<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_blu-ray_box_art.jpg">
<b>Review of Sailor Moon Crystal - Episodes 2 - 5 Streaming by darkstorm</b>
Just as Usagi starts coming into her new found powers, she quickly discovers three other hidden senshi: Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. However the enemy is never far behind, and seems just as eager to find the Legendary Silver Crystal. Despite storming a ball in disguise, they’re no closer to finding the Legendary Silver Crystal or the Moon Princess. Also, despite Luna’s warnings to avoid him, Usagi can’t seem to keep herself away from the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, and he seems to be after the crystal too…<br>
Episodes 2 – 5 effectively cover manga arcs 2 – 5, nearly all of volume 1 of the re-released manga bar the last arc (which looks like it will be covered in episode 6). As a result everything is moving at a swift pace; as soon as one senshi awakens, another is just close by. The breather episode (episode four "Masquerade – Dance Party") gives us a break between Mars and Jupiter to expand on Usagi’s and Mamoru’s romance, as well the plot, but it’s short-lived with Jupiter’s time to shine coming right after. This follows the pace of the manga, but those who were fans of the original anime’s slower tempo and time allocated to character development will be disappointed. However this doesn’t count with regard to Mamoru and Usagi’s relationship which is sweetly portrayed here; the pair has good chemistry without having to resort to constantly bickering as they did in the original anime. Mamoru is a more likeable character too; he learns of Usagi’s true identity very early on but doesn’t use the knowledge to his advantage. He’s focused on his own goal, but clearly cares about her and, with Usagi being her naïve and smiley self; it’s easy to see why.<br>
It is not all exactly as in the manga however; a few changes here and there are subtle, resulting in altered storylines and character development. It’s noticeable early on that Sailor Mars has lost some her ‘fire’ (pardon the pun), in the original manga she wasn’t so quick to trust Luna and Usagi, going as far as to ask legitimate questions regarding their quest. None of that is in this series, although her wisdom and powerful senses are still intact, it seems her character has been sacrificed to make Usagi’s forming of friendships a lot smoother. Although Usagi's ability to easily form friendships and bring people together is a large part of what makes her loveable, it comes off marginally too easy to go unquestioned. A lot of the original manga’s and anime’s visual humour has been erased in this adaptation as well, the series seems more focused on romance and friendship, losing tension between characters and fierce gags accordingly. <br>
In regards to the main story, not a single Shiten’ou (Queen Beryl’s henchmen or Heavenly Kings) has yet to die permanently. In episode 4 there’s a new unique scene where all four kings announce themselves to the senshi, coupled with a small line from Nephrite in episode 5 saying he remembers a distinct look of Sailor Jupiter’s. Knowledgeable Sailor Moon fans will know that the original creator, Naoko Takeuchi, had hinted at romantic relations between the kings and the original senshi, which has yet to be fully carried over to any TV adaptation. Is Crystal attempting to incorporate that into their storyline later on? Keeping them alive would certainly create fascinating opportunities for them to help Mamoru and the other senshi, but we will have to wait and see.<br>
Animation continues to have its ups and downs; it’s certainly colourful and keeps Naoko Takeuchi’s love of beautiful hair and long legs intact. There have been a few blips including faces that are out of proportion, with episode 3 being a noticeable dip in quality (a tragedy as it's Mars’s debut episode). The 3D effect for the transformation sequences continues to be jarring to view against everything else, but thumbs up goes for the Mars, Mercury and Jupiter’s transformations which are mostly 3D renderings of the original anime’s transformation sequences, including the same elegant poses – very well played to tap into the nostalgic fans' hearts.<br>
It’s understandable to see such a split in the fandom over the adaptation; just because a series follows the original material closely doesn’t necessarily make it superior; the manga had flaws and some of them seemed to be carried over to <em>Crystal</em>. Although a few subtle changes and the dramatic step up in animation for episode 5, creates a more positive future for the series. We’ve got many more months of <em>Sailor Moon Crystal </em>to go, and I’ll be continuing to tune in.<br>
<em>Watch the latest episode with English subtitles on the Nico Video site now; http://ch.nicovideo.jp/sailormoon_English</em><br>
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_04_usagi_and_mamoru_dancing-1024x576.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_05_preview_sailor_jupiter-1024x576.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_03_zoisite_and_nephrite-1024x576.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-07sailor_moon_crystal_03_sailor_mars_transformation_6-1024x576.jpg">
