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real-life-senshi · 7 months

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10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 5: The captivating story!

Ultimately, I would say the live-action stayed true to the essence and intention of the original source material when concerning the Dark Kingdom arc.

I’m choosing to use the word “essence” though, because it is also factual that in multiple aspects, the story does diverge from its source material, but with the intention of further amping up the stakes and angst for drama, and possibly even pulling in elements from story arcs beyond the manga’s Dark Kingdom arc into the one season we (sadly) only have.

Sometimes those differences could be due to limitations of CGI and execution methods in real-life filming, while others could be due to updating the content to appeal to the newer generations of viewers in the early 2000s.

Regardless of what's faithful or not faithful to original source material, I think PGSM did really well striking a balance of making it a kid’s show, and also adding some complexities to appeal to viewers who were kids or teenagers that grew up reading the manga or watching the '90s anime, who would be in their late teens or adulthood or even parenthood by the time the live-action aired.

Warning: Going forward these series of posts will contain minor spoilers to introduce some live-action only elements. It will only be at the introductory level though!

Staying true and delving deeper into source materials

Personally, I can’t speak much to the ’90s anime, but I can confirm the live-action pulls many elements from the manga source material where possible. Here are just a few:

Introducing the Sailor Senshi!

The story of how Usagi and Ami discovered their Senshi power largely follows the same story, while Rei and Makoto's intro episodes heavily reference the original manga chapter and use the same theme behind the attacks that lead to them accessing their transformation. There's no magic bus to whisk victims away in Rei's case, and there's no wedding dress ghost story in Makoto's, probably due to the feasibility of recreating those scenes.

The Forbidden Love & the Past Life lore

The live-action definitely deep-dived into the 'forbidden love' concept when it came to Usagi and Mamoru, and further created a whole complexity of the storyline to justify WHY it's forbidden. In the manga/anime, it felt like the idea of their forbidden love was purely political and mostly glossed over since the past life kingdoms were dead, but in the live-action, there were actual stakes and consequences to consider even for the present.

And the ABSOLUTE MOST AMAZING THING and by far my favourite twist to the live-action storyline is they actually ventured into exploring the impact of making teenagers soldiers of war! There is actually ample screen time and dialogues AND monologues dedicated for us to see individual Senshi AND the team together grappling with the pros and cons and exploring both extreme sides of the need to follow the past life mission to avert tragedy regardless of the sacrifices made, versus the necessity of making one's choice and finding ways to live in the present in spite of the past life lore! Do they support Usagi's and Mamoru's love for each other or not???? Do they know for sure whether their love WILL cause misfortune again or not or can they trust Usagi to know what she's doing????? FASCINATING AND ANGSTY STUFF RIGHT THERE!

Rei’s Personality

More as an FYI, but Rei’s personality is much more similar to the manga Rei’s personality, instead of ‘90s anime Rei. More cool beauty and calm, less aggressively hotheaded and abrasive. And very importantly, NOT boy-crazy.

New, original dramatic elements

On the other hand, here are some live-action exclusive dramatic elements that I'd like to highlight:

Aino Minako the idol

Even many who haven't watched the series would have heard about how Minako's character is drastically changed in the live-action. Indeed, Minako is an acclaimed teenage idol and singer with best-selling songs in the show!

It's basically as if the live-action screenwriter pulled in the Outer Senshi elements from the Mugen arc into Minako's character: she's famous, experienced, and serious. Minako has full access to past life knowledge and is ultimately mission-driven like Haruka and Michiru are in the Mugen arc, which causes some of her decisions to maybe not be as morally white as we'd expect her to be (I think her costume style of white and black is a nice nod to the idea of her double life and her sense of moral).

Now, that's not to say live-action Minako is completely a new character, you can certainly see manga/anime Minako's character traits here and there if you pay attention - pun-loving, prank-loving, mischievous. For god's sake, the girl named her album Venus, and one of her most iconic songs is called C'est La Vie, which sounds exactly like "Sailor V" pronounced in Japanese. Just imagine this girl playing a vigilante life, and having a chuckle every time she sings her best-selling song that basically announces her identity to the world and no one realizes. lmao

Basically, Minako's character embodies the extreme result of what happens if a teenager is burdened with all the knowledge of the Past Life war and has the weight on her shoulders while working alone.

If you can get past Minako's changed character setting in the live-action, you'll find there are still plenty of Dark Kingdom arc manga/anime Minako elements in there, just some more exaggerated while others are more subtle. (Coz to be fair, Minako didn't start becoming Usagi's twin until after the Dark Kingdom arc.) And her relationship with Artemis is absolutely heartwarming to see in the live-action.

Who's in the wrong? Who's an ally, and who's not?

While our Senshi team is clearly the heroine, and the Dark Kingdom the villains, the live-action takes a more interesting take on what's considered "good" versus "evil", and more importantly, who's in the wrong on how things ended badly in the past life. Who is actually the person the Senshi needs to protect the world from? And that drives the story into a direction that is more complex than what you'll ever find in manga or anime, and certain characters react accordingly and act more grey than black or white - from both the heroine side and the villain side!

