Hello again. First off, let me apologize for the lateness of this recap. A lot of this month was spent prepping to go back to school; and the class I am taking will be occupying the bulk of my time until mid-June or so. I still want to give you some content in that time; as well as start my marathon of the Pokémon movies from the third one onward in April. That said, I’m satisfied with the momentum I’ve built up over this quarter, so I think I’ll ease out March with some old Sailor Moon. So, as I work on losing the weight I’ve gained over winter; let’s open up “Slim City” and see our friend Serena do the same thing.
After a brief preview of what lies ahead, we once again get that great theme song. It’s every bit as catchy as a certain space opera they seem to be aping in the opening.
We open on Serena being distraught when she found out she gained half a pound. Despite her parents trying to reassure her, she’s once again bawling at her imagined girth. I type this as someone whose indulgence in holiday entrees and desserts has put me on the body type of a Star Trek V or Star Trek VI Shatner; though I’m thankful I’ve never hit his Boston Legal frame.
Luna takes the opportunity to mock her for this; drawing a picture of her as a little piglet. Even so, I kind of like ladies with a little meat on their bones; even if I didn’t mind the truer-to-the-manga redesigns for Crystal (still working on that one; even if it’s been dubbed, I want to finish the subs first).
Queen Beryl decides to take advantage of the fitness craze sweeping the town; and sends Jedite to carry out her will. Of course. What is an evil sorceress without her faithful servant?
The next day, Serena talks over her weight with her classmates; who tell her not to worry about it.
At that moment, their teacher, Miss Haruna comes in with a new look and a slender frame! Fancy that!
Melvin, resident nerd; has also taken some candid before and after photos; which the girls question how he took them. I personally wonder the same thing about the shots he got of Kate Mulgrew at the Star Trek convention!
When he’s found out; he sheepishly decides to bail.
After discovering which gym she went to, the girls head there after school in order to shape themselves for swimsuit season!
As Serena takes on the rowing machine; I must note the workout clothes of both herself and the instructor just reek of the ‘90s. While the buruma are still a common form of activewear for young women in Japan, her trainer’s spandex look like he walked in from an old episode of American Gladiators.
She then decides to take a mineral bath; and I also note that DiC digitally added more bubbles in the water to hide her form. Again, I’ve watched the Japanese version for a frame of reference; and I’m just doing this dub for nature of a good natured-ribbing. I do like this episode, for the record.
Of course, the other ladies are led into this machine that saps their energy; which Jedite claims is a “Rejuvenation pod.”
After staggering out of the gym and spooking a little boy over his “donuts” (really pork buns from the Japanese version; but still more convincing than trying to pass off rice balls like that in “Primeape Goes Bananas”); she once again looks over the poster for the Sailor V game at the arcade.
As she collapses in Andrew’s arms; Andrew determines that she’s not eating like she normally does, and helps perk her up with a lemonade. Works in a pinch; given a lot of those have as much sugar as my Mountain Dew Voltage; to say nothing of the newly-relaunched Surge (it’s only on shelves till August, so I’m taking advantage of it).
So, Andrew takes her out to lunch; after which she buys a bag of “donuts” for dessert. I put that one in quotes because, again, they’re pork buns. Least they can pass a cosmetic test for some.
Serena then bumps into Darien; who catches the “donut” she tossed at him, smugly biting into it as he establishes his early persona; before he and Serena started dating. He even eventually marries her! It’s a perfect example of the “deal with it” meme; complete with sunglasses, even when the internet was still in its infancy at the time of airing.
Miss Haruna; looking like some junkie on a street corner; is lured back into Jedite’s trap; and forgive me for finding his purple and green sweatsuit ridiculously funny. It’s just so ‘90s it hurts.
After Serena returns to the gym; Luna realizes something is up. She orders Serena to go investigate at her claws, as she transforms into Sailor Moon.
(pfft) Sorry, I just find it really funny the way he Jedite is dressed. It’s almost as tacky as Coolio’s dreadlocks in hindsight!
In the basement of the gym, Serena engages the personal trainers, but they’re under Jedite’s spell!
Even if it’s tough, Serena is encouraged to fight. She clobbers all the trainers and finishes them off with her moon crescent power!
So, we close on a Sailor Says that’s actually a pretty good message compared to the pilot: while good diet and exercise are important, it’s never good to just stop eating and work out to exhaustion.
“Slim City” is yet another case of the delightful cheesiness that is the DiC dub of Sailor Moon. While the uncut and subbed versions are indeed superior; there’s just something charming about its camp value. For my 5-year-old self, it just hit all the right notes before Star Trek came on my UPN affiliate in California. The show itself is also a subconscious reason I admire the likes of Katniss Everdeen, Black Widow, and now Rey.
Also, forgive the lack of screen caps; but due to time, I wasn’t able to get them in. My CWE class looks quite busy, but you may see me re-edit this recap and put them in; as per my original vision.
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