Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R
(Season 2)
Shown in the USA?: Yes
Episodes: 43
Original Air Dates (Japan): March 6, 1993 - March 12, 1994
My thoughts:
The first storyarc of Sailor Moon R is probably one of my least favorites. However, the second story arc of Sailor Moon is one of my absolute favorites, and is essential not only because it's great, but also because of the vital information you gain about the future that you have to know in order to understand the next 3 seasons. Besides, Prince Demando is just plain hot...
Summary:
The Sailor Moon R season is divided into two story arcs. The first is the Ail-Ann story arc (which is not part of the manga) while the second is the Black Moon story arc.
Ail-Ann Story arc
Ail and Ann are two aliens who have come to Earth after losing their home a long time ago. They depend on energy to support a special tree which keeps them alive. To obtain this energy, Ail and Ann disguise themselves as students and attend Juuban Junior High with Usagi and the inner senshi.
To gain this energy, Ail plays his flute and calls monsters, called Cardians, out of his cards; these serve as the Monsters of the Day for the senshi through this first story arc of the Sailor Moon R season. In these fights, the senshi are aided by Tsukikage no knight (Moonlight Knight in the dub) instead of Tuxedo Kamen, since Mamoru has yet to recover his memory. The inner senshi spend a lot of time trying to figure out exactly who Tsukikage no knight is, and he turns out to be the manifestation of Mamoru's desire to protect Sailor Moon.
One day, Ail and Ann don't go to school one day and Usagi and Mamoru go to their apartment to try and see how they are doing. There, Usagi is caught by the tree and has her energy taken; the same thing happens with Mamoru. After a failed rescue attempt by the rest of the senshi, the tree recovers and tells Ail and Ann to end their corrupt ways-the tree needs positive energy to survive, not the negative energy they were feeding it. So, Sailor Moon then transforms the tree to its natural form (as a seedling) and Ail and Ann leave to start over.
Black Moon Story arc
This story arc begins with the introduction of a new character, Chibi-Usa. Chibi-Usa enters into Usagi's life near the beginning of the story arc. No one in the Tsukino family notices that she is a stranger because Chibi-Usa somehow brainwashes them to think that she is Usagi's cousin. Everyone, that is, except Usagi, who is immediately suspicious of the young girl. However, Chibi-Usa takes to following Usagi around, much to her dismay.
In the future, Neo-Queen Serenity (Usagi) and Neo-King Endymion (Mamoru) rule the world. The Black Moon Clan was a group of people who refused to be cleansed by the Ginzuishou when Serenity (Usagi) became ruler. As a result, they were banished to the cold planet Nemesis. The Black Moon Clan is extremely angered by this and, as advised by Wiseman, decides to try to take over Crystal Tokyo (where the palace of Serenity and Endymion is). In order to take over, they go back in time to destroy the Tokyo of the past (or present as we see it).
There are several goals held by the Black Moon Clan in this series. The first one is to try and capture the crystal points to prevent Crystal Tokyo (in the future) from forming. The second goal, which is shared by Chibi-Usa, is to obtain the Ginzuishou. These goals of the Black Moon are all leading to Wiseman's goal of destroying the Earth, but the Black Moon Clan does not know this.
The first four enemies fought by the senshi are the Black Moon sisters; after several successive battles, each of the sisters is converted to normal human beings one by one. Eventually, the leader of the sisters, Rubeus, is killed when Sailor Moon and Chibi-Usa disable his UFO after the other Senshi are captured.
After Rubeus is defeated, three more members of the Black Moon led by Prince Demando, Prince and ruler of Nemesis, enter. This entrance is quickly followed by the introduction of Sailor Pluto (who communicates with Chibi-Usa through her Luna-P ball), the guardian of time.
Sailor Pluto explains her mission to the senshi and states that Chibi-Usa is from the future. The senshi and the cats agree to go into the future, and Chibi-Usa takes them there.
In the future, Usagi discovers that she is to be Neo-Queen Serenity, Mamoru is to be her husband and that Chibi-Usa is her daughter to be. The situation observed in the future is quite bleak, for the Black Moon Clan had already attacked and everything was destroyed except for the palace.
It is revealed that Chibi-Usa has been quite distressed because she feels the destruction of Neo-Crystal Tokyo is her fault, because she lost the Ginzuishou. Chibi-Usa is captured by Wiseman and transformed into Black Lady, an evil older form of Chibi-Usa, by making Chibi-Usa feel guilty and unloved. The rest of the Black Moon Clan, who simply want a chance to live on earth, discover Wiseman's plot to destroy the earth but are killed by him when they try to destroy him. The senshi eventually are able to stop Black Lady and transform her back to Chibi-Usa; Usagi transforms into Neo-Queen Serenity, Chibi-Usa transforms into Neo-Princess Serenity (after finding the Ginzuishou in her body), and together they destroy Wiseman.
-portions of summary from BSSM for Neophytes-
[Back]