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@tirorah
Hey everyone, apologies for the delay in the liveblog lately.
Fortunately, I'm not the only one talking about PGSM! Here's the next video from MistareFusion. I'm quite interested in this one, as I do like the ending myself, but it is a mess.
All right, this is where I have to take my leave for today. In 3 hours, I managed to go through... *checks* 6 minutes of footage! Wow!
Will I finish this before the heat death of the universe? Place yer bets!
For real though, I'm very happy to have spotted this thing about Ami and Makoto specifically, as my old Ami x Makoto shipping heart did long for more content with the two of them in PGSM. This, though...this explains so much. What a special show this is!
Finally, we get to Ami and Makoto. The moment Jadeite and Nephrite move to pursue the Princess, these two spring into action and block their path, leaving Usagi to complete their impromptu pincer attack.
I find this choice intriguing, for spoilery reasons.
You see, it's not the first time Ami and Makoto have worked together, and every single time, they seem to be in sync. This is especially impressive when you think back to episodes 7 and 8--the ones that integrated Makoto into the group--and realise Ami was barely even in those. In fact, if you look at the team's everyday dynamics, it's Usagi who is closest to Makoto, not Ami. Now, PGSM loves to shake up who hangs out with whom, so this isn't outside the realm of possibility, but I've always thought this choice didn't make 100% sense.
Unlike even Usagi and Rei, Ami and Makoto haven't received any dedicated screen time together; most of their interactions take place between the lines of other dynamics, and those interactions are spread out. There hasn't been any heavy focus on them during a specially-crafted episode (at least, not yet). Because of that, they haven't had a defining spotlight that really sets their dynamic apart from the others. That's why this is making my brain whirr.
I suppose Ami and Makoto's bond just comes so easily, so naturally, that they don't need that kind of setup. In a way, it's as if they've always been part of each other's lives. That's the kind of friendship they have here, I suppose. So sure, they don't always spend much time together, but they're always there...in the...background...
...Wait a second.
OH DAMN
I mean, I stand by my opinion that this version of Makoto gets more development with Usagi and Rei, and that people might overestimate how close PGSM!Ami and Makoto are due to osmosis from other versions, but... This feels like foreshadowing now.
Even more so when you consider this shot from episode 14:
Remember, this is a defining moment in their friendship. The group becomes closer from this point on. But you'll notice that Makoto and Ami are nowhere near one another.
I won't post a screenshot, but I will tell you this: at the end, the two of them are side by side.
So yeah, I was sort of wrong about their dynamic! It doesn't get much screentime at this point, but like Makoto's character arc, that seems to be on purpose. We know at least one or two moments between them were left unused, so maybe it's a little bit of both, but I now believe this lack of (early) focus on Ami and Makoto's dynamic was done for a very specific reason.
Notice how, before running off to follow Minako, Rei essentially orders the others to take care of their end. Someone with Rei's personality--level-headed, pragmatic, assertive--makes for a natural leader. This is a spoilery rewatch, so I have no qualms about revealing that we'll see more of this as we go.
Also of note is how the others agree instantly. The fact Makoto is the one to verbalise it--Makoto, the one who once thought Rei to be a frigid jerk--shows us just how far these two have come. None of them know what's going on under the surface here. They don't even know about Rei's previous fight alongside Minako! But we're 18 episodes in and Rei has proven herself as a good comrade, so everyone else respects her enough to just go along with this plan that Minako kickstarted.
To further reinforce what a goldmine this entire two-parter is, Minako's first action--after rallying the team under her banner!--is to run off.
If the previous episode's fight wasn't indication enough, it's even more obvious here that Minako is not a team player. PGSM is about a team of four Senshi and one distant Senshi that orbits around them. Minako may be part of the team in other versions of Sailor moon, but this Minako is not part of this team. She's never even fought alongside Usagi, Ami and Makoto before and her previous battle alongside Rei ended in disaster.
Of course, Rei is now wise to Minako's tricks and she quickly follows Minako's plan--with a wonderfully challenging look, I might add. No verbal communication needed whatsoever.
One point of this moment--and upcoming moments--is to show us how in sync some Senshi are. Here, Minako has looked at the battlefield and concluded the odds aren't in their favour. It's better to split up into two teams and divide the enemy. She draws away Fabulous Fencer--which I still consider the biggest threat myself--so that the others can deal with the two Heavenly Kings. Did she hope Rei would follow her? Perhaps.
Finally, here it is!! While Kirari Sailor Dream (the opening song) plays in the background, we get a succession of slo-mo shots. Forget the rule of three, this is the rule of four!
We're getting some great foreshadowing via camera work here. Of course, even if you haven't watched Sailor Moon before, it's probably not the biggest surprise that the titular character may be more important than what we're currently being told. But it's still nice that PGSM takes its time to show you. To the villains, Minako may appear to be in the centre; but it's actually Usagi that the formation revolves around.
And of course, only one of them knows what's actually going on, which makes this usage of their standard poses all the more fascinating. Does a deep, buried part of them know? Or is this just coincidence? One might wonder, how much does the past shape the present? Ho ho ho!
(Obviously they choreographed this because this is a TV show, but one can speculate.)
Just a couple of things here.
It was a mistake to zoom out, because now I'm starting to think the exterior looks NOTHING like the church grounds
Rei may wonder why Minako is doing this, but the more important detail is that the cross is spinning again (or still? has it ever stopped?)
Minako bends the sun to her will, to the point that it now looks suspiciously like an effect added in post-processing
Her landing shakes the villains to their very core and makes them step back
...
(Do you give up yet, Rei?)
