Power up with this latest volume!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Naoko Takeuchi
Translation: Mari Morimoto
What They Say:
Amidst the chaos caused by Usagi and Chibi-Usa’s body swap, courtesy of the Amazoness PallaPalla, the Sailor Guardians’ primary concern remains Mamoru’s illness and its possible link to the newcomers in town, the Dead Moon Circus. The Amazonesses and their circus animal lackeys go after the guardians one by one, tempting them with false visions. However, each of the Sailors manage to defeat the enemy after their inner selves show them their individual heart crystals and new weapons.
Meanwhile, it is still a toss-up who the “young maiden” is that Elysion priest Helios seeks: she who shall find and unlock the Golden Crystal that will save Earth, Elysion, and Mamoru!
Content:
After everyone finishes freaking out over Usagi and Chibi-Usa’s abrupt switch, Mamoru visits the doctor only to find that there are mysterious shadows in his lungs, a fact that he decides to keep to himself so as to not panic his loved ones. Meanwhile, the enemy attacks Ami where it hurts, manipulating her feelings for her parents in a fierce assault. However, a smaller version of herself appears before her, telling her to find her “true dream” and awakening a new power within her, allowing her to fend off the enemy. Usagi and Chibi-Usa appear in order to help wrap things up, with their transformation into their super forms apparently taking care of the magic cast over them in the process. Furthermore, it becomes questionable who the “maiden” Helios seeks really is, and we hear him request that our heroes find the Golden Crystal. However, Helios does take steps to console the broken-hearted Chibi-Usa, even revealing his true, humanoid form to her in the process.
From there, each of the Inner Guardians are attacked psychologically by the enemy, awakening to new powers in the process. Rei is confronted on her future plans and her feminine side, and requires the aid of Phebos and Deimos to break free. Next, Makoto is confronted by the weight of her dreams and her responsibility as a Guardian, but is able to break free with her “monstrous strength” upon remembering some inspirational words from Haruka. Afterwards, Helios reveals himself as Priest of Elysion, a place that is like the heart of Earth, and reveals that his state is linked to that of the planet and Mamoru as well. He also tells our heroes that he and his kingdom have been cursed by Queen Nehelenia, ruler of the Dead Moon, a kingdom of nightmares hidden within the new moon, before reemphasizing the importance of the Golden Crystal. Finally, Mina gets her turn to power up, with her frustration being turned on her inability to transform and her current feelings of uselessness as a leader. Annoyed at her own lack of power, she decides to throw herself right into a Dark Moon trap, leaving her in quite a pinch.
As the volume winds down, we turn back to the Outer Guardians. It turns out that Hotaru is growing at quite a rapid pace, and is already a small child. As the others think back on learning of the new crisis and their place (or lack thereof) in it, Hotaru’s old self reaches out, combining once more with the memories of her new childhood and awakening her as a Guardian once again. At the end of the book, Artemis takes human form, Mina regains her powers, and it seems clear that Mamoru’s ailment has passed to Usagi.
In Summary:
With this volume, Sailor Moon’s original companions, the Inner Guardians, finally get a bit of screen time, fleshing out their characters a good bit in the process. Seeing how these characters had been downplayed a bit recently, it’s definitely nice to see them get a real focus here. Not only that, but the enemy’s method of attack is rather interesting, at the very least proving to offer a little more variety than the usual direct assaults our heroes end up facing. We of course get the usual chunk of exposition and power-ups, which are nice enough but nothing too special. Perhaps most interesting, though, is Chibi-Usa’s character arc here, which seems to leave plenty of room open and could do some interesting things to help move her character out from under her mother’s shadow. All in all, a nice volume that does a lot to help develop the characters and diverge from the norms of the series. Hopefully the rest of the arc will manage to follow up nicely, as there’s certainly plenty of promise shown here.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Package Rating: A-
Text/Translation Rating: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: January 29th, 2013
MSRP: $10.99
