Post by arwentheelf02 on Oct 17, 2005 22:38:15 GMT -5
An article I wrote today, hope you enjoy! Comments welcome!
NOTE: I did "Best Moments" instead of "Best Acts" because it only pertained to part of the act. "Worst Act" has to do with the entire act.
The “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” Academy Awards!
BEST MOMENT (Dramatic)
Act 48 – The Death of Venus: Holy cow, what can I say about this moment? I couldn’t stop crying! Actually, the most moving part wasn’t when you find out that Minako is dead. It’s really the part where you see what their party could have been, and she’s talking to her friends, and then disappears. That’s when it really hits you hard. It was so tragic! Keiko’s beautiful performance only enhanced the feeling. Wonderful!
BEST MOMENT (Humorous)
Act 40 – The Idol Contest: This act starts out quite seriously: Minako decides to quit singing, the senshi talk about the Ginzuishou, Nephrite has another mental breakdown...but really, this act is great. I loved it not only because it was funny, but it was a breath of fresh air; there isn’t much of that angsty Oh-my-God-Queen-Metallia’s-gonna-take-over-the-world or Mamoru-I-love-you-so-much-that-I-have-to-make-every-act-excuciating stuff. Nope, just a lot of light-hearted, silly stuff. Also, a great part was that the battle wasn’t the main point of the episode, which was nice as well. The point was to get the senshi together and forget about the past life for a change. Which means that everyone, including the audience, can get a little break.
BEST ACTOR
Mokoti – Yes, I do realize this is an...interesting decision. Yet I stand firm on this: Mokoti’s actor is clearly the best. He is so comical! Amazing facial expressions, amazing vocal acting all the way around. Also, he is really versatile. 90% of the time he has to be cheerful and funny, but there are times where he has to be serious. Examples: the act where he takes Makoto out, or the one where he finds out she’s a Sailor Senshi and they can’t be together. You can really see the disappointment in his eyes, even though his character is trying to hide it. The feeling really works: he’s a very likable character and you feel sorry for him as a result. Versatility and great jokes...can’t go wrong with Mokoti!
BEST ACTRESS
Keiko Kitagawa as Rei/Sailor Mars – This is one of those hands down, no comparison “decisions”. Keiko was the perfect Sailor Mars. She could do everything! The cynicism in her voice when she was talking about the past life was dead on. When she was happy, she really knew how to smile and laugh. However, her real shining moments where she had to be sad or cry. Keiko is the mistress of drama! The part where she and her father had the argument, you could just feel the bitterness and resentment radiating off her every expression. And when Minako died, the desperation and the pathos...it was all there, it was all absolutely perfect. Right on, Keiko!
WORST ACTOR
Mamoru – Augh! They killed Mamoru! How could they? I’m sorry, but Mamoru is the most vital male role in the entire series, and they picked one of the worst actors ever to play him. I couldn’t be more disappointed, really. He had almost no facial expressions (except that bizarre thing he does with his nose when he’s supposed to be in pain) and his voice was in an absolute monotone. When he was supposed to be soft and caring with Usagi or Hina, I felt nothing. He didn’t show emotions of any type...I don’t really know what else to say.
Runner Up: Jadeite – Ok, I’ll admit, he IS a worse actor than Mamoru, but he wasn’t supposed to be carrying the romantic thread of the story. Hence the position of Runner-Up.
WORST ACTRESS
Ayaka Komatsu as Minako/Sailor Venus – This really pains me, because Venus is my favorite character in all versions of Sailor Moon (even though the Live character is very different). I’m not saying she’s a bad actress, she’s actually quite good, but everyone was just better than she was. Nothing more than that. Of the lead actresses, she had the least amount of emotion. Like I said, never bad, just less than her counterparts.
Runner Up: Luna – Not named “Worst Actress” because she’s still a kid.
