When the Sailor Guardians are rescued by Sailor Venus, they learn that the enigmatic heroine formerly known as Sailor V is in fact the princess they've been searching for. After this shocking revelation is made, it becomes clear that this supposed princess is hiding something.
"Act 8 Minako -SAILOR V-" fully introduces the final member of the Sailor Team -- Sailor Venus. The episode cleverly interprets the character as a veteran to the superhero game who is not quite ready to work with the others too closely. She's hiding something and this mystery helps to heighten the tension in the series. She and her partner Artemis have full access to their memories of the past, whereas the other characters are still very much in the dark. This unwillingness to share the truth with the others makes for an uneasy alliance and Minako's stubborn independence highlights her dedication to her mission.
After stumbling through the past couple of episodes, the writers seem to be back on track with the series. Sailor Venus' portrayal thus far is spot-on and she's potentially being set up as a major player in the events of Sailor Moon Crystal. The mystery surrounding her character raises the sakes, while the final battle and cliffhanger of this episode served to heighten the suspense. Still, there was one glaring fault in this episode. During the fight scene, Sailor Jupiter is randomly able to generate a force field that enables the others to fly around with her. This sudden manifestation of powers went unexplained and created an unusual 'wtf' moment. Other than that, the plot is most definitely starting to thicken.
After learning that Tuxedo Mask and Mamoru Chiba are the same person, Usagi faces the difficult decision of whether she should keep his identity secret from her friends. Meanwhile, the Dark Kingdom has set their sights on Sailor Moon and are using mind control to encourage the citizens of Tokyo to search for her.
"Act 7 Mamoru -TUXEDO MASK-" picks up right where the previous episode left off. Usagi finds herself in a strange apartment and soon discovers that Tuxedo Mask is really Mamoru. She learns about his past and why he's so determined to find the Silver Crystal. His tragic background is meant to incite sympathy from the viewer, but Mamoru's actions are still questionable. Aside from his creepy behaviour in a previous episode, his asking Usagi to keep his identity secret is suspicious and places her in a very uncomfortable position. It makes it that much more difficult to sympathize with his character. He has nothing to lose from Luna knowing who he is and it's incredibly odd that he doesn't want to ally himself with the Sailor Guardians, despite his obvious affection for Usagi.
As with many of the previous episodes in Crystal, this entry follows the manga's plot very closely (with some minor alterations). As such, it moves the plot along quite nicely and leads to the introduction of Sailor Venus, which acts as the cliffhanger for this particular story. Even still, this episode still feels a lot like filler and the idea of a DVD rental store being popular doesn't translate well for modern audiences. The overall sense the episode leaves is that the first five minutes and the last five minutes were important, while everything in between was just fluff. Sadly, even the confrontation with Zoisite at the end was poorly executed. The Sailor Guardians are taken out almost immediately and Sailor Moon is held by Zoisite. It makes the Guardians seem incompetent and it makes Sailor Moon seem useless for not being able to break free from Zoisite's grip. Thankfully, Sailor Venus breaks up the nonsense of it all with her handy moon-shaped boomerang.
At seven episodes into the series, Sailor Moon Crystal is entering into a holding pattern. Its adherence to the manga's narrative is admirable, but the execution is starting to get a little wonky. By relying more heavily on Queen Beryl's Generals as primary antagonists in battle than the manga did, the Sailor Guardians are rarely victorious and it's typically a last-minute save that enables them to win. It's an unfortunate formula that doesn't match the pacing of the manga. After all, we can't root for the heroines if we know they're going to be defeated after one round of attacks. Still, Crystal is shaping up a whole lot better than the original anime. After all, it took eight episodes just for them to introduce Sailor Mercury in the original anime.
With 17 Grammy Awards and countless other accolades to her name, Beyoncé Knowles is so legendary that she needs only be known by one name. From her role as the frontwoman of Destiny's Child to her career as a solo artist, Beyoncé's voice is instantly iconic and her songs have been pushing musical boundaries for the better part of three decades.
Counted down here are ten of Beyoncé's most memorable and groundbreaking songs, ranging from her greatest commercial successes to her more experimental offerings.