Shitennou & Endymion

Something we didn't really get to see as much in the manga and anime, while we know who the Shitennou are, we don't really see the Shitennou and Mamoru interacting until after they... became their name-sake rocks (okay, technically, GEMS). And we don't get many hints on what their past live relationships were, so for many years fans have taken to pen/paper/tablets/keyboard and filled the gaps with their amazing imagination and creative work instead.

In the live-action, we get a much more expansive and interesting take in seeing the Shitennou - technically still under the Dark Kingdom's influence, interact with Mamoru as they all grapple with what happened in the past life.

How would the prince's ex-guardians act seeing their master again? How would Mamoru react? Choosing to accept his responsibility for his past life or not? After all, they had such fond memories of arm-wrestling each other! (Spoiler alert: Nephrite won.) :P

I must once again emphasize that I love what they did with the Shitennou's characters and gave each of them a different story trajectory. They are written so well they pull at your heartstrings!

If you want some canon-material for writing the Shitennou in the age of Elysion Kingdom, definitely give the live-action a go!

Power up! The Senshi Needs Training

Because the live-action only gets one arc, there's no room for us to see the Senshi team (conveniently) get upgraded transformation like they do in each arc in manga or anime. Instead, the live-action takes a different, and I dare say, a more realistic approach, where the Senshi learns that their initial access to their transformation isn't the full access to their powers as they expected. They are put through some legit, and some questionable training of the body, mind and spirit, and each of them has to overcome something within themselves across the series to access their power!

This approach highlights and solidifies each Senshi's strengths AND ties in really well into the girls' character development throughout the series. As well, it makes it feel like the Senshi did have to put in work to get strong and gain access to their power, instead of relying on the plot to get them new powers at the right opportune time, seemingly out of the blue.

Remember: THEY ARE IN SCHOOL!

Yep, sometimes in the manga and in the anime, it's so easy for us to forget that the Senshi are kids in school when they are in the thick of a crisis or fighting evil. Somehow, it always seems quite clean and convenient that the Senshi could separate their school life and their heroine life, doesn't it? How the responsible adults in the world may wonder... "Gosh, where did that kid go in the middle of [insert context]????" Or for a fellow peer in school to wonder - "How the hell did this random group of girls come together like an odd band?"

The live-action takes time to make room for some reality checks in their episodic storylines to explore all the different repercussions our heroine's double (or triple) life has on their normal life, and with that ties in personable and relevant topics and themes into their episodic plots:

Family relationship

Peer relationship

Romantic relationships

Moments that remind everyone how awkward and tough it is to be a teenager.

The toll of lying through your teeth to keep a secret, etc

I cannot emphasize enough that the screenwriting is superb in the series! Not one thing is referenced only once and left out the window, everything that happened builds up into a moment of learning or lasting impact for our characters!

To people who've not watched the live-action, PLEASE GIVE IT A CHANCE! At least give it 6 episodes, and you'll probably be hooked!

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

6 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

#pgsm #pretty guardian sailor moon #bssm #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #sailor moon live action #pgsm appreciation #shitennou #reasons to watch pgsm #pgsm 20th anniversary countdown #khmyh's gif

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real-life-senshi · 1 year

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PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (7/∞)

This is actually THE ONE THING that made me start this series of gif set, but it took me forever to put my thoughts into words. But it's finally here and I'm SO EXCITED to talk about it!

Fair warning - this is an essay.

Across the years I've seen many Reinako shippers used Rei following Minako around in Act 19/20 and Act 23 in the live action as proof that Rei has feelings for Minako. While I don't disagree, I do feel Rei being the one to seek Minako out was circumstantial and justifiable because Rei was literally the only Senshi then that knew Minako was Venus. Instead, there was something else both Rei and Minako consistently do to each other for the entirety of the series that I felt had more impact to the narrative of their story, but often get overlooked and not talked about enough, and that’s Minako's act of walking away and Rei's act of staying behind.

The significance of Minako walking away: Walking away or pulling a disappearing act is one of the most common thing we see Minako do, not only to Rei, but with everyone else. (E.g. Such as V walking out on Moon in Act 7, Minako disappearing on Saitou for Senshi business.) It's a recurring theme to help build the impression of elusiveness and secrecy that surrounds Minako's character. But more deeply, the act of walking away is also a device to represent the main issue Minako needed to overcome in her character arc - in prioritizing the past life mission, she was running away from what's most important, herself as Aino Minako. Her Senshi power literally woke after she accepted herself and chose to face the challenge Aino Minako faces, instead of only focusing on the challenges of Sailor Venus.

Now this in itself seems like it's really just a Minako thing, right? Where does Rei fit in?

