Moon Tiara Action! - Lessons from Sailor Moon

Perhaps it's considered a little old school nowadays, but Sailor Moon was the manga and anime that led to the creation basically every existing magical girl show. Tokyo Mew Mew, Pretty Cure, Mermaid Melody Pitchi Pitchi Pitch Pure the list goes on - and on. Entrancing the world with oh-so-deadly attacks ("Bubble Spray" and "Venus Love Me Chain!" being a few among the many) and the flaring mini skirts of their sailor fuku's that are probably not the most practical for fighting aliens - the Sailor Moon fandom is somewhat verging on an anime cult. However, there are a two valuable lessons we have learnt from this popular series..
Really.

1) Guys aren't the only ones who can kick ass.

Aside from the slightly cheesy lines, you have to give the Sailor Senshi credit - after all, they just SAVED PLANET EARTH FROM ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION MULTIPLE TIMES.. On top of this, they have exams, relationship problems, and still manage to run really fast in absurdly heeled boots. Let's face it, while Tuxedo Mask is useful and occasionally saves Usagi (Sailor Moon), when it comes down to the final battle, the girls are always the ones defeating the evil nemesis of all holy (?) evilness. It really makes you think, if Sailor Mercury can have time to run Jadeite over with a plane and still get straight A's what the hell am I doing with my life?

2) Being nice really does pay off.

What would have happened if Sailor Moon hadn't been nice enough to stop those boys from abusing a certain bald patched cat at the start of the series? Nothing, at all - that's what. Without saving Luna from those stupid brutes, she would never have discover Luna was a talking cat, she would never hear about her destiny, carry on with her normal life and Sailor V(enus) would be the lone warrior against Queen Beryl and probably get run over by a plane by Jaedite or something. If being nice got Usagi, a middle school student who got 30% on her tests, to the moon (literally) think about what it could do for you....

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On a completely different note, it was Kamui Gakupo's (the Vocaloid, that is) birthday yesterday! Though I'm pretty sure Vocaloids don't age, it doesn't give us any reason not to celebrate this event. For my part, I've decided to make a playlist of my favourite Gakupo songs.

Dr. Realist

Bite Size Summary: Tells the story of a somewhat pessimistic Doctor who is telling others of his philosophy onstage. I love how the song gets faster and faster as the Doctor gets more warped into his theories and then settle down again as he regains his self awareness.

Episode 0

Bite Size Summary: The winning entry of the a contest for composing a song with the Vocaloid "Gakupo". The prize was that Gackt, the famous voice donor, would sing this song. The introduction with the flute is amazing and overall it's truly deserving of it's title.

Dancing Samurai

Bite Size Summary: A cute song that tells the tale of a, well, dancing samurai. This was made by the same person who put together "Episode 0" if I'm correct. Rest assured, this is the version without the loincloth and Kaito wearing a horse head...

Soul Without Destination

Bite Size Summary: I couldn't find the translation of the lyrics in English, but it is a truly great song. The guitar and the drums are perfect together and I like the j-rock edge.

Battle of The Magnets

When "Magnet" was first released, the Vocaloid fan base was captivated by the somewhat scandalous song. Love it or hate it, Miku and Luka's love duet undeniably made an impact. Spawning numerous covers and rip off butterfly headphones on dubious online shopping sites, the influence is still stands strong to this day. The only question is: Which Magnet is the best Magnet?

Luka x Miku

Since this is the original song, it really works quite well. Personally, I don't ship this pairing though I can see the reason why people would because of the rival/friend dynamic that Miku and Luka have in practically every song. The lower voice of Luka matches Miku's higher voice beautifully and the only criticism I have is that this would sound a whole lot better if I wasn't drinking this really bitter orange juice.

Kaito x Gakupo

The funny thing is, I stumbled across this version before the original. I like the cute slide show of fan art in this particular PV which makes it different from the typical butterfly headphone and almost kissing image. One thing I dislike about this is that Gakupo sounds slightly more robotic but that's expected since he is a computer programme. It also helps that I'm a KaitoGakupo fangirl - I have this on my Ipod.

Rin x Len

The Rin and Len duo is always a popular pairing among the Vocaloid fandom so this cover was somewhat expected. This version is effective because of the similar voices (well, technically the same voice because they have the same voice donor) so they blend really well together. That said, the whole twincest thing is still sort of illegal... though I suppose Vocaloids don't really abide to the law considering the various murders and other nefarious deeds they commit.

Kaito x Len

While I like the artwork on this one, it kind of creeps me out. Not because Kaito is a bit older than Len or because they're both male... No, the thing that disturbs me is that Kaito sings higher than Len. That aside, I do like the interesting harmony in the chorus, it's really nice and adds a new element to a song that's been done so many times.

Meiko x Luka



As one of the less popular Vocaloids, some of Meiko's songs end up sounding quite robotic and forced - this is one of them. Though it's not really something she can change herself, it irritates me as it her cryptic way of singing in this one butchers what could have been a decent cover. Luka does a good job as always though.

Gakupo x Gumi

Yes guys, it is indeed Gakupo in the image despite his blue hair. I've always had a soft spot for Gumi because despite not being immensely popular like Miku, most of her songs are pretty good - also she can enunciate (with the exception of I-Fantasy). I like the harmonies between Gakupo's deeper voice and Gumi's higher voice and the interesting arrangement. The only thing I'm not really sold on is the Gakupo-who-looks-like-Kaito in the PV.

THE VERDICT:

To be fair, I haven't listed or listed all the possible 'Magnet' covers because it's almost impossible due to the number of pairings. Since Vocaloid songs are for the most part fanmade, that makes everything canon in an odd way so really, you can ship whoever you like. (Yes, even Ryoto the Melon with Big Al though I wouldn't recommend it.) Out of these six I've chosen, my favourite musically would have to be the Rin x Len version because their voices just blend together so naturally. Shipping wise, I still like the Kaito x Gakupo  the best because they are my favourite couple.

What do you think?

x Emiko Takada