Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Enter the Baddie!

There are no superheroes without villains, so let’s examine Sailor Moon’s—Queen Beryl.

APPEARANCE

Anime: Beryl is a tall woman with vibrant red hair. She has very pale skin, very white. She also wears a beautiful purple dress and a crown. She has long red nails that look like they could do some serious damage if she wanted to.

Live-action: Beryl…looks the same as she does in the anime. Though as a straight woman, even I noticed how big her breasts were in that dress.

POWERS

Anime: Beryl doesn't show much power throughout the anime, though she does encase Jedite in a case of ice when he fails her one time too many. She has a crystal ball that allows her to see Earth. She can conjure up magic when needed.

Live action: Queen Beryl uses more powers in the series than the anime. She zaps her generals and creates Mio. She also uses magical purple flower petals to do her magic as well and creates the stone that drains Mamoru’s life from him. She also has the ability to control the Generals’ movements, even against their own will.

PERSONALITY

Anime: Beryl is your straightforward villain. She wants to advance the Negaverse and doesn’t care who stands in her way. She will destroy minions who don’t bring her the results she wants and call up another.

Live action: Beryl in this series isn’t so black and white and sadly isn’t give much backstory. It would be interesting to know how she came to be apart of the Negaverse, but she is granted powers by Queen Metaria. She seems more intent on preventing the destruction of the earth as she just wants to rule it. She is manipulative and a harsh mistress. She knows most of the generals are attracted to her and use that to her full advantage. When the generals either grow past her charms or reject them, she uses force to keep them in line.

RELATIONSHIPS

Anime: Not much to say here, just your usual evil overlord (lady)-minion relationship. She does brainwash Endymion to her side, but that’s more of trying to get the upper hand than any true feelings.

Live action: Oh, Beryl. Besides keeping her generals in line with their affection for her, she herself carries a torch for Endymion. Unfortunately, this isn’t explored as much. It is said that Beryl loved Endymion but he rejected her for Serenity. Because Beryl gets the least backstory, it is unknown exactly how this rejection took place. Did Beryl have a relationship with Endymion or did she pine for him from afar? Was she in his social circle or was she a commoner who loved Endymion. Either way, she loved Endymion and forces him to join her in the Negaverse. However, unlike the anime, she doesn’t brainwash him. She does start to drain his life when he keeps returning to Usagi. She wants him to love her on his own, but can’t follow the adage “If you love somebody, let them go.” In the end, Endymion is killed and Beryl goes down with the Negaverse in Serenity’s ensuing rage. By her side, out of loyalty and love, is Jedite.

PLOT CHANGES

The main changes to her plots have already been discussed. I just wished they had expanded more on it because she was more intriguing toward the end, when she wasn’t just your usual “evil overlord (lady) trying to take over the world.”

Queen Beryl (anime)

Queen Beryl (live action)

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