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ADV Films presents

Sailor Moon (DiC) #14: Love Conquers All (1992)

"Finally, the Negamoon will be avenged and the heartless people of Earth will be destroyed!"- Wicked Lady (Liz Wartenberg Brown)

Stars: Tracey Moore, Jill Frappier, Karen Bernstein, Tony Daniels, Naz Edwards
Other Stars: Mary Long, Katie Griffin, Dennis Akayama, Terri Hawkes, Kirsten Bishop, Julie Lemieux, Kevin Lund, Colin O'Meara, Stephanie Morganstern, Roland Parliament, Nadine Rabinovitch, Susan Roman, Ron Rubin, Norma Dell'Agnese, Jennifer Griffiths, Kathleen Laskey, Robert Tinkler, Alice Poon, Liz Wartenberg Brown
Director: Junichi Sato

MPAA Rating: Not RatedRun Time: 01h:48m:06s
Release Date: 2003-01-07
Genre: anime

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B B-B+A- D

 

DVD Review

Artemis: Do you think they're trying to take over the Earth with their Negaenergy again?
Sailor Moon: Not while I'm here!

The fourteenth and final installment in the English only version of Sailor Moon brings the saga to a close with five more episodes. As the showdown with the Negamoon approaches, a new figure emerges from the shadows as the force behind the evil Negamoon. As Wiseman reveals who he is working for, he is about to recruit a new partner who will help unleash the power of the Dark Crystal upon an unsuspecting Earth, with only our five Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask to thwart his nefarious plans.

The girls are still in the future as the disc opens, where Wiseman plays on Rini's insecurities, twisting her memories, turning her into one of the Negaverse's minions, and a new foe for the Sailor Scouts as the Wicked Lady. Meanwhile, Prince Diamond feels his revenge is within his grasp, but Sapphire has his reservations, as the Negamoon family heads back to the past to complete their mission to destroy Tokyo.

Sapphire discovers Wiseman's true intentions, but is unable to warn his brother before Wiseman confronts him. However, he escapes back to Earth, where Prisma and her sisters find him, trying to nurse him back to health. Wicked Lady is busy chumming up with Prince Diamond, assisting in the Negamoon's nefarious plot. Sailor Moon tries to get Rini to give up her evil influence.

The dark crystal is growing in the heart of Tokyo, and Tuxedo Mask plans to penetrate it. When the Scouts follow his lead, Sailor Moon comes face to face with Prince Diamond, who is still reeling from Wiseman's latest deed. Diamond tries to use his charms on Serena to bring her over to his side.

The stage is set for the battle between Wicked Lady and Sailor Moon, as the Scout tries to convince Rini that she has been deceived by the forces of Negamoon. The power of the Dark Crystal has reached the point where the dark gate can open, and Wiseman is anxious to fulfill his mission. The Scouts prepare to face their most powerful adversary yet in the Doom Phantom, and it's going to take everything they've got to defeat him.

In what amounts to a recap episode, the final installment introduces two new unnamed Scouts, and as the girls speculate on who they are, the future leadership of the Sailor Scouts is up for debate. Each of the girls demonstrates her merit, as the villains from the past are remembered.

The first four episodes play out fairly well, building up to the inevitable make or break conflict, where good must triumph over evil, and the power of love must prevail. Truthfully, the series should have ended there, as the closer is highly redundant and anticlimactic filler, and does not do anything to provide actual closure. Now that I've seen the whole series in its English form, a few criticisms that are warranted. First, the romance angle which has been central to the story is never fully resolved. Also, I don't know how the original Japanese version handled it, but in the English script, background details, especially with new villains, are done in a slipshod fashion, with references appearing out of the blue without being properly introduced, which I found confusing at times. There is plenty of action throughout, but the plot never runs very deep, simply churning the same scenario over again with slight variations. The characters do manage to develop along the way, but remain somewhat superficial, though considering the target audience, that isn't unexpected. Overall, the series is enjoyable, but works better in small doses. The repetition and predictability are glaring when watched in chunks, though this may not be as obvious to younger viewers.

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicno


Image Transfer Review: Image quality is consistent with previous discs in the series. Colors are well rendered but somewhat muted; black levels are solid. There is some minor rainbowing, a bit of aliasing, and some minor print damage. Overall this is pretty good.

Image Transfer Grade: B+
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
DS 2.0Englishno


Audio Transfer Review: English stereo audio is solid with a nice, full sound. Dialogue is clear and easy to discern. No technical anomalies were noted.

Audio Transfer Grade: A- 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 5 cues and remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Princess Nine, Sakura Wars TV, Medabots, Chance POP Session, Sonic the Hedgehog. Queen Emeraldas
Packaging: Scanavo
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extras Review: Extras are limited to trailers for Princess Nine, Sakura Wars TV, Medabots, Chance POP Session, Sonic the Hedgehog and Queen Emeraldas.

Extras Grade: D
 

Final Comments

These five episodes wrap up the English version of Sailor Moon. ADV has done a respectable job with the property from a quality and value perspective, even if it is devoid of extras. Purists will want to hold out for ADV's forthcoming unedited Japanese language version.

Jeff Ulmer 2003-07-24