Jared Watches Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 2 - Ami, Sailor Mercury

Confession: Sailor Mercury is my FAVORITE. Sailor Jupiter's great too, but Mercury has always been my all-time best awesome favorite character in Sailor Moon. So, yes - I'm more than a little in love with this episode.

To his credit, Jared is anticipating it as well.

Me: Are you going to watch or read?

Jared (looking up from his Kindle app on his phone): Huh?

Well, sort of. Good thing he's cute.

The episode opens in a classroom and the students are gaping at a blue-haired girl at the chalkboard working out a complex math equation. She sets the chalk down as she finishes and her teacher hands her a graded assignment, which shows she received a 100% perfect score.

Jared: Wait, was she doing math on the board?

Me: Yes.

Jared: So why was there math on the board, but the homework was English?

We may have to consult Leigh-Ann again...

Cut to later, outside the school - random boys are gossiping about the girl - Ami Mizuno - and how much she studies and keeps to herself. I always wondered why boys who cared to gossip gave a crap about a quiet, studious girl who never bugged anybody else.

Boy 1: She never talks to anyone.

Boy 2 (sees Ami): That's her! They both run for it.

Jared: How nice of them to be properly ashamed that she overheard.

Across the way, Ami sees Usagi with Naru and her other friends talking and laughing about how Usagi failed yet another test.

Me: So you know she's thinking "If I'm a screw-up like that girl, I will probably have friends."

Jared: She's thinking it.

Opening Credits Roll with "Moon Pride"

Jared: You know, "Love Lightning" aside, at least the song makes sense. A lot of them [meaning anime theme songs] don't.

Me: Nope.

Jared (illustrating how much of a goofball he is): Love Lightning! Love Lightning!

He pokes me every time he says that. I'm tempted to make the audio of him saying it into a ringtone.

Me: The theme song of Season 3 makes no sense either. It's probably my least favorite of all the songs they've done for Crystal.

Jared: Darn...

We'll get to Season 3, I'm sure. I will have PLENTY to say then.

End opening credits, and the splash image of Usagi and Luna -

Jared: Luna's size is inconsistent! She changes sizes! I'm not wrong!

Me: You're not wrong. To be fair, anime artists have a really hard time drawing animals. When we watch Fushigi Yugi and they draw horses - it's terrible. They tried.

Jared: I prefer the Sanderson approach [meaning Brandon]. Just don't include horses. He has riding insects of some kind. I forget.

Int: Dark Kingdom. Jadeite is summoning his "Earth Golems."

Jared: That looked like a punk elf.

Back in Tokyo, Usagi gets home from school and Luna tells her to take her responsibilities as Sailor Moon more seriously. Usagi whines that she doesn't want to fight anything that scary again.

Jared: Cat fight!

Me: *glaring*

Jared: It was!

Luna continues persuading Usagi to be better at being a Sailor Guardian. In the process, she provides one of many info-dumps.

Luna: You need to find the other Guardians. You'll need their help to find our Princess and protect her!

Usag (dreamy eyed): More Guardians and a princess, huh?

Flashback to Tuxedo Mask.

Usagi: You mean like Tuxedo Mask?

Jared: Yes. He's TOTALLY a princess.

Usagi: And like Sailor V?

Jared: Closer.

Later, Luna is in their secret base typing away at a database. 

Jared: Luna at the keyboard is just the most hilarious thing ever. She has no thumbs! No thumbs!

The next morning, the students at school gather around the posted scores of a recent test. Everyone is exclaiming at the "genius girl" Ami Mizuno and her perfect scores. Usagi bemoans her awful academic performance.

Naru: No one expects you to get scores like that!

Usagi: I know, but did you really have to say it?

Jared: Yes.

Umino pops out to deliver his info-dump setup for this episode, which involves the Crystal Seminar cram school.

Everything you need to know about Umino in one screengrab.

Umino: I heard they recruited Mizuno pretty aggressively and even let her come extra hours to study more!

Jared: You'd think he'd be upset. His whole bag seems to be "obnoxious smart person."

Ami's mom - the rich and famous doctor - is mentioned.

Jared: Do we ever see her mom?

Me: Maybe in one of the later seasons? Season 4, perhaps?

Jared: We haven't seen her (Usagi's) dad yet, either..

Later, Usagi is walking home, bemoaning her grades.

Usagi: These are horrible! Mom's going to kill me for sure this time!

Jared: Those are FAILING!

Usagi also notices Luna meeting up with Ami.

