And we’re back with more! The girls have just gained “Super” transformations into more powerful Sailors, but are a ways away from actually showing new powers. “Filler Episodes” are thus still the name of the game. The villains are still searching for Pegasus in a Dream Mirror (we know that it’s in Chibi-Usa’s), it’s revealed that he and Chibi-Usa have feelings for each other, and the Amazon Trio are slowly being all “What is this human value known as friendship?”.
EPISODE #146:
A very “old-school”-seeming Template Episode, this one featuring a runaway Princess, eager to avoid yet another stuffy royal duty, and wanting some freedom. She acts like a bit of a kook (lecturing people at random, giving away a balloon to a bratty child and not realizing that payment is required, and asking random people for assistance more directly than would ever be normal in Japanese society), and the Usagis follow her around. Diana shares the story that Neo-Queen Serenity & King Endymion ALSO get mysteriously ill and disappear when certain “royal duties” are required as well, which leads to a funny bit from Luna, who of course sees the truth Diana is to naive to see, and is disappointed in Future-Mamo.
Hawk’s Eye is rapidly shot down by the Princess (who is drawn prettily, but with VERY heavy eyebrows, indicating Caucasian race), who thinks he’s a palace guard here to take her back. So he just attacks. Luna pointing out “What if she believes ALL Japanese people are like Usagi?” and Mamoru being legitimately worried at the thought of it, is pretty funny.
This Lemures is a bit nutty- a ball with a face on it… riding an Elephant. Unusually, she gives some backstory that her older brother-in-law was one of the past Lemureses, and so she “owes them”, “even though Gomumario and I never quite got along”- it’s kind of a funny random aside, and Hawk’s Eye has to shout at her to keep her head in the game. As Frank Welker is not Japanese, they’re stuck with “obviously a person doing a bad elephant impression” as the voice actor the elephant. LOLZ- Tuxedo Mask does the “throws a rose and begins his speech” thing and the Lemures just IGNORES IT and keeps on rolling around. Tux gets legitimately PO’d (“What the–?!”) and actually has to dive in and use a “pool” trick, using his staff as cue. And so the day is saved.
EPISODE #147:
Sailor Jupiter’s turn for a Focus Episode! Tiger’s Eye, scolded by Zirconia for another failure, has decided to hook TONS of lovelorn women, all potential targets, at a “famous” College Dance, and of course Makoto and the girls are going to be there. Curiously, we see Motoki AND Unazuki show up (OUTSIDE OF THEIR JOBS!!!), delivering much-needed exposition about this dance being a famous “matchmaking” event (“Hey Motoki, isn’t this how you hooked Reika?”). And Mako’s dress is HOLY CRAP INSANE, with a giant rose on the front- truly the most talented of the Sailors.
The dance party is fun to look at, with Motoki blushing around a sexy girl and Unazuki pulling him away all annoyed about it, the HORRENDOUS saxophone-pop-dance music playing, and the obligatory “close up of cleavage” of some random woman. But then we see Mako all sheepish, with a brave face on, as she leans against the wall all alone, casually remarking to Ami that “when you’re tall like me, nobody asks you to dance”. Yeah, we all know those 5’6″ Sasquatches are just unlovable. And then Ami, GOD BLESS THAT GIRL, is all “May I have this dance, then?” and the two run off and laugh on the dance floor. Adorbz. They dance well enough that Tiger’s Eye notices her, and asks for the next dance. And… ohhh… oh, MAKO. You poor, sad, naive girl. Of COURSE she’s got stars in her quivering eyes. MAKO STOP BLUSHING!! STOP PICTURING THE TWO OF YOU DANCING AT A ROMANTIC BALL, ALL WEARING WHITE!! Dammit, girl- you and your romantic heart.
Awwwwwwww and then Tiger’s Eye is all “lol I tossed in a sprat and caught a whale” because now all the OTHER girls want to dance with him. And Mako just kind of looks on, all innocent and confused, asking politely if they can dance again? JESUS. And then she decides to wait ALL NIGHT in case he comes for one more dance, and Usagi later finds out that she didn’t even go home that night because “I’d never forgive myself if he came by” while she was gone. Even Chibi-Usa is like “Oh, MAKO…” about this. Like, holy crap. And the girls resolve that they’re just going to wait there WITH Mako, so she doesn’t have to go it alone, because friendship is beautiful and I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING.
The girls all fall asleep at the side of the building as Tiger’s Eye meets Fish Eye (who OF COURSE wins a random beauty pageant, just because), he points out that he missed one last photo… the one of Mako. This makes our villain realize he blew her off too quickly, so he goes to seduce her… but is himself flustered when she openly fawns over him, and actually lectures her for trusting him so much after one dance. Fish Eye has to force his hand, transforming and revealing her Dream Mirror.
Sailor Jupiter uses “Super Supreme Thunder”… one of a few Jupiter attacks that never showed up anywhere else but in the episode where they debuted. Though it’s literally just a shot of her Transformation Wand, a bunch of lightning, and a screaming villain- no attack sequence. She decides that “maybe it was dancing ITSELF that I was in love with”… but Unazuki tells her of ANOTHER dance at a nearby High School, and so they resolve to run off and find Prince Charmings THERE. The rest of the girls just plotz.
Fun trivia bit: This is the first episode to air after the US premier. That’s quite interesting, because it took a bit for the fandom to percolate in North America, as I think by the time I got into the show (near the end of the first season, but it took a while for me to get on this “internet” thing at school and read about it), the Series Finale had already occurred, as I recall always knowing about Sailor Galaxia and the “Everybody Almost Dies” ending.
Of course, the Manga was always ahead of the anime, meaning that ending was common knowledge, too.
And that’s all this time around! The next two are a two-parter, so I wanted to split them up. This ends up being one of the best episodes of Sailor Moons SuperS, though, showing that even the “Weak Season” can pull it off quite well.
SWO Productions 