Episode 2
Act 2:
Ami - Sailor Mercury
Airdate: July 19, 2014
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Sailor Moon Crystal has started a trend of not naming their
baddies-of-the-day, and it starts with this episode. She also is without a name
in the manga, but does appear. This Youma poses as a teacher at the Crystal
Seminar Cram School, which Ami attends. She uses a disc with evil software,
to brainwash Ami and the other students. When she is discovered, she turns
into a hideous creature, and tries to kill Sailor Moon with razor sharp
papers. |
Ami is a certified genius, who studies at
Minato Ward's Juban Public Middle School in Class 5. She is 14 and in her
second year of middle school, 8th grade. Ami's parents got divorced quite a
while before the series starts. In the second arc of Crystal, we see that her
father actually walked out and left her with her mom when she was around 8
years old. Despite this, Ami is close to both of her parents. Her father is
an artist. He lives very far away, but lets her have use of his exclusive
club membership. Ami's mother is a doctor, and works long hours, leaving Ami
to pretty much raise herself. Ami's dream is to become a doctor, like her
mom. Ami loves to study, sometimes to the brink of a breakdown. Because of this, the usually quiet and sweet natured girl is without friends, until Usagi decides to hang around her. |
Total Guardians: |
When
Usagi is daydreaming about using Ami to get better grades, watch Ami's
reaction. Also, watch Luna and Usagi's faces when Mamoru starts to figure out
the cat can talk.
It's
a moot point now, since the Blu-Ray/TV edition fixed everything, but the
original Hulu cut had some meme-worthy faces. Watch Usagi's odango, they
change shape as she moves!
Act
2
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This episode starts off a trend of not naming the
Baddies of the Day. The episode starts where we see Ami, wowing her class
by solving a ridiculously large math problem on a chalkboard. Her teacher
hands her the results of a test she's completed. Perfect 100 score. We then
see Ami enjoying lunch outside. A couple of boys walk past, talking about her
without knowing she's there. They gab about how Ami doesn't have any friends.
Meanwhile, Queen Beryl is reading Jadeite the riot act
for not finding the Silver Crystal. He promises to do better, then hurriedly
walks off to his side of the lair. He summons a Youma, and instructs her to
find the Silver Crystal. That night, Usagi returns home and plops down on her
bed. Luna is waiting for her. Usagi protests the cat being there and the
whole "I now have to fight monsters" thing, and Luna gives her the
"Go save the princess" speech. Usagi asks Luna if Tuxedo Mask and
Codename Sailor V are their allies, but Luna ignores the question, saying she
has a lead on the next Guardian already. Later that night, Usagi is sound
asleep, while Luna has gone off to the command center she built under Crown
Arcade. You know, for a cat with no thumbs, she's pretty damn handy with a
hammer. And a computer. Apparently she's very good with one. We see her dox
Ami, showing up her birthday, astronomy, blood type and age. It's official.
Luna is a hacker. The next day, all the top scores are posted. You know,
that's amazing about Japan. Over there, they post your "report
card" so to spear in the form of your test scores on giant boards all
over town. In America, we would call that intimidation, someone would be
sued, someone would cut themselves, and it would create a class system that
would elicit extra bullying between smart and dumb kids. Here, we just have a
report card, we tell our kids that everyone is "special" and we
don't embarrass them by posting this information publicly. Hmm. Well anyway,
the kids all see that Ami has the top score at the school, with a perfect 500
beside her name. And without warning, Naru just does something ice cold: Umino pops up, and says Ami's brilliance is because of
the Crystal Seminar Cram School. Usagi notes that her father claimed it was
unbelievably expensive, and that it had just been built next to the arcade.
For no reason, Naru, Kuri and Yumiko decide this is the best time to run down
Ami and make fun of her for not having friends. They haven't even met the
girl yet, and already they're making up rumors about her. Holy shit. Well of
course, Ami hears all of this and walks away. After school, Usagi is walking home from school,
lamenting her poor grades. Luna is randomly in a tree. She drops down,
startling Ami. She pounces Ami, and cuddles up to her, as Usagi walks up.