The significance of Rei's act of staying: PGSM Minako is the the queen of the hot-and-cold behaviour, especially when she's with Rei. And her signature "cold" gesture is walking out on Rei. In fact, as you can see from this gif set, I've counted 14 times where Minako had walked out on Rei on screen in the series, and 4 other times she attempted to walk away but was stopped. Even for the normal person, you'd think when someone keeps pissing you off and runs out on you, your patience would be spent and just give up on them, right?

Now, PGSM Rei is written as the awkward, stubborn and easy to anger teenager. And don't forget, with Rei's backstory fleshed out as much as it did in PGSM, it's basically confirmed that Rei suffered badly from parental abandonment, so it's not much of a reach to interpret Rei's trust issue to be born from acts of someone she cares leaving her behind or showing rejection. And so it should reason that Rei would be doubly pissed off at Minako's seemingly flippant and callous behaviour, and couldn't wait to pass Minako off to Makoto and Ami to deal with once they know Minako is Venus, right?

But no, Rei stayed, every single time.

Despite all the crap Minako threw at Rei and repeatedly rejected Rei's support, Rei didn't react with her usual knee-jerk reactions. This, more than anything else, proves to me that Rei sees Minako as someone special - someone she could not and would not turn away from, even when Minako keeps pushing her away.

These actions forms a very beautiful, and dare I say, romantic narrative to their shared story. Here's why.

PGSM has established that all along Minako had made the conscious decision to not get deeply involved with her teammates for fear she'll end up hurting them when her illness inevitably takes her. In doing so, she boxed herself into a self-imposed isolation as her health worsens and things get tougher.

And yet in Act 11 and Act 17 when Minako met Usagi and then Rei, the narrative revealed to us that loneliness does unsurprisingly overwhelm Minako from time to time. This changed partially though when she accidentally revealed her identity to Rei. In doing so, she gave herself the choice and space to be outspoken with someone who is (at least partially) in-the-know besides Artemis. The fact Minako repeatedly approached Rei in Act 18 was evidence she actually craved the contact when she lets her guard down, to the point even Artemis had to call her out on it. And so, in moments of clarity, we see Minako try to backtrack by pushing Rei away, ie walking out on Rei. The cycle persists, where Minako's behaviour fluctuates depending on her state of mind, her backstory sadly but logically explains Minako's sometimes seemingly-random hot and cold attitude towards Rei.

In contrast to Minako's unreliable and mixed signals, Rei was the definition of stability and certainty in this relationship. Yes, Rei had indeed followed Minako around a few times, but more than that, Rei stayed and was consistently there, waiting to be available for Minako even when Minako didn't want Rei to be. Rei knows when to initiate contact (chase after Minako), but also knows to not push Minako too much too soon, choosing to stay put when Minako is actively pulling back. She lets Minako go most times when Minako walks away, as if patiently waiting to try again another day, hoping the next time will be enough to fully bring Minako's walls down. Rei knew she was in it for the long haul, not for momentary wins.

This back and forth dynamic is a persistent theme in their relationship. It can be perceived that Rei's tenacity and relentless efforts had managed to wore Minako's guard down slowly but surely throughout the series.

Act 20: Minako finally shared Rei was meant to be leader, hinting Rei needs to step in when she’s gone.

Act 36: Minako chose to disclosed the truth about her terminal illness to Rei.

It was only after Act 36, we see Rei being even more persistent and takes drastic measures in attempt to get through to Minako, because Rei realized they were out of time. But even then, their dynamic didn’t really change - Minako being the runner and Rei being the person left waiting, until…

The times their role reversed, the other AMAZING thing about all of this!

Minako walking away and Rei staying is THEIR thing. But has Rei ever walked out on Minako? The answer is yes. But only 2 times! And both times it had significant impact on Minako.

The first time was when Rei ran out to fight the Youma, and that led to Minako being overly worried and end up accidentally revealing her Senshi identity to Rei.

The second time was when Minako finally pushed Rei so much in front of the team, Rei pulled back and walked out in Act 44, reversing their usual roles. And you can tell from Minako's reaction she looked lost and conflicted as she watched Rei leave. Here was someone who had been a rock and pillar of care and support to her, now seemingly giving up on her because she finally shoved too hard. Between Makoto's near miss in Act 45 and the fact that Rei actually walked out on Minako in Act 44, Minako was shocked enough for her to finally listen and process what Rei's been telling her all this time. This ultimately lead to the resolution of Minako's character arc in Act 46.

In conclusion, their action forms a pattern to their story and deepens the meaning behind their choice to follow, stay or walk away from each other. When the pattern is disrupted it adds complexity of their story! Seriously, it feels like Rei's actions was catalyst of Minako's major character story development! Just as many of Minako's story influenced Rei's outlook on their mission and the past life (another post to come!), Rei's action had just as much influence on Minako's eventual character growth. If that doesn't prove these two are special to each other, I don't know what else to say!

Now - you'd think I'm done with my soapbox, right? NOPE. I've only finished talking about how these actions form patterns and the significance in their story. But the visual and filming appraoch of each of these scenes are also very telling. VERY.

