Sailor Moon Exposed - Part 4 The Amazoness Quartet Character Designs
The Amazoness Quartet are the Miniboss Squad of Queen Nehelenia workimg for the Dead Moon Circus in the Dream Arc in the Sailor Moon Manga and Eternal Movies. The members includes Cere cere, Ves ves, Jun Jun and Pala Pala. Each member is a conterpart to the Inner Shenshi (Sailor Venus, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Mercury
They are Amazoness Stones given human form after being prematurely reawakened by Nehelenia and placed under brainwashing. Their true form as the Aesteroid Shenshi, Sailor Chibi Moon's Team. Their true forms were revealed when the stones are purifed by Neo Queen Serenity by the end of the manga/ 2nd Eternal film. Their identities are Sailor Ceres, Sailor Vesta, Sailor Juno ans Sailor Pallas, named after the aesteroid belt in the solar system. They show up for a breif moment to fight with Chibiusa in the Stars Arc and are injured however they are seen speaking to Sailor Cosmos prior to going to the Galaxy Cauldron to be reborn.
The AQ physical bodies are in the form of teenagers because they are drawn similarly to the Shenshi. The reason I came to this conclusion by comparing their designs to the female villian designs in the series.
The above image is of Queen Beryl and Queen Nehelenia, they have sharper eyes, angular features, and makeup such as lipstick/ eyeshadow.
The image presented here is of Black Lady (Chibiusa) and Misteress 9 alongside their original bodies. (Children)
Compared to the former designs, when they is brainwashed, they still have larger eyes in this evil form but the eye shape is smaller compared to their original eye shape pre- brainwashing.
With that in mind it leads me to believe that the AQ are teenager coded character designs due to being under the design choice of the later compared to the former character design examples.
(Another point is when they retransform into their Sailor Shenshi form by the end of the Dream Arc/ Eternal Movie they resemble the Sailor Shenshi from Act 1)
The Amazoness Quartet work as circus performers however their designs are oversexualized due to them being minor coded characters. In some panels there is a focus on their bodies and by the way they look and it is really uncomfortable to see. I stated in the last point why sexualizing minors was wrong and the point stays here as well.
(I already did research and enquired about if circus performers dress like this in reality and I got 'No they do not')
This was a missed oppertunity to expand their dynamic because instead of just having basic characteristics, we could have figured out how the AQ really felt under the brainwashing and how they worked as a team. Clearly they were AWARE during that time as revealed after their purification however due to the manga's age, poor characterization is comminplace.
Not much is expanded upon or known about them in the Stars Arc either post purification.
Comparing the designs of the female villians who are drawn okder with sharper features and lipstick and the Amazoness Quarter whose facial features are still child like similar to the Sailor Shenshi, this solidifies my theory.
Compared to former Villian Squads from Arc 1-3 and 5, the Amazoness Quartets characterization is flat in comparrision. Usually the female villians are designed with the Evil is Sexy trope in mind but many of the characters are drawn like older women.
With the Amazoness Quartet it is not okay drawing minor coded characters in revealing clothes (their outfits look to be inspired by bikinis/ one pieces with added ruffles, armbands and jewlery) irregardless of the intent or role in the story they play because it gives the wrong impression towards readers both younger and older to look at minors in a perverted lens.
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