This is the 3rd volume of the new edition of BSSM mangá series. I love Sailor Moon since I first watched the anime when I was 8-9 years old and when I found out there was a manga, I had to read it. The first time I did was almost 9-10 years ago, through an website who had the english scan )in very low quality, but still) and I loved it instantly. So, when the 10 year anniversary of the anime came around and Naoko Takeuchi finally released the rights to get the new edition of the manga published here in Brazil, I HAD TO BUY THIS BEAUTY BECAUSE OMG THE ARTWORK IS GORGEOUS. AND THERE ARE COLORED PAGES. Plus, even though I remembered most of the story, I needed to refresh some details.
I love how darker this is, how much Takeuchi worried about the details - the greek/roman mythology references, the moon rabbit legend, the lost Moon Princess tale, the zodiac inspiration...they are in everything, from the name of the characters, to their personalities, their style, their power...it was all so well though out! - how the plot moves quickly (unlike the anime, that has too many fillers), and how progressive, for it's period, it is.
This volume closes the Classic arc and starts the Black Moon arc (or R, in the anime) and because of that it's not one of my favorites. The final battle against the Dark Kingdom and Metallia is amazing and fast paced (but not rushed) and it's one of my favorite battles. The Black Moon arc is the problem. I like the idea of this arc, introducing Crystal Tokyo and some characters that will be of importance later on, but it has the only thing that makes this volume (and the next one as well) lose an entire star: ChibiUsa. THIS ANNOYING, BRATTY LITTLE GIRL MAKES ME WANT TO THROW THE MANGA OUT THE WINDOW. Seriously. Unfortunately, she's a constant in this arc, so I'll have to bear with her.
On to volume 5!