Recovering from Tuxedo Mask’s abduction by the Dark Kingdom, Usagi comes across Endo, a man who bears a strong resemblance to Mamoru. Meanwhile, the girls learn more about the holy sword that they brought back from the Moon, and find that it could very well be the most powerful weapon in their arsenal. But the Sailors soon find themselves in a very vulnerable position…
“Reunion –Endymion–” is the eleventh 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). It features the corruption of Tuxedo Mask, who becomes the next opponent of the Sailors from the Dark Kingdom.
While the first part of this episode was rather slow and didn’t give us any new plot revelations (since everybody already knows that Endo is, in fact, a brainwashed and evil Tuxedo Mask), the second part was a refreshing change. It’s fun to see them feature the Command Centre so much, a location that wasn’t featured so much in the previous anime, or as much in the manga. Also, Tuxedo Mask’s attacks are less straightforward and actually makes use of recurring characters, which is a much better way of featuring the supporting cast than constantly creating new characters out of whole cloth.
Highlights
Battle at the Command Centre
As mentioned, it’s fun to see our characters fight at the Command Centre. It’s an exotic location and visually rather interesting. Symbolically, it represents the encroaching of the enemy into what should be their safest and most secure location, thus giving the confrontation a stronger impact. It’s weird that the Command Centre has no defences besides the standard alarm system though.
Tuxedo Mask & Motoki team up
Now this is a pairing that we’ve hardly seen, if ever. I’m pretty sure some fanfic is popping up about them as we speak. Since Motoki is the next most eligible recurring character on Sailor Moon (come on, Umino doesn’t count) (and neither does Usagi’s father or brother), it makes sense to pair them up, even if it’s for fan service. Would have been great to see Motoki fight! Alas, it didn’t happen.
Strong focus on the love story
Their leitmotif is rather distinctive, if a bit too on the nose, and the focus on the tremendous tragedy of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion helps remind us why this battle is important and why the conflict must be won by the Sailors. It’s the human element, the very real and personal emotions that made Sailor Moon such a success, and it’s wise to zoom in on this element and keep a firm eye on it.
Queen Beryl is very hands on
Queen Beryl appears again! She is much more active here, and makes for a better villainess since she gets so many chances to interact with the heroes. Otherwise it’s just narration or villain talk for her. It also threatens our heroines much more since it’s obvious that Queen Beryl far outstrips them in power.
Letdowns
Makoto’s hypnosis
Of all people, Makoto and Rei should be the last to be hypnotised since they are the strongest, at least in terms of physical prowess. In terms of personality, perhaps it would be Ami who’s the weakest, and probably the most likely to fall for Tuxedo Mask’s hypnotic red eyes. Makoto has never been established as having a weak force of personality, so this is a rather strange development that comes out of nowhere.
Tuxedo Mask is suddenly overpowered
Remember how Tuxedo Mask was complaining that he had no powers and was probably the weakest of the lot? Where did he get power to rival a Shitennou? How come he thrash the Sailors so easily? Why is his power level so inconsistent, and only appearing when the plot demands it?
“Reunion –Endymion–” is, all in all, a fantastic half episode (the second half). It gives us a new set of story beats and shows us the corruption of Tuxedo Mask, and ends with a great fight between the Sailors and Tuxedo Mask. Will there ever be a Tuxedo Mask toy, in that case? Only time will tell.
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