The reviewing starts now.

    Welcome, members of the FFML, to the first issue of the new Draxon's
Review Corner - your one stop shop for commentary on the big new releases
and the quiet, recluse fic alike.  Today we will take a look at Sailor Moon
AX, with the hope of producing some commentary worth remembering.
    First, a few notes about the authors.  Rob Barba and Libby Thomas are
cowriting this work in progress, with help from the rest of the crew at
Studio Yogipigs.  Rob is responsible for the Tales of Shampoo series, which
I had the pleasure of reviewing in January.  I think it averaged somewhere
around a 9.5.  I have never had the pleasure of reading any of Libby's work,
but after reading SMAX 1-8 I can say with conviction that her style is a
near-match with Rob's, which makes her the perfect cowriter for this series.
I've read fics where I could tell when one author stopped and the other
began, but that was not the case here.
    Before I begin I have to issue a short disclaimer:  I have never seen
any Sailor Moon whatsoever, so my ratings will focus solely on the quality
of SMAX from my (uninformed) point of view.  And now, to the ratings.

Story: 10.  Rob and Libby have worked to create a well crafted and absorbing
story, with seemingly every detail given attention to.  There is a lot going
on at any given point, as the story focuses on two seperate groups:  The
Senshi, and their American counterparts, The Sailors.  In between the 'plot
point' battle scenes are a wealth of smaller story devices that make the
characters full and more importantly, real to the reader.  In the midst of
this growing, serious story are hidden small treasures of comedy that hide
in the darkness until you least expect them, at which point they will
strike, and you may find yourself laughing in the most serious of scenes.
This gives Sailor Moon AX a great sense of personality and depth that can
draw even a Sailor Moon enemy like myself into the story.

Humor: 10.  If Rob and Libby wanted me to laugh at any particular point, I
laughed.  Their comical content was sparse, but always well-crafted and
effective.  Some pop-culture integrated into the story at some points hit me
particularly hard, where Sailor Mercury began using copied versions of
special attacks from various Anime and video game characters as her own.  I
guess it doesn't hurt that I once tried yelling out the names of some anime
techniques to confuse a black belt in Ishinruu while sparring, so.... ^_^

Drama: 9.  I don't quite think we've seen the finale yet, which is where
most drama points are scored, but Sailor Moon AX definately has it's
moments.  Every page is filled with high-impact character interaction and
thoughtful narrative, and it is obvious that Rob and Libby are not in a
hurry to finish this story, as they constantly throw new plot devices into
the mix to create an interesting and emotional mix.  Things pick up
particularly well on this front in chapter 8, after enough has happened in
the story to really push it forward.

Originality: 10.  This story is not the child of a "what if this happened to
so-and-so" idea.  It is obvious that a lot of work was put into developing
an interesting story.

Realism: NR.  This falls into the Superhero genre, so reality sometimes
takes a back seat.

Characterizations: 10.  Since I haven't seen any Sailor Moon I am basing
this rating on how 'full' the characters were and how consistent Rob and
Libby were in their characterization from beginning to end.  Every character
is unique, and has his/her own emotions and desires.  A lot of depth was put
into the characters, and their driving forces are always appearent (when R&L
want them to be).

Grammar: 10.  I found enough errors for my 'error report' to take up about
five pages (with lots of blank lines for readability) but I had no problem
with the way in which the prose itself was crafted, which is beautiful.
Since all of the errors I found should be corrected within the day I see no
reason to lower the grammar rating.

Descriptions: 9.  Rob and Libby are very good in this department, though
they don't tend to go into 'ultra-detail' -- the level of detail that some
like and others dont.  I found it easy to visualize the scenes, and R&L were
great at conveying emotions through narrative 'tricks' and other methods.

Overall: 10.  There is something to be said about a Sailor Moon fic that can
draw someone in who holds a cold hatred for the TV series, as well as a
lifelong boycott.  Rob has never dissappointed me, and Libby certainly has
done nothing but good.  Behind them are a team of people that are helping to
make sure that SMAX is something that everyone will make sure to read.  If
you haven't read Sailor Moon AX yet, you're missing out.  This fanfic earned
the 9.75 average I gave it, which is the highest I have ever rated anything
and will likely remain so for a long time.

Post-Notes on the Corner:
    I really must apologize, I had two factors against me while reading and
reviewing this fanfic.  One was the fact that I have not seen any Sailor
Moon and the other was that this is my first review after a long vacation.
I am grappling with issues concerning spoilers, so I didn't do a commentary
on what actually happens in the story like I had initially thought of,
preferring to tell people how good the story was rather than what in the
story made it good.  Also, my Neurologist has banned me from taking Adderall
for at least a month to help my sleeping, and I honestly think my IQ doubles
while I'm on that stuff.  Well, we shall see.  If anyone has any commentary
they would like to submit concerning Sailor Moon AX, I am sure Rob and Libby
won't mind.  My next reviewing project is a Tenchi Muyo fic by Adrian Tymes
entitled Ki-ohki.  Until then...

Draxonx@bellsouth.net
Cold.
Death.
Vengeance.