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Why Sailor Moon Crystal Isn't a Total Disaster


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whiskeyii



Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 2242
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:27 pm Reply with quote
Aquamine-Amarine wrote:
The only legitimate complaint about this is the biweekly release. There's no reason for it other than to milk it to death, and it's really obvious that that's what they're trying to do.

-snip-

So I'm happy for the fans that are actually grateful for the new, faithful to the manga adaption. It even has better art! Honestly, what more could you ask for? Not a lot of manga get a second chance like this, and after those atrocious sounding fillers the fans deserved a better adaption.

And to those whining, you sound like a child.


Arguments like these really get my goat. As a consumer, I detest this notion that I should just "put up and shut up" with a given product because, well, they tried? Anime is a marketing tool for the physical discs; there's absolutely nothing wrong with me airing my discontent with a product. As for SMC in particular, there's precious little to be grateful for when it's been demonstrated that a) other studios produce higher quality shows in less time, and b) TOEI can and has done better quality shows.

And, as has been stated time and time again, "more faithful to the manga" doesn't necessarily mean "higher quality"--you need only see the first episode of 07 Ghost for that. It just means it's faithful to the manga--in both its strengths and weaknesses. Not to mention that not all manga techniques are suitable or appropriate for film; they are, after all, separate mediums. People who watch/-ed SMC and came away legitimately critical are hardly "children", and you weaken your argument by being dismissive and resorting to name-calling.

As for the article, I agree with the first and third points. When Crystal nails its art, it can be flat-out gorgeous. And Chibi-Usa is far more sympathetic in this adaptation.

The number, or lack thereof, of Sailor Scout attacks doesn't bother me one way or another. As for Mamoru, as Tuxedo Mask, he's more interesting than in the Classic version, but as Mamoru the person, I find him to be duller and blander here.
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Sailor Sedna





PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 5:36 pm Reply with quote
[quote="Lili-Hime"]

To make matters worse, the senshi x shittenou pairing was the solution the writers came up with to solve the lack of development for the other senshi. (Interview near the bottom of the page here http://www.themarysue.com/how-sailor-moon-crystal-has-failed-me/

Yeah, and they failed miserably. They were wiped out instantly and didn't make any of the 4 stand out.
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mrsatan



Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 909
Location: Olympia, WA, USA
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:42 pm Reply with quote
I tried watching the original because of its iconic status. It was so repetitive that I couldn't get through it. It was monster-of-the-week, filler-ridden dreck with pretty animation and an A-list voice cast.

This new one, although largely outsourced to cheap Philippine animation studios, at least has a proper storyline and sense of pacing.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 7:43 pm Reply with quote
I tried watching Crystal but it could never decide if it wanted to update the franchise from its time period, it couldn't decide what was interesting about its main and secondary cast and... I could just rehash my posts about those early episodes which has nothing to do with animation and more to do with characterization, plotting and direction but then I'd have to care.

Sure, Sailor Moon Crystal isn't a total disaster but even if you can say that, you're still agreeing it is a disaster. If you like the franchise, just stick with the manga.

It's not like I love the original series. 10% of the original show is fantastic but 90% can be skipped. But then you'd miss out on that 10% if you pass up the whole thing. OTOH, that 10% is the DIC version so maybe it's now more like 5%? Just to be safe, I guess it's ok to skip the whole thing.

Final word: I looked through the manga and still prefer the designs from the TV series. There's art and then there's practicality and then there's things people would actually wear while in a fight.
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1746
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:30 pm Reply with quote
I miss the filler episodes. Not because I miss some of the dorky MoTDs (though some were hilarious), but because those episodes fleshed out the non-Usagi characters best.

