straightforwardly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
straightforwardly) wrote2014-07-05 05:41 pm
straightforwardly) wrote2014-07-05 05:41 pm
0025 | in which I discuss my thoughts on the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal
I need to pack— I'm heading back to school for summer classes, and the move-in day for summer housing is tomorrow— but I have a few things I want to talk about, so I'm writing this post in snatched moments in-between packing and other things I need to get done before I leave.
► The main reason for this post is because this morning, I watched the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, and I had things I wanted to say about it. Most of it will be below the cut, but if you want a quick, one sentence summary of my thoughts, here it is: I thought that it was better than I feared, but not as good as I hoped.
Some quick background, because I don't think I've talked about Sailor Moon on this journal: Sailor Moon was not a part of my childhood. Despite my great love of shoujo and magical girls, I actually grew up watching things like Dragon Ball Z, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and, to a lesser extent, Yu Yu Hakusho. It wasn't until I was somewhere around seventeen that I finally got around to watching Sailor Moon, but I fell pretty hard for it. I also really like the manga, although I've only read up to volume seven. Originally, I was buying each volume as it was re-released in the U.S., but I fell behind at some point, which is why I haven't finished it. The same goes for Sailor V, which I also really love, despite having only read the first volume.
tl;dr I discovered Sailor Moon a bit later in life than most fans, but I still really love it, which means that there was no question of my not watching Sailor Moon Crystal.
I didn't really feel any qualms about it until the character designs for Crystal were revealed. On one hand, I generally liked them. On the other hand... something about the characters' faces (especially Usagi's) felt off to me.
My trepidation increased when the PV was released. The animation seemed kind of awkward and clunky, and I finally figured out what I didn't like about the characters' faces— the expressions. They just look so lifeless, and Usagi smiling at the screen with dead eyes is a creepy image that I definitely do not need, thank you.
I got even more nervous when a video (which seems to have been taken down) was leaked, showing the opening and a few minutes of footage, which included the transformation sequence. The animation and expressions looked even worse there— I could barely stand to look at Usagi's face. And then there was that clearly CG transformation sequence that felt incredibly out-of-place, and was painful to watch. Transformation sequences should be fun, not awful!
So, yes, I was not feeling very confident when I went to watch the first episode this morning.
Overall? It was decent.
I was surprised by how much I liked the opening theme. I didn't like the ending as much, but it wasn't bad either, and the bit with Mamoru and Usagi kissing in an ocean of stars was pretty.
The animation and the facial expressions didn't bother me as much as it had in the previews, although I'm not sure if that's because it actually looked better in context, or if it was because reading the subtitles distracted me from paying as much attention to its flaws. Either way, as long as I can watch the episodes without being bugged by the animation & expressions, I don't much care about the reason why.
The main exception to this was, again, the transformation sequence. The animation does not flow with the rest of the episode at all, and as someone who normally delights in transformation sequences, I wish they had done a better job with it.
(On a more nitpicky note, Usagi's shimmery lips drove me insane. I realize that's such a small, petty thing to complain about, but something about it just really annoyed me.)
Story-wise, it was solid. It's pretty much the standard Sailor Moon beginning, but it didn't do anything particularly wrong there, so I have no complaints. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Inner Senshi and the Shittennou, though, since those are some of my favorite characters.
And... that's about all I can remember from my thoughts, unfortunately. Overall, I suppose you can say that I'm cautiously optimistic about this series. Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint.
► Now that I've blabbed on about Sailor Moon, on to my other topic of the day. That is, talking about a exchange that I'm thinking about entering.
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rarecharacters and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
rarecharacters, a multifandom exchange for rare and underrated characters!
Rules | FAQ | Nominations
I just missed the sign-ups forparallelsfic, which is one I've been wanting to do since last year, and most of the other summer exchanges I know about either are ones I'm far too late for, or didn't have fandoms I thought I could write.
