Okay, I want everyone to take a moment to think about Mako and Ami as science class partners.
Now, Mako isn’t very school-smart most of the time, and I’d imagine most of the math and physics stuff goes right over her head. But chemistry? That’s a whole lot like cooking. And the plant side of biology clicks with her instantly.
Ami is mostly the reverse, math is second nature to her, and wanting to be a doctor means she’s had an ongoing interest in animal biology. She’s good at Mako’s strong points, too (and likely academically far better), but Mako brings something extra she can’t get from textbooks. They balance each other out perfectly.
Later, Usagi is shown to keep the pen in her cleavage:
So then, where is Ami’s stuff? She doesn’t seem like she’d likely use her boobs as a pocket, and her dress doesn’t give her the same easy access as Usagi’s does anyway.
The obvious answer is that her stuff must be in Rei’s purse.
And that’s cute enough on it’s own, because that’s such a real detail (back in the days of school dances, I was always the friend with the purse holding everyone’s stuff).
But it also got me thinking: what if Ami and Rei got ready together?
Now, I don’t imagine Usagi would be very patient after she transformed. She’s ready and Rei and Ami look amazing anyway, why do you need to put on tights Rei chan we’re going to be late.
Yet Rei and Ami look very put together. I think after Usagi left the arcade, they sighed and agreed that no matter what Rei said about having a bad feeling, Usagi would end up going to the party. And they would go with her, because god knows Usagi cannot go alone.
So they stop by Ami’s apartment and she grabs an outfit; the closest thing she can find to a party dress is a simple blue oneshe wore last year to watch her mother receive an award for the advancement of medicine, but Rei promises it’s good enough. Then they head to the shrine and Rei picks a dress from the collection of ones her father sent her to wear for dinners with him (which she may or may not have attended) and lets Ami choose from the corresponding jewelry sets. They brush each others hair and awkwardly compliment how each other looks (because they’re beautiful, but neither is used to being opening about such things like Usagi is).
Usagi’s call comes right when they expect it. She doesn’t seem surprised when they show up already dressed to the nines, but maybe she’s just forgotten that they don’t have disguise pens. She slips tiaras into their hair (because of course Usagi has a little collection of tiaras, of course she does) and off they go.
I can’t decide on an interpretation for this moment.
On the one hand, Rei is completely new to the having friends thing. She has the children who come to the shrine, like Mii chan, who love her, but I don’t know if she’s ever had someone her own age play games with her and be so kind. So this could be Rei stepping back in her mind and having a moment of disbelief, a little moment where she questions how this is happening and if she should trust it. And then of course she can trust it, because Ami is probably the most sincere person in the world (perhaps tied with Usagi).
On the other hand, I really like the idea of Rei having a little crush on Ami right back. I definitely read manga Rei as ace, and am ready to see Crystal Rei that way too, but there’s wiggle room for me on if she’s aro as well, so I could definitely see her blooming admiration for Ami leaning towards a romantic crush.
But on a third hand (can I have three hands? Just for this?) I almost think this is a flash of Silver Milenium memories. With the game being tied to Senshi fighting and Ami/Mercury being their strategist anyway, I think Rei could have had a moment of recollection from when Mars and Mercury had a moment just like this one, perhaps early in their lives when they were training or fighting low-grade monsters.
I really like that Ami gets to have this moment with Rei. Ami had her first arcade experience with Usagi, and it was monumental for her. But Rei had a different connection to Usagi, so Ami gets to introduce her to the arcade.
And (manga spoiler) since the Sailor V game is intended to be like a training demo for being a senshi, I think it’s so cool that Ami coaches Rei through it. Ami isn’t the most powerful fighter in the field, but she’s a great strategist and she can see what needs to be done, and this echoes that beautifully.
I love too that Rei accepts her help. It’s so easy when you’re doing badly in a game to scorn help and insist you can do it, but Rei has such respect for Ami that she listens. And they beat the monster together, and celebrate together. This is likely their first time together without Usagi (as the arcade is their meeting place for senshi talks, and I doubt they’d wait long after finding Mars to have a meeting), and they click so well.
A couple weeks ago Ami was all alone. Her academic success isolated her. Sometimes she saw a pretty girl on the bus and admired her from afar.
Now that girl is her friend, and so impressed by the very thing that used to separate Ami from other people. Rei thinks it’s so cool that Ami can do this.
Ami’s life has just turned around so quickly. I’m just so happy for her.
And Ami being SO embarrassed but trying to be gentle while telling Usagi to stop because she loves this girl so much and friendship is so new to her.
But Ami probably admires Usagi’s confidence in expressing herself, too, not so much in this but after, when Usagi follows Rei off the bus and befriends her. Ami could never do that and if not for Usagi and being Sailor Guardians together, she might never get to be Rei’s friend.
This might be my favorite senshi awakening in any incarnation of the series, because I think Ami could have done it even if Luna wasn’t there. She reaches for the power before she knows she has it.
Ami loves Usagi so much already. I think just the word friend is enough fo Mercury to grasp who Sailor Moon is, because only one person would call her a friend right now. And that person is so dear to her, she can’t let her be hurt.
So she breaks through her brainwashing. But she doesn’t stop there. She needs to save Usagi, dear sweet Usagi. All her love (so new but strong) and all her rage call her power to her. Ami calls out for Usagi, and Mercury responds to save Serenity. (I love how Ami/Mercury transforms and goes through the entire speech before being shocked by it. Crystal is doing such cool things with SilMil memories.)
(Also, I have to go back and listen later to see if the monster *does* actually say she’ll send Sailor Moon to heaven, because if so there’s an angel/heaven connection that I think Ami made)
Okay, so even ignoring the sheer adorableness that is Ami, I love this moment a lot.
Earlier in the episode, Ami’s shown to have a cold exterior. She drops it for Luna, of course, because Luna’s cute and cats don’t know she’s the friendless genius. But then Usagi comes up. Usagi does know these things, and Ami knows she knows because Ami very pointedly noticed her at school and everyone at school knows who Ami is.
Yet Usagi talks to her like a normal person.
I didn’t include the cap of when Usagi first says hello, but Ami is so startled by it I have to wonder how long it’s been since someone her own age approached her. And Usagi is being incredibly Usagi, charming and caring and utterly adorable.
So Ami forgets herself for a moment, and says exactly what’s on her mind. She thought Luna was an angel. I’m willing to bet that Usagi coming and talking to her only strengthened that thought. A cat fell from the sky and suddenly someone, suddenly the girl she noticed earlier who was so happy and loved, is being friendly to her? That seems a whole lot like divine intervention to Ami. It’s the exact opposite of cold logic, and I love that that’s how Ami is on the inside.
And then she’s embarrassed. But Usagi thinks she’s cute and invites her to the arcade anyway.
Ami has no friends. Enter Usagi. Happy Usagi, with her group and her smile and her joking about her terrible grades.
Ami notices. But she’s unreadable.
I love that she’s unreadable. People comment that she seems cold, and Crystal makes those words not be empty. That is a stone cold face right there. Entirely emotionless. But inside? Ami’s feeling everything. Desire and envy and sadness and more.
She can’t show it.
Seconds before this we see her barely react to people talking behind her back. She’s learned to hide the pain, because nothing’s worse than people seeing you cry over their comments.
Then the second Usagi pays her any attention, she’s as warm and sweet as humanly possible, because she doesn’t have to be so closed off.
SittingOverHereDreaming 