Ask fans of the original series, and especially the non-Usagi characters, which episode was their favorite. Most people refer to some of the SuperS fillers, like Minako's two-timing episode, as being their personal favorite. With Crystal, I feel as if I could slap Mars in Venus' outfit and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

This, for me, is why I can't watch this show. I could deal with the wonky animation. I can deal with the character designs and ho-hum music. But giving the girls 0 personality in the name of keeping it true to the manga and dedicating one chapter/episode is garbage. Especially when the Japanese prices for the DVD are almost at Aniplex level.
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TsukasaElkKite



Joined: 22 Nov 2005
Posts: 3945
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 9:51 pm Reply with quote
It could have been so much better but Toei shafted the other four Inner Senshi in terms of character development to focus on Usagi's ~*mirakuru romansu*~.
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andre_drw



Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:33 pm Reply with quote
TarsTarkas wrote:
I haven't watched any of Sailor Moon Crystal. Being a web only series of a major franchise, I thought that meant that the creators of this series didn't have the faith in it to put it on TV. I still wonder why it wasn't on TV.

Thanks for writing this, I will now give it a chance.


Its airing on tv in Japan now and I think it'll be airing in French if I'm not mistaken. They'll air the blu-ray version
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:07 pm Reply with quote
Cutiebunny wrote:
I miss the filler episodes. Not because I miss some of the dorky MoTDs (though some were hilarious), but because those episodes fleshed out the non-Usagi characters best.

Ask fans of the original series, and especially the non-Usagi characters, which episode was their favorite. Most people refer to some of the SuperS fillers, like Minako's two-timing episode, as being their personal favorite. With Crystal, I feel as if I could slap Mars in Venus' outfit and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.


Exactly: To me--unlike MrSatan's "repetitious monsters" comment--it was all about the fact that the other Sailors in the filler episodes were almost as awkward as Usagi in their own ways, and that was why they were friends.
Nurse Minako or her "pure heart!" campaign, Mako making a fool of herself trying to date Motoki, and even Ami thinking that a first crush was "the enemy" to study, in her one movie short...Little of it had to do with the manga sequence of defeating the story-arc enemy, but it made the characters seem that much more real.

Here, like most remakes whose sole reason for being is to claim "We're more FAITHFUL to the original, not like that other version!", they go in with blinders on, focus on doing the one thing they thought was "different", and lose everything else that made the slightly looser earlier version so much more memorable.
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NJ_



Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 2997
Location: Wallington, NJ
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:35 pm Reply with quote
andre_drw wrote:
Its airing on tv in Japan now and I think it'll be airing in French if I'm not mistaken. They'll air the blu-ray version


It has also been airing in Portugal every Saturday & Sunday with the Japanese TV masters (same video as the BDs but with sponsor cards added of which Portugal has clean versions of) and they're already at the end of Dark Kingdom with Act 13 airing this Saturday.


Last edited by NJ_ on Sat Jun 13, 2015 3:10 pm; edited 3 times in total
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MrBonk



Joined: 23 Jan 2015
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 12:09 am Reply with quote
EricJ2 wrote:
mangamuscle wrote:
We can dismiss all of the above, but the simple truth is that SMC is a disaster because it has abysmal ratings, even after several TV stations started to broadcast (using the blu ray version, something unheard afaik) it in japan. Remember this series is a big 24 minutes commercial for sailor moon merchandise, if nobody sees it then it has outlived its usefulness.


Every time there's an unnecessary movie remake--whether Total Recall, or Tron Legacy, or that Yellow Submarine remake Robert Zemeckis wanted to do before Disney shut down his studio--there's a vocal minority of fans saying "Who cares, the remake will last five minutes, but this means they'll finally put the original on disk to cash in! C'mon, think of the big picture, we can take one for the team!"

When Crystal first came out, we weren't sure that Naoko was going to allow the original series back on disk again in the US, but...it seems she has. And not too badly either.
Okay, we've taken one for the the team, and it worked out nicely; mission accomplished. Bye-bye, Crystal.


Total Recall and Tron Legacy aren't even [expletive] remakes FFS.

Total Recall is its OWN adaptation of the source material. And just as worth watching as the original adaptation.

You people are beyond inane

EricJ2 wrote:
Cutiebunny wrote:
I miss the filler episodes. Not because I miss some of the dorky MoTDs (though some were hilarious), but because those episodes fleshed out the non-Usagi characters best.

