And it's out.

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, so now that I've got the weekend to myself, here I am with the full review.

First off, some stuff that jumped out at me:

You woke up this morning,
Got yourself a gun.
Mama always said you'd be
The Chosen One.
She said, "You're one in a million;
You've got to burn to shine.
But you were born under a bad sign
With a blue moon in your eyes."

— Alabama 3, "Woke Up This Morning (Theme to The Sopranos)"

Dang, Bob, you mean you've never heard the album version of this song?  The one with the long, spoken intro?

Here's the intro:

And after three days of drinkin' with Larry Love
I just get an inklin' to go on home
So, I'm walkin' down Coldharbour Lane
Head hung low, three or four in the mornin'
The suns comin' up and the birds are out singing

I let myself into my pad
Wind myself up that spiral staircase
An' stretch out nice on the chesterfield
Pithecanthropus Erectus already on the CD player
And I just push that remote button to sublimity


And listen to the sweet sculptural rhythms of Charles Mingus
And J.R. Monterose and Jackie Mclean
Duet on those saxophones
And the sound makes it's way outta the window
Minglin' with the traffic noises outside, you know and

All of a sudden I'm overcome by a feelin' of brief mortality
'Cause I'm gettin' on in the world
Comin' up on forty-one years

Forty-one stoney gray steps towards the grave
You know the box, awaits it's grissly load
Now, I'm gonna be food for worms

And just like Charles Mingus wrote
That beautiful piece-a music, 'Epitaph for Eric Dolphy'

I say, so long Eric, so long, John Coltrane
And Charles Mingus, so long, Duke Ellington
And Lester Young, so long, Billie Holliday
And Ella Fitzgerald, so long, Jimmy Reed
So long, Muddy Waters, and so long Howlin' Wolf

As you can see, it puts the song into a completely different perspective.  :p

And then there was this bit of interesting world building...

63rd Day of the Fifth Greater Cycle of Darkness in the 10,014th Year of Exile

So, how does that calendar work?  

Reading about Beryl here, it's easy to see how deluded she really is, and I actually feel kinda bad for her.  It simply doesn't occur to her that there was no witchcraft performed on Mamoru, neither does it occur to her that Matalia is not going to be content with their deal.  I wonder how Doug is going to react when it all comes to light.

Reading about Luna's experiences - and knowing you, this is a reasonably accurate interpretation of cannon - I have to say it's a miracle that they even pulled off a win against Beryl and Matalia.  I mean, it showed in the anime towards the very end, but still...

I like how Doug handles things with Sailor Moon - he doesn't necessarily take over for her, but he doesn't leave anything to chance, either.  He is in 100% mentor mode.

Though I can see why Luna would be wary, I do hope that she comes around soon.  Maybe once she sees how well Doug's training works?

And oh, poor poor Ami!  She's such a sweet little thing.  But that sense of duty and commitment towards her studies, while laudable, is crippling.  It's going to be so sweet watching that poor little girl come out of her shell.  And I can't wait to see what you do with Rei, too.  (She is, after all, one of my favorites.  

Lots of Minako here.  Will she be joining up sooner than in cannon due to Doug's influence?

And oh man!  Bringing in Hotaru this soon!?  Shit is gonna start hitting the fan sooner than expected, I assume?