<b>Review of Sailor Moon Crystal - Episodes 2 - 5 Streaming by darkstorm</b>
Just as Usagi starts coming into her new found powers, she quickly discovers three other hidden senshi: Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. However the enemy is never far behind, and seems just as eager to find the Legendary Silver Crystal. Despite storming a ball in disguise, they’re no closer to finding the Legendary Silver Crystal or the Moon Princess. Also, despite Luna’s warnings to avoid him, Usagi can’t seem to keep herself away from the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, and he seems to be after the crystal too…<br>
Episodes 2 – 5 effectively cover manga arcs 2 – 5, nearly all of volume 1 of the re-released manga bar the last arc (which looks like it will be covered in episode 6). As a result everything is moving at a swift pace; as soon as one senshi awakens, another is just close by. The breather episode (episode four "Masquerade – Dance Party") gives us a break between Mars and Jupiter to expand on Usagi’s and Mamoru’s romance, as well the plot, but it’s short-lived with Jupiter’s time to shine coming right after. This follows the pace of the manga, but those who were fans of the original anime’s slower tempo and time allocated to character development will be disappointed. However this doesn’t count with regard to Mamoru and Usagi’s relationship which is sweetly portrayed here; the pair has good chemistry without having to resort to constantly bickering as they did in the original anime. Mamoru is a more likeable character too; he learns of Usagi’s true identity very early on but doesn’t use the knowledge to his advantage. He’s focused on his own goal, but clearly cares about her and, with Usagi being her naïve and smiley self; it’s easy to see why.<br>
It is not all exactly as in the manga however; a few changes here and there are subtle, resulting in altered storylines and character development. It’s noticeable early on that Sailor Mars has lost some her ‘fire’ (pardon the pun), in the original manga she wasn’t so quick to trust Luna and Usagi, going as far as to ask legitimate questions regarding their quest. None of that is in this series, although her wisdom and powerful senses are still intact, it seems her character has been sacrificed to make Usagi’s forming of friendships a lot smoother. Although Usagi's ability to easily form friendships and bring people together is a large part of what makes her loveable, it comes off marginally too easy to go unquestioned. A lot of the original manga’s and anime’s visual humour has been erased in this adaptation as well, the series seems more focused on romance and friendship, losing tension between characters and fierce gags accordingly. <br>
In regards to the main story, not a single Shiten’ou (Queen Beryl’s henchmen or Heavenly Kings) has yet to die permanently. In episode 4 there’s a new unique scene where all four kings announce themselves to the senshi, coupled with a small line from Nephrite in episode 5 saying he remembers a distinct look of Sailor Jupiter’s. Knowledgeable Sailor Moon fans will know that the original creator, Naoko Takeuchi, had hinted at romantic relations between the kings and the original senshi, which has yet to be fully carried over to any TV adaptation. Is Crystal attempting to incorporate that into their storyline later on? Keeping them alive would certainly create fascinating opportunities for them to help Mamoru and the other senshi, but we will have to wait and see.<br>
Animation continues to have its ups and downs; it’s certainly colourful and keeps Naoko Takeuchi’s love of beautiful hair and long legs intact. There have been a few blips including faces that are out of proportion, with episode 3 being a noticeable dip in quality (a tragedy as it's Mars’s debut episode). The 3D effect for the transformation sequences continues to be jarring to view against everything else, but thumbs up goes for the Mars, Mercury and Jupiter’s transformations which are mostly 3D renderings of the original anime’s transformation sequences, including the same elegant poses – very well played to tap into the nostalgic fans' hearts.<br>
It’s understandable to see such a split in the fandom over the adaptation; just because a series follows the original material closely doesn’t necessarily make it superior; the manga had flaws and some of them seemed to be carried over to <em>Crystal</em>. Although a few subtle changes and the dramatic step up in animation for episode 5, creates a more positive future for the series. We’ve got many more months of <em>Sailor Moon Crystal </em>to go, and I’ll be continuing to tune in.<br>
<em>Watch the latest episode with English subtitles on the Nico Video site now; http://ch.nicovideo.jp/sailormoon_English</em><br>
<b>Final score: 7 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_04_usagi_and_mamoru_dancing-1024x576.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_05_preview_sailor_jupiter-1024x576.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-06sailor_moon_crystal_03_zoisite_and_nephrite-1024x576.jpg">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2014-09-07sailor_moon_crystal_03_sailor_mars_transformation_6-1024x576.jpg">