"In the name of the Moon..."

It all started with a thread at Film Score Monthly. It was about a petition to release the music composed by Bob Summers for the DiC dub of "Sailor Moon"*. The thread was established way the hell back in 2013, forcing me to wonder how I neglected it the first time around. I clicked on a video where a suite of music was performed by an orchestra. It was pretty decent.

Of course, this burrowed into my brain and inspired me to seek out the various score tracks. With every piece of music, the memories of watching this show early in the morning on channel 29 when I probably should've been getting ready for school came crashing back.

I found several compilation videos of score cues, including one comprised of 40 minutes worth. Also, I downloaded a link to a collection that Summers and producing partner Don Perry (BTW, both familiar names from their work on Richard Band's Metalstorm!) had unearthed. Clearly, the nostalgia bug bit hard. At an article on The Mary Sue about the soundtrack, I verbalized some of the above thoughts, capped off with 'Now, I kinda want to re-watch the show. Is that weird?'. A 40-year-old man wanting to watch old episodes of "Sailor Moon"? I believe that that could comfortably fit into the category of 'weird'.

Idly surfing YouTube last night, I happened upon one of those re-animated videos where a bunch of artists reproduce an episode of a cartoon utilizing their own inimitable style. The episode, in question: "Fractious Friends". It begins with the Sailor Scouts hunting down Serena. It seems that their friendship is on the outs, something that Queen Beryl and Malachite want to confirm with the help of Ninjana, whose human guise - a pushy photojournalist - seems to always show up where the Scouts are. I only planned to check out a little bit, but I ended up watching the whole episode. Moments that I'd seen years ago flooded back into my consciousness. I liked the episode well enough (the brief moment of the Scouts in the style of "Bob's Burgers" made me plotz) and I might be tempted to check out the series. (BTW, as a teenager and a 40-year-old, that lyric from the Barenaked Ladies song is as on-target as ever.)

"Miraculous Ladybug" would certainly seem to be a perfect descendant of "Sailor Moon", but the interminable will-they-or-won't-they between the leads and the cartoonish malice of the show's mean girl(s) keep it from sticking the landing. Nothing quite compares to the original.

* - While I wouldn't turn it away if some label were to put it out, there are animation soundtracks I would love to see released first. One user at YouTube has been uploading collections of 'Every episode title card of (insert series here)' and listening to the different snippets of music for each of the title cards to "My Life as a Teenage Robot" and "The Penguins of Madagascar" reminded me of how eclectic James L. Venable and Adam Berry were allowed to be on their respective shows. Good times.

Even though I had no desire to see the movie - a situation I see no change in given the reviews - I still can’t believe that there’s no soundtrack album - even as a digital download - for Danny Elfman’s score to The Woman in the Window.

Whose dick do I have to rip off to rectify this problem post haste?