Usagi: Luna? What is she doing with the genius girl from Class 5?

Jared: CHEATING ON YOU!

Me: Popular fan theory is that Luna sometimes wishes she could be Ami's cat.

Usagi and Ami meet for the first time and it's damn adorable.

Usagi (to herself): If I become friends with her, she can teach me how to study so I do better on tests. Then I can be a genius too!

Jared: It's not the worst plan ever...

Me: No. I mean, Usagi becoming a genius might be a bit of a stretch. But doing better on tests, yes. That is doable.

Jared: Or her studying at all. What was the line last time? "I tried my best! I'm going to bed. No homework tonight!"

Usagi takes her new bestie, Ami, to the arcade. She introduces her to the Sailor V game and Motoki (the order of importance between those two is debatable).

Jared: So where did Luna go? I mean, Usagi knows she's fine, but you don't want to let cats wander around all over the city.

Ami tries her hand at the Sailor V game and finds out she's pretty good at it. She begins to draw a crowd, who marvels at her skill at the game.

Jared: So, it looks like the animation budget was a little tight here. Consider it was, what, five or ten seconds of her playing and just her mouth moving slightly?


Me: Yeah... they kind of cheapied-up on some of the budget.

Jared: You'd think they could afford... I mean, they know it's going to do well! It's Sailor Moon!

Note: I seriously don't want to get into the animation/budget/corporate decision woes at Toei that made fans bitch about these first two season relentlessly. I really, really, really don't. If you're thinking of making such comments here, go find some impotent Tumblr page to rage and vent. This isn't the place for it.

Back to the episode - a fancy blue pen falls out of the coin return on the game, which Ami claims. Motoki wonders where it came from, since the game isn't supposed to give prizes. Usagi wants one too, and she shakes the machine until she gets a pink one with a gem on top.

Jared: WHAAAAAAAT....

 I say nothing.

Jared: Where did THOSE come from??

I still say nothing.


Usagi: Oh, I just called you "Ami"! Since I used your first name, you can call me "Usagi!"

Jared: I assume there's a "-chan" after that in the Japanese?

Me: Yep. They dropped all the honorifics in the dub. Which, I can understand why. It's probably better to drop it entirely than get it horribly wrong. But they do kind of lose something without a few of them.

The girls take their prizes and their newfound friendship and leave the arcade. Luna watches them both from across the street as they go.

Jared: Wait, wait, wait - I assume Luna was behind that [the pens]. But she's across the street, up a story or two.

Me: She's not the only one running the thing...

Ami heads to her cram school, Crystal Seminar, where the teacher in charge guilt-trips her into using the freaky-deaky study disk.

Jared: That purple - no, not even purple. Lavender. That lavender suit is atrocious.

Jared: And why's it called "Crystal Disk"? These bad guys are very bad at naming things. Gratuitous English. Thank you, Japan.

The next day at school, at least one of the girls Usagi hangs out with is acting weird. She's been going to Crystal Seminar.

Jared: But did that place just open? Thank you exposition friends!

Ami is in the library studying. She decides to take notes with her new blue pen from the arcade.

Jared: So it actually works as a real pen, huh?

Me: Yep. Gotta sell ALL the toys!

Usagi finds Ami and exclaims over their new pens. She also invites Ami to come get ice cream with her and her friends. Ami clearly wants to, but she remembers that guilt-trip-scary-Crystal-lady needs her to study and do her best. There's also some weird glowy-green-eyes thing going on.

Ami: Sorry, I need to study.

Jared: Okay, her eyes just changed color. You'd think she'd notice.

Me: This is Usagi we're talking about.

Jared: Yeah, but they're frickin' HUGE! I mean, her eyeballs alone must take up a third of her head! Each! HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!

Me: You're thinking that anime actually follows physics or biology!

Jared: Some physics have to work!

Me: Not with those leg-lengths.

Jared: NOODLE-LEGS!!

Usagi ends up outside Crystal Seminar (so much for ice cream). Someone is handing out fliers to advertise for the Seminar. Ami is featured in the advert.

Jared: Aaaaaand... toss for the head...

Luna: Hey, Usagi! Don't litter!

Me: Three... two... one...

"Mysterious" Male Voice: Hey!

Me: There it is.

Usagi hits someone with the crumpled flier. It's the same guy from the first episode - tuxedo and all.

Mamoru: Hey! Bun-head! I am not a garbage can.

Jared: Okay, that was a pretty funny line! And hey - sunglasses!

Mamoru: That cat was talking just now, wasn't it?

