#smc sequence

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Muhrs Power Make Up vs. Mars Star Power, Make Up!

Does anyone want 3D transformations back? :-)

- The beginning of the Crystal Mars Star Power sequence is definitely ‘inspired’ by the 90s anime:

I think it would have been nice if the SMC3 sequence had retained the beginning of the old transformation. Rainbow fingernails would look so good in 2D...

- I like the fire in the old transformation (I even prefer it to the 90s ‘ribbons’), but fire shooting from the transformation pen? Hot damn. Not to mention that I love the deep red color of Mars’ body.

- Here are more proofs of why 2D transformations are superior to (cheap) 3D ones:

The ‘rings of fire’ around her body look more natural in the 2D transformation, while they look like cylinders in the 3D sequence.

The 2D transformation also eliminates the weird camera work of the 3D sequence. Just compare the two gifs of the third row: On the left, the camera slowly moves to her stomach as if trying to zoom to her crotch, then slowly slides down the legs to the feet. On the right, just one swirl of fire and we can see the feet at once.

- Phobos and Deimos with Mars in the final background? How good is that? 

However, no one can deny that the old transformation clearly has much better theme music:

Honestly, why did Crystal only use this music for one - single - episode? I’m sure not many people object to it. Maybe this theme will be back for the (newly confirmed) Dream Arc... or not :(

[venusribbons]

Akuryo, Taisan!

People/Things that Sailor Moon Crystal offended by Jadeite’s teleportation, in no particular order:

Sailor Mars, whose shining moment gets robbed right in front of her.

Jadeite, who does not receive any character development despite more screentime, gets dragged in the stupidest ‘romance’ and dies in the lamest way possible.

Crystal’s own animation of the live attack, which DOES look impressive and powerful. Especially the ‘circle of fire’.

The wonderful background music that deserves a better anime.

The hopeful fans, who expected character expansion and quality Senshi - Shitennou time but got repeatedly slapped in the face instead.

The manga purists, who hoped to see the gruesome side of the manga onscreen but also got slapped multiple times.

On top of that, a- Phobos and Deimos are not featured, which is a shame since Crystal could draw crows and b- There is no warning of the fire. Sure, that fire cannot burn Jadeite, but it is still fire, so it should work like normal fires. You know, like burning the whole building down and possibly kill everyone near it? 

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Sailor Mars’ speech, SMC vs. SMC3:

‘I am Sehlur Muhrs and in the name of Muhrs I will castrate u!’

Seriously, though, why the fuck does Crystal love Sehlur Muhrs’ monster hand so much? I know that the hand is notoriously hard to draw, but that is not an excuse for professionals at the Crystal staff (especially not for the ‘improved’ SMC3). Maybe they should have used a reference:

(Original link: http://melyssah6-stock.deviantart.com/art/Hand-Pose-Holding-Hands-2-344830819.)

I also do not like the standing pose in both speeches. The old pose, as @sailorcrystalreactions​ said it best:

Her legs are too far apart

The two legs are not of the same length.

The spine is broken.

(Read the original post here).

On top of that, it also makes the transition to the ‘I will chatise you’ pose really awkward:

The SMC3 pose... It’s due to personal taste than bad execution, but I can’t really point my finger to the reason for my dislike ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. At least the transition to the final pose is natural.

BTW, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the ‘I will chatise you’ pose in Crystal is based on the 90s anime, would it?

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Moon Tiara Action, Live!

So now Sailor Moon uses her goddamn tiara. That sure takes a long time.

This sequence looks a bit similar to the attack of the same name in the first episode. It even has its ‘ghost face’:

Though, there is one question that keeps bugging me: What exactly can a person trapped in the Moon Tiara can do? In the manga, it seems like (s)he cannot use his/her arms, but can attack with other parts of the body (I still don’t understand what exactly Jadeite does with his eye that causes Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury to fall). 

Crystal removed the ‘eye attack’ confusion but created an even bigger clusterfuck: Jadeite, trapped in the Moon Tiara whilst in the middle of (magical) flames, can teleport away. It would have made more sense if Jadeite had been shown breaking free from the tiara or putting out the flames (with his eyes, lol) but no, he teleports while being stuck in a fire. I am no expert on fictional magical transportation, so I am not sure how I should make out of this, but there still should have been some restrictions.

Take an example: Apparition in Harry Potter. [Click Read more if you like reading babbles and don’t mind Deathly Hallows spoilers :-)]

It is implied that you cannot Apparate yourself without a wand:

“Okay, all of you who haven’t got wands need to attach yourself to somebody who has. [...]” (Chapter 13)

Ron was now trying to Disapparate without a wand.

Though, in Side-Along Apparition, you do not need a wand as long as you grip (or are being held in a grip) tight enough of your companion:

[...] Before he could stop them, someone had rummaged through his pockets and removed the blackthorn wand. [...]

When at last the man tying them had walked away, Harry whispered to the other prisoners. “Anyone still got a wand?” “No,” said Ron and Hermione from either side of him. [...]

“Grab hold and make it tight. I’ll do Potter!” said Greyback, seizing a fistful of Harry’s hair; Harry could feel his long yellow nails scratching his scalp. “On three! One — two — three —” They Disapparated, pulling the prisoners with them. Harry struggled, trying to throw off Greyback’s hand, but it was hopeless: Ron and Hermione were squeezed tightly against him on either side, he could not separate from the group, [...] (Chapter 23)

Especially if your companion is a house-elf, then no (wizard-made) Anti-Apparition spell can stop you:

“You can Disapparate out of this cellar?” he asked Dobby, who nodded, his ears flapping. “And you can take humans with you?” Dobby nodded again. “Right. Dobby, I want you to grab Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander, and take them — take them to —” (Chapter 23)

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Moon Twilight Flash!

Kudos to Crystal for animating this attack live, but I really, really don’t like how Sailor Moon’s eyes are drawn in here. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I feel like her eyes look “down” and sleepy when her face is shown up front (and we are talking about key frames, not motion frames, far away shots or odd perspective). I am also not a fan of the crude-looking “twilight flash” either.

However, I think the biggest crime of this scene is the complete lack of horror. Compare this melted ghost:

... to the True Adaptation™ that made the shadow looks “pretty” and Nephrite-like even when being evaporated:

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Akuryo, Taisan!

I like how Sailor Mars, whether in the manga or in any anime version, can casually throw a fire at an enemy like throwing a ball. The attack does not work, but that’s expected.

Crystal Mars is not too surprised at the lack of success either:

Well, her attack has never worked in the first place, so...

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Mercury Aqua Mist!

This sequence isn’t ~really~ in the manga, in which the audience is only aware of who creates the mist after it is cleared. Not that I mind this kind of change, of course :) Though, I have to agree with @sailorcrystalreactions that the thing Mercury creates looks more like blue fire than water.

BTW, I’m going to bet that this is directly inspired by the 90s anime:

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Mercury Power, Make Up vs. Mercury Star Power, Make Up!

In Mercury’s case, her initial transformation is already good (especially the ice-skating movements!), just need to get rid of the plastic CG effects and that godawful muddy sticky shit so-called ‘water’. The SMC3 sequence did just that with a 90s touch to it (such as the ‘ripple’ effect). I still wish they have done the same for Venus...

Moral: Don’t ever, ever, EVER do shitty CGI transformations again, Toei.

P/S: I love Crystal’s ‘outer space’ backgrounds. They make really good wallpapers for fans of both magical girls and astronomy :)