Each time Minako walked away, it is intentional that Rei's reaction get highlighted on camera, even in group scenes. As well, we also get really telling reactions from Minako when Rei walks out on her. And that's regardless of which director led the filming.

Sato Takemitsu - Act 17, 18, 23

Takamaru Masataka - Act 20, 26

Maihara Kenzo - Act 40

Suzumura Nobuhiro - Act 43, 44, 47

It suggests either the script writer Kobayashi Yasuko intentionally scripted for Rei and Minako to have the spotlight for reacting to each other's action so all the directors received the same fucking memo about them. OR, even better, it wasn't part of the camera/filming direction, but all the directors have arrived to the same conclusion after reading the script and decided to put the spotlight on these two no matter which episodes they worked on, because the unresolved sexual tension was clear as day for them to see.

And especially Keiko did amazingly on her part portraying Rei’s attraction towards Minako. Regardless if it's a group scene or not, Rei/Mars always had the most expressive and meaningful look on her face when Minako/Venus walks out. Even in Act 22 when Mars was just in the background with Jupiter, you can tell Mars’s eyes and body following Venus’s direction while Jupiter just stands flatly.

Rei/Mars' reaction to Minako/Venus leaving also changes across the series. From frustration/irritation, to hopeful yearning, ending with worried yearning. A reflection of Rei's feelings for Minako, from seeing her an annoying brat of a Princess, to respecting Minako as a mentor, to caring for her as a friend (and maybe more).

And look at this shit!!!!!!!!

Act 20 and 26 were done by the same director. The two scenes are basically parallel to each other visually and artistically, which is also so layered when juxtaposed to the plot point:

Act 20: Minako tells Rei that Rei's meant to be leader, and Rei follows Minako wanting to learn more while expressing concern for her Princess's well being and safety.

Act 26: Mars grown enough to start taking on the leadership, and follows Venus in attempt to invite Venus to integrate with the team now Venus no longer need to play decoy, only for Venus to turn around and claims she's actually the leader and Mars is the substitute.

Lastly, the most beautiful yet absolute worst visual the PGSM directors gave us:

Even the imagery of Minako's passing just as Mars breaks down was of Minako walking away, leaving Rei behind. That shit can't be made up. If the imagery was coincidental, well, that's one hell of a coincidence.

These factors all lead to me concluding PGSM had very intentionally used the acts of walking away and staying behind as recurring theme in Reinako's relationship. The length they went to do this and the tragically beautiful story it gave us forms a much more compelling reason for audience to ship Reinako. In fact, this is the very primary reason why I fell in love shipping them in PGSM.

#reinako #pretty guardian sailor moon #pgsm #hino rei #aino minako #sailor venus #sailor mars #pgsm reinako things i want to yell about #reinako gif set #khmyh's gif set #khmyh's gif #hello I am back with my bullshit hahahaha

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real-life-senshi · 7 months

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10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 6: A more developed ✨Miracle Romance✨!

How can one ever talk about Sailor Moon without discussing the most iconic and legendary couple in history that rivals Romeo and Juliet - Usagi & Mamoru?

Had the live-action done this couple's story dirty, they might as well chuck the whole project out the window! Thankfully, they didn't screw it up, and in fact, I personally think their love story got a further glow-up!

A more well-rounded developed relationship

The live-action gave more space and time to develop Mamoru and Usagi's relationship, making it more believable, and realistic, and proving to the audience their feelings for each other are genuinely mutual! It started off with an almost antagonistic, pigtail-pulling relationship, developing into what seems to be a "one-sided" crush because they are both so oblivious, to mutual love and respect.

Like seriously - this is how Usamamo meets in Act 1 (shhhhhh, it's Act 1, barely a spoiler):

While technically this is also another spoiler, I'm going to say it anyway to highlight the difference here: Basically, Usagi falls in love with Mamoru AND comes to terms that she's in love with Mamoru and "not Tuxedo Mask" before finding out Mamoru's true identity and their shared past life. I think this is such an important, and much better narrative because it leaves no room for debate that Usagi is in love with Mamoru for the right reasons, instead of being in love with the idea of him because he's Tuxedo Mask and it's romantic. In fact, how romantic it is to consider Usagi fell in love with the same person twice without realizing it???? I think that’s romantic!

To me, there's a difference between "they are bound to fall in love with each other because it is their destiny" versus "they fell in love with each other just as it was foretold by destiny". The live-action strictly falls into the latter category. It's all a matter of choice and agency from the characters!

More dramarama!

The live-action seriously amped up the drama between the two of them, on both fronts regarding their personal lives and also their heroic lives! The additional dramatic elements (that I will NOT spoil) created a heightened "will they, won't they" tension that will make UsaMamo fans anxious to watch. There's quite a bit of mutual pining for Usamamo fans to look forward to in the live-action!

Angst is also a must in the live-action universe, and it's a treat to watch these two coming together trying to defy the odds. Even the filming angle and post-production editing go all out to amp that up!

