I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
What They Say:
Episode 38: “Act.37 Infinity 11 Infinite – Judge”
Master Pharaoh 90’s power continues to grow as he absorbs Mistress 9 and even the energy from the Sailor Guardians’ attacks.
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon’s Rainbow Double Moon Heartache is such a nice attack they show it to us twice. The first casting is at the start of the episode, giving us the last moments of the previous episode and the new attack against Mistress 9. The second comes only after the first doesn’t destroy Mistress 9 but simply pushes the malformed creature down into the depths of the malevolence below.
Even though the crystal is no longer within Mistress 9, she absorbed a ton of energy and happened to take the body of a guardian who is powerful enough to destroy a planet. Once she combines with Pharaoh 90 the evil starts to grow, swarm, and slosh out of its confines. When the guardians (including Tuxedo Mask, who uses his bomber attack) attack the mass it absorbs their power and Chibi-usa, followed by the others, start to collapse.
I don’t know what Usagi was thinking when she determines the only way to stop Pharaoh 90 is by throwing herself into the volcano… I mean, the evil pool of goo. The animators did give her the perfect self-sacrifice smile before she plummets and her heat signature disappears from the cats’ computer screens. When all hope is lost something rises from the depths…
We’ve waited a long time to see a transformation sequence for Sailor Saturn. We’ll have to wait a little longer, as what we do get isn’t a full transformation, although it does have some flash and sparkle. When she emerges from the swirling vortex of purple rot she arrives as the one person who no one wants to see. She knows it too, having a wisdom darker and deeper than Pluto could ever hope to achieve.
She’s also the only one who has the power to damage Pharaoh 90. With a simple stab of the blunt end of her glaive, she freezes the force in place. Then with a certain declaration raises her glaive high and unleashes Death Reborn Revolution. The effect is immediate, as the giant flood of evil is pulled out of its hole in the earth and drawn skyward. The end of the world, overwhelmed by darkness, has begun.
After the previous episode’s shaky animation there’s a noticeable return to form in quality and care taken from many of the shots in this episode. Extra attention seems to have been spent on every character’s reactions, and Chibi-usa continues to be a favorite of the animators. She gets my MVP of the episode, or rather her voice actress does, as her heart-wrenching shout of Mama actually may have finally changed my opinion of the littlest moon.
In Summary:
Sailor Saturn finally appears in all her desolate and wonderfully woeful glory. Here is a guardian who has the opposite of Moon, one who is feared and only called for as a last resort. Something has torn apart the well-laid plans of fate, yet like a moth to a flame, you can’t stop the end from drawing near. With Moon momentarily out of the picture and everyone else powerless in the face of an evil alien force and the guardian of death’s duel, we’re left hanging on a very large cliff.
Episode Grade: B +
Streamed by: Viz.com, Crunchyroll, Hulu.
