Sailor Moon Crystal

So all of you should know that I am a massive Sailor Moon fan, or 'Moonie' as we're called, and you should of heard that Sailor Moon recently passed its 20th anniversary! To celebrate this momentous occasion there's been lots of knew merchandise being released, a new musical and even a new dub on of the anime. But more important than that is the news of the new series 'Sailor Moon Crystal'. It was supposed to be aired last year but after set back and set back it didn't start until the 5th July. Its only airing fortnightly so the second episode only aired yesterday (19th July), even so, I'm going to do my best to review this new Sailor Moon anime!

First, let me clear something up. Sailor Moon Crystal is not a re-make of the original series! Its actually a new series based more on the manga because the original anime overtook the manga so ended up having a lots of differences. For those familiar with the Fullmetal Alchemist series, it's very similar to the Brotherhood series compared to the original series. But this puts me in a bit of an awkward position because being honest with you, I've never read the Sailor Moon manga. So don't expect me to compare this anime to its manga counterpart, however I will be able to compare it to the original anime and various other magical girl animes!

The World is Still Beautiful

Tofeeish has killed her computer which means you're stuck with me, Crazysaki, writing you a review again.

The World is Still Beautiful or Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii is a new release that was completed with 12 episodes last Saturday. Nike Lemercier is the fourth princess of the Rain Dukedom who is taken to wed the Sun King Livius I. The focus of the story is on the relationship between the two as they gradually form affections for each other and the trials they have to overcome from opposition to their marriage.

A special power that the people from the Rain Dukedom have is the ability to 'call the rain'. Nike needs only to sing a song to bring rain to the dry Sun Kingdom which cannot naturally produce rain. At the start Nike restricts herself to only use the rain on special occasions, claiming that it is a sacred procedure, but she seems to disregard this later on. Also with the rain calling she has some control over the wind which helps her to escape from a few situations. These powers make her a strong character as she stands up for herself and needs little 'saving'. I find Nike's personality quite likeable as she freely speaks her own opinion but is careful not to hurt others and wants to help other people as much as possible. This contrasts with Livius who only cares about himself and getting revenge from the hardships of his upbringing. A big point about Livius and a recurring gag throughout is the fact that he is a child. Despite his age he managed to become king and effectively conquer the world in three years. Hung up on revenge and domination he became cold and cruel and with the help of Nike gradually begins to realise the beauty in the world once more.

I like the art style which is full of bright colours and flows really well. With rain and wind being so evident in the plot it only makes sense that the weather is done well too, which I thought they did. At several points throughout the story Nike calls fourth the rain through a song about “the tender rain”. I really like the song because it feels so heartfelt especially as it it used in emotional times. Even when she's not singing you can hear the music which helps to create an emotional atmosphere.

However there is one thing I'm annoyed with; I feel the ending was very rushed and didn't give me the satisfaction I wanted. After going through hardships and dramatic cliffhangers on previous episodes I needed some action, to see the wedding, to see Livius grown up. But to me it felt like the animators suddenly realised they were make a twelve episode long anime half-way through the last episode!

Despite the unfulfilling ending I really enjoyed The World is Still Beautiful. If you love romantic-comedies then I recommend this anime for you.