Taiki Kou ([info]taiki_kou) wrote in [info]lastfriends,
@ 2008-04-24 17:00:00
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"Last Friends" versus "Sailor Moon"

LAST FRIENDS vs. SAILOR MOON

Hey Everyone! ^__^ Many of you, who have watched "Last Friends," probably managed to draw a comparison to that famous anime, "Sailor Moon." The characters of Ruka and Michiru seems like they were practically based off of Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru. People are speculating that the writer of "Last Friends" might've been a huge fan of "Sailor Moon." Maybe? Or maybe not? I found a lot of similarities and decided to map this out. Its pretty fun!


Let's start with the most obvious one: The main promo image of "Last Friends" looks very familiar. In Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Artbook IV, there is an image with a very similar concept of having the characters laying there, tied together by ribbons.

   
   

The characters of Ruka & Michiru are very similar to Haruka (Sailor Uranus) & Michiru (Sailor Neptune). This pose in the opening of "Last Friends" look very similar to the pose on the covers of Sailor Moon laser discs.

   

This close up shot of Ruka & Michiru is found similar to many popular Haruka & Michiru doujinshi. Particularly the ones drawn by the super popular Studio Canopus and Twin Fizz above. And if you think that maybe a doujinshi cover isn't "official" enough, please take a look at the image of Utena and Anthy from the Revolutionary Girl Utena soundtrack cover. Utena is another "implied lesbian theme" anime, whose director & writer (Kunihiko Ikuhara) worked on "Sailor Moon" as well! ^___^

One of the more obvious similarities, is that Ruka of "Last Friends" is into the sport of motocross, just like Haruka of "Sailor Moon!" And they're both really good at it. In the anime, Haruka gets harassed by a bunch of male racers ('cuz of her gender), after beating them at motocross. Haruka takes care of the problem by kicking their butts. ^__^ Its noticed that Ruka in "Last Friends" was sexually harassed by her coach. Therefore, she taught him a lesson too. (Edit added by [info]queennepy) -- Also, Sailor Uranus's uniform in "Sailor Moon" is blue & gold. Haruka's bike is also blue and gold. We should note, that Ruka's bike is blue, and her racing gear is blue and yellow-gold.

   

In "Last Friends," after being abused by her boyfriend, Michiru runs away and escapes to a spot where she and Ruka used to claim as their "spot." This "spot" has a lot of seats and a little stage in the background. It brought back the scene in "Sailor Moon," where Haruka watched Michiru practice her violin at this little "spot," where there are a lot of seats and a stage. A nice little "spot" outdoors.

   

Even when injured and in bed, Ruka still looks amazingly charming in her nice blue PJ's. When Haruka was sick in the "Sailor Moon SuperS Special," it didn't stop her from flirting with the maid. She had on blue PJ's too!

Michiru's jacket, please meet Michiru's jacket. =D The two have similar taste in clothing too!
Not to mention similar hair styles as well.

   

Mizushima Takeru-- hair and make-up stylist of "Last Friends," please meet Usui Yoshiki -- fashion designer of "Sailor Moon SuperS."

   

On the first episode of "Last Friends," Michiru is shown at the ocean. Without background music, just listening to the sound of the waves and seagulls. This beginning is very similar to Episode 110 of "Sailor Moon," where Michiru was listening to the ocean through a sea shell. The current episodes of "Last Friends" starts out each scene with Michiru at the ocean. It draws a good comparison to Michiru in "Sailor Moon," who closely relates herself to the sea.

   

Aside from superficial similarities, there is no doubt that Ruka's personality is very similar to Haruka's personality. In Episode 1 of "Last Friends," Ruka has a moment where her thoughts are expressed about herself and about Michiru. Compare it to Episode 106 of "Sailor Moon," where Haruka's thoughts are expressed about herself and about Michiru. Its very much alike! *___* (Oddly, in both scenes, Ruka and Haruka are both wearing a black and white shirt!)


Ruka's thoughts in "Last Friends":

Michiru,

You said it before, didn't you.

I was by myself standing on the side,

and only following my own road.

That's wrong! I'm just scared, of people.

Even now, I can't say,

the most important thing in my heart,

I haven't said it to anyone. Not anyone.

Michiru, not even to you.

Michiru, you probably can't imagine,

how surprised I was to see you after four years.

How much I thought about you,

and wanted to see you during those four years.

And just as much, I was afraid of a reunion.


Haruka's thoughts in "Sailor Moon":

Back then, I wanted to become the wind.

I just wanted to be like the wind.

Wrestling free from the domination of gravity.

And plunging forth into the vast reaches of the sky.

That was the kind of person I wanted to be.

If I think about it, back then...

I was merely fighting to escape from my destiny.

No matter when it was, what I won from my battles.

