A Deep Dive Into Sailor Moon’s Gayest Episode
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ส.ค. 2022
- GOT THIS OUT ONE DAY BEFORE ITS BEEN A MONTH SINCE THE LAST VIDEO! Sailor Moon is a very queer show, and that allows it to explore some things most shows probably couldn't, let's talk about that ^^
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this show warms my queer heart 🙁
I thought Ami saying "That's not THE problem" was not about whether Makoto's crush on Haruka is wrong or not but that Haruka was already taken.
they kind of knew those two were dating, but I think Ami wanted to focus in the danger her friend was into, because the enemy made her her target.
I'm a grown ass man and I love Sailor Moon so much, the senshi crushing on Haruka is so adorable.
Masculinity is dead then. Go watch some Baki! 😭
@@edwardgaines6561nah man u better be joking
Also, ya gotta understand in Japan, especially in the 90s, it's a conservative society. (Remember the Haruna-sensei pantyshot scene and saying she can't get married anymore because of it.) Japanese expect girls to have crushes on each other, but they also see it as just a phase and expect girls to eventually grow out of it. It's like love training, before practicing "real love" with boys. Because in Japan, girls only hanged out with girls, and boys only hanged out with other boys, so that's the only way they'll learn. The societal set of roles is more strict (at least it was back then). And that's how it was in Japan in the 90s.
I can't help but wonder if this is why the writers made Uranus & Neptune bigger jerks in the 90s anime than they were in the manga or Crystal. I also thought they were a cute couple, but I hated how they treated Usagi & the Inners when they were in "work mode"
For awhile, I always wondered why Sailor Moon S was my favorite season of the original 90's run. Maybe it was that it had the best villains, or that the other new characters brought a lot of interesting conflict, or that the existing main cast got a lot of expansions on who they are.
But this is a theme that I think I've really grown to appreciate and look back on more from Sailor Moon as a whole as time goes on. Also helps it's focused on of my personal favorite characters, and easily one of my favorite Mako episodes (the other favorite also being from this same season). Yet I think that also makes the message more impactful because Mako - the character who often gets labeled as the 'tomboy' of this series' group, yet was arguably the most boy-crazy in the first two seasons - is the one to experience this phenomenon and portray it in a positive light.
I really enjoy how well you explored the layers and messages in all three iterations to see how they compare and contrast, and it's very interesting to see them all executed through different lenses of different times and different cultures. There's definitely a lot going on that I agree would almost never be done as subtly, thoughtfully and tastefully by really any other form of media. I think it's something that really makes Sailor Moon all the more unique for the better and why people love it all these years later.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
I like how mako was the tall and strong one was actually the most feminine and almost stereotypical in the sense of what most Japanese teen girls are portrayed as. Very feminine who gushes over boys.
I watched the Viz dub for the first time last night and it really is a perfect balance. It's showing the girls learning to understand sexuality without coming across as insensitive. They have misconceptions, there's disbelief and stuff like Usagi saying "yeah you've been so boy crazy, of course you don't have a crush on a girl!" is something so many queer girls here when they come out. It's honestly really well done and keeps a lot of the original intent in place without it being offensive or isolating to the large queer fanbase in the West.
Also have to point out the Jupiter barely stops short or coming out over the communicator in the Viz dub. She says "Listen, Haruka has a really cool personality and there's nothing wrong with being attracted to that". Idk about anyone else but to me, that reads as Mako accepting she has a crush on a girl.
Am in the middle of my first watchthrough of the series(subbed), and I just finished season 3. I *loved* this episode. I can definitely understand how the inners gossiping could upset some, but for me personally, it actually enhanced the episode a lot because it made it feel so real. Sailor Moon is a show that doesn't really let you forget that it was made and is set in the 90s. The conversations the inners have (I suppose unfortunately) feel super authentic, but the fact that the episode shows what the average state of discourse back then just made the fact that it was so quietly affirming in its undercurrent feel that much more powerful. Almost like a "yes, this is what people think of these situations, and we're going to call attention to them anyways because it's *right*." It still fills me with this warmth thinking about it, my only complaint is I wish that Mako would have updated her on screen wardrobe a little more after the fact as a visual representation of her character development, that would've been so nice to see.
Also, I wasn't aware of the history of Rei's magazine, that's genuinely hilarious. They really looked at this entire cast and said "straightn't," lol.