Minako is here to show Jadeite and Nephrite how to use the sun PROPERLY, you philistines!
How did she get up there without being spotted, you ask? Where was she during the rest of the fight and even when the youma made its move against the innocent bystanders, you wonder? Did she sneak up there earlier and crouch behind something while her guardians were putting in work?
Irrelevant! Minako has once again assumed her rightful position--above everyone else, as someone who is always right (, Rei!)--and she's here to look pretty and kick butt. Multitasking, it's a gift.
Jadeite and Nephrite are good sports; they have the grace to look mildly concerned at this...ahem...masterful dance of misdirection. Usagi and Makoto start on the front, but it's actually Rei and Ami who swooping in from the flanks to attack first.
And by 'attack' I mean 'run past in an epic clash of nothing' because this is PGSM.
In the show's defence, this floor was slippery as hell and all of the girls are wearing some form of heeled shoe. Their footwear is not made to traverse this type of floor. What you're seeing here is a take that didn't result in someone slipping. ...Or a collision, as the complicated choreography with four people can result in an accident quite easily.
Everyone worked really hard to make this show happen. No matter how much fun I or other people poke at it sometimes, it's important to remember that. I appreciate the effort that went into this production, even if the results aren't always great.
I adore the way they're sometimes directed to shuffle back because it's unintentionally hilarious. To show you what I mean, here are screenshots from episode 4, when it was still really pronounced:
Fourteen episodes later, we're still doing it! Just not as clunkily.
Anyway, I do want to point out this:
This is one thing I love to pay attention to whenever I watch anything: body language. When all of the characters have their own stances or neutral poses, you can tell some care and attention went into them. Even Usagi and Rei, who look the most similar here, have subtle differences between them.
Oh, and apparently the sign needed to have 'St. Juban Church' because heaven forfend people forget they're on church grounds.
...Wait, why's there a gym building with a basketball room on church grounds? Is it to hold larger services or events? There IS a stage with that incredible spinning cross...
If I had to choose one of these three to be the most threatening, it would undoubtedly be the youma. Don't know who these two losers are that hopped on the ride, but let's focus on the real threat: Fabulous Fencer.
Oh, they just got knocked over by Jadeite. Is...is that embarrassing? To be knocked down by the guy who immediately gets his face eclipsed by the sun because this is PGSM and this is just how we roll?
Don't get me wrong: I like Jadeite. But there's a reason he's at the lower end of the totem pole.
Oh my god, and then Nephrite shows up and the exact same thing happens! I'm dying; this is amazing! You can't even see his eyes!!
This truly is PGSM in a nutshell: one moment you have interesting camera angles and cool choreography, the next you have Mamoru's gnarly face and your villains' dramatic entrances being upstaged by the sun shining into the cheap gym location you rented for the day.
Oh, they just got knocked over by Jadeite. Is...is that embarrassing? To be knocked down by the guy who immediately gets his face eclipsed by the sun because this is PGSM and this is just how we roll?
Don't get me wrong: I like Jadeite. But there's a reason he's at the lower end of the totem pole.
I wonder if Usagi has seen the engagement ring at this point. I assume she has, as it's basically her thought process/reaction we're being shown here, and the camera makes sure to pan over to their clasped hands that shows us the ring. But she doesn't say anything, and if I remember correctly, her commentary is a bit ambiguous later on too.
Either way, Makoto is here to do damage control! ...By doing damage! It's a Makoto special.
And while we're on this moment, I do find it interesting that only their early attacks receive the CG stock footage treatment. Something like Flower Hurricane, as demonstrated here, is rendered in-environment every single time. I wonder why that is. Sure, she doesn't use it a whole bunch, but it's definitely more than once. Wouldn't it be easier and/or cheaper to make special footage for this and cut to that every time she uses it?
You know, I try not to comment whenever I think the actors do something a little odd. Most of them were young and/or pretty new to this, and there's a big cultural difference that I can't even begin to comprehend, etc etc.
Having said all that...Mamoru, dear god, what is wrong with your face?
If you ever want to know if something in PGSM is serious business, remember the rule of three. As in, does something or someone get three shots from different angles, punctuated by suspenseful sound effects, to highlight how serious it is? Then it's important!
Also, Rei, I only just thought of something: why are YOU running toward the church? Weren't you just AT the church?
I see PGSM's time-space bending is proceeding well, as usual.
Rei: Oh look, the whole gang's here! If only that had been the case during the previous episode!
Actually, maybe that's why Minako has no qualms discussing a youma in Luna's presence. What if Luna was in the area when it happened? That tends to be the case. What if she saw Minako turning the tide of battle? And when the youma escaped and disappeared, maybe Luna called the others to let them know.
Of course, all of this is 100% speculation. Like Usagi just running off to fetch Makoto with no reason given during an earlier episode, the others not showing up to help Rei was just a clunky way to keep them away from a Rei & Minako-centric scene. Which is...serviceable I guess. But it's not great. While the implosion of their friendship is vital for the pin-point precise dismantling of the Senshi team--this leads into a big plot beat later--I can't help but feel there was a more elegant way to handle it.
To briefly do some backseat writing here:
For the episode where Usagi runs off, just have the building block their flip phones' signal or something, so Usagi briefly has to step outside to call Makoto in. It doesn't have to be a particularly clever explanation, just more than what we got.
And in episode 17, all we needed was a quick moment of communication. Something to explain why, on-screen, no one ever bothered to show up.
Here, for example, a simple 'show Makoto hanging up the phone' moment could've been enough. Bonus points if she goes, "I understand," or something like that. It's not much, but it only takes a few seconds of runtime and would've implied there was more going on than what we saw.