Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 5 (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Renewal Editions, book 3) by Naoko Takeuchi
Genre: Manga
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Sailor Moon Volume 5
Chibi-Usa gets sucked into the far reaches of space-time and vanishes! It’s up to Tuxedo Mask to reach her and get her back safely while Sailor Moon and the others must escape Nemesis and the evil clutches of Wiseman and his cronies. But as Tuxedo Mask travels through the space-time storm, he encounters an ominous woman claiming to be his daughter! Who is this strange woman? Is she really Chibi-Usa?!
Review:
"Vomits in corner." Is actually an update I posted while reading. There was a part of this story where I actually walked away. Don't get me wrong, I love it when a story goes out of the lines to shock me and give me something different. However, transforming someone, then basically have some incest kissing, making me gasp in horror—and the characters—then ignoring it after that is sloppy. And disturbing. Whey was that even put in?
This whole volume for me was sloppy. A huge step down. Besides that vomit inducing bit that had no purpose or follow up. As if the author was in a rush to get to the end of this plot arc. My over analyzation of why Mamoru ignores Usagi and showers his love on Chibiusa was for not. Because everything is explained away. Mamoru loves Usagi so much that he doesn't want her to be worried so he protects Chibiusa so that Usagi doesn't have to worry. Though I think a "Be safe my love, I'll protect Chibiusa don't worry!" Would be nice. Or if they're not in danger a little affection for both the girls would be good. The choppy parts finally show that Mamoru, Usagi, and Chibiusa spent fun time together. Yet the way even that information is divulged is so choppy that it can only be assumed that was in the past.
The cold Neo Queen Serenity wakes up. And suddenly she's not cold. She's regal but clearly has some of the fun quirks that makes us love Usagi! It's just weird. The impression that was given before was that Serenity was cold and aloof to everyone but King Endymion. Was she just playing at it so that she wouldn't change the future? Usagi is then suddenly explaining how much she loves Chibiusa. Even though all readers have seen is how suspicious and cold she is of Chibiusa. This is baaaaad. No plot development or character growth here. Things are just kind of explained and readers are just supposed to go with the flow. Well. I'm disappointed.
What I do love is that this is Mamoru and Usagi's first real "fight". They survive it and come out stronger and more in love. Which is lovely. Usagi loves Chibiusa now, which makes for some warm and more interesting moments. Chibiusa becomes stronger . . . somehow though her transformation into Dark Lady is really shoddily put together. In this state the vomit inducing moment happens . . . and is ignored. What drove this to happen? (Oh, I know what it is. But this is a kids manga!) Besides that there really isn't anything else of note on character development. There's a tragic death that "wakes" everyone out of their stupor and tries to "explain" everyone's sudden change of heart. But the death is lost on me as the character was not well developed enough to pull on my heart strings. Though part of me goes, "ah, and I wanted more of her." However, this series has already proven that it can and will bring characters back to life, so maybe readers will get to see more.
In the end. This was crappy plotting. Horrid. This volume. No. The Black Moon arc as a whole needed more time to develop. The pacing and tiny amount of time it was given to be told really held this story back. Worst, it held every single character back! (Though I did get some Makoto development in the previous volume. Thank you.) Points for the artwork still being solid. The art has clearly grown even lovelier. It's a shame it seems everything else has digressed backwards. Takeuchi admits that Chibiusa and this arc was created to give her somewhere to go with he story, and it shows. Here's hoping she gets her footing in the next arc. Warily I go trudging on ahead.
Sexual Content: Some incest kissing. And then some nice safe kissing.
2/5- Average/disappointing, library check-out.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Sailor Moon Volume 1 | Sailor Moon Volume 1 | Sailor Moon Volume 1 |
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