There is no motion here. And while that is okay in static manga panels, it is once again one of these problems that Sailor Moon Crystal has for the most part been unable to deal with properly. So, once again, we see an example where a stoic adaption feels more like an animated manga than a real anime.
Aside from that, at the very least this episode still maintains a sliver of what the last two episodes managed to do. The tense situation and emotions are transmitted well enough, even if not necessarily in a stellar manner. I guess we need to take whatever plus we can get. At this point the few above average episodes are going to be the best we can get sadly.
Conclusion
I had really hoped for better after the last month where Sailor Moon Crystal had finally delivered some heart and charm. That even with their limited budget the team actually can do so, that is something they have shown. This makes it even more frustrating when these moments cannot be maintained for even a moderate string of episodes. This was by no means a bad episode, but it was still a step back into the old habits. With the finale coming up, I share Rebecca's hope that Sailor Moon Crystal will do it enough justice. Especially these last two episode deserve a strong deliverance. In light of this week's episode though, I remain very skeptical.
Rating: 3.5/5
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