From: chriskern99@gmail.com   
      
   SMR -   
      
   I didn't really know what to expect going into this season.  As I said   
   before, I had never seen it all in one continuous viewing, and my   
   opinion of it was rather low -- I always had the impression that it   
   was basically just a copy off the original season.   
      
   In fact, I think SMR is far better than the original season.  If you   
   ignore the rather uninspired Ail/Ann arc, the Black Moon Arc has a   
   much better sense of plot development and a much more complex   
   storyline than the original series.  Chibi-Usa is an interesting   
   character that creates both mystery and interest, and is a nice   
   addition to the cast (at least IMO).   
      
   On the other hand, I think the conclusion of Classic is a lot better   
   than R.  I still think episode 46 is one of the most intense and   
   well-executed episodes of the series, and episode 88 of R did copy a   
   few too many elements from that conclusion for my taste.  But the   
   first 44 episodes of Classic are mostly forgettable filler, whereas   
   the majority of R is more entertaining.  The writers had a much better   
   sense of how to create a filler episode that is interesting than they   
   seemed to in Classic.   
      
   SMS -   
      
   Now we come to what is the most well respected season of the show.   
   Many people consider it their favorite (I put it second behind Stars),   
   due to the more complex morality and the new characters.   
      
   Having watched Classic and R right before this, I can see how some of   
   the events there might shape her actions and decisions in this series   
   -- up to now, Usagi has seen two of the people close to her turn evil   
   but then be saved again.  She's seen a number of evil people turn to   
   good (Nephrite, the 4 sisters, and Saphir and Demand to a certain   
   extent).  Both of the major villians were defeated through her   
   teamwork with the other senshi (and TM, and Chibi-Usa).  I think that   
   going through all of this may have affected her outlook on dealing   
   with problems, and especially the idea that some sort of sacrifice   
   might be necessary to acheive the greater good.  That's the major   
   ideological conflict of S.   
      
   Anyway, episode 90 tomorrow.  If you've been waiting for S to start,   
   jump in and begin posting!  Even if you don't actually watch each   
   episode along with us, make the comments anyway.   
      
   -Chris   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)