Jared: HA HA HA HA HA!

Usagi: Cats can't talk to people! Don't be ridiculous!

Luna: Meow!

Jared (still laughing): That's a really bad meow! And he's still wearing a tux in public. "I'm not a trash can..." that was pretty good.

Usagi and Luna go back home and try out the Crystal Disk that Ami left behind on Usagi's computer.

Jared: Is that a bunny on the laptop?

The computer starts acting weird and a strange voice starts speaking. The screen flickers and sputters. Luna and Usagi keep staring at it.

Jared: Maybe don't stare at the brainwashing device?

Luna: It's a brainwashing program!

Jared: So stop looking at it! Maybe? No? Maybe?

Usagi and Luna go back to Crystal Seminar, but no one is being allowed inside. Two guards are posted at the door. Luna explains that Usagi can use the pen she got at the arcade to disguise herself and get inside without anyone giving her a hard time.

Usagi: Moon Power! Change me into a doctor! 

Jared: Except, it's a cram school. Okay - yeah. Disguises. Great! Lovely. Useful power. It's a cram school. For students. Why change into a doctor?

Me: She begged "Emergency!" It worked!

Jared: No, the plan isn't the problem. The plan's actually fine. They didn't need a plan. She could have just walked right in. It's a cram school.... Well, it is after hours, so I guess it's fine. That was a ridiculous doctor outfit, though. The skirt was almost as short as the Sailor Moon one.

Sigh...

Inside, scary guilt-trip lady is towered over Ami, who is brainwashed and working feverishly to do her "master's" bidding. Guilt-trip lady berates Ami for having the new blue pen, which reminds Ami of Usagi and the brainwashing starts to break. 

At that moment, Usagi busts into the room.

Usagi: I'm here Ami!

Luna rushes at Guilt-trip lady and smacks her in the face, forcing her to let go of Ami.

Jared: *laughs* Okay was pretty cool from Luna. BAM! to the face!

It's obvious who Jared's favorite character is so far.

Guilt-trip lady demands to know who Usagi is.

Usagi: Well... you see... I'm... I'm a doctor!

Jared (still laughing): Yeah... (in a girly voice, which is funny hearing from him) "I'm a doctor!"

Usagi announces that she knows the secret of the brainwashing disk. Which Guilt-trip lady doesn't take kindly to, since she turns into a monster. Usagi transforms into Sailor Moon - yes, in front of Ami.

And here, Jared notices a key detail of the transformation sequence.

Jared: Does this mean she doesn't have any fingernail polish? 

Me: ...she wears gloves.

Jared: No, but it just put it on!

Me: It did! And then she gets gloves!

Jared: But, the point is she didn't have polish on before. You'd think a girl like this would have fingernail polish most of the time.

Me: Usagi probably bites her nails.

Jared: *thinks for a moment* I am willing to accept that explanation.

Transformation things happen here... it's hard to come up with new and exciting ways to describe it each time. Just think lots of ~*~glitter~*~...

Jared: Okay, I noticed something that time. Her eyebrows. Reminds me of a line from "Epic Rap Battles of History" - the Eastern Philosophers vs. Western Philosophers: "You need to make your eyebrows fit better on your face."

Of all the things he notices... Eyebrows.

Jared: 'Cause her eyebrows just kind of wandered off the edges a bit.

Sailor Moon does her pre-fight speech, while also throwing in awesome things about being Ami's friend. And the monster starts just kicking Sailor Moon's butt. She tries the supersonic crying thing again, but it doesn't work.

Me: Give the bad guys credit. Whatever moves work against them one time, they got back and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Jared: At this point, I kind of blame Luna. It should have been clear that they needed a tactical planner. At least, temporarily.

Sailor Moon is in big-time trouble. And that's what breaks Ami out of the brainwashing. Luna tells Ami to use her pen to transform.

Jared: TALKING CAT! AHHH!!

Me: Look at her little fist!

Yes, do look at Luna's little kitty-fist -

Favorite things :)

Jared: I don't think cat's fingers move that way. But it was pretty impressive, though.

Me: Luna types on a keyboard!

Jared: Fair enough.

Putting aside the fact that a cat is talking to her, Ami does as instructed.

Jared: And, of course, her transformation sequence is not as long.

Me: Nope. Her name isn't in the title, after all.

Jared: Wait a second - I thought she had sleeves.

Me: Mercury doesn't, no.

Jared: Oh.

Sailor Mercury: I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and intelligence! I am Sailor Mercury!

Jared: Seriously - how does she know to say that?