Were all new parts of myself.

I was just running to keep myself from being bored.

In the end, the only thing that kept my interest was motor sports.

If I had not met Michiru Kaioh back then...

That was when I realized...

That she was THAT person.

And that she knew exactly who I was.

But in my heart, I didn't want to acknowledge that fact yet.

Because I had a hunch that if I did,

I was pretty sure that everything around me would change.

I'm not honest at all.

I keep running away.

So I chose this path,

I am not allowed to stand in one place.

But, I'm glad I was able to meet you...

Let's cruise together like this forever.

I won't let you go home tonight.



Added in by [info]twistomatic & [info]queennepy

The #27 is the number for Ruka's gear in Episode 1 & race number in Episode 2. (Edit thanks to [info]stalkerinstinct)
In "Sailor Moon," Haruka's birthday is January 27!! AWESOME!!


** Credits: "Sailor Moon" Screencaps from THE ORACLE

I'm pretty sure there will be more noticed similarities as the show goes on. ^__^ These are the parallels that I drew from watching "Last Friends" and "Sailor Moon." If you find more similarities, let me know and I'll add it to the post! This is purely for fun, 'cuz it is! Brings back a lot of nostalgic memories about "Sailor Moon." *__* Damn I loved that show!




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[info]twistomatic
2008-04-25 12:21 am UTC (link)
I'm completely convinced that Ruka/Michiru = Haruka/Michiru, but I'm so glad that someone actually made a whole post to bring all the evidence together. <3 And besides all of this, Ruka's motor cross number is 27, which happens to be Haruka's birthday. ^^

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 12:33 am UTC (link)
OMG! You're completely right! I forgot #27!! =D THANK YOU! I'll add that to the list right now.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

This is the sign ~ HxM will never be forgotten
[info]queennepy
2008-04-25 12:30 am UTC (link)
Oh yes, you forgot the #27. That convinced me! This convinces me more! Please spread this to all "former" and present SM & HxM fans X_X They all have to watch this show, which is basically a live action fanfiction <33 *runs around like a chicken without a head*

(Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: This is the sign ~ HxM will never be forgotten
[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 12:34 am UTC (link)
Spread it spread it! ^__^ And thanks for the tip on #27! Adding it to the list!

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[info]ener
2008-04-25 12:55 am UTC (link)
Re: 27...
And here I was hoping the show and/or Ueno Juri just wanted to wish me a happy birthday. ;[

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 12:58 am UTC (link)
-knudge knudge- You NEVER know... Maybe they were trying to convey that to you, in their own special way! XD

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[info]moon_justice
2008-04-25 01:37 am UTC (link)
Omg!!

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 01:38 am UTC (link)
Isn't it?!! And all that is just based on 2 episodes so far! The other 9 episodes haven't even aired yet!

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[info]lexie_b
2008-04-25 01:59 am UTC (link)
:kicks download: I cannot wait to see this show. It looks awesome, and any HM references within another TV show are made of win.

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 02:44 am UTC (link)
=D Me too! I love HM references. They're my favorite charries. And your icon is lovely!

You can download the episodes here too. There's a lotta links to choose from, so it downloads really fast:

Episode 2: http://community.livejournal.com/ourhour/52459.html#cutid1

Episode 3: http://community.livejournal.com/ourhour/55024.html#cutid1

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[info]fuujutsushi
2008-04-25 03:29 am UTC (link)
oh my.. I haven't watched last friends, because I want the series to be completed first, so I don't need to feel the impatience waiting for the next episodes >__< but now, i really want to watch it to prove all those things.. LOL

well, now I know why I feel a lil bit familiar with 'Last Friends' promo image.. because I've seen the picture in the sailormoon artwork for many times. and it does look similiar.. xD

You must be a huge fan of Sailor Moon, since you remember those details. I'm a fan of Sailor Moon too, and I have to say that Sailor Moon is not an infamous anime, since it's really famous more than a decade ago, when I was still in elementary school. Though I'm such a great fan, but I don't remember those details. I guess I need to re-watch Sailor Moon now xD, despite knowing the fact that it has more than 200 episodes and I still have graduation project that is waiting to be finished.. ROFL

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 03:45 am UTC (link)
=) You're totally right! "infamous" isn't the correct word at all. I'm going to change it to "famous." -nods-

I think for a while, years ago, I ate, slept, breathed Sailor Moon. o__o I would think that eventually, I'd get tired of it. But over 10 years later, I still watch the series at least once a year.

=D And get working on that graduation project! Don't start on the 200 episodes yet! That's almost suicide!

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(no subject) - [info]fuujutsushi, 2008-04-25 06:44 am UTC

[info]zarya
2008-04-25 03:43 am UTC (link)
Wow! these "coincidences" are just too much!!