Minimal "damsel in distress" routine, reverse or otherwise!

I know... it's a running gag in the manga and anime universe that Mamoru always gets kidnapped or brainwashed. Thankfully, the live-action took a different trajectory with their storytelling.

That's not to say there's zero kidnapping/held hostage-type situation, etc. But even in such scenarios, the Prince of Earth always is still in control and does everything he can to ultimately come to a resolution in his own way.

Personally, I don't care much for Mamoru in manga and anime verse, thinking he's just there to make Usagi look good, but I actually like Mamoru's character in the live-action. No matter as Tuxedo Kamen or Prince Endymion, he has quite a bit of involvement in battle scenes. And he is ACTUALLY competent and pairs up really well with Usagi as a couple and with Sailor Moon as a fighter. Some of their duo fight scenes are really cool!

Oh. And there's none of the "kissing you while you are asleep/unconscious" stuff. I'm not going to argue it wasn't romantic in the manga, etc. But times have changed since the original material was written/drawn, and I don't think that's something that will fly well with people in this current age and time. The live-action caught on with the time and used other techniques to make the romance pop instead, and for that I am thankful!

Opposite attracts

Mamoru is written a bit differently than manga and anime. Mamoru's more aloof, prickly, and definitely tsundere. He becomes awkward when he warms up, which is really adorable to see. Also, he wears leather jacket and rides a motorcycle, which amps up his "cool" factor by... A LOT!!!

Usagi is mostly the same as manga and anime, but less crybaby. Like I mentioned before in part 2 of this, Usagi is not exaggeratedly "stupid", just slower, and appropriately immature and innocent for someone her age who hasn't experienced much adversaries until the Senshi business. (No, butt-heading with your little brother doesn't count. lol)

So all's to say in the live-action, they really build up this whole opposite-attracts kind of deal with Usamamo, and where Usagi had to work to see through Mamoru's prickly exterior and soften him up.

Also, I think they cast Mamoru and Usagi really well. Just look at their height difference! Another thing that makes them look so good together????

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

5 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

#usamamo #tsukino usagi #chiba mamoru #tuxedo kamen #sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #pgsm #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #sailor moon live action #bssm #pgsm appreciation #reasons to watch pgsm #pgsm 20th anniversary countdown #khmyh's gif

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real-life-senshi · 5 months

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IT'S HAPPENING! HOT OFF THE PRESS DEC 8TH 4AM JST!!!!

"Kitagawa Keiko, Izumi Rika and others from the drama "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" gather for the CBC special program "Sailor Senshi: The 20th Anniversary Alumni Reunion," to be broadcast on the 25th."

THEY ARE FUCKING COLOUR CODED WITH THEIR COSTUME.

"They continued to stay in contact with each other even after the broadcast ended, and were affectionately known as the "Senshi Club".

The character "会"(kai) in "戦士会" (senshi-kai) can be transalated as "club" as if a noun for group, or "reunion" as in noun for event. I've always translated 戦士会 as the event of their reunion. But in this context, the ladies are a group thus a "club".

The program is full of highlights, including behind-the-scenes stories about the narrow audition process and happenings related to their relationship with each other, such as the secret story that brought the five of them together during their junior high and high school years. The 30-minute program is unscripted and full of private moments. The broadcast is only available on CBC, but it can be viewed nationwide through TVer."

If I can find a copy of it, I'm so down to try and sub this!

#pretty guardian sailor moon #pgsm #sailor moon live action #pgsm cast reunion #pgsm cast #kitagawa keiko #izumi rika #komatsu ayaka #azama mew #sawai miyuu #khmyh translates #senshi reunion #sailor senshi 20th anniversary alumni reunion #pgsm 20th anniversary #khmyh's fansub & translations

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real-life-senshi · 6 months

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Omg I'm gonna drive myself crazy thinking about this: Rei is just so innocently serious and focused on the mission of being a Senshi early on in the series. Yes, she's worried about Minako and wants to understand Minako, but it's still within the scope of trying to protect the "Princess" given that's her mission as given by Luna. Like her care shown for Minako at this point, this whole conversation can still be considered as her doing her best to meet the needs of her mission.

And then comparing this to how anti-past life and anti-mission she's gotten later after Act 36, just shows how much Minako means to her.

This is like one of the rare plot holes the series had where Luna doesn't seem to recognize Minako in Act 18 or consider why a random girl was chatting with Rei about the Youma movement. I just find it funny because Luna's sadly made to be quite incompetent in the live-action, so if we treat what happened in Act 18 as canon and Luna's having a laspe in her memory, this can be counted as another nail in her coffin for her incompetence. LMAO The only downside of this iteration of the franchise in my honest opinion.

On the other hand, Rei's such a joy to watch here, fluctuating back and forth between being worried about Minako and being frustrated/irritated with Minako. lol

#pgsm act 19 #reinako #khmyh rewatches pgsm #khmyh liveblogs #khmyh translates #character analysis #hino rei

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real-life-senshi · 7 months

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10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 3: The side characters!

