The changes in SMC Act 5 were great for the most, and made sense. Many of the moments added strengthened Usagi and Makoto’s relationship, while padding out scenes that felt rushed in the manga.
But the changes in Act 6 made very little since, like Usagi hesitating to transform in front of Mamoru after she pretty much admitted that she was Sailor Moon. I don’t know what happened in the last episode, but the writing was sloppier than usual.
This! As much as everyone was disappointed with the lack of Groom!Usagi and stuff, it was really clear things like that were sacrificed and/or replaced for a stronger whole, and the episode was incredibly solid. The story was tight and every moment did something. Act 5 was already likely to be my favorite act, but if I try and be objective I still think it’s Crystal’s best work so far.
And 6… there isn’t much for me to add to what you said, except that it’s also loose and slow and honestly a little boring. The events don’t seem to connect in any definite sense (even within single scenes! *points to your example*).
But the more I think about it, the more I think Act 6 will be a one off. Thinking of the Dark Kingdom arc, Act 6 is probably the least important act. Even for Mamoru fans, Act 7 is when the important stuff gets revealed. So maybe (hopefully) the writers just couldn’t be bothered with this episode because they were ready to write more pressing scenes, or figured if they could be lazy once, now was the time, or something which is still bad for them to do, but doesn’t mean that we should expect this quality in the future.
SittingOverHereDreaming 