When I watched sailor moon in my younger age, I didn’t know anything about sexual orientation. But when I rewatched in my teenage age and I found the manga and read it. I am so in love in this story. Everyone is gay ! I love it .
What an awesome video. Loved the triple version analysis. This is such a nostalgic episode for me, I feel like I must have rewatched it a lot on DVD back when I was in high school lol.
Don't read more into this episode than you should. It's basically just Haruka being "stupid sexy Flanders" which is a recurring joke through the arc. i.e. She has so much masculine attractiveness that it makes straight girls confused. Japan also depicts quasi-romantic yet platonic friendships which can really confuse Westerners who will end up reading in things they shouldn't. All Ami is doing is telling the others that the idle gossip isn't important and that they should focus on keeping Mako safe.
lol imagine writing this about the season of Sailor Moon directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, the creator of Revolutionary Girl Utena, literally one of the gayest animes to ever exist. Imagine thinking a work directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara is meant to be taken at face value. The nerve. The audacity. 100% Queen shit.
Straight girls are not attracted to butch women lmao if she's "confused" she's not straight.
@@aroomofmIOwn Not to mention that the whole reason why "Rev-Girl: Utena" was made in the first place was because Mr.Ikuhara wanted to make a movie focusing upon the love between Haruka and Michiru. But he couldn't make it due to Toei Animation restrictions I think. Or another reason entirely. Hence the birth of "Rev-Girl: Utena." So yeah there's that too. 😊👍🌈🏳️🌈💞
I think Usagi was a little jealous as she crushed on Haruka. ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
They are all crushing on Haruka!! You actually see Rei later enjoys Haruka flirting with her in a later episode fully knowing she is a woman
Treated with respect, except they were labeled cousins in America to avoid that 😅
Not gonna lie Haruka opened up my sexuality realization bc I looked at girls but was always drawn to men.
Thank you for making this! When I was younger, I used to not really understand queerness and thought that being gay was weird. I'm so glad I watched Sailor Moon! It played a huge role in my understanding of queerness, and I think changed me to become a better person in some ways. Sailor Moon also led me to watch some other great shows such as Cardcaptor Sakura and Revolutionary Girl Utena which also turned out to be really gay positive. Now, one of my best friends at school is a lesbian, and I don't see her any differently than my straight friends.
I love that it is Ami is the voice of reason and one of the viewpoints of the episode, because a lot of fans ship her and Makoto together and it's basically telling the fans it's okay to.
One of the main reasons that I think the girls have such a warped understanding of queer issues comes down to the massively ingrained psychology of Japanese politics in general, as 90's Japan was very dead set on "protecting the sanctity of marriage" and all that other conservative BS as having very strictly defined gender roles of what it means to "be a good traditional wife to a man" and this aspect is ingrained in their culture and society so much that the girls are saying these things largely because it's what their entire society and culture tells them to think, so they do. So I think the progressiveness in this episode shows through with the girls slightly questioning things very slowly, even though they seem to be concerned that she's slipping out of the "normal" and becoming "the other", something highly looked down on in Japan, a society where conformity to the greater majority is everything. I think it shows them more being indoctrinated by the wider, prevalent politics of Japan, to the point where them even having to think about this at all, is where the change lies. Thus, imo, this episode reads more as a satire of 90's Japan and it's outdated ideals.
with all that being said Is still think It’s amazing how they can bring queerness to a pg rated show and not make It a complete stereotype, or a joke and shows today, can’t even do that
Makoto just gives off lesbian vibes to me ngl
She was my introduction to the very concept of "Tomboy." It awoke something deep inside of me. There was a reason Makoto was always one of my favorites
More bisexual to me.
@@mrnemo204 eh bisexuality is pretty fake
@@elise6894 ?
@@elise6894no it isn’t
Honestly, I didn't even really like Jupiter before this episode. This really turned her around for me tbh ^-^
100% any internalized homophobia usagi and rei have is internalized. Those girls are as straight as cooked spaghetti. Great video!
I think Ami is red because of being angry
Loved this breakdown of all three versions of the episode!
Pretty sure Usagi's telling Makoto "don't do it" after her first encounter with Haruka is based on Mako's insta-falling in love with any hot "guy" she runs into. It happens all the time, annoyingly so, and Usagi knows that it's her weakness, her Achilles heel, especially since it usually winds up with Mako lowering her guard too much to the point of her own detriment. It originally happened with her "sempai", whose breakup left Mako scarred for life; then with Misha, Alan/Ali/Ail, with Tiger's Eye later, etc etc.