Then, an announcement forrarecharacters popped up on my flist, and... I think I might do it? I'm not entirely certain, but I'm definitely seriously considering it. I've made some nominations (for A Song of Ice & Fire, Harry Potter, and Pokemon), and I've been poking at the nominations list, thinking about what I could offer and request.
► The main reason for this post is because this morning, I watched the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, and I had things I wanted to say about it. Most of it will be below the cut, but if you want a quick, one sentence summary of my thoughts, here it is: I thought that it was better than I feared, but not as good as I hoped.
Some quick background, because I don't think I've talked about Sailor Moon on this journal: Sailor Moon was not a part of my childhood. Despite my great love of shoujo and magical girls, I actually grew up watching things like Dragon Ball Z, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and, to a lesser extent, Yu Yu Hakusho. It wasn't until I was somewhere around seventeen that I finally got around to watching Sailor Moon, but I fell pretty hard for it. I also really like the manga, although I've only read up to volume seven. Originally, I was buying each volume as it was re-released in the U.S., but I fell behind at some point, which is why I haven't finished it. The same goes for Sailor V, which I also really love, despite having only read the first volume.
tl;dr I discovered Sailor Moon a bit later in life than most fans, but I still really love it, which means that there was no question of my not watching Sailor Moon Crystal.
I didn't really feel any qualms about it until the character designs for Crystal were revealed. On one hand, I generally liked them. On the other hand... something about the characters' faces (especially Usagi's) felt off to me.
My trepidation increased when the PV was released. The animation seemed kind of awkward and clunky, and I finally figured out what I didn't like about the characters' faces— the expressions. They just look so lifeless, and Usagi smiling at the screen with dead eyes is a creepy image that I definitely do not need, thank you.
I got even more nervous when a video (which seems to have been taken down) was leaked, showing the opening and a few minutes of footage, which included the transformation sequence. The animation and expressions looked even worse there— I could barely stand to look at Usagi's face. And then there was that clearly CG transformation sequence that felt incredibly out-of-place, and was painful to watch. Transformation sequences should be fun, not awful!
So, yes, I was not feeling very confident when I went to watch the first episode this morning.
Overall? It was decent.
I was surprised by how much I liked the opening theme. I didn't like the ending as much, but it wasn't bad either, and the bit with Mamoru and Usagi kissing in an ocean of stars was pretty.
The animation and the facial expressions didn't bother me as much as it had in the previews, although I'm not sure if that's because it actually looked better in context, or if it was because reading the subtitles distracted me from paying as much attention to its flaws. Either way, as long as I can watch the episodes without being bugged by the animation & expressions, I don't much care about the reason why.
The main exception to this was, again, the transformation sequence. The animation does not flow with the rest of the episode at all, and as someone who normally delights in transformation sequences, I wish they had done a better job with it.
(On a more nitpicky note, Usagi's shimmery lips drove me insane. I realize that's such a small, petty thing to complain about, but something about it just really annoyed me.)
Story-wise, it was solid. It's pretty much the standard Sailor Moon beginning, but it didn't do anything particularly wrong there, so I have no complaints. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Inner Senshi and the Shittennou, though, since those are some of my favorite characters.
And... that's about all I can remember from my thoughts, unfortunately. Overall, I suppose you can say that I'm cautiously optimistic about this series. Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint.
► Now that I've blabbed on about Sailor Moon, on to my other topic of the day. That is, talking about a exchange that I'm thinking about entering.
rarecharacters and rarecharacters, a multifandom exchange for rare and underrated characters!Rules | FAQ | Nominations
I just missed the sign-ups for
parallelsfic, which is one I've been wanting to do since last year, and most of the other summer exchanges I know about either are ones I'm far too late for, or didn't have fandoms I thought I could write.Then, an announcement for
rarecharacters popped up on my flist, and... I think I might do it? I'm not entirely certain, but I'm definitely seriously considering it. I've made some nominations (for A Song of Ice & Fire, Harry Potter, and Pokemon), and I've been poking at the nominations list, thinking about what I could offer and request.