Usagi decides that everyone gossiping must be wrong about Ami, and she
decides to make friends. Ami hands the cat back to Usagi, but just as she
does, Ami sees a flash of the Moon Kingdom during the Silver Millennium. As
Ami tries to snap out of it, Usagi daydreams about how she can use Ami to get
better grades. At the Crystal Seminar, Ami is breezing her way through
place value math problems. Her teacher appears, handing her a CD-ROM, telling
her that if she uses it, she will certainly become a doctor someday. Ami
obeys, putting the disc in the PC. The computer starts to glow a sickly
green, as Ami's eyes go from blue to green. The next day, Naru offers to take Usagi and Yumiko for
ice cream. Just then, Kuri breezes past them, mumbling numbers. Guess who's
been going to the evil cram school? Well while Naru is suddenly praising the
school, Usagi finds Ami in the media room section of the library. Ami is
using her new pen to write stuff down. Usagi invites her for ice cream, and
at first Ami accepts, but then rescinds the offer when she has a flashback of
her teacher. Ami is suddenly possessed, and quietly excuses herself to go to
cram school. Luna once again appears unnoticed in school. She and Usagi
decide to go after Ami, right after Usagi finds Ami's disc. Outside, Ami's teacher is handing out flyers for the
school. She hands usagi a flyer, noting the disc. Usagi sees that Ami is
being used on the flyer. She balls it up and tosses it, again hitting Mamoru,
just as Luna is yelling at her about littering. Mamoru leans in close. In Usagi's room, she is typing away at her laptop. She
still can't figure out how to use a computer after all these years.
>_____< At first, just normal school crap appears, but then Luna's ears
perk up. Luna and Usagi can hear the cryptic message from the disc.
Luna takes Usagi into a nearby alley, and tells her to
use the Luna Pen to disguise herself. As Doctor Usagi and Luna blow past the guards, Ami's
teacher is pressing her to work faster. She flings Ami's pen across the room,
which prompts Ami to chase after it. As the teacher grabs her, Usagi and Luna
barge in. Luna attacks the teacher and Ami grabs her pen. Usagi tells Ami
that her teacher is a fraud, and exposes the truth about the brainwashing
program on the disc. This pisses off the Youma, and she gets fugly in a
hurry. Luna yells at Usagi to hurry up and transform. Usagi points out that
Ami is literally standing right there, and Luna just is like "Don't
care, just do it!" So Usagi transforms. Sailor Moon chastises the Youma for tricking Ami, and
the Youma responds by chucking razor papers at our Moon heroine, slicing up
the cubicles. Sailor Moon freaks out and cries, once again letting loose the
ultrasonic waives. But this has no effect on the Youma, and Sailor Moon gets
her ass kicked. After a good pummeling, Sailor Moon is stuck to the wall by
hundreds of razor papers. Seeing the Youma about to kill Sailor Moon makes
Ami snap out of the possession, and she starts to glow a brilliant blue. Luna
instructs her to yell "MERCURY POWER MAKE UP" and thinking nothing
of the talking cat, she nods and obeys. By the way, in case you're wondering,
even in the Blu-Ray shot seen below, Luna is still double jointed, and will
spend the rest of this series being able in cat form to bend her elbows like
a human: After the battle, the two girls walk home, and agree to
stay friends. Ami leads Usagi by the hand, wanting to ask tons of questions.
And far away, a girl with purple hair is sitting among candles… |
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Here, we have a pale, white-pink Doctor's tunic, which
is barely the same length as a t-shirt. It opens from two buttons on the
front, one on Usagi's neck and the other just above her left boob. The
one-piece dress is slightly shorter in the anime than in the manga, leaving a
tight outline of Usagi's *AHEM* lady business. The thin material hugs Usagi's
curves, which are more pronounced in the manga. There is a pocket directly on top of Usagi's right
boob, which holds her Luna Pen and a blank name badge. There is a long, black
and grey stethoscope around her neck, and finishing the ensemble are a pair
of white kitten heels. Usagi's hair is slightly shorter than normal, but is
still in her usual Odango style. This outfit is flirty and revealing, a bit risqué for a
14 year old, but still very playful. |
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BONUS!! Toei loves playing with those of us who were fans
from day one. Did you catch how many hidden moons are in Usagi's Henshin? |
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me back to the Battle Record!
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