The trouble with most movies derived from a TV show are they don't always stand on their own, most of the time it just feels like their branching off from their source. This film I really love because it did what I felt "Sailor Moon R the movie" didn't really do which was stand as it's own movie.
Based off of a mini arc from the comic series, what really makes this film and story unique is the fact that it's not about Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon and the rest are practically second string characters. Even it's plot and the action going on really by it's nature is just a sugar coated topping. It was really focused on one unlikely character Luna. The Luna character was always just a mentor or narrative device in the series, in this story we actually get to see her become a real character.
I even like the other characters two that aren't regular characters of the series. Kakura and Himako both of them are not cliché generic characters which is a fundamental problem most TV shows have, but they do feel like just that people. Himako despite not seeing her much in the movie we can see is beautiful (she could almost be Setsuna/Sailor Pluto's sister), has a sweet persona, is a person of science that believe in the facts and does have aspirations mainly of being with Kakura forever. Kakura is an astronomer whom believes and is fascinated with things that science hasn't touched upon he also has aspirations as well. I do like some of the interaction between the two you do get a sense of history along with certain things he says about her but their relationship is not on stable ground which I'll get to latter. Artimis is good despite also being in the film for very little time but you do feel for him as we see he has feeling for Luna that are beyond friendship.
You really feels a strong sense of pathos for Luna because her feelings for the man Kakara are very human. Even though he talks to her about certain things that she shares the same interest unfortunately she is unable to talk back to him even though she want to, nor really have a physical presence to him as a regular human would because after all she is a cat. Like with the angels from "Wings of Desire" they can observe mortals, but can never touch or be seen.
There is a parallel going on with all four of them. Kakara and Himako it's both a physical and personal distance, both of them have been apart for a long while so it's understandable why Kakara would be a little embittered but just simply in what ideologies they believe in. For Luna it's obvious she want a way to be with Kakara physically. Artimis it's to simply come out with how he feels about Luna and be more than friends.
There's is a bit of a universal sensibility from one standpoint those who have a relationship with someone from a certain business that requires a lot of time or travel, or someone in the military that has to go on a tour of duty, on another standpoint it's the common dilemma of having feelings for another person but not finding the guts to express them. The common theme in all this is all about distance, how truly hard it is to be close when miles or even mere steps away. This is something I can relate to because there was a girl I had feelings for but didn't have the guts to tell her.
This makes the romance all the more enduring, you not just want the right people to get together but you want them to somehow close the distance and the only way to do that is to reach out to each other, by it's nature it's really easy it only looks hard the only thing blocking them is them. And the ending really gave me a good feeling at the end which is something I don't get enough.
No one is alone forever once you close the distance.
Rating: 3 and a half stars