Ask fans of the original series, and especially the non-Usagi characters, which episode was their favorite. Most people refer to some of the SuperS fillers, like Minako's two-timing episode, as being their personal favorite. With Crystal, I feel as if I could slap Mars in Venus' outfit and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.


Exactly: To me--unlike MrSatan's "repetitious monsters" comment--it was all about the fact that the other Sailors in the filler episodes were almost as awkward as Usagi in their own ways, and that was why they were friends.
Nurse Minako or her "pure heart!" campaign, Mako making a fool of herself trying to date Motoki, and even Ami thinking that a first crush was "the enemy" to study, in her one movie short...Little of it had to do with the manga sequence of defeating the story-arc enemy, but it made the characters seem that much more real.

Here, like most remakes whose sole reason for being is to claim "We're more FAITHFUL to the original, not like that other version!", they go in with blinders on, focus on doing the one thing they thought was "different", and lose everything else that made the slightly looser earlier version so much more memorable.


The exact same argument could be made against your point of view as well.

Why should they be catering to fans of the original show who don't give a fudge about the actual original story and art?

And almost everything that people claim to be amazing, perfect and "memorable" about the original Anime are almost entirely subjective.

No one is forcing you to watch Crystal. It is it's OWN thing. And it's own adaptation of the original story and art.
In no way are they obligated to pander and cater to fans of only the original bloated show.


Crystal has and will continue to find it's own audience.

Don't like it, don't watch it.
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H. Guderian



Joined: 29 Jan 2014
Posts: 1255
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 12:35 am Reply with quote
So according to this article the original anime Mamoru was a creeper because he was an older guy in love with a girl who was at the age of consent. But Crystal Mamoru kisses girls while they are sleep without their consent - but that's less creeper!

If you really find the difference between old Sailor Moon and new, it was that the Directors, Junichi Sato, and Kunihiko Ikuhara, are really good at what they do. If most of the original anime was original content (meaning made up and not from the source material) then it very well be that the show was immensely popular and famous due to the original content.

What did Naoko go on to make that was a big hit after Sailor Moon? Noooothing. The original author was a one hit wonder, and most of it being a hit was due to the anime being successful.

Junichi Sato, what'd he go on to do? The Doremi Franchise? directed Aria? Kaleido Star? He -Created!- Princess Tutu!!! Futagohime? I loved that magical girl show. Funny and entertaining!

Ikuhara is a legend himself. His credits include the Utena, a show that challenged gender roles and is quite inspiring. They also include Pengindrum, a very artistic and highly regarded anime. The recent fan favorite "Yuri Kuma Arashi" is also his work.

There are also numerous great animators you can find in the credits for SM:Crystal episodes. So it isn't like the key frame people are horrible.

All signs point to middle/upper management lacking in ability or effort to get a competent show out. There are some 'saving graces,' like Crystal's Usagi being generally stronger or a nicer variety of attacks - but the tradeoff is we lost a lot more. None of the attacks or stock transformations are worth rewatching in the new version. A couple characters are improved, and we lost -everything- on the 4 Kings of the Abyss, I mean Dark Kingdom.

Every step forward was met with a Police Water Cannon blast backwards. A legendary pillar of the 1990's should have a sequel somewhere in that ballpark, like the Yamato remake. Instead Sailor Moon Crystal isn't even a competitor for a passing recommendation outside of "well if you liked the manga..." People are so upset due to the gulf of quality between the two, not that they do things different.
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mangamuscle



Joined: 23 Apr 2006
Posts: 2658
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 1:10 am Reply with quote
MrBonk wrote:
Why should they be catering to fans of the original show who don't give a fudge about the actual original story and art?


You do not need to care, but the producers DO, because we (the original series fans) are more (in sheer numbers) and this show was done to sell merchandise (as can be seen by the sheer number of articles ANN has done about new Sailor Moon merchandise since Crystal started webcasting). This was never meant as a niche release like most light novel/manga adaptations that are fine if they sell enough discs. This was meant to rival DBZ kai in audience numbers, but it is not even a blip on the list.
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1746
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 1:10 am Reply with quote
H. Guderian wrote:
Ikuhara is a legend himself. His credits include the Utena, a show that challenged gender roles and is quite inspiring. They also include Pengindrum, a very artistic and highly regarded anime. The recent fan favorite "Yuri Kuma Arashi" is also his work.


