Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

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Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Crescent Pulsar » Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:23 pm

I was just wondering about something. Do you think the crescent moons on the moon cats' foreheads are natural, or do you think they were added so they could communicate via human language?
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Spokavriel » Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:35 pm

The whole Luna mind meld to re-awaken the Senshi after the Beryl stuff and how Luna behaves and sounds when it's covered do seem to hint that it is more than a decoration separating them form average cats.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Crescent Pulsar » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:32 pm

Well, yeah. But, since they're from planet Mau, what's the chance that they also have a crescent moon on their head naturally, as (assumed) the Serenity family does? In the final story arc they get damaged, and that prevents the cats from speaking human language (they can still meow like a cat, though). I've always assumed that the crescent moons were added for communicative purposes, but I wanted to know what others thought about it.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Zwzn » Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:33 am

A rather dark theory in my eyes is it marks the "cats" as property of the Serenity family. It seems like everything the Serenitys' own has a similar symbol. I'm sure someone will at least try to prove this wrong, and I hope someone can.

StarS has a bleep load of plot holes.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Crescent Pulsar » Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:24 am

You never know. I have a hard time seeing Queen Serenity as good as she's depicted, personally.

Phobos and Deimos didn't have crescent moons, though, so... *Shrugs*

StarS has a bleep load of plot holes.

The last arc? I agree, to an extent. Both the producers/writers/whoever of the anime and Takeuchi were somewhat careless throughout the life of the series. And the disparities between the mediums doesn't help.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby lwf58 » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:53 am

I don't believe that it was ever officially addressed in canon, but we know that the only other Mau shown in the series did not have the mark. (Tin Nyanko, if you're wondering.) Why Luna and Artemis stayed in cat form most of the time in the Moon Kingdom days is a mystery, but it was mentioned why they stayed as cats in modern times. At first, they'd been in suspended animation for so long they just couldn't remember that they had another form, and then couldn't remember how to change back. After they did, they found that they'd been cats for so long that they felt more comfortable in that form. But later in the series, they could and did change to humanoid form occasionally, as did their daughter.

It might well be that the changes in their vocal cords preclude speaking when in cat form, so it's not unreasonable to guess that the mark does two things for them: identifies them as being part of the retinue of the Lunar royal family (they were advisers), and allows them to talk when in cat form. That would certainly explain the first episode of Sailor Moon when Luna is unable to talk with the mark covered.

Calling them "Moon cats" is a little misleading, since they immigrated to the Moon Kingdom, and were the only two Mau ever mentioned as living there. Unfortunately, not much is known about planet Mau and its inhabitants from canon, except that it can be supposed that they didn't like to travel much - all of the rest of them seem to have stayed on their homeworld, and were still there up until the last story arc of Sailor Moon. After Galaxia had Sailor Mau assassinated, the rest of the Mau were killed too, down to the last man, woman, and child. Then when Tin Nyanko died in that arc, Artemis and Luna were left as the last Mau still alive anywhere.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Zwzn » Thu Jul 23, 2009 4:53 pm

lwf58 wrote:I don't believe that it was ever officially addressed in canon, but we know that the only other Mau shown in the series did not have the mark. (Tin Nyanko, if you're wondering.) Why Luna and Artemis stayed in cat form most of the time in the Moon Kingdom days is a mystery, but it was mentioned why they stayed as cats in modern times. At first, they'd been in suspended animation for so long they just couldn't remember that they had another form, and then couldn't remember how to change back. After they did, they found that they'd been cats for so long that they felt more comfortable in that form. But later in the series, they could and did change to humanoid form occasionally, as did their daughter.

It might well be that the changes in their vocal cords preclude speaking when in cat form, so it's not unreasonable to guess that the mark does two things for them: identifies them as being part of the retinue of the Lunar royal family (they were advisers), and allows them to talk when in cat form. That would certainly explain the first episode of Sailor Moon when Luna is unable to talk with the mark covered.

Calling them "Moon cats" is a little misleading, since they immigrated to the Moon Kingdom, and were the only two Mau ever mentioned as living there. Unfortunately, not much is known about planet Mau and its inhabitants from canon, except that it can be supposed that they didn't like to travel much - all of the rest of them seem to have stayed on their homeworld, and were still there up until the last story arc of Sailor Moon. After Galaxia had Sailor Mau assassinated, the rest of the Mau were killed too, down to the last man, woman, and child. Then when Tin Nyanko died in that arc, Artemis and Luna were left as the last Mau still alive anywhere.


Being advisers does not mean they could not be considered property/slaves. There are real life examples of slaves being used as advisers, teachers, and similar work.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Crescent Pulsar » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:43 pm

lwf58 wrote:Why Luna and Artemis stayed in cat form most of the time in the Moon Kingdom days is a mystery, but it was mentioned why they stayed as cats in modern times. At first, they'd been in suspended animation for so long they just couldn't remember that they had another form, and then couldn't remember how to change back. After they did, they found that they'd been cats for so long that they felt more comfortable in that form. But later in the series, they could and did change to humanoid form occasionally, as did their daughter.

Was that mentioned in the anime, manga, or some other medium? I ask since my memory of the anime is rusty at best, and I can't recall anything like that in the manga. In the manga, though, I know that a portion of Luna's memories were purposeful prevented from reviving, unlike with Artemis, and that the first transformation into a human required Sailor Moon's power, instead of Luna's own. In the following arc, though, Artemis is able to transform because his bond with Venus became stronger, so it doesn't seem like it's done completely under their own power. Then, in the arc following that one, they seem to have no problem doing it themselves.

