Sailor Moon Workout Master Post

1. The Beauty Workout

My Favorite 10 Sailor Moon Youma

I have always been a big fan of all the various monsters sent out in Sailor Moon and how bizarre and creepy they can be. These are my favorite ten youma, the monsters sent out by the Dark Kingdom in season one. They are based on personality, creep factor, ability, and interaction with the "good guys". Don't see your favorite on the list? Comment below and tell us yours!

10. Boxy

Boxy is one of the Seven Great Youma, the youma who were already reincarnated into human beings, humans who didn't know that they held these monstrous beings inside of them. It became Zoisite's duty to recover them to serve the Dark Kingdom.

Boxy makes my list just because he's so wonderfully absurd.

That's right. I'm a boxer and an angel.

9. Derella

Derella is a half-dressed, ice queen-looking, bitch sent by Jadeite to absorb the energy of eager young starlets looking to find their fame in a local talent show.

The cold never bothered me anyway.

She is not, however, an ice queen, but, instead, a glass....queen... She uses a spitting ability to immobilize a famous singer so she can steal her identity. From this position, she gathers students, police men, and anyone who will listen to her hypnotic powers to try out for her special talent show, the winner of which, will be a star! Luring in helpless victims in this manner, she and her master Jadeite, intend to steal great deals of energy for the dark kingdom.

Spitting streams of glass? No wonder she's screaming!

Derella makes spot 9 on my list because of her snarky attitude, her creepy spit powers, oh, and because of this.

I'm not sure glass is supposed to do that.

8. Rikoukeidar

Another Rainbow Crystal inhabitant, Rikoukeidar was one of the Seven Great Youma, like Boxy, but, is far more terrifying in ability. In addition to dodging explosions, the Sailor Scouts had to avoid their own attacks thrown back at them because of this youma's abilities. That's never a good day, in any anime.

Not too hard on the eyes though, you know, for a green lady.

7. Petasos

Petasos is one pissed off version of Mother Nature who is infuriated that man is destroying the world in the way that he is. Nephrite uses her to take up residence in the hat of a saddened, old, man who will soon have to give up his job tending to the gardens of a beautiful park, because the city intends to build a mall over it. She grows his bitterness until his peak, using his energy to explode into her true form and wreak havoc in the name of the Dark Kingdom.

Even her hair is angry with you.

In addition to having way cooler hair than I'll ever have, Petasos makes the seventh spot in my list because she has the ability to control nature itself to her will.

Now I'm jealous of her powers and her hair.

6. Cameran

Cameran (I love the pun names, I really do) is a youma placed by Nephrite in the camera of a talented young photographer who was beginning to worry he had lost his passion for the art. She drove him into a frenzy of desperately trying to photograph as many beautiful, young women as possible, when, previously, he had only taken pictures of nature. Once his energy had reached its peak, she burst forward in her true form.

Those shoulders though.

As if her physical structure wasn't unsettling enough as it is, her frenzy for capturing the energy of others was done in a manner that was horrifying to say the least. She uses an eyeball inside of her hand, along with a brilliant light, to capture people inside of pictures, where, if it weren't for Sailor Moon, they'd be trapped for eternity. Her unnerving physical form and abilities are why I think she's deserves a spot in my top ten favorite youma.

People forget how fucking creepy Sailor Moon can be.

5. Bakene

In the most adorable little love story between a rather plump Earth cat and his crush on Luna, Sailor Moon's cat from the moon kingdom, Rhett Butler (yes, the cat's name is Rhett Butler) discovers that he, too, is the holder of a Rainbow Crystal, and thus, one of the Seven Great Youma.

Now, try not to judge me too hard here, but...kitties.

Isn't he just the cuddliest little thing?

4. Jumeau

In my previous writing, I wrote about the episode with Usagi's little brother Shingo and his friend Mika. In that same episode is a wonderfully creepy youma named Jumeau. In addition to throwing evil porcelain dolls flying at her enemies

She

looks

like

this.

3. Castor and Pollux

Yes, I realized I listed two names. These two are a package deal. Nephrite implanted these two in a young, competitive artist. Driven by the drive implanted in her by their dark energy to be the best, she reached her peak point, drawing Castor and Pollux into the world to sap her of her energy for the Dark Kingdom.

I seriously adore this character design.

I personally have a weakness for a good duo that shows some sort of duality or symmetry. The two worked together to "mimic" Sailor Scout attacks in this beautiful dance of working together. I am just a sucker for stuff like that.

2. Shakoukai

This. Youma. Kills me. She was absolutely hysterical. In the episode featuring Shakoukai, a prominent etiquette school opens up to lure Sailor Moon out of hiding. Since she's known as unbearably clumsy and unrefined. When Shakoukai believes she's finally figured out who Sailor Moon is, she appears, clad in various shells, looking rather elegant. However, she has a strange sort of stupidity about her. She's so wrapped up in grammar and proper formality, that she's easily outraged or distracted, which Sailor Moon uses to her advantage. Pair her amazing character design with this irresistible humor and I just can't get enough of watching her exasperation with Sailor Moon!

