Sailor Moon Episode 26 - To See Naru-chan Smile! Usagi's Friendship

Sometimes, I say things I come to regret later. Like this entire blog. Or saying 'I will totally have a post up by monday'.

... so yeah I pretty much wasted the entire weekend but there are deadlines to meet so LETS DO THIS. Time to ruin my brain.


Something about Zoisite, and the monster of the day being... Hawkman?! Oh christ what have I gotten myself into. Well this is either going to be a very short blog or a very long night. Perhaps if I am most unfortunate? Both.

At 26 episodes, that is traditionally the end of your season. Most shows usually last 24-26, with them occasionally running a double-ep special at the end. Not the case for this show (thankfully). This does mean that I am now officially halfway through the first series, and I am left to wonder: Did they suddenly change VA's for Usagi? Because her voice sounds way more high-pitched than before.

Anyhow, it looks like this episode, if the title is to be believed, will be continuing the trend of actually having a semblance of a story-arc. Spoilers: Naru is probably hung up over that dude who was a total jerk to her.

So there's a castle in the mist, and Princess Blondie is asking Tuxedo Mask to hurry up and find that damn Silver Crystal. Then he wakes up in a sweat not knowing he really is Tuxedo Mask, and is all confused.

Then over at Beryl's Palace of Pain, Zoisite goes and finds the next Rainbow Crystal. Which is in a priest. In a surprising twist of efficiency, they cut straight to the chase! By utilizing some wonderful flashbacks of Nephrite turning into pixie dust because Naru is absent from class again.

Turns out they were able to invent something more annoying than their main character. This is astounding.

After school, Usagi spends her time talking to Umino, for whatever reason, about how she's going to Naru's to cheer her friend up, and drags the little stalker along. They attempt at some boring buddy-comedy, and Naru... turns full-on lesbian?

Well that came out of nowhere.

Oh, guess she just wants to get some food. That's not so bad.

Over at the shrine, the other girls are getting a lecture from the cat about what the Silver Crystal is. Sort of. For someone who is supposed to be really on top of these things, she is really terrible at her job, that cat. She does know (now, that is) that the crystal has the power to destroy the world. In the wrong hands. Probably. Yeah, because turning people into monsters just wasn't bad enough now they have to be out to destroy the world too while they're at it. Mark one for the Cheese category.

Makoto asks the obvious question: Where the hell is it? Oh but knowing that would be too easy. There's thing thing called the Rainbow Crystals though, which are fragments broken from the main thing, so there's probably a connection there. Then they go over everything we learned last episode because frankly, we need to be reminded all the time, just in case we forget. That's also why we have flashbacks eating up thirty seconds at a stretch or more. It's totally not because of budget concerns or time constraints. We promise.

Then Ami asks about how to find these crystals, and plot twist! That new wand Usagi has can do it. Oh, but I'm fairly certain we already know what a terrible idea that is. Just to make sure we know, however, they discuss how she will probably use it. While she does exactly that thing. Sigh.

Oh, but the cat believes in the rabbit. She may also have a few screws loose. Boring talk about recognizing Usagi as a leader (who is terrible at doing such things), but it's pretty evident that nobody has faith in her. Why go to meetings when you're going to Chinatown with your bestie? Yep, that's our heroine. Good call, Makoto, calling her up and hoping she'd be mature about anything. Care to try your luck at double Jeopardy, where the scores can really change?

No lie, this is the most detailed shot you will see in this
entire episode. Very serious about that.

So over in not quite Chinatown yet, they visit.. a cemetery. Where Naru starts crying because Nephrite has no grave and oh that is just so very tragic. Leaving Umino to be the unfeeling rube who has no grasp of the situation at all. Usagi starts choking the life out of Umino, and then Naru vanishes to talk to... that priest from earlier. Oh boy.

Kid, I literally just met you and have no idea what you
are even on about. Are you on drugs?

Ah, she follows it up with "someone important to me died". But still, isn't that a weird way to open a conversation? I mean, seriously weird. Of course, we immediately commence flashing back again, and she's beating herself up. Then... what?

Just how lazy can you get?!

Note there's no animation in those last two shots. And they've just used the same one twice in a row. Ho boy. Next: How the hell does this guy even know about that? You literally just talked to him, and in fifteen seconds he knows everything that's ever happened to you? Can we get some context?

Probably not. Whatever.

So it would seem that, some dude who treated you like shit, used you on multiple occasions and even physically assaulted you at least twice tends to leave a girl with a void so large they lose their entire reason for existing in the first place.

... you know, that's actually kind of tragic because people do think like that? I couldn't make that funny if I tried.

Of course, the priest leaves her with "love is all around and if you just turn around you'll find it all over again." Cue comedy laugh track:

Y HALO THAR!

Oh hey it's that one guy who killed that other guy who beat you and insinuated you were his mortal enemy!

Outside of the church grounds, Usagi's bag starts ringing and glowing, and Luna literally appears out of nowhere. Even the bunny has to comment on it.

Yes, ignore that I am a talking cat with teleportation powers.
Now hurry up and grab hold of your moon stick.

Oh Luna. You are truly a character.

Now we get a tutorial on how the moon stick functions! Oh, but later, because right now the important thing is that it's reacting to a thing and a monster is about to go gwargh. It's very scientific and she should call Makoto, because she's probably good with things that go gwargh.

The priest is all like, "dude I am a priest" and Zoisite is like, "Yeah about that." Then Usagi shows up and does her transformy thing because holy crap there's that bad guy from the last episode and Naru is about to get hurt. It's amazing that they are putting her into situations where she literally has no choice but to step up and do something about a situation.

Zoisite throws down the girl, and the priest is all "I'm such a pacifist". Yes, because telling someone not to hurt other people always seems to work. Then Sailor Moon makes her debut, shocking everyone around.

First instinct when confronting a villain: Stand in the most
precarious place possible.

I mean it when she shocks them.

He's either going "that bitch stood on a gravestone!" or
"Thank god for that magical breeze." You decide.

Though, Zoisite shoots the priest with the most epileptic-inducing colored laser ever, and the gem flies out, turning into.... Hawkman.

Now all he needs is an attorney's license.

This guy is downright delusional, and takes after Freddie Mercury.

He says this in English. Then howls. Spot on for Freddie.

At this point he challenges Sailor