The love the screenwriter put into building the PGSM main cast - Senshi, Shitennou and Endymion is something to always celebrate as a fan of the series. Still, they are not the only ones who benefited from the live-action writing.

Many recurring side characters in the manga/anime had their characters further fleshed out / altered to have their personalities shine in the show. And even better, instead of being a background character most times, most of them actually have significant contributions to the brilliant storytelling PGSM gives us!

Tsukino Ikuko

Speaking of PGSM humour in part 2 of this series of blog posts, it is impossible for one to not discuss one of the most iconic changes and side characters in the live-action series - Usagi's mom!

In the manga and anime, Tsukino Ikuko is a sweet, caring, and typical mother in a Japanese household, except she has questionable lavender hair...

In the live-action, with the exception that Ikuko is a brunette which is quite a normal hair colour, everything else about her is... well, anything but normal. For lack of a better word, she is... eccentric, and is actually the person responsible for many of the shenanigans that occur in the Tsukino family. After watching PGSM, you can definitely tell from where Usagi inherited some of her traits...

Tsukino Ikuko, the yoga practitioner and creator of questionable omelette sauce, is great fun to watch. Her time on screen is not long, but whenever she appears, she SHINES and steals the show with hilarious antics and an amazing grasp of comedic cues worthy of a professional comedian! Not a minute of her screen time is ever wasted!

Tsukino Shingo

In the manga and anime, Tsukino Shingo is basically a smartass brat who loves butt-heading and teasing his older sister Usagi.

In the live-action, Shingo retains the smartass personality, but not much of a misbehaving brat. Instead, his character is further fleshed out that he is actually intelligent, sarcastic, sassy and... perpetually so done with Usagi and Ikuko.

Seriously, this kid is the responsible AND sensible one in the Tsukino household and the holder of all Tsukino brain cells. It is absolutely glorious and a wonder to see how all the sass could fit into his tiny body!

With Shingo and Ikuko together, any scenes of Usagi's home life is bound to leave you in stitches watching the chaos that goes on within its walls!

For a taste of live-action Tsukino family dynamics, please enjoy the following two scenes:

Present day the actor of little Shingo - Takeshi Naoki is (of course) all grown up, and an acclaimed and prominent stage actor in many musicals and stageplays, especially in the 2.5D world. (Manga/Anime adapted stage productions.)

Some examples are:

Hyper Projection Play “Haikyuu!!” - Nobuyushi Kai

My Hero Academia The “Ultra” Stage - Iida Tenya

Black Clover the Stage - Yuno (main)

Furuhata Motoki

Motoki in the live-action takes in both roles from the manga and the 90's anime, where not only does he work in the location that doubles as the Senshi's secret base (manga), but he is also Mamoru's best friend from school (90's anime). But otherwise his involvement in the story kinda just ends there.

In PGSM, Motoki's character is more fleshed out in that besides being a pretty face (because let's be honest, Kikawada Masaya is good-looking!), but he also provides some ongoing comic relief for being a huge turtle fanatic.

BUT! He is so much more than just comic relief! His easy-going, kind and caring nature also helps him become a buffer/translator and insight-provider on certain aspects of Mamoru's character for Usagi when it comes to his best friend. He helps Usagi see past Mamoru's tsundere tendencies, getting past the prickly exterior and seeing the caring side of her eventual fated lover.

... And that's not even the main involvement when it comes to our Senshi team. He has a much more significant role late series. But I shall not say more to keep this spoiler-free!

For long-time Tokusatus fans, Motoki's actor Kikawada Masaya has also continued his tenure in Tokusatsu in other well-known franchises:

Kamen Rider The First (film) - Hongo Takeshi (main)

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger - Master Red

Ultraman Decker - Captain Murahoshi Taiji

Osaka Naru

Across the manga-verse and anime-verse, Osaka Naru is well-known to be a Youma-magnet, rumourmonger extraordinaire, and Usagi's best friend outside of the Senshi team.

In the live-action, Naru continues to play both roles! But her character is a lot more three-dimensional, where she is both sweet and empathetic, but also territorial when it comes to holding her position as Usagi's best friend. So much so, she got bitchy and possessive and caused some teenage drama when she felt her position as Usagi's friend got threatened as Usagi becomes more and more embroiled in the Senshi business. Personally, that was one of my favourite storylines, where it just feels so much more personable and relatable regarding highschool drama and friendship issues. It is one that's close to my heart!

On the other hand, when Usagi encounters adversaries in her school life or love life, Naru is always here as a protector or to cheer Usagi up!

For those who don't now, another fun fact is Naru is played by Sailor Mercury/Mizuno Ami in one of the original Sailor Moon musicals!