Me: Muscle memory?

Luna: You're the second Guardian we've been searching for! You're Sailor Mercury! Our team strategist!

Me: That's a MUCH better translation in the dub than what's in the Japanese. In the Japanese, she's the team's "brain."

Jared: Yeah, that's quite a bit better.

Monster: What the hell?

Jared: Heh - yeah. She's still here too.

Back to the topic of the post-transformation speech thing -

Jared: It must be instinctive or something.

I don't say anything.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon is still pinned to the wall. Then, something slashes her out of her bonds and Tuxedo Mask is suddenly there.

Jared: Wait - how did he get her out?

Me: Some questions, we just don't know the answers to.

Jared: Something sharp was involved!

Sailor Moon beats the monster, everyone gathers to regroup.

Sailor Moon: Where did Tuxedo Mask go?

Me: I know my priorities...

Meanwhile, on a nearby roof, Jadeite grumbles about his most recent loss.

Jadeite: Now there are two Sailor Guardians to deal with.

Jared: THREE! Three, sir, three!

Me: Three?

Jared: Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor V.

Later, Ami marvels at her newfound powers and wonders where the pen that she used to transform came from.

Ami: I can't believe I transformed with that pen. Did I win it by chance?

Luna: I have no idea.

Jared: Luna is the ultimate schemer!

Me: I'm glad you like Luna.

Jared: I mean, sure she doesn't have thumbs. Imagine if she did! She could rule the world!

Ami: Let's go home and have a meeting! There's so much I want to ask you about.

Usagi: A meeting? Right now?

Ami: I have so much to learn! I can't wait another second! Hurry! Hurry!

Jared: Yes! This is where you learn to study!

Usagi: But I'm tiiiiiiiired...

Me: That plan didn't work out so well, did it?

Jared: Eh... eventually it might. Then again, I can't really imagine her going to high school. With those grades? Uh-uh...

Me: Should I tell you? It's not that big of a spoiler.

Jared: Sure...

Me: She does go to high school.

Jared: Oh, so it DOES pay off eventually!

Sure, we'll go with that.

***

I have no reason to put this here. I just like her face.

***

Next Time: Episode 3 - Rei, Sailor Mars

Previously: Episode 1 - Usagi, Sailor Moon

Who Saves the Savior?

Review/Recap of Sailor Moon Crystal, Act 6: Tuxedo Mask - SPOILERS!

This review is going to be a bit different. Rather than go through and do a blow-by-blow analysis, there is one particular scene I want to focus on because there is so much packed into it (and the rest of the stuff is kind of secondary anyway - no less important to the overall story, but this one bit really stuck out to me. I love it when that happens) -

Actually - the seeds for this were sown at the end of Act 5 where Luna gives Sailor Moon the Moon Stick and says "You - Leader! Act like it!" And it kind of continues throughout this episode with the scenes in the arcade after hours. Luna’s giving the girls the whole “Your mission in life is to fight the Silver Crystal and guard the princess. There’s more to the story, but you’re only going to get bits and pieces of this until a certain unspecified time.” And there’s a secret compartment under the arcade that serves as a secret base and the Sailor V game is part of it (that oughta please the rabid nit-pickers. But of course it won’t so forget I even mentioned it). Ami, Rei, and Makoto are in awe of this random secret base under the thing - but Usagi... well, remember how at the end of Act 5 Luna dropped the whole “Hey, you - Leader!” thing on her? She’s still processing it. She’s still in complete and utter shock of that revelation.

Because the genre deems it so - stop fighting this

And Usagi - bless her - is not doing well with this information.

The idea that Tuxedo Mask could be their enemy doesn't sit well either. I'll get there.

And here I must back up for a bit and discuss my current mindset. For that is the lens through which I am watching Sailor Moon Crystal. At the beginning of this year, I was semi-involved in a business deal that, had it gone through, would have made me the manager (of sorts) of a huge chunk of our family’s business. This is what a lot of people in my age and situation are hankering for, right? This is what women in general have fought and campaigned for - the ability to be leaders in business and make high-powered decisions and be the boss and be over everybody and everything. Right?

The mystery of the pen-dispensing video game revealed!

I should have been excited about the opportunity. I should have been foaming at the mouth to get this thing done. I should have been ready to waltz in there and take charge and be the Head Bitch In Charge. I should aspire to being on the list of Top 100 Women Leaders in Business because that’s what women’s rights groups tell me I should want. This quiet, meek, little bookworm who maybe wants to someday get married and have a family - pffft! That’s weak sauce! That goes against everything women have worked for the past 200 (or so) years! Be a modern, proactive woman! Be the boss! Be intelligent! Be tough! Girl power! (and all that shit).