I'm not that familiar with SM to have spotted them right away though, but seeing all this is very convincing.

The manga/anime I thought of when watching Last Friends was Nana, because of the flashbacks and the referring to a death / talking to someone who doesn't seem to be around in the intro. And then I noticed the writer had worked on both Nana movies!

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 03:48 am UTC (link)
That's SO true! I thought the narratives sounded very "NANA-ish" and then someone told me it was from the same screen writer of the "NANA" movies. I was like, "Dang.... I wonder if Michiru will say something like 'Ne Ruka.'" o__o [info]ener told me that she probably said it in Episode 3. "Ne Ruka." "Ne Nana." ^__^;; I'm hearing things in my head now.

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(no subject) - [info]myscratchpost, 2008-04-25 05:18 am UTC

[info]queennepy
2008-04-25 03:53 am UTC (link)
*points to Ruka's bike*
Wasn't Haruka's favorite color blue?

AW GOSH. I'm too much. *hides*

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 04:29 am UTC (link)
LMAO!!! I think Haruka's favorite color is gold. =D But hey, at least her sailor senshi uniform is blue!

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[info]stalkerinstinct
2008-04-25 03:54 am UTC (link)
Ruka's number in the motor cross scene of "Last Friends" ~ Episode 2 is #27.

Actually...it's not just the in the motocross competition...it's the # of her gear since episode 1. ^^

Image link

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 04:29 am UTC (link)
=D THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I'll edit that info in!

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[info]trixxie_90
2008-04-25 04:10 am UTC (link)
All I can say is...YAY!

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[info]taiki_kou
2008-04-25 04:30 am UTC (link)
LOL I've been saying the same since I saw the drama too! ^_^

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[info]illusion_85
2008-04-25 06:06 am UTC (link)
This post is pure win. <3 I'd been expecting someone to make a post like this, and you've done it a spectacular way!! Awesome~ ^__^

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[info]queennepy
2008-04-25 07:59 am UTC (link)
OMG, you added the scene at the ocean. I didn't even notice that. 0_0
I'm scared now! In a good way. ^_^ Too many coincidences....
This show... *shakes fist* <3 <3

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[info]siwon_love
2008-04-25 11:21 pm UTC (link)
I'm amazed, how do you guys even remember all this stuff? I mean I watched Sailor Moon when I was probably nine or somethingXD. So from an 'outsider' point of view, there are a lot of similarities, but I'm surprised at their names, Michiru/HaRUKAXD, ah and the picture with the ribbons is practically the same thing (random/I love how the ribbons from the last friends pic, kind of resemble blood./random).

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[info]queennepy
2008-04-26 01:20 am UTC (link)
SM is unforgettable babee <3

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[info]tala_at_buwan
2008-04-26 02:16 am UTC (link)
For me the closer reference to where Michi plays her violin is where they talk together for the first time in the first ep ^^

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[info]glazzal
2008-04-26 05:50 am UTC (link)
Wow, this is too impressive. Thank you for drawing up the parallels! I meant to watch SM years ago and never got around to it. :/

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[info]alecsa_chan
2008-04-27 08:34 pm UTC (link)
All these little things OMG such huge SM fans around me XD

And i agree on the similarities of NANA too!

NANA + SM + Ueno Juri= <3333

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[info]_ligaya_
2008-04-29 10:12 am UTC (link)
LOL, it's Toei's loss they didn't have Haruka and Michiru on PGSM! XD

Also, I was wondering why LF-Michiru doesn't have hair as curly as SM-Michiru's. If she's in the beauty industry her hair should be a bit more curly IMHO. I was actually thinking she should be a bit more [info]himegyaru to drive the connection to SM-Michiru (whose hair is curly like whoa) across. XD;

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It's pathetic that I'm still on to this...
[info]queennepy
2008-04-29 08:06 pm UTC (link)
I just thought of something else but it's really not a big deal in comparison.

Do any fans remember the episode when Haruka first meets Usagi and Minako? When Usagi and Minako ask her about Michiru and the relationship between them. Haruka said something like "Michiru? My Michiru?". XD Usagi and Minako were like "ZOMG HE (at the time they thought she was a he) SAID 'MY MICHIRU' THEY MUST BE SOOOO CLOSE. zOmG!" They were quick to assume that they were lovers just by Haruka saying "My Michiru". I'm paraphrasing but that's almost it. haha.

And remember: Ruka said "Don't hurt my Michiru!" ... *giggle*

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Re: It's pathetic that I'm still on to this...
[info]sapphodil
2008-05-04 12:06 pm UTC (link)
It's been a very long time since I watched that episode so I'm not sure about this but, in the Japanese version, I think what Haruka said was just "Michiru", without any honourifics. Calling someone by their name without any honourifics indicates close relationship, thus Usagi and Minako's reaction.

