It's the End Of The World As We Know It, and I Feel Fine

It was mostly a quiet day. I spent the morning watching Sailor Moon R, then online. I won't be able to do a lot online tonight, since I work early tomorrow. I had a pleasant ride to and from work. It was in the lower 50s, sunny, and not too windy. Accordingly, it was steady at work, not quite as busy as it usually is on a Sunday, but still busier than it has been the rest of this slow week.

I finished off Sailor Moon R this evening during a quick Smart Ones Meal dinner. I think I have my new favorite Sailor Moon season, surpassing even the underrated fourth season. I now understand the importance of Wicked/Black Lady to the plot...and why Rini behaved as badly as she did early on. I was actually close to tears when Queen Serenity finally brought her daughter back to their side, and later when Rini returned to the future. That "little spore" does grow on you. ;)

That final battle, while reminiscent of the finale of the Sailor Moon R movie, does pack quite a punch. I love it when the girls pool their powers...and I really loved how Serena/Queen Serenity was able to remind Rini that scolding her and not helping her up when she falls on occasion doesn't mean she and Darien don't love her. She's just doing her job as a parent and teaching her daughter to stand on her own two feet.

This is also one of the few times in Sailor Moon where I ended up feeling genuine sympathy for the villains. In fact, the only member of the Black Moon Family I didn't end up liking a little was Emerald, who learned a lesson the hard way about "jealousy being a terrible monster" (to quote an oft-repeated "Sailor Moon Says" segment). I was kinda hoping Diamond and Sapphire would be able to start over with the Weird Sisters; Prisma really liked Sapphire. Maybe they'll meet them in a happier place someday...

I also began the More Silly Symphonies Walt Disney Treasures set. Most of the cartoons on the first disc are rare black-and-white season-themed shorts. As Leonard Maltin pointed out in his introduction, these cartoons are primitive and repetitive but still quite charming, with their rubbery characters and adorable dances perfectly timed to popular classical pieces.