The original side characters & villains

There are 2 other original side characters that have recurring appearances and an original villain character that is exclusive to the live-action that I'd love to introduce. (Well, technically there are 2 original villains, but one I'll actually introduce later). But since I said I'll make this mostly spoiler-free, I'll leave them out for now. haha

In my humble opinion, all of them are very well written. They are either there to cause drama - which the live-action has done well to amp up on the angst in the storyline, or there to cause chaos, which frankly is absolutely entertaining and a joy to watch!

And for the record, I especially ADORE the character with the sparkles in the middle. :P

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

8 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

#bishoujo senshi sailor moon #bssm #pgsm #pretty guardian sailor moon #sailor moon live action #reasons to watch pgsm #pgsm 20th anniversary countdown #tsukino shingo #tsukino ikuko #furuhata motoki #osaka naru #lol at this point i'm just messing around with the 3 hidden character images #if you know you know #khmyh translates #comedic edits #khmyh's gifs #takeshi naoki #kikawada masaya

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real-life-senshi · 1 month

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Teletia S

Looking up references for the Teletia S and went back to the official PGSM website archive. Now that I understand Japanese much, much better, I am fascinated by what the official description says.

Translation:

The communication items the Senshi holds are cell phone type, but they are special ones.

Except for Minako, the other four Senshi received their respective item from Luna. Whenever a Youma or other enemy appears, even if the phone is turned off, an emergency signal will still be triggered. As long as there is no direct interference from the Dark Kingdom, the Senshi can contact each other anytime, anywhere. The phone also has a function that allows the user to transform into any costume and appearance by taking a photo, and if the image is saved, the user can transform at any time! It seems that all the Senshi have various outfits saved in their respective phones should the need to use them arise Normally, they can enjoy making phone calls and sending messages as if they were normal cell phones.

I wrote AND rewrote EoT chapter 7 before finding this, so I feel a sense of validation for writing the phones to have operated on a "Senshi signal" based on some sort of "Lunarian communication system." lol

Also, I laughed at the part where they said the respective Senshi had saved up different costumes in their phone, though we know only Rei had saved up the practical ones based on Act 31. XD

Not sure what type of costume Makoto might have saved, but I'd bet Minako has the Sailor V costume saved in hers for a pseudo-transformation since that's how Artemis had her transform in Act Zero.

My specific headcanon about the Teletia S are:

They are waterproof.

They are shockproof and practically indestructible.

They don't need electricity to charge. Just by being near their owners, they are magically charged up.

^Basically it's completely made of alien / Lunarian technology

Emergency signal normally overrides silent/vibrate mode, airplane mode and being turned off. Artemis had to make some special adjustments for Minako's so hers doesn't ring in the middle of her work. Coz.... that'd be awkward.

The only downside of these phones is they look so childishly toy-like. The Senshi all kept theirs even as adults, but everyone but Rei also acquired a normal phone just coz... they got too embarrassed using their Teletia S publicly. Rei feels the same but is too frugal and doesn't use a cell phone enough to bother buying one. :P

Here's my theory/headcanon on how the physical Sailor V costume and Teletia S transformation work together.

#sailor moon live action #pretty guardian sailor moon #pgsm trivia #teletia s #translated content #headcanon #pgsm act 31 #pgsm act zero #khmyh's gif #comedic edits

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real-life-senshi · 11 months

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The fact that it's Mars who suggests they work together is actually so symbolic of Rei and Minako's relationship for the rest of the series.

Rei's the one that offers to help. Rei's the one that encourages Minako to work with the team. Rei's the one that goes to Minako instead of Minako coming to Rei. Rei's the initiator between the two of them as far as we see canonically in the series. (But more often than not Minako's the one that makes the final decision on whatever happens. Rei's so whipped. lol)

I also love the small detail here that Venus smiled in response since she's mostly quite deadpan and serious when donning her Senshi/decoy Princess persona. The fact that she smiled at Mars here truly shows that at that specific moment, Venus was glad to have Mars by her side. Regardless of anything else Venus/Minako says later, this is one instance that Rei can certainly use as evidence to prove that her assistance was anything but unnecessary, and was in fact appreciated.

Okay, y'all are about to witness someone go feral in writing.

Whoever choreographed this scene must have had what we would consider a galaxy brain back when PGSM was in production. Like the ballet-fu was awkward enough, but they chose to have these two practically DANCE in front of a fucking Youma as partners.

And it's so subtle, but the fact they moved right after Venus nods affirmatively, and we see the sequence start with Venus spotlighted on camera? Venus is the one leading here. Mars may have made the suggestion, but she's letting Venus decide what to do and she's following in sync- probably thinking her job is to protect and back her princess up.

This further proves my point that Venus is leading and Mars is following. Venus does her signature kiss(?) gesture and Mars mirrors her. Which this whole thing is making my brain explode here...

ONE: I can't stop remembering how Miyuu kept giggling and talking about the "chu" (onomatopoeia for a kiss in Japanese) motion when she was watching Act 17 and 18 in her most recent viewing party. lol

And TWO: REI MIRRORING THE KISSY GESTURE? AND MINAKO STARING INTO REI INTENSELY WHILE SHE DID THE KISS GESTURE???? WHAT... HOW... WHY???????