If only tea solved all our problems.

1. Murid

This one is my favorite! We made it to the top of the list! If I ever get the opportunity, I'd truly love to cosplay as her because her character design is phenomenal. Personality wise her character goes from the epitome of unbearably precious to the most wonderfully creepy incarnation of evil. Let's do a before and after, shall we?

Before

After

In addition to this character design and personality switching that I am just in love with, she has the ability to control your "dreams". Not sleepy-time dreams, but those precious thoughts we hold dear in our hearts and hope to come true; that's what she uses to turn against us, using hallucinations sent forth from her control of her dark apple.

Snow White and the Evil Queen wrapped up in one creepy doll.

Now, there are tons of monsters of various kinds throughout the Sailor Moon series. These were only my favorite from season one. Comment with your favorite Sailor Moon monsters from any season! Ever cosplayed as one or know someone who has? Share that with us too!

5 Times Anime Taught Us the Gift of Giving

With Christmas quite literally around the corner, I began to mentally scroll through my head all those precious scenes in various anime devoted to the trope of buying your loved one that something special. I'm sure the trope is familiar to many of you. Person A needs that extra special something for Person B. Person A wracks their brain, asks all their friends for advice, goes to every store in town, etc., to come up with something that is just right. Hilarity and heartfelt moments to follow.

With that picture in mind, here are 5 Times Anime Taught Us the Gift of Giving.

5. Shiro plays the piano with Hina - Ouran High School Host Club

In a "reverse-harem" anime that takes great joy at mixing heartfelt moments with making fun of itself, we have episode number 6, "The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!" an episode devoted to the story of a young boy named Shiro.

Shiro is a young boy who is deeply upset over the fact that his crush, Hina, will be moving away soon. In his desperation to show her how much he cares about her, he seeks out one of our main characters, Tamaki, a vain, lady's man who, believe it or not, actually has a heart of gold. It takes the majority of the episode for Tamaki to realize that Shiro's pleas of trying to "woo women" were really just his poor worded attempts at trying to find a way to win the heart of the classmate he adored. Once our slow, but lovable Tamaki realized this, it was easy to discover that all Hina wanted was to play the piano with Shiro again before she had to move, but Shiro was unskilled at the piece Hina had been wanting to play with him. Tamaki, a rather adept piano player himself, then devotes serious attention to teaching Shiro how to play the piece. In the end, Shiro was able to play with Hina before she had to move, thus giving her the only gift she really wanted from him to begin with.

She is ready to be wooed.

The Lesson ~ Nothing is more valuable than quality time.

4. Shingo makes Mika a pig...I mean...a Sailor Moon figurine - Sailor Moon

In this magical girl series, Sailor Moon, aka Usagi, has a little brother to whom this episode, "Shingo's Love: The Grieving Doll", is largely devoted. Her little brother, Shingo, in a moment of insecurity from being picked on, makes a mistake that causes the a doll to shatter to pieces on the floor. It just so happens that this doll was carefully crafted by his friend, and was so precious to her, especially since it had recently won a very renowned reward for its design.

Shingo's heart is immediately broken but he fails to properly apologize for his action. As he's walking home, he remembers to himself how much Mika, his friend, loves Sailor Moon. He decides to use clay to make her a Sailor Moon figurine. He works very hard on it and works up the nerve to bring it to her, in the hopes that it makes it up to her. Unfortunately, a monstrous youma shatters it before it can ever be received, but he was able to help save her life instead, which Mika was, of course, very grateful for.

In the end, Mika ended up making Shingo a Sailor Moon figurine, and isn't that what Christmas is really all about?

The Lesson ~ Sometimes you have to be brave to give to others.

3. Ikaros buys a watermelon...for herself... - Heaven's Lost Property

Heaven's Lost Property is a wonderful mixture of ecchi silliness and science fiction drama. In, "Shoot Out! Fishing At the Jumbo Carnival of Dreams", episode nine of this series, an angeloid named Ikaros is given an allowance by her "master". She is so thankful that, despite him telling her to spend it in whatever way she wants, she asks each of their friends advice on what to get for Tomoki, the one she calls master, to show her appreciation for him.

After a great deal of emotional turmoil over the decision, Ikaros finally buys herself a watermelon, the one thing she loves most, after her master, of course. Tomoki ends up being so pleased that she spends the money on herself, that that ended up being a gift to him in and of itself, in its own strange way.

If you've not seen the series, I promise you're underestimating just how much she loves watermelons.

The Lesson ~ The best gifts think first of what the recipient wants.

2. Trunks and Goten give Videl "cosmetics" - Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super (if there are even any of you that aren't watching this amazing series right now) extends the story of Dragon Ball into a time period where all is at relative peace and our beloved collection of protagonists have come together to live happy, fulfilled, and interconnected lives.

