Some will be sad it is over (for now), some will be glad that it is (for now) but for the moment this was the last episode of Sailor Moon Crystal. After the momentary high point of Episode 25 it was once again the question of whether or not, at the very least towards the end, Sailor Moon Crystal could follow up one strong episode with another.
The answer is sadly the typical one for the entire run of this series.
Technical Performance
The music worked nicely in concert with the events of last episodes but here it is more bland as the eternally repetitive BGM can get somewhat boring if not used to maximum effect. Not that it was particularly bad, mind you. But the soundtrack still remains wholly underwhelming until the end.
Characters and Practical Performance
I have honestly no real clue WHY we can have an episode like last time and then it is straight back to religiously following the script with minimal effort. The latter would not necessary need to be bad if it was done with feeling (like last time) and not the typical panel to frame adaption of an animated manga lacking any real heart.
It's even worse when in this process clear flaws of the original are simply ignored in order to keep faithful. The two main issue here being the other Senshi's utter uselessness in the final confrontation and the final battle itself.
The problem with the other Senshi being sidelined has persisted through most of Crystal's run and is a clear problem with the source material – loathe as I am to admit it – but very little has been done to rectify that. Even in the event that something did happen, it was more like everyone throwing an attack for good measure which felt more like some half-hearted conciliation than actually trying. These moments could just as well not have been there and it would not have mattered. This regulated the Senshi's role in this arc to being kidnapped, rescued (or in Venus' case simply tagging along) and then watching Sailor Moon clear up everything herself in the end. I really hate to criticize Naoko's work and I don't even think that's really the point here. It is simply that the rigidness of the adaption and the missing episode space to experiment is unable to do away with these flaws.
The final battle is another sore spot. It basically consisted of a repeat of the Metallia battle, only shorter and with Chibi Moon being more of an add-on. There wasn't even any real struggle or suspense. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen gave each other their pep talk, Chibi Moon popped up, they threw their attacks and that was it. For a being that was able to absorb an entire planet, evil crystal and turn Crystal Tokyo into a wasteland this end was pitiful, rushed and weak. And yes, it's mostly like that in the manga but I think by now I have made it a point often enough that this is not an excuse.
Conclusion
And so... Sailor Moon Crystal ends with an episode showcasing what the series has been doing for the larger part of its run. Keeping rigorously to the source material, copying things in a nearly identical panel to frame adaption that lacks real heart and could at best be called an animated manga instead of an actual anime and in that manner always reminding us off the tight time restrain given and the tight budget provided by Toei. This episode was okay for a casual view, it would have been okay in most normal one season runs... But it's not for SAILOR MOON. And in that as well does this last episode reflect the biggest problem this adaption had. Bare adequacy is pretty much a death sentence for something with the history and worldwide recognition as Sailor Moon.
Rating: 3.25/5
(Final Series Review will follow at some point later)
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