The reality? I was terrified. I almost didn’t want the deal to go through, even though I knew that it would open up untold opportunities not just for myself, but for our family’s business interests - thus, it would be beneficial to my parents, my siblings, possibly my niece and nephew (and future nieces and nephews). But I wasn’t sure if I could handle being in charge of something so huge and important. I was scared I’d mess it up and make things worse. I was comfortable and happy where I was - why should I want that to change?

Even in the face of all the "evidence,"
Usagi's faith in Tuxedo Mask is unwavering and I love that!

(In the end - there were some outside influences that prevented the deal from happening and our little Brain Trust group ended up parting ways with that particular company. Doesn’t mean that there aren’t other deals that could happen and I’ll end up back in the same situation - hopefully with an organization that wasn’t as messed-up as we later found out that one was. It’s a long story...)

Video Game!Sailor V being helpful in the way that Sailor V can

My point is that I can understand Usagi running away from being a leader. Especially where she’s this happy-go-lucky sweetheart girl who just wants to make friends and make the people around her feel loved. She cares little for school and other serious responsibilities, no matter how many times she’s told she should take more care in these things. Even being Sailor Moon - well, there are three other Sailor Guardians to help her. She can defer to one of them. She just happens to be the first one Luna found. She can depend on one of the others. Right?

And you need to stop being a pain in the ass, cat!

Nope. According to the talking cat - Usagi’s the leader. She’s in charge. She’s the one who had to run point and figure things out. And that scares her to death. She can barely manage to pass math class (if indeed she passes math at all) - how in the world can she lead??

To this point, this is not a side of Usagi we’ve seen. We’ve seen her be the best friend and the fun-loving girl. She pulls people out of their shells and helps them feel loved. She’s the glue that brings this unlikely little family together. Even back in the original anime - Usagi had very little angst or self-doubts. The times we saw a sad Usagi were the times that her friends were in danger and there was nothing she could do about it. She very rarely second-guessed herself. Which is why I’m so glad Crystal is allowing us to see this side of Usagi. Like Rei’s episode where we saw Rei dealing with some very real internal struggles, this episode gave Usagi some much-needed character development and a chance to see what’s under that happy face she puts on for so many people.

I know the feeling, kid.

And it’s interesting that this character study comes in this particular episode - the one where we’re promised more insight into Tuxedo Mask. Because as well as the bombshell of finding out she’s supposed to be the leader, Usagi also discovers that the one person (besides Luna) that’s been with her on this journey since the beginning might not be everything that she assumed he was. Usagi has taken strength and inspiration from Tuxedo Mask, even though she doesn’t have a clue who he really is. All she knows is that he shows up to help her when she needs it most. As much as Sailor Moon (the series, not the character) is about girls finding the power within themselves and not necessarily needing a man to help them through this (and as the theme song so succinctly puts it every episode) - Usagi does need that encouragement and reassurance from Tuxedo Mask. She relies on him just as much as Ami, Rei, and Makoto rely on Usagi.

And what’s interesting is that we do get that moment of introspection from Tuxedo Mask (which, if you don’t know that Tux is actually Mamoru Chiba at this point, you haven’t been paying attention at all). Because he even says he doesn’t have powers like Sailor Moon does. He admits that she is capable of so much more than he ever could do ([Spoiler Redacted]). And I think if we were allowed to follow Mamoru the way we’ve followed Usagi and the girls, we’d learn a lot more about the things he’s gone through to get to this point (then again - we’re getting the second part of his story in two weeks, so we’re not shutting the book on that line of inquiry just yet. To which I say - Hell Yes! I am here for that!)

I know the manga is its own storyline and it’s clear from the changes that have been made that Some Intense Stuff is going to go down - but I just want to talk about what I love about the manga in terms of Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship. In the original anime, I fell in love with the timeless love story. I thought it was adorable and romantic and so much squee worthy and wouldn’t it be amazing to be the beautiful princess and marry the handsome prince. But at the same time, I felt like it didn’t go far enough. I felt like there was more of their story to tell, but I’d have to fill that in on my own. It wasn’t until years later that I read the manga and I found how just how deep this story runs and that depth was there from the beginning! Because the anime tended to sort of gloss over the love story (and the English dub didn’t do it any favors in some respects, but I’m not here to discuss that) and some lovely details were lost in favor of oddly-placed humor and crass stereotypes (because societal gender wars between men and women are so much more important than finding common ground and realizing how much we actually do need each other, you know).