The Sailor Moon R movie plot was his own work too. That's why it's so bizarre. The character designer for the first movie (and first two seasons), Tadano, was at a convention I attended last year, and she said that Toei locked them up in a run down apartment until they finished the movie. I guess they locked Ikuhara up as well until he complained that he needed more clothes due to the changing seasons.


MrBonk wrote:
Why should they be catering to fans of the original show who don't give a fudge about the actual original story and art?


Please show me where I asked Toei to cater to me. I simply stated that I don't like the show because the fillers are what made the original series enjoyable.

And in regard to your "don't give a fudge about...art" comment, I own a lot of production artwork, not only from Sailor Moon, but original sketches from many character designers, mangakas, etc. To say that I don't care about art is indeed a misstatement. Despite the lackluster quality of artwork used in SMC, I'd still consider buying some douga or layouts from the series, assuming they were relatively well drawn.


Quote:
And almost everything that people claim to be amazing, perfect and "memorable" about the original Anime are almost entirely subjective.


The same can be said about anything. If there's a point to your statement, you're not making it, Captain Obvious.

Quote:
No one is forcing you to watch Crystal. It is it's OWN thing. And it's own adaptation of the original story and art.
In no way are they obligated to pander and cater to fans of only the original bloated show.


I get that you're upset that there are so many 'haters', and that's cool. You are entitled to that opinion. I think it's a mistake to assume that the only people that don't like the show are those that are purely fans of the original anime. Many of us like the live action show, the musicals, the manga, etc. I'm not quite sure why you're trying to be so vehement in your post. Most of us have accepted Crystal as its own thing and we either watch it or don't watch it.
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QuinDecim



Joined: 11 Jun 2015
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 1:53 am Reply with quote
The amount of negativity in this thread is overwhelming. And to be honest, it's disappointing and frightening.

I'm just here to give my two cents.

...
Yes. Sailor Moon Crystal is flawed. The pacing is strange, the plot hole with the Shitennou and the Inner Senshi is glaring, the CGI transformation sequences are bizarre, and even with a bi-weekly release, they clearly don't have the time allowed to polish up the animation, dialogue, and acting. So yes, this show is a mess. A disappointing yet harsh slap to the face of many, if not all, Sailor Moon fans.
...
But I still love it to pieces. Whether it's out of nostalgia or sympathy or whatever, I love this reboot as much as I loved the original anime when it first started airing in the states, back when I was just a four-year-old runt that would get up early to just to watch our favorite, "meatball-headed" heroine and her friends kick butt and take names.

It has a lot of problems, and I really do get that, but with the way it's being treated by so many people is uncalled for. It doesn't change the fact that this is a reboot to celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the most famous magical girl series in history, that those of us that are fans of both the original anime and original manga will *finally* get to see the original story arcs animated and in-color, that we'll finally get to see the rest of the Senshis' power upgrades, get to see Sailor Saturn's official transformation... there's still so much that we'll finally, FINALLY get to see, thanks to this reboot.
And heck - I feel like a kid with each new episode. I'm filled again with that nostalgia, I'm returned to my childhood whenever I see that my Crunchyroll queue has been updated with the latest episode of Crystal. I get just as excited!

So...I don't think this deserves all the hate it's been getting. Yeah, it is a mess, I can see and agree that the flaws are a disappointment. But that doesn't mean I hate it.
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NJ_



Joined: 31 Oct 2009
Posts: 2997
Location: Wallington, NJ
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 2:09 am Reply with quote
H. Guderian wrote:
Junichi Sato, what'd he go on to do? The Doremi Franchise? directed Aria? Kaleido Star? He -Created!- Princess Tutu!!! Futagohime? I loved that magical girl show. Funny and entertaining!


Slight correction on Doremi, Sato was involved but that was mostly the work of Takuya Igarashi, the guy who directed Sailor Stars after Ikuhara left.
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