ThisSailor Moon Crystalreview contains spoilers.

It seems that a hot young couple from the famous Mugen Academy is now on the scene.

To them, I emphatically say:

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This episode was fucking amazing.

Top to bottom fantastic on pretty much every level.

The story was tight, the animation was damn near flawless, and I loved it.

I like lots of stuff.

I just need it to be good.

Its not a high bar.

Lets start with the story.

THAT IS HOW YOU FUCKING DO IT.

And they did, and it was glorious.

I can only hope that this more relaxed adaptation continues into future episodes.

c’mon let it be so.

In any event, this episode flowed seamlessly.

As a viewer and lifelongSailor Moonfan, I was satisfied.

I felt as though so much happened in this one episode.

It was such a satisfying meal.

Shots took their time but didnt linger interminably and self-indulgently.

They told a story and moved on.

The rhythm and energy… this episode practically crackled with it.

Well done, Toei.

And you know what?

Thats not a bad idea.

It totally worked for me.

Its risen several, actually.

Everything looks so good.

Faces are drawn with smooth curving lines, rather than the sharp, awkward angles of a childs drawing.

Proportion and perspective are working.

When someone is at a 3/4 angle, their eyes are spaced and shaped accordingly.

The cats look so fucking great, I cant even!

Their boxy faces from previous episodes are gone.

That includes the manga, the 90s anime,PGSM; everything.

I am loving the new color palette.

Seeing Ikukos hair as a nice, deep blue-black rather than a washed out lavender just feels right.

I know all that and I get it, and I actually have an incredible fondness for red hair.

Jean Grey and the Weasleys are my peeps, guys.

I really appreciate how Neptunes accent color is clearly navy, different from Uranus royal blue.

It always reeked of the underlying sexism that pervades so much of Japanese culture.

Pfff… fuck that.

So, I absolutely love thatCrystals color palette is so crisp and clear, so well defined.

And what about that opening theme?

The song is totally growing on me and gets me all pumped for the episode.

The animation is such a step up.

Not feature film quality or anything, but thats not what I was expecting.

My standards are not unreasonably high.

Its just that the first two seasons of Crystal failed to meet even those.

This is not thatCrystal.

This feels like a whole new show, and I mean that in the best way.

The new transformation sequences…

I just… halfway through Mercurys sequence I gasped with joy and beat my chest all Celine Dion style.

But even taking that into account, these sequences are LIGHT YEARS AHEAD of what we were getting before.

Just some nice, smooth, 2D animation that looks fantastic!

Of the new sequences, Venus is probably the weakest link.

Ironic, considering she probably had the best one in the first two seasons.

I liked her gymnastics ribbon, the color contrast of her silhouette with the background.

The star wands are just fine, and why not get a little more mileage out of them?

The animation of Sailor Moons self-intro seems almost like a direct response to the criticisms ofCrystals previous animation quality.

And thank God for that!

Theyve also fixed Mercurys self-intro stance, so she no longer looks like her hips can cut glass.

Thats a nice improvement.

And the best part of all of this?

So, after all that fanboy squee and high praise, do I have anything negative to say?

Were there any cons to this episode?

Its just a logistic issue thats always bugged me.

These girls are sixteen and in high school.

Where are their parents?

To be fair, Mamoru does live beneath his means.

But how the fuck does Mako-chan live?

Shes a full-time junior high student who doesnt have a job.

Were her parents rich too?

And even if they were… WHERE ARE EVERYONES PARENTS?!

This is quite simply theSailor Moon Crystalwe deserve and should have had from the start.

Rating:

4 out of 5