WORST ACT
Act 49: The Final Battle – Honestly, if you’re going to make a TV series, make the season finale at least decent! Obviously, the makers of PGSM did not have this in mind, because Act 49 was horrible. I think what bothered me the most was the continuity (or lack thereof). Example: After the Earth was destroyed, why, even though she was still Princess Sailor Moon, did Usagi call Mamoru “Mamoru” instead of “Endymion” and was basically acting like her normal self? And what’s up with the whole “If you have comrades who remember you, you can live” thing? That sure as heck didn’t work for Minako...anyway, the plot holes made the whole thing very anticlimactic and rather stupid. I was highly disappointed.
BEST HENSHIN
Sailor Venus – Gah! Why, even though this was the best henshin, did they only show the whole thing, like, twice? Anyway, I loved this henshin! It intertwined her roles as an idol and as a senshi, which was really clever. I loved the lights and the dancers in her hair! Those were the nicest touches.
BEST ATTACK
Akuryo Taisan – Short, sweet, and dramatic: that’s the way I like the attacks! Akuryo Taisan, even though it clocked under five seconds, even better than its anime and manga counterparts. Like the Venus Henshin, it mixed her roles as a human being and a Sailor Senshi by using the sacred scripts and fire. Plus the multiple arm thing was awesome.
BEST LOOKING (Civilian)
Ayaka Komatsu as Minako/Sailor Venus – Really tough decision; they’re all very cute! However, I picked Ayaka. She has the most amazing eyes! They’re dark and sad, yet very delicate and beautiful at the same time. Plus she has nice hair too...and always the best clothes!
BEST LOOKING (Senshi)
Chisaki Hama as Ami/Sailor Mercury – It’s all about the blue hair, baby! When I first heard about PGSM, I wondered how they would pull off the hairstyles, especially Mercury’s. But hers turned out perfectly! The color is perfect: not neon blue to burn your eyes, but not a deep blue like the anime, which went surprisingly well. And maybe it’s just me, but I think in the Senshi form she has some mascara on, which enhances her eyes nicely. Speaking of eye-makeup, Chisaki looked her very best as Dark Mercury, when she had that eyeliner and brown eye shadow thing going...that was awesome! (I’ve actually tried it a few times, it’s so cool!)
NOTE: I did "Best Moments" instead of "Best Acts" because it only pertained to part of the act. "Worst Act" has to do with the entire act.
The “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” Academy Awards!
BEST MOMENT (Dramatic)
Act 48 – The Death of Venus: Holy cow, what can I say about this moment? I couldn’t stop crying! Actually, the most moving part wasn’t when you find out that Minako is dead. It’s really the part where you see what their party could have been, and she’s talking to her friends, and then disappears. That’s when it really hits you hard. It was so tragic! Keiko’s beautiful performance only enhanced the feeling. Wonderful!
BEST MOMENT (Humorous)
Act 40 – The Idol Contest: This act starts out quite seriously: Minako decides to quit singing, the senshi talk about the Ginzuishou, Nephrite has another mental breakdown...but really, this act is great. I loved it not only because it was funny, but it was a breath of fresh air; there isn’t much of that angsty Oh-my-God-Queen-Metallia’s-gonna-take-over-the-world or Mamoru-I-love-you-so-much-that-I-have-to-make-every-act-excuciating stuff. Nope, just a lot of light-hearted, silly stuff. Also, a great part was that the battle wasn’t the main point of the episode, which was nice as well. The point was to get the senshi together and forget about the past life for a change. Which means that everyone, including the audience, can get a little break.
BEST ACTOR
Mokoti – Yes, I do realize this is an...interesting decision. Yet I stand firm on this: Mokoti’s actor is clearly the best. He is so comical! Amazing facial expressions, amazing vocal acting all the way around. Also, he is really versatile. 90% of the time he has to be cheerful and funny, but there are times where he has to be serious. Examples: the act where he takes Makoto out, or the one where he finds out she’s a Sailor Senshi and they can’t be together. You can really see the disappointment in his eyes, even though his character is trying to hide it. The feeling really works: he’s a very likable character and you feel sorry for him as a result. Versatility and great jokes...can’t go wrong with Mokoti!