Again, it's been really long so I could be wrong about this and Haruka may actually have said "My Michiru". :x

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: It's pathetic that I'm still on to this... - [info]twistomatic, 2008-05-06 05:54 pm UTC
Re: It's pathetic that I'm still on to this... - [info]sapphodil, 2008-05-06 10:40 pm UTC
Re: It's pathetic that I'm still on to this... - [info]sapphodil, 2008-05-06 10:47 pm UTC
Re: It's pathetic that I'm still on to this... - [info]twistomatic, 2008-05-06 11:35 pm UTC

[info]schwertleite
2008-05-03 09:17 pm UTC (link)
I'm so glad, because I also noticed some of your theories ^^

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[info]lady_mercury
2008-05-06 04:52 pm UTC (link)
Amazing, I thought I was tripping when I started to put two and two together, because such an avid Sailormoon fan, but it seems it was there and I was right! I'm glad to see this analysis. You hit everything on the head!

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[info]sleepyzzzz
2008-05-06 06:03 pm UTC (link)
Great comparison there!! Looks pretty crazy to me! I haven't watched Sailormoon before...guess what I'm going to do now??? hahaha Thanks for the work!! Nice!

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[info]yuhka_samafan
2008-05-07 07:29 am UTC (link)
heh... it's great to see someone make a post like this. XD Can't wait to watch it after exams!! *_*

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Well... some thoughts...
[info]animimares
2008-05-07 05:53 pm UTC (link)
I thought it was really interesting seeing all the similarities that you can draw between Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon and Ruka and Michiru from Last Friends and I agree to almost all of them. I'm an avid fan of both shows, but despite of the similarities, I think there are things that set them apart as well...

First off, Ruka's real issue as it's hinted at seems to have less to do with sexuality as such and more to do with gender. Haruka cross-dressed, yes, but I don't recall her ever denying that she was a woman. As I've seen Ruka up until this point, she has a serious problem with the fact that she's female... just the way she avoids looking at her body and that shot where she was checking out that medical page on her computer... I think Ruka might end up being transgendered or transsexual, more so than lesbian - and that really sets her apart from the Haruka I think of when I think Sailor Moon. Haruka was very much a lesbian and thus very AWARE of her being a girl, something she didn't ever seem to have a problem with. But in looks and name, yeah, they could be siblings ;)

My greatest objection to the similarities hinted above is the sentence: The characters of Ruka & Michiru are very similar to Haruka (Sailor Uranus) & Michiru (Sailor Neptune). Yes, the poses remind me a lot of the images of Haruka and Michiru, but character-wise I think there's a world wide difference between Kaioh Michiru's character and Michiru's from Last Friends. I've never read the manga, so I'm speaking purely from anime characterisation, but the Michiru I know from Sailor Moon is much less clueless that Michiru from Last Friends. Michiru in Last Friends is a cute, lovable character, but she has - as of yet - not shown much of the maturity and quiet calm and understanding that always made me think of Michiru from Sailor Moon. Michiru from Sailor Moon would never put up with being hitten by someone she loved, because she knows what she deserves and isn't afraid to pursue it - just remember that time when she followed Haruka after she had left her violin concert (ep. 106) and Haruka starts giving her crap about stalking her... Michiru bites her off right away, not willing to let her put her down. Michiru from SM is all in all just much more confident than Michiru from Last Friends... not because I would expect Michiru from Last Friends to be self-confident with the trouble she's had to go through, but I'm just pointing out that to me that creates two VERY different characters (though, I think Michiru from Last Friends in looks could have been a great PGSM Michiru if there had been a such).

But all in all, yes, I'm pretty sure Ruka and Michiru were inspired by Haruka and Michiru, but not rip-offs... To me, Ruka and Michiru are two rather different characters from Haruka and Michiru from Sailor Moon, no matter the similarities in names and looks.

Just my thoughts, though...

~ S.

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Re: Well... some thoughts...
[info]biomimetical
2008-05-19 12:48 am UTC (link)
I agree the personalities are not similar at all, but in the States, this sort of thing could be considered copyright infringement. Seriously, same name, two females with a romantic aspect in between? Both Rukas doing motorcross? Sounds completely unoriginal. Meh, I love the LF's Ruka regardless, but still.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Well... some thoughts... - [info]aeka, 2008-05-19 10:36 pm UTC

[info]calpis37
2008-05-09 02:04 pm UTC (link)
o_O never thought of that...but after your entry it really IS similar!~
haha..brings back memories..Sailor Moon, my first anime!XD

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[info]kktsubasa
2008-05-11 07:25 pm UTC (link)
waaaaaaah i have no idea haha XDDD tnxxx

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