If I had to guess, it might have something to do with their star seeds being similar to sailor crystals (mentioned by Kakyuu), and so they were able to develop to the point where they could transform (much like a senshi). It makes about as much sense as anything else, since they show powers of their own (although they're mostly confined to the first story arc).

Calling them "Moon cats" is a little misleading, since they immigrated to the Moon Kingdom, and were the only two Mau ever mentioned as living there.

Most people are familiar with that term, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to use it. ;p

Unfortunately, not much is known about planet Mau and its inhabitants from canon, except that it can be supposed that they didn't like to travel much - all of the rest of them seem to have stayed on their homeworld, and were still there up until the last story arc of Sailor Moon. After Galaxia had Sailor Mau assassinated, the rest of the Mau were killed too, down to the last man, woman, and child. Then when Tin Nyanko died in that arc, Artemis and Luna were left as the last Mau still alive anywhere.

They're peace-loving, at least, as far as we know. That Nyanko called them traitors might not be far from the truth, either, since it'd explain the lack of interaction and migration between worlds. At the very least giving fealty first to the moon kingdom, instead of their own, might have been frowned upon. Just one of those things to speculate on. Other than author discretion, in that Takeuchi didn't find it important to flesh out their pasts, much less that of the senshi in general (we only know something of Venus' past because the first story Takeuchi wrote focused on her), it doesn't seem like traveling between worlds is the problem (given the level of technology and powers available).
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Rei-chan » Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:13 am

I would have to be inclined to believe in the theory that they have the marks to mark them as servants/associates/property (for those with darker interpretations) of the Serenity line. I would also theorize that the mark itself though may not really convey any power as it seems to be situated roughly where the 'third eye' would be on a cat. It could be that covering the mark itself isn't the problem but rather it is messing up that mental conduit that it happens to be located at that is the trouble.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby lwf58 » Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:53 am

I don't know if it was mentioned in canon (the manga) that they lost their memories due to the long period in suspended animation. In some references it's said that their memories were deliberately suppressed, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. I recall that it was mentioned in the first season of the anime, over a period of time when Luna had to confess to Usagi that she didn't remember everything, and when Luna and Artemis compared notes about various things. It's implied that Artemis remembers more than Luna does.

In the manga, Luna never transforms on her own. She is transformed by the Ginzuishou twice, and then lastly by Tin Nyanko for their confrontation. Artemis also transforms three times. Once on his own to save Minako from falling to her death, once by the Ginzuishou, and finally by Tin Nyanko. Diana is transformed by the Ginzuishou and Tin Nyanko.

During the fight with Tin Nyanko all three are rendered incapable of speaking. It is revealed that their inability to speak is a result of injuries to the crescent moon symbols on the cats' foreheads sustained in the fight. That's the second time when something that affects the symbols causes loss of ability to speak, counting the band-aids over Luna's symbol in the first story arc.
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby Crescent Pulsar » Sat Oct 03, 2009 12:36 pm

Having Luna's memory suppressed may not make a lot of sense, but it happened (in the manga, anyway). I can't remember the exact reason why (something regarding Luna's mission), but Artemis, whose memory wasn't tampered with, eventually approached her to release those suppressed memories. (Okay, I got off my lazy bum to quote the scene from the manga. Artemis: "Luna, your duty is to find the scouts and train them. To make it easier on you, part of your memory wasn't revived. But, Luna, it's time you know your true past, as a faithful attendant of Sailor Moon.")

As for Tin Nyanko, I don't think she transformed them at all (in the manga). When Luna and Artemis transform, they do so while doing a flip, rather than getting zapped by some power. And it'd make sense that they flipped out of the way of an attack, at the time, because, right after their transformation, Tin Nyanko says: "Blast! I'm not going to let you get away!" And Diana appeared on the scene in human form to begin with, so...

But, yeah, the crescent moons on their heads are definitely connected to their ability to speak, at the very least. Beyond whatever language the Mau might use as their native tongue, anyway. Tin Nyanko isn't the best example, save that it's the only one, but the crescent moons may very well be additions rather than natural. Considering that they lost the power to maintain their human forms when they were damaged, though... Either Queen Serenity was a bit of a control freak and tied that mark into their own powers as well (Kakyuu says that their star seeds are similar to a senshi's sailor crystal, after all), or they're natural expressions of the nature of their power.

I'm kind of leaning toward the former...
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Re: Moon cats and their crescent moon bald spots. ;p

Postby chaoticteacup » Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:00 am

I definately support the theory that the moon shows allegiance to the moon kingdom. Like previously stated Tin Nyanko didn't have one.
I also think that having advisors being able to travel unobstructed as cats would have been a good strategy for recon back on the moon.
Although that would depend on how well known their spots as advisors were known.
Its odd that only two Mau were taken to the moon. Some fanon says they were domestic and foreign dignitaries or advisors. I'd assume Luna was Domestic and Artemis was Foreign.

Also its never stated how long they live.

The cats cant talk or seem to be very useful when the moon is covered, so I assume it does imbue them with some kind of miracle translator.
I mean really, how likely is it that a cat born on Mau, who moved to the moon kingdom, would be able to speak Japanese centuries later?
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