I think my fangirl senses went from "Okay, good" to "OMG YES!!" right here.

Perhaps it’s because I’m older and I've seen more disappointment and heartbreak - not just in my life, but in others’ lives as well - but I love that we have this moment where Usagi and Tuxedo Mask admit their failings to one another. It pains me to admit it, but that handsome white knight doesn’t exist. Oh, he may put on a good front, but he’s either trying to pull a fast one over on some gullible chicky-poo or he’s faking it because that’s how he knows how to gain approval (but he’s not very good at it, so it goes unnoticed).

You tried and that's all that matters. I think.

I mean, look at this - Mamoru is admitting that he screwed up with this whole “Help Me Find the Silver Crystal” thing. The Dark Kingdom was able to piggy-back off his publicity stunt and brainwash people into looking for the Crystal and then they attacked the entire city. Again, Tux needs Sailor Moon to fix a specific problem and he admits to her that he doesn’t have powers like she does (like I said before). But here’s the thing - he has to tell Usagi this through the guise of Tuxedo Mask (and never has a superhero name been so appropo). He clearly knows that she’s Sailor Moon, but he’s still not ready to reveal himself to her just yet. And I’m sitting here thinking - why? What happened in this guy’s past that he would effectively wall himself away from people like this? I mean, I guess it could be a commentary on how we all have our disguises and masks to keep the people we care about at arms length. But this feels like it’s a more specific instance. This is where I wish we had more insight into what Mamoru’s mindset is and what he’s thinking right here. I know what events happened in his past (the “Next Time” promo even gives it to us), and we can fill in the blanks as an audience. But I’d love to have more details and information - it would be a fascinating character study. I mean, just because it’s a magical girl anime doesn’t mean you need to leave out such a vital component of a vital and interesting character just because he’s a guy, right?

(Oh man, I probably just opened up a huge can of worms with that remark. Still - my point stands. I want to know more about Mamoru Chiba. I want more of his backstory and growing up years and what made him become Tuxedo Mask. Simply because I don’t know what happened to him. I’m already interested in this guy. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be asking for more backstory. He’s just as much a part of this story as Usagi or any of the other girls. In fact - I hope we do get more backstory on all the characters. C’mon, Crystal - you can do this thing!)

Anyway - it’s a tender and poignant moment. One that I hope and wish fandom will appreciate more and more. Not just because it’s “ZOMG - OTP!” (though that is fun and I won’t lie - I got butterflies from it) - but because it’s an example of how to do romantic relationships in fiction and do them well. I don’t care if your story is set on the planet Zog 496 and the people there have spatulas instead of fingers - if you can give me a realistic relationship between two people (romantic or otherwise) and make those characters interesting on their own as well as together, you’ve got me.

Mad props for the fade effect, animators!

I’ve barely touched any of the rest of the episode! We get dream sequences of the Silver Millennium - not just from Usagi, but also from Mamoru (loving the connection these two already have!) Not just that they're having dreams about each other, but also that those dreams take place in the huge battle that destroyed the Silver Millennium - much more dramatic than the princess simply staring out into the distance mewling about the Silver Crystal all the time.

A chance encounter between both of them - but this time Ami and Mako are there to witness it. I love that Mako points out that Usagi’s blushing and that Mako kind of gives her static about it (that’s what best friends do).

The design of the secret base under the arcade is gorgeous and wonderful. Sailor Moon’s new attack is quite well done too. The Dark Kingdom continues to be ominous and threatening - not foppish or cartoony at all (man, they really are scary this time around).

Also, Ikuko playing with Luna as if she were a normal cat brings me life. I love that we got just that one little comic moment and then it was back to the heaviness of the main story. It’s these little details that make Crystal so enjoyable and fun and I’m glad they’re allowing themselves to do things like this.

And for next time... you know - I love how this episode was “Tuxedo Mask” and the next one is called “Mamoru Chiba.” It seems like they two parts of one continuing narrative and that was sorely needed. Especially since Usagi has the two personas separated in her mind - so we had to have one exploring Mamoru as Tuxedo Mask and one exploring Mamoru as himself (so it’s very possible that all that lamenting I did about Mamoru needing more backstory and explanation will be moot in two weeks anyway. I need to go back and refresh my memory of how the manga dealt with this part of the story - it’s been a while).

Crystal continues to promise big things and it continues to deliver! Keep it up, kids!