10. "Listen"
Writers: Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Beyoncé Knowles
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: #61
Written for the movie musical Dreamgirls, "Listen" is a sweeping R&B ballad sung from the perspective of Deena Jones (as portrayed by Beyoncé). In the song, Deena rises above being underestimated and counted out by those around her. It's a powerful anthem of self-empowerment that features one of her finest vocal performances to date.
09. "XO"
Writers: Ryan Tedder, Terius Nash, Beyoncé Knowles
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: #45
As the lead single off of Beyoncé's history-making surprise self-titled album, "XO" was one of the album's few radio-friendly tracks. With its celebratory pop composition and heartfelt lyrics, the song helped to introduce a more mature side of Beyoncé as a singer. It's an honest love song that honours the preciousness of life.
08. "I Was Here"
Writer: Diane Warren
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: N/A
Having written hits for the legendary divas Cher and Celine Dion, songwriter extraordinaire Diane Warren penned the power ballad "I Was Here" for Beyoncé's fourth album 4. Its concerns with the legacies we leave behind speak brilliantly to Beyoncé's status as a role model. Paired with her flawless vocals, this track is one of her most stirring ballads.
07. "Run the World (Girls)"
Writers: Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Beyoncé Knowles, Wesley Pentz, David Taylor, Adidja Palmer Nick van de Wall
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: #29
Female empowerment has long been a recurring theme in Beyoncé's career and "Run the World (Girls)" is easily her most anthemic song. Rather than reflecting upon the inequalities women face, this track takes a more positive spin on feminism and celebrates the power of the female sex. It also marked a significant shift in her career as an artist and provided her fans with a more ambitious sound.
06. "Pretty Hurts"
Writers: Joshua Coleman, Sia Furler, Beyoncé Knowles
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: N/A
As the flipside to "Run the World (Girls)," "Pretty Hurts" takes an honest look at the unrealistic expectations society places on the physical appearance of women. Thanks to the genius of lyrical "It Girl" Sia Furler, this song examines the darker side of beauty and it allowed Beyoncé to explore her own insecurities. The result is both haunting and beautiful.
"Countdown" is a brilliant piece of ear candy that is deliciously catchy and experimental. This dance track serves as one of the standouts from 4 and was a major return to form for the singer. Combined with its stunning music video (complete with Audrey Hepburn references), "Countdown" is the musical equivalent of a pick-me-up.
04. "Irreplaceable"
Writers: Shaffer Smith, Beyoncé Knowles, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjorklund
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: #1
After the lacklustre performance of the lead singles off of her sophomore effort B'Day, Beyoncé released "Irreplaceable" as the album's third single and it led to a definitive moment in her career. Her sassy attitude on the track paired with the chanting lyrics "to the left, to the left" made this guitar-led kiss-off a masterpiece.
03. "Halo"
Writers: Ryan Tedder, Beyoncé Knowles, E. Kidd Bogart
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: #5
As Beyoncé's signature ballad, "Halo" is a transcendent downtempo R&B track from her seminal I Am… Sasha Fierce album. The song showcased a more vulnerable side to the singer and allowed her to indulge in her lower register. "Halo" continues to be one of her most memorable singles and is routinely performed as an encore during her concerts.
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and its Bob Fosse-inspired music video lit the music industry on fire upon its release. The song inspired countless people to record themselves re-enacting the video's choreography and Beyoncé's brash attitude on the track cemented her status as a pop culture icon.
01. "Crazy in Love"
Writers: Beyoncé Knowles, Rich Harrison, Shawn Carter, Eugene Record
Highest Billboard Hot 100 Chart Position: #1
With the release of her debut single "Crazy in Love," Beyoncé announced her presence as a solo star and established herself as a force to be reckoned within the music industry. The song's bombastic horn section paired with Beyoncé's exuberant vocals and Jay-Z's memorable rap verses skyrocketed this record to number one. Even though Beyoncé and Jay-Z have since paired up on many other songs, "Crazy in Love" is a truly magical collaboration that stands strong as Queen Bey's greatest solo effort.