BEST ACTRESS
Keiko Kitagawa as Rei/Sailor Mars – This is one of those hands down, no comparison “decisions”. Keiko was the perfect Sailor Mars. She could do everything! The cynicism in her voice when she was talking about the past life was dead on. When she was happy, she really knew how to smile and laugh. However, her real shining moments where she had to be sad or cry. Keiko is the mistress of drama! The part where she and her father had the argument, you could just feel the bitterness and resentment radiating off her every expression. And when Minako died, the desperation and the pathos...it was all there, it was all absolutely perfect. Right on, Keiko!
WORST ACTOR
Mamoru – Augh! They killed Mamoru! How could they? I’m sorry, but Mamoru is the most vital male role in the entire series, and they picked one of the worst actors ever to play him. I couldn’t be more disappointed, really. He had almost no facial expressions (except that bizarre thing he does with his nose when he’s supposed to be in pain) and his voice was in an absolute monotone. When he was supposed to be soft and caring with Usagi or Hina, I felt nothing. He didn’t show emotions of any type...I don’t really know what else to say.
Runner Up: Jadeite – Ok, I’ll admit, he IS a worse actor than Mamoru, but he wasn’t supposed to be carrying the romantic thread of the story. Hence the position of Runner-Up.
WORST ACTRESS
Ayaka Komatsu as Minako/Sailor Venus – This really pains me, because Venus is my favorite character in all versions of Sailor Moon (even though the Live character is very different). I’m not saying she’s a bad actress, she’s actually quite good, but everyone was just better than she was. Nothing more than that. Of the lead actresses, she had the least amount of emotion. Like I said, never bad, just less than her counterparts.
Runner Up: Luna – Not named “Worst Actress” because she’s still a kid.
WORST ACT
Act 49: The Final Battle – Honestly, if you’re going to make a TV series, make the season finale at least decent! Obviously, the makers of PGSM did not have this in mind, because Act 49 was horrible. I think what bothered me the most was the continuity (or lack thereof). Example: After the Earth was destroyed, why, even though she was still Princess Sailor Moon, did Usagi call Mamoru “Mamoru” instead of “Endymion” and was basically acting like her normal self? And what’s up with the whole “If you have comrades who remember you, you can live” thing? That sure as heck didn’t work for Minako...anyway, the plot holes made the whole thing very anticlimactic and rather stupid. I was highly disappointed.
BEST HENSHIN
Sailor Venus – Gah! Why, even though this was the best henshin, did they only show the whole thing, like, twice? Anyway, I loved this henshin! It intertwined her roles as an idol and as a senshi, which was really clever. I loved the lights and the dancers in her hair! Those were the nicest touches.
BEST ATTACK
Akuryo Taisan – Short, sweet, and dramatic: that’s the way I like the attacks! Akuryo Taisan, even though it clocked under five seconds, even better than its anime and manga counterparts. Like the Venus Henshin, it mixed her roles as a human being and a Sailor Senshi by using the sacred scripts and fire. Plus the multiple arm thing was awesome.
BEST LOOKING (Civilian)
Ayaka Komatsu as Minako/Sailor Venus – Really tough decision; they’re all very cute! However, I picked Ayaka. She has the most amazing eyes! They’re dark and sad, yet very delicate and beautiful at the same time. Plus she has nice hair too...and always the best clothes!
BEST LOOKING (Senshi)
Chisaki Hama as Ami/Sailor Mercury – It’s all about the blue hair, baby! When I first heard about PGSM, I wondered how they would pull off the hairstyles, especially Mercury’s. But hers turned out perfectly! The color is perfect: not neon blue to burn your eyes, but not a deep blue like the anime, which went surprisingly well. And maybe it’s just me, but I think in the Senshi form she has some mascara on, which enhances her eyes nicely. Speaking of eye-makeup, Chisaki looked her very best as Dark Mercury, when she had that eyeliner and brown eye shadow thing going...that was awesome! (I’ve actually tried it a few times, it’s so cool!)