Also, Haruka and Michiru's more "harsh" approach to things is due to the fact that not only are they older and more experienced, their literal role as sailor senshi was to defend the inner galaxy from dangers on the outside. They can take a beating and don't really sugarcoat things. I like this dynamic with them vs the others because the inner circle never had to see or face some of the more dangerous stuff lurking within the outskirts of the realm.
And in regards to your opinion that Mako's friends "shouldn't" react negatively, well, sorry but not everyone is going to be open and accepting of certain alternative lifestyles and choices right away, esp when they're not exposed to it or even if they are, just aren't on board with it and are fine not wanting to understand any of it. And you know what? That's okay too. People don't HAVE to like or accept your choices; that doesn't make them bad, they were just shaped by different circumstances, traditions, etc. And I'm sure the Viz dub was changed due to social pressures to be more "politically-correct" and to avoid backlash. That's not genuine or "better"; it's forced and trying to appease overly sensitive audience members.
The original dialogue is more realistic to the time and to the characters. They're TEENAGERS, practically kids still. Instead of forcing stuff on them in an effort to MAKE them accept certain lifestyles at a sickeningly faster rate, they can just learn naturally as they go through life. Having an instant reaction is part of learning and growing esp. around that age, so knocking them for being "homophobic" and "disapproving" due to what you're saying as being "anti-les" or "anti-queer" is beyond over-reaching, not to mention just as warranted of the same criticism and social finger-pointing as what you're demonstrating here.
People don’t have to like it but I would definitely suggest they try to re-examine their reasons why. But I do agree that it is far more realistic for some characters not to react well, especially at first
I know this isn’t the focus of the video (I thought it was a really cool and enlightening analysis of the various episode portrayals) but I want to know what people see in Haruka and Michiru’s arc, because I don’t think I saw it like AquaMarina did. Whenever she said “They aren’t the best of people *yet*.” I got confused because… they never seem to stop having terrible stances on critical issues??? At least as Uranus and Neptune. Like, they’re stubborn, obviously, it takes them a while to see the error of their approach, and that’s fine. But as soon as they learn their lesson at the very very end of S, they leave the series, and only a few episodes after their return in Sailor Stars, their new problematic take is that they everyone needs to be xenophobic about alien refugees.
And don’t get me wrong, I still love Haruka and Michiru, but the only moments they got to shine as heroes, that weren’t tainted by their harsh viewpoints, was during the Return of Queen Nehelenia arc and the SuperS movie… And that’s it.
Honestly like, I agree with you lol. To a degree when I say "yet" I kinda mean like, at the very end of the series lol
How I've always seen their arc is that in S they ultimately learn to work with the others, and gain a bit of respect for the Inners, but they don't really have full trust in others yet. I don't think it's till their death in Stars where they actually learn to let others in and that it doesn't have to come down to them against the world, which is something they mention a lot during Stars. In that Season outside the opening arc and during *some* Senshi business where they're with Setsuna, they almost always operate alone. A recurring visual is them sitting in/on their car together alone at night under the stars. Like you said when faced with the Starlights, who basically fill the role they did with S, they immediately don't trust them. They've grown a bit since S but still have a long ways to go.
Which ultimately leads to their death, when things start falling apart they use a half baked plan (which relies on the idea Galaxia would not only give her subordinates something that could kill her but also that no one else had ever tried, among other flaws) where they have to kill the 2 others they're closest to with no indication they'd actually like, planned it *with* them even if Setsuna and Hotaru realized what they were doing (I've read there's production notes that say they planned to show through some visuals Setsuna realized but, that didn't happen and honestly I prefer it that way I like the ambiguity).
And like they fail, really badly. Their last moments in that episode at least for me are partially so sad because their end is kind of pathetic? And they themselves realize it. When Usagi tearfully admits she actually lost faith and thought they might genuinely have turned Haruka's reaction is basically "shit" and a horrific realization it's only "them against the world" because they've pushed even their friends and family away. So she puts trust in Seiya for the first time, and then her and Michiru are left desperately trying to join hands one last time because by their own design they've basically ruined everything they had
Then after they come back, their last scene is them in their car again, but this time with Hotaru and Setsuna. The spin on the recurring visual that previously highlighted their "us against the world" mentality combined with Michiru answer to Hotaru asking her what she'd wish for being "I have everything I need right here" I think it's meant to be a mark of development for them. Realizing it's not enough to just be willing to work with some people, they need to be able to trust others and to let others in. I think the ending is meant to reflect that, since they realize it's not just them against the world, the finally consider Hotaru and Setsuna family to them.