LIKE WHAT PURPOSE DOES IT SERVE EXCEPT FOR THEM TO UP THE FUCKING SEXUAL TENSION BY A FEW NOTCHESS? The gesture is also so decidedly un-Rei-like, and yet she did it following Venus without hesitation???? AS!@K(&T#

The wordless but perfect collaboration here, Mars knowing to let Venus take the lead and Venus leaping across the Youma knowing Mars WILL let her take the lead, I love this so much.

And the Youma being confused as fuck from witnessing their flirting joint attack is a really nice touch to emphasize how in sync those two are. Things were happening so fast and the Youma got nothing from the two to help it decide how to act because Mars and Venus haven't even said a word to each other.

Anyone trying to convince me Rei and Minako aren't flirting in front of the Youma, they are very welcome to try and explain this scene to me.

THEY'RE GIRLFRIENDS, YOUR HONOUR. (Or at least, soon-to-be girlfriends).

Keiko and Ayaka, WHY WERE YOU TWO WINKING AT EACH OTHER? WHO TOLD YOU TO DO THAT? OR DID YOU TWO HAVE A GALAXY BRAIN MOMENT AND WENT WITH IT YOURSELVES? I WANT ANSWERS.

(And Ayaka can't actually wink is so funny and so cute. lol)

#reinako #sailor mars #hino rei #sailor venus #aino minako #khmyh rewatches pgsm #khmyh liveblogs #this is the most unhinged liveblogging experience I've done y'all #this scene absolutely drives me crazy #for all the good reasons of course #khmyh's gif #character dynamics #pgsm act 18 #character analysis

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real-life-senshi · 6 months

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Is it just me, or do you think it's intentional that the coloured ribbons in Minako's design are all of the Senshi colours? It's pink, blue, red and green interwoven together. :O

Artemis is so sweet and worried about Minako's condition. I love Artemis in PGSM so much!!!!

Minako's prank when gifting Artemis Valentine's chocolate is so precious, and look at her shit-eating grin at the end???? She's so proud of herself!!!!

Minor headcanon: I like to think that while Artemis hated the pranks, he and Minako would take off the plushie tied to the spring every time and kept the plushie as another gift for Artemis, and he cherishes them because he received them from Minako.

I mentioned this time and time again, but these moments show a true side of Minako that's buried deep under all the pressure she carries, and it's a side more similar to manga/anime Minako.

I also have to wonder, Minako admitted the gift was a day early for Valentine, and these 2 are inseparable so obviously, Minako could've waited to give it to Artemis the next day. Did Minako just use the gift as a distraction to artfully take Artemis's attention away from being worried about her condition? The timing of when the gift box slid on screen seemed to suggest Artemis was cut off mid-sentence. Minako is also worried about Artemis's feeling worried or sad about her. :'(

#artemis #aino minako #pgsm act 19 #khmyh rewatches pgsm #khmyh liveblogs #khmyh's gif #headcanon #character analysis

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real-life-senshi · 7 months

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10 (Mostly) Spoiler-Free Reasons to Watch Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon 2003 Live Action

A countdown to the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Reason 9: The shipping! 🚢

Yes, you've read this right. This is no joke!

If you are looking for new pairings to ship, watch PGSM!

If you already have your ship(s) in the franchise and are looking for more materials to get new headcanons going, watch PGSM!

In the live-action, you will very likely find the pairing you loved seeing in the manga or the anime making an appearance in the live-action too! (As long as you don't ask the impossible for characters that aren't in the Dark Kingdom arc...)

MakoAmi? AmiRei? ReiNako? Most definitely have their key moments and even episodes.

Even MakoRei and MakoMina have their moments! And I can confirm Usagi is still pretty much a bisexual disaster. lol

And if you never shipped any of the characters before, you might just find yourselves starting to ship some of them after watching the live-action! If not the Senshi, you certainly have the Shitennou to explore your interest as well. All of them also have their moments, with each other, with a Senshi or with Endymion. haha

I know I definitely became a multi-shipper thanks to the live-action! Seriously. The characters are so well written, almost all if not all characters have good chemistry with each other in any duo scenes, and it can definitely jump-start your mind into shipping mode. Some of them aren't even subtle! The filming angles, the editing, it's all in the subtext.

And I can confirm that UsaMamo is NOT the only canon pairing in the live-action!

No matter if you like het, slash, femslash, or polycule ships, there's certainly something for you.

You can watch the subbed versions of the series at:

Miss Dream Fansubs

Sea of Serenity Fansubs

The series is also on other online streaming sites, but be cautious to only visit them with good adware and firewall installed.

2 days till the 20th anniversary of Act 1 air date!

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

#pgsm #bishoujo senshi sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #bssm #sailor moon live action #reasons to watch pgsm #pgsm appreciation #pgsm 20th anniversary countdown #khmyh's gif

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