WOW CRYSTAL WAY TO THROW UNCOMFORTABLE HIGHSCHOOL MEMORIES BACK IN MY FACE.

I mean wow, my situation was different than Ami’s, but I’m relating hard right now. I had impeccable grades in highschool and ended up valedictorian (college no so much) and people did talk like this all the time. (For me, it was more that my test scores and grades were pitted against other people’s, like I was somehow at fault for scoring higher than someone more popular.)

And it’s a strange sort of thing, because it’d be easy to think that being so well known would make it easy to make friends. But it really really doesn’t. People knowing who you are without knowing you means they’re watching and judging, which is hard to break through anyway, but then the above happens and people outright avoid you because you heard them. It’s isolating, and I’m so happy Ami has Usagi to break through that for her.

I don’t plan to countdown to *every* Crystal episode, but I’m too excited for each Inner’s introduction to not at least do their episodes (and probably the season finale as well, although that countdown will be half dread and half bracing for oceans of tears).

I’ll probably have more and better thoughts tomorrow, when I have a day off and can get some sleep, but I really wanted to talk about Ami’s little appearance.

It just seems so incredibly sad.

Everyone else is talking with friends (or, eavesdropping on their friends and talking to a cat, in Usagi’s case). Not Ami. She’s walking alone, most likely to go straight to cram school. It’s impossible to really read her emotion from behind, but she seems pretty okay with it. Probably she’s just so used to it it’s not a thing.

But then it starts raining, and her whole stance changes. Part of it’s just from running, but her shoulders slump and her head goes down and she clutches her bag like it’s the most important thing in her life and the rain must not ruin its contents. Which is probably actually the case (and although Ami is naturally studious and a high achiever, I definitely see her also using her high marks as a way to connect with her mother, but we’ll see if/how that plays out in Crystal).

I just also realized this is a direct contrast to the opening. Ami doesn’t have an umbrella, and it seems to ruin her day a little. But in the opening, when she has Usagi and Rei and Luna and the rest of them, she throws her umbrella away because it doesn’t matter. Then can get soaked and have fun and love each other all day long. 

Her bag and her homework?
Not so good at that.

I’m really excited for the next episode, guys. I’m already pumped to see Ami get some love. ❤