Rambling, a LOT sorry lol ^^; I've thought about this a lot (have considered a video on it honestly lol). It's part of why I worded my comment the way I did in the video lol.
It's, kinda controversial to say, I think? But like, in the 90's anime Haruka and Michiru are, kinda assholes. They improve a bit after S in regards to their treatment of the inners but they're still FAR from perfect people, and that's kinda what I like about them? In both seasons, while sympathetic and with some justification for some of their actions, they're ultimately meant to be in the wrong and grow to become better.
I don't know if it was a deliberate parallel or not but, I think part of what makes them realizing even Usagi had lost faith in them so effective is that the crux of the conflict in S was them trying to put down Usagi's unwavering faith in the good of others (which there ended up being what ultimately saved the day). In Stars they have to realize, they managed to break that, arguably exactly what they wanted in S, even if just for a moment, their cynicism successfully managed to make *USAGI* crack, and that finally makes them realize just how royally they've fucked up and sparks them to take their second (third, kinda, since they've died twice I guess lol) chance to improve
I've started rambling again now lol, hopefully this answers a bit! ^^ I definitely agree they aren't really the greatest of people throughout, basically the entirety of their screentime. But that's part of what I find so compelling honestly. They're far from perfect as people, but both of their season arcs lead to them growing and improving in my eyes ^^
Wonderful breakdown of this episode!
Hello, sorry if you said it, but i'm french and i didn't understand wich episode it is. Can u help me please?
Season 3 Episode 96. Cold-hearted Uranus: Makoto in Danger
You mean the most cousin-y episode?
QUEER SAILOR MOON CHAD YESSS
Strange girls!!!!
I rather they hadn't toned down the original japanese script.
I dont want to see anime made more politically correct for whatever values or audience, it is perceived to be in the west at any time.
Straightn't
BOI THAT'S GAY!
LGBTQ+ ships on this show is interesting
10:31 Actually, the fight is to keep PORN from being peddled to kids. Even if you're okay with all this stuff, it's still not okay to peddle inappropriate sexual content to kids and then use LGBT as a shield. Nothing depicted in Sailor Moon is X-rated or even R-rated in terms of relationships and that's the way Japan prefers it. Their "Pride" parades are much more reserved and restrained than those seen in the West. Black Pigeon Speaks, a Canadian expat living in Japan did a video about that. EDIT: Furthermore, I'd like to point out that non-LGBT people do not peddle their sexuality that way and it only helps feed the stereotype that LGBTs are all promiscuous and sexualized.
Agreed 💯
Black Pigeon Speaks is a borderline conspiracy theory channel. 2nd off to say that heterosexuality isn't forced on people as if there isn't a literal line in this episode where Usagi says "you just need to find the right boy!" like if you're gonna argue respectability politics and borderline bad faith takes at least do a good job at not outing yourself as uninformed. I've also seen japan pride parades and they are literally the same as something like NYC pride. To treat japan as this ultimate moral compass as if stuff like fanservice isn't baked in a lot of anime productions and indie projects (especially something like shonen). You can criticize corporate pride and call out the issues in the community, but lets not do the thing where we just straight up act like being lgbt grants you some type of special privilege's. ( Quite the opposite, gay people still can't get married in japan btw 👍)
@@KATtube03 Saying that a single throw away line in an episode is "forcing heterosexuality" is like the people who say that microagressions are "oppression."
"You can criticize corporate pride and call out the issues in the community, but lets not do the thing where we just straight up act like being lgbt grants you some type of special privilege's."
Oh really? You can say that when literally every time some prominent person who identifies as alphabet starts talking about some perceived slight against them will get every alphabet-friendly organization and talking head in the mainstream media pouring out sympathy for them. Jussie Smollett staged a fake hate crime and because he's black and gay, no one substantially left of center called him out for it. Yeah, anyone other than straight, white and male gets special privileges according to the number of "oppression" points they have in a system called "intersectionality." Matthew Shepard still gets status as a martyr for the cause despite the fact that his murder actually had nothing to do with him being gay.