Should you watch this, Wiki this or wait for the recap? Actually you could Wiki this.
Sailor Moon’s attack on Death Phantom sends her and Tuxedo Mask tumbling out of existence! A newly awakened Neo Queen Serenity sends Sailor Chibimoon on her first quest to rescue Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask from the hidden dimension that Death Phantom has sent them to. Will Sailor Chibimoon be able to succeed on her first mission as a Sailor, or will it be her last?
“Replay –Never Ending–” is the twenty sixth episode of the first season of Sailor Moon Crystal. It’s Japanese anime and I watched it with English subtitles (I don’t speak Japanese, though I would like to at some point). This episode concludes the second story arc for Sailor Moon Crystal.
“Replay –Never Ending–” feels more like an afterthought than an actual season finale. Perhaps it’s because the whole episode has a “we’re going to wrap things up in this ep” kind of feel, rather than the tension and danger that the previous episodes held. It’s not like you don’t know that Sailor Moon is going to win – the question is how. The episode is mostly denouement, with some action in the middle that feels perfunctory rather than motivated.
Highlights
Sailor Moon meeting Neo Queen Serenity
OK, this was pretty cool, and cute in a way. Despite the regality and power that Neo Queen Serenity has, she’s still Usagi (though a much older version), and it’s evident in the innocent way they approach things and how they would follow their heart above all else. They don’t get to talk much, but hey, don’t want to mess up how history unfolds right?
Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon team up
So finally, mother and daughter join forces to defeat the big bad of this arc. Later on it becomes a bit more trite, what with Double Moon Gorgeous Meditation and such. But given that Moon Princess Halation is probably more powerful than all the other Sailors combined, it makes sense that a Double Moon Princess Halation is more than enough to defeat Death Phantom. He’s facing two Legendary Silver Crystals, after all!
Upgraded Sailor powers
Getting new powers is the equivalent of getting new toys, in terms of a television show. And it also rewards the Sailors for their efforts in defeating the Black Moon, plus remember how they were mostly kidnapped for this story arc? It also hints at greater enemies and bigger threats to come, but for now, let’s take it that it’s their well-earned prize and acknowledge the good work that the Sailors have done.
Letdowns
Death Phantom feels nerfed
I know he’s facing two Legendary Silver Crystals… but he seems kind of powered down for the final fight. I’d have expected a bit more of a struggle from Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon, since they are facing an entire planet after all. He’s defeated rather easily, although he deals a retributive strike that destroys Sailor Moon’s compact, so that counts for something I suppose…
Protagonists are never in real danger
Again, because you know that Sailor Chibimoon is actively going to find Sailor Moon and defeat the villain, rather than being threatened by death and destruction, you’re not afraid for her. In fact, it’s not even a threat to her now that she’s a Sailor. It’s just a matter of how fast and how easily she can assist Sailor Moon in finishing off the bad guy. We are reminded of the casualty that is Sailor Pluto though…
Feels like an epilogue rather than a conclusion
Mainly because the previous episode was more of the final battle, while this episode kind of wraps things up. It’s sort of like “Conclusion and Commencement –Petite Étrangère” where the exciting bits were in the previous episode, while this one sort of just acted as a closing to the arc. But then, we’ve had some good episodes along the way, and it does give everyone a happy ending.
To sum it all up, “Replay –Never Ending–” serves as the capstone for the series and the denouement, rather than the climax. It does set everything back to status quo, which will be just right when the Death Busters attack in the new season of Sailor Moon Crystal.
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