After discovering a mysterious artifact with ties to an enemy her people, Warbird goes rogue and is chased across Cairo by S.H.I.E.L.D. Then, the world is blanketed in snow and it becomes clear that there's only one person responsible -- Iceman. The X-Men must not only save the world, but they must rescue their allies from their inner demons as well.
Astonishing X-Men: Unmasked collects issues #57-59 and #62-68 of Marjorie Liu's run on Astonishing X-Men.
Unmasked offers a variety of stories from the desk of Marjorie Liu. This collection opens with the two-part Warbird-centric arc that deals with the Shi'Ar's complicated relationship with art. She uses these two issues to further develop Warbird's character and flesh her out beyond her role as a warrior. Warbird was one of the standout characters of Liu's run on Astonishing and she did a brilliant job of providing readers with some backstory to the character.
At the heart of this collection, however, is the Iceman-driven snowpocalypse arc. In this story, the X-Men are dealing with the aftermath of X-Tremination and come face-to-face with the reality of Iceman's dark side coming to the forefront. Over the course of this four issue narrative, Liu gets right to the core of Iceman's character and deals with his insecurities in a way that no other writer has done before. Despite being one of the original X-Men, Iceman tends to get ignored by most writers and it's rare to find a story such as this one that places him in a starring role. For that alone, Liu should be celebrated. However, she also provides us with some great cameos of the character's past girlfriends and posits Mystique as the story's secondary antagonist. For fans of the X-Men's resident frosted mutant, this story will not disappoint.
Character development is a crucial selling point for Liu's run on Astonishing and that continues to be the case here. Throughout, she focuses on the intricacies of the X-Men's relationships with one another and indulges in the downtime between missions to give us maximum development. While other writers are eager to toss the characters into battle, Liu takes her time and carefully crafts subplots into her stories for the singular purpose of providing the X-Men with depth. From Northstar's struggles with immigration to Warbird's acceptance of herself as an artist, Liu helps to remind readers that the X-Men are more than just your everyday generic superheroes and that they have personal struggles just like the rest of us.
Astonishing X-Men: Unmasked is a bittersweet ending to Liu's near flawless run on the title. She concludes her tenure with a bang, providing fans with amazing character development and a much-deserved Iceman-centric story. To top it all off, the art is top notch. Phil Noto's covers are gorgeous and Gabriel Hernadez Walta's interiors match the tone of the book perfectly. While there were still some problems with the material, Liu's handle on the characters remained strong and the title was getting addicting. The fact that it was cancelled, and with such a unique team, is sad. Fingers crossed that Liu will return to the Merry Mutants some day!
In a desperate attempt to secure the Legendary Silver Crystal, Queen Beryl's forces hypnotize the citizens of Tokyo and order them to search for the mysterious object. Meanwhile, Usagi struggles to find her place within the team of Sailor Guardians.
"Act 6 -Tuxedo Mask-" serves as the first questionable episode in Sailor Moon Crystal's flawless run so far. The plot itself is riddled with inconsistencies and plot holes. Despite Luna filling the Guardians' in on their mission and her backstory, there's actually not much to this episode. Usagi questions her usefulness and claims that she's 'powerless,' which comes across as being rather odd since we've seen her use her powers offensively before. Another major issue occurs during the climax of the episode. While the rest of the Sailor Guardians are duking it out with Zoisite, Sailor Moon is nowhere to be found. She's shown aimlessly walking around the city, which is puzzling since just moments before she was with the others at the arcade. Of course, there's also the fact that she's surprised that Tuxedo Mask knows who she is when she would have known this from the preceding episode's events.
Truthfully, the episode was a bit of a mess. The animation wasn't quite up to par, there were numerous plot flaws, and the overall narrative felt rushed. Nevertheless, there were some redeeming moments. The Sailor Guardians' battle against Zoisite is a standout moment, particularly since we get to see Mercury using her powers offensively. Another great part of this episode is Sailor V's cameo towards the end. Even still, "Act 6 -Tuxedo Mask-" was a bit of a letdown and felt like filler despite there being the presence of actual plot development.