In episode one of Dragon Ball Super, "The Peace Reward - Who Will Get the 100 Million Zeni?", we're privy to a precious scene where Goten tells Trunks that he wants to get Videl something nice now that she's married to his big brother. They first try the jewelry store and are completely unimpressed by the size of the gems that are available. Next, after some pondering, they try a cosmetics store, but it's all too expensive (as if the jewelry wouldn't be!). At the jewelry store, they overhear an old man talking about the regenerative properties of the springs in his home village. Elated, the boys head off to find it and eventually return to Videl's and Gohan's home with a big glass jug of water they call "cosmetics". Videl's very kind, plays along, and thanks them greatly for the excellent skin care they've given her.

Nothing says "Congratulations on your marriage!" like...water......

The Lesson ~ It's always the thought that counts.

1. Juvia knits Gray a scarf - Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail is an amazing series that combines excellent character development with highly interconnected stories while still taking time to be absolutely, off-the-wall, ridiculous from time to time. It's the story of a wizard guild of closely knit wizards who always have each other's backs. In this world, wizard guilds are sought out for various jobs that need doing, but sometimes the series takes a break to do slice of life, wizard style.

In episode 45, 413 days, a very excitable and cheerful young psychopath woman named Juvia reveals that it's the 413th anniversary of the day she met her dear Gray-sama. Now, to be clear, there is no "official" relationship between Juvia and Gray, but, just try telling Juvia that. She asks everyone advice but everyone is far too eager to say what they'd want instead of being helpful as to what Gray would want, you know, for the 413th anniversary that he doesn't know about. After trying and positively failing to make a cake, Juvia realizes that making her precious Gray-sama a gift doesn't have to be done in a way that she has absolutely zero skill in, and thus, sits down to knitting him a rather handsome, gray scarf. (Get it? It's gray. Hahahaha!)

I love Juvia to death but I have to admit she's just a tad obsessive.

Unfortunately for Juvia, this particular date was also the anniversary of a rather painful memory for Gray, the death of someone who practically raised him. He rebuffs her gift rather coldly and she's left confused until the weight of the date is explained to her.

Fortunately, later in his wandering sorrow, Gray recalls the first time his teacher, Ur, gave him a scarf, well before he learned ice magic and became largely impervious to the cold. In his moment of grief he rushes to where Juvia had given him the scarf, scoops it up, and puts it on, and promptly apologizes to her the next day.

The Lesson ~ Gifts from the heart touch the deepest.


So here, on Christmas Eve's eve, remember that the gifts we give and receive this holiday season come from the heart in the best way we each know how, and cherish them for that reason in and of itself. Anime has taught us so much about training these past few years, but it has so much more to offer us. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Sailor Moon- "The Beauty Workout"

In Episode 3 of Sailor Moon, Usagi and her friends go to a local gym, because Usagi has gained a little weight and is unhappy with her body. However, at the gym, they are met with Jadeite, who is using the gym's equipment to collect energy for Queen Beryl. However, while at the gym, the girls actually do some useful exercises, so I thought I would turn it into a workout, because first, it's a little bit of a change-up in terms of style of training and, second, because it's a Sailor Moon workout.

Sailor Moon- "The Beauty Workout"

1. Pull-ups (or assisted Pull-ups)- 3 x 10 Reps
2. Alternating Dumbbell Overhead Press- 3 x 15 Reps
3. Chest Fly Machine- 3 x 15 Reps
4. Rowing Machine- 10 Minutes*
5. Treadmill- 10 Minutes*
6. Exercise Bike- 10 Minutes*

Notes:

• If you are unable to do pull-ups, you may use an assisted pull-up machine, use a jumping pull-up or even a half-pull up in order to get to the appropriate rep count. 
• You should be selecting a weight or mode of resistance that you are unable to get more than 15 reps with. The 15th rep should be your final rep. If you can get 16 or 17 reps, you probably need to increase the weight. As with all weight-lifting, control the weight through the entire movement. 
• On the Alternating Dumbbell Overhead Press, you will start from the bottom position, with the weight at your shoulders, ready to press. Next, you will press either the left or the right arm to full extension and bring it back to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite side. That is one rep. 
• The instructions for the particular chest fly machine you are using should be on the machine. If not, make sure that you can position the arms of the machine in such a fashion that you are not having to reach behind you to lift the weight off the stack and make sure that when you squeeze your arms together that you are not banging the machine arms against themselves. 
• For the Rowing Machine, Treadmill, and Exercise Bike, you will be using the equipment non-stop for the allotted time-frame. Therefore, select a pace at which you can sustain for the entire time period, even if it is just a walk for the treadmill. 
• The * portion on the cardio equipment means that you will select one of the exercises, if your fitness allows, and do that particular machine for 30 minutes, instead of 10. It can be whichever machine you like, but you should ONLY do it if your fitness allows. 

Thought you guys (and gals) might like a change of pace and I'm always happy to find inspiration for training in new places. Hope you enjoyed this one! Until next time, good luck and train hard.

P.S.- In the name of the Moon, I will train you!!

Somehow this doesn't feel quite right.