keyofjetwolf:

As it turns out, the manga and I aren’t going to be great friends. Rather than spend the energy on a liveblog that’s increasingly negative, I’m reading each manga act (mostly) silently, and then writing up summaries at the end. I’ll be very candid, which means there’s likely criticism and snark a’plenty about the manga, either wholesale or in details. If that isn’t a thing you feel like reading, please skip this post!

Things included in this summary:

• The final battle against Wiseman/Death Phanton/Nemesis/Ryan. Why Ryan? Why not Ryan. Presumably his parents didn’t name him Death Phantom. Now his name is Ryan.
• The conclusion to all the Crystal Tokyo shit.
• The arc epilogue, which is where all the character-intensive stuff should happen but in case you forgot, this is a summary of THE MANGA.

Things not included in this summary:

• My multiple literal screams.
• At least not in audio form.
• I’ll still scream in text though, don’t worry.

Usagi aims her love rod at an entire fucking planet which is now I guess close enough to be within visual range of Earth. I have so many questions about this, but it occurs to me that it would only make this arc longer if they were to be answered, so I keep my mouth closed. There’s a burst of light. Usagi disappears. Planet Ryan disappears. Aw, she’ll have to fight the big bad on her own, but this will be test of her mettle that will prove she’s

JUST KIDDING CAN’T FORGET THE REAL STAR

Mamoru joins Usagi by, near as I can tell, thinking about it real hard. Nobody else joins Usagi. Nobody else even tries. I can tell that, somewhere, some part of me wants to cry. The tears don’t come.

Neo-Queen Serenity’s clock finally runs out of snooze times, and she decides she’d better get up. She wanders her dead and deserted palace, noting her potentially dead but certainly unwell Senshi. She considers going to them, checking on them, showing any concern about them whatsoever, but then chuckles to herself. Don’t be ridiculous, this is the manga! Only one thing matters. CAN YOU FOLKS AT HOME GUESS WHAT IT IS??

I know, right? It’s so good to see Mamoru getting the kind of attention he’s due. He’s been so neglected and forgotten. 😦

King Douchedymion wakes up, Holodouchedymion disappears, and he and NQS emerge from the palace. Then we get some Family Values propaganda bullshit.

NO OKAY

NO FUCK YOU

YOU DON’T GET TO SPEND YOUR WHOLE DAMN ARC TALKING ABOUT HOW CHIBI-USA IS LONELY AND ISOLATED AND HASN’T KNOW A SHRED OF AFFECTION FROM HER MOTHER FOR NINE HUNDRED FUCKING YEARS AND THEN DRAW THIS LIKE IT RESOLVES ANY OF THAT

WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS INTENDED TO DO BECAUSE NEITHER CHIBS NOR NQS NOR ANYONE ELSE SAYS A SINGLE WORD ABOUT THE NEGLECT AND ABUSE CHIBS HAS BEEN SUFFERING LEAVING THE ONLY CONCLUSION THAT IT’S JUST NOT A CONSIDERATION TO ANYONE ANY MORE AND WE’RE GOOD

WE ARE NOT FUCKING GOOD AT ALL

And this gets even worse as things go on. I’m obviously having to rely on my translation here, which I grant is questionably accurate at best, but it’s what’s in front of me right now, so.

NQS goes on to tell Chibs that what got her to wake up was Chibs’ transformation into a Senshi. The conversation continues with Chibs expressing all this sadness and remorse for all the people she feels her actions indirectly killed and all the people she couldn’t protect. NQS says “It’s not your fault, now let’s not talk about it any more.” NOTE THAT SHE SAYS THIS WITH PLUTO’S DEAD AND SPRAWLED BODY LIKE FIVE FEET AWAY BUT EVERYONE IS FINE WITH THAT. From here, it starts to really get to me though, because the entire exchange turns to Chibi-Usa’s power. “You have powers of your own now,” NQS says excited. “We can use our powers to protect the planet together.” When Chibs tearfully confesses she didn’t think her mother needed her, NQS starts strong with “You’re my only daughter. You’re precious to me.” but then:

And it doesn’t stop there. NQS turns to the Senshi (MY GOD YOU MEAN THEY’RE THERE???) and tells them that when she ascended, she “lost almost all of [her] powers to fight as a soldier”. And some other shit I think may be translated wrong but doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme. The important part is that she tells Chibs she has to use Pluto’s powers (WHICH I GUESS SHE CAN JUST DO NOW) to find Sailor Moon and Tux, and use her power to help them take Ryan down for good.

(A THING SHE HERSELF WAS UNWILLING TO DO HERSELF BY THE WAY I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT SHE’S SENDING HER EIGHT YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO KILL A DUDE SHE REFUSED TO TAKE CARE OF)

ALSO FOR SOME REASON THE INNERS CAN’T ALSO GO FIGHT WHY THE FUCK DO THEY KEEP LISTENING TO EVERYONE TELLING THEM WHERE THEY CAN AND CAN’T GO

I’m going to skip ahead a bit to complete my thought about NQS here, but later in the chapter she powers up the Inners with the laughable “You’ll be able to fight alongside Sailor Moon with ease” like yeah, I’ll believe that when I fucking see it. She also powers up Sailor Moon from across time and space, and gives her a new brooch and toy from Bandai, AND OKAY WE’RE COMING TO MY POINT NOW.

