[ SECRET POST #3091 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3091 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 051 secrets from Secret Submission Post #442.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[ozaline]

Except it did matter? They were able to deprogram the Shitenou with the power of their love, and then the Shitenou called to them from beyond the grave to inspire them in the final battle.

I'm not sure what you're expecting out of a 13 episode arc compared to the original's 46 episodes. Of course there's going to be parts where Crystal suffers... But if you've already absorbed 200 episodes (202 with the two SuperS specials), three movies, dozens of musicals, and the live action series, then you pretty much know these characters and can fill in the blanks.

I wanted a concise version of the arcs that I could sit through in a couple sittings without the filler fatigue, and that's what I got.

And there are some shows that are pretty gay on subtext... Usagi has never come across 100% straight, and she continues to read as bi, to me anwyay, in Crystal.

[(Anonymous)]

(ayrt)

That inspiration didn't last much and Usagi was their main motivation in the end, so those romances added... what, exactly?

Other animes have manage to deliver something better (characterization and relationship wise) with only 12 episodes and no previous adaptation, so yes, I was expecting more than the bland, inconsequential extra "romance" we got in Crystal.

Thinking another woman is pretty (only once for each of them) is not what I would call gay subtext, but if you want to interpret it that way *shrug*

[ozaline]

When it's at the point where she's getting hearts in her eyes over Rei? It's not a simple off-hand comment, it was over a minute of Usagi being enthralled by her visage. I'm also taking this in light of her characterization in previous iterations (Ikuhara definitely shipped Usagi and Rei).

I guess that's the thing I don't see this is supplanting the original, just a prettier*, flashier, and easier to digest version of the story. So maybe calling it "better," was a stretch. But I wouldn't agree that the senshi have no personality. Less time is spent exploring their personality and yes we could probably have more of that.

So on one hand I probably am cutting it a little slack in telling me who the characters are, because after 20 years of being in this fandom I know pretty well... but I was fairly pleased with the characterization of Minako, my favourite, in the first arc.

What did the relationship to the generals add? Just a bit of extra angst when Metalia kills them, and a bit of fan service.

*Prettier than an average episode, not the movies or some of the more lavishly animated sequences, like main plot battle.

[(Anonymous)]

nyart

the characterization of Minako

Really? I'm honestly curious why you think so. She's my absolute favorite and Crystal's characterization of her is one of the (many) reasons I dropped Crystal.

She didn't breath a word about their important past* with the Shitennou until right in the middle of a battle for no good reason, resulting in them not fighting back, almost getting themselves killed and jeopardizing their princess and the fate of the world. She's supposed to be their leader who for at least a year worked solo, yet she didn't have a plan outside of "tell them at the least convenient time" and one attempt at talking to Kunzite? Huh? That alone makes her come off as incompetent, and that's before getting into how they gave her kill of Beryl to Moon.

*Which I still don't buy despite shipping them.

As for prettier? At first I thought so too, but the art style doesn't work for me anymore, especially after re-reading the manga. Even with the blue-ray corrections I think the DK-arc animation is bland-to-decent with a few bright spots... which I could've lived with if the direction had been better and they hadn't made all those changes and rearranging that may seem small in themselves but end up making big differences in tone and general feeling.

Ugh, sorry for the rant. Crystal is one big disappointment for me :/

[ozaline]

You know... I've only watched through the Dark Kingdom Arc once, perhaps a second watch through and I might start noticing these flaws more.

Though the reason why I liked Minako on my initial watch through is we got to see a bit of balance between her silly side, and her serious leader side. In the original anime she was very rarely serious, and the only time we saw her really taken seriously as a leader was in the first arc of Stars when she and Pluto have this whole "burden of command," discussion.

Whereas Minako in the live action series was very seldom allowed to be silly, since she had the incurable brain cancer thing.

I suppose I am forgiving of characters making tactical errors for plot reasons (as long as it isn't a major idiot ball plot, like the way Mara Jade died in Star Wars).

Actually this conversation is making me second guess if I've been half-rewriting Crystal in my head, based on my years in fandom. I think I censored out the part where she did not kill Beryl in my mind.

[(Anonymous)]

ayrt

I think the manga had a good mix, and while I adore Classic!Minako I agree she could've used more serious moments. She had more than people give her credit for, but I don't blame people for overlooking them.

Haha, yeah, I had to rely on summaries for the LA series and reading the changes were interesting to say the least. LA!Venus seems like the direct opposite of Classic!Venus! I'm not sure if I'll like it once I get around to watching. (At least with Classic I can headcanon the silliness is played up by her.)

Characters making major errors for plot reasons = A+! However, to me that means said error has to make sense for the character and plot, and Crystal failed in both. The end result? Venus drops the bomb right in the middle of the battle just for the dramaz. It doesn't help that, outside of the synchronized 5-sec angst in the finale and the pep-talk, it's of no consequence.

It could be. I mentioned elsewhere in the thread that the changes from the manga makes a bigger difference than people think, and I've realized most of my positive feelings were because of the manga*. Remove that from the equation and Crystal doesn't really stand on it's own... but you can't use the manga to prop it up either because of the changes. Like the Shitennou jewels protecting Mamoru. Where did they come from? Who knows! In the manga they were already dead, transformed, and in his pockets long before the finale.

* Classic differs too much, haven't seen LA, and fandom is fandom.