Sailor Moon, Vol. 11: The Ties that Bind (1996)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Based upon the original manga by Naoko Takeuchi
English Adaptation by Mycheline Tremblay
Directed by Junichi Sato and Roland Parliament

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Cranky villains
• Friendship morality
• Mean, mean Darien
• Bratty kid (but a little better)

Released by: ADV
Region: 1
Rating: NR, safe for all ages
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Buy it.

This disc, as noted by the subtitle, focuses quite a bit on the relationships and friendships between the show’s characters.

In "Naughty and Nice," Rini bemoans to Luna Ball how lonely she is, and ends up running for her life from the wicked sisters. Meanwhile, Wiseman, closely viewing Sailor Moon and Rini, clues the viewer in to what could be a very important detail. Next, "Prediction of Doom" shows Serena and Rini starting to get along better, but Darien is still having bad dreams of Serena’s destruction and works to make Serena think he’s seeing someone else. Serena is attacked and put into an eternal sleep by one of Prizma’s monsters. In "Enemies No More," Catzy and Mars battle it out, but Mars tries a new tactic--the power of friendship and forgiveness.

"Checkmate" has Mercury pitted against Birdie in a chess match to the finish; will the ice in Birdie’s heart overtake them all? Or can Mercury explain to Birdie what this "friend" thing is all about? "Sibling Rivalry" shows Avery and Prizma attempting to make up for the humiliating loss of their two sisters and show Rubeus that they can be relied upon. But when Rubeus shows how disposable they all are, will Serena and the Scouts seem the more attractive team option? This is also the episode where Rini learns something very interesting about herself and Serena. Finally, in "Rubeus Evens the Score," Emerald threatens Rubeus not to fail again, but Wiseman gives Rubeus some information that could be very useful indeed. Rubeus has lost four allies to Sailor Moon, so it seems fair to him that he take four Scouts away from Serena….

These episodes do a lot to talk about the importance of friendship, not only between the Scouts, even when they fight as they do, but between the villains and between the heroes of the show and Rini. It’s also about how Darien feels he must put aside his love for Serena for her own sake, but is he right to do so? Only time will tell--Serena seems to need his support, but can he help her as Tuxedo Mask and not as a friend?

The art of this show continues to be quite satisfying. The resemblance between Rini and Serena is close enough to be intriguing, but distant enough so that some viewers could put it down to coincidence or an aesthetic preference. Serena also looks so different as Queen of the Moon that we get to see how her personality matures and grows as she takes on responsibilities in the future.

The only down side to this release is the continuing lack of features...and the inexplicable censorship choices. American kids see more violence in a single day than has been removed from the entire series, so it doesn’t help the viewers, but it does serve to alienate many purist fans who feel that any change to the "pristine Japanese original" is "butchering" the show. I disagree given that the show is still wonderful and fun as it is and makes perfect sense, but nor were the edits, strictly speaking, necessary. No fault of ADV's, as they're only presenting these versions as they received them.

In short, if you’re a fan of any magical girl anime, then you’ll love Sailor Moon and if you’re already a fan, then you’ll need to have all of these discs. This disc is great for showing the importance of the girls to each other, truly developing their characters in the face of evil and danger, even willing to make the ultimate sacrifice as in "Rubeus Evens the Score."