Which is, EVERY GODDAMN THING ABOUT NQS AS SHE RELATES TO ANYONE NOT ENDYMION IS ABOUT POWER. And this CREEPS ME THE FUCK OUT. Her entire exchange with Chibi-Usa isn’t about Chibi-Usa, it’s about how now Chibi-Usa can fight. The fact that she didn’t wake up until Chibs could transform upsets the shit out of me. There’s no part of their interaction that, in a sincere way (and no I don’t count the easily tossed out “You’re my daughter, you’re precious” platitude as none of her interactions with Chibs over their 900 year relationship demonstrate these feelings in a way recognizable to Chibs), show NQS has any interest in Chibi-Usa whatsoever UNTIL SHE HAS POWER. She LITERALLY does not wake up and hug her daughter for what last issue suggested was the first fucking time until Chibi-Usa is a Senshi.

CREEPED. THE FUCK. OUT.

God, anyway, then Usagi and Mamoru spend five pages or something telling each other that they’re the bestest and Mamoru is just as important and powerful as Usagi.

Because again, what does female empowering mean if not “reassure the male romantic lead he’s on equal footing with the titular female lead character”.

Somewhere in the 30th century, the Senshi are filling out their resumes.

Chibs shows up, and she and Usagi destroy Planet Ryan, which is sure to send debris hurtling to Earth and upsetting the delicate climate balance that hahaha no of course not, everything’s fine.

NQS then powers up the Senshi, a move she couldn’t have done a few minutes earlier and then sending them off with Chibs to have anything at all to do with the final battle, because why, honestly. Why. Just why.

Everyone returns to Earth, and Usagi angsts a bit about not getting to meet her future self, which she can’t do because all of space and time will unravel and it’ll be very bad. Neo-Queen Serenity is angsting about it herself. It’s all so sad, so very sad, so much sadder than poor dead Pluto still lying there going through various stages of rigor mortis on her first outing in about five thousand years.

THANKS FOR SHOWING ANY LINGERING REMORSE ABOUT THE DEATH OF YOUR ONLY FRIEND LITERALLY TEN MINUTES AGO

But honestly, who has time for any of that when Usagi is sad? SHE WANTED TO MEET HERSELF YOU GUYS AND IT’S HEARTBREAKING THAT SHE CAN’T IT’S TRAGIC THE MOST TRAGIC THING TO HAPPEN ALL DAY, manga!Usagi is thinking to herself as she steps over Pluto’s body still-warm body.

BUT FUCKING WAIT

BECAUSE NEO-QUEEN FUCKING SERENITY AFTER TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY COULDN’T POSSIBLY MEET RUNS THE FUCK UP AND STARTS CHATTING TO USAGI ANYWAY

I SCREAMED I SCREAMED SO GODDAMN LOUD WHAT IS THIS UTTER FUCKING BULLSHIT

JUST THIS CONVERSATION COULD ALTER HISTORY

YOU JUST LOST LITERALLY YOUR ENTIRE CITY’S POPULATION IN A WAR AGAINST FUCKS WHO WANTED TO ALTER HISTORY

SAILOR PLUTO FUCKING DIED SO YOU COULD STOP EVERYTHING UNRAVELING

AND NEO-QUEEN SERENITY SAYS FUCK ALL OF THAT BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO SAY HELLO TO HER GODDAMN FOURTEEN YEAR-OLD SELF

A DECISION USAGI NOT ONLY SUPPORTS BUT IS DELIGHTED BY

I AM A BALLOON FILLED WITH PURE RAGE AND I JUST FUCKING POPPED

THIS IS THE MOST SELFISH SHIT I HAVE EVER SEEN

“Wow, Chibs, your mum’s a bitch,” Minako says. Chibi-Usa just emphatically nods.

R A G E

Ugh, fuck, let’s get this over with. Chibs is packing up and leaving, and Usagi is all “YOU DON’T THINK ABOUT MY FEELINGS”, as though anyone else is allowed to have feelings to ever be considered. She goes to the park to travel home. Only Mamoru is there. I can’t even pretend to be anything but resigned at this point. But don’t worry, because the Senshi have a whole long panel!

Rei is comforting that fan club president she knew for a couple of hours! Makoto receives a hug from the guy who talks about Mamoru 98% of the time! Minako greets Motoki who looks terrified! Ami is just there because like I said back at the beginning of this arc, she has absolutely no other character at all to connect her to!

God, aren’t you bored with all this attention on the Senshi? TAKEUCHI SURE IS BUT DON’T WORRY HERE COMES MORE MAMORU AND USAGI. They talk about how their future is already planned out, and are somehow romantic and wistful about it. And then surprise! Chibi-Usa is back!

Neo-Queen Serenity will finally, after 900 years, get to see her daughter grow! God, how terrifying. HEY FOURTEEN-YEAR OLD ME PLEASE RAISE HER LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER I SPENT LIKE HALF AN HOUR WITH HER AND IT WAS TERRIBLE KTHX ♥

THE FUCKING END

Honestly, this series is the worst. Still watching Crystal because I want to see if Venus gets some shred of decent spotlight and action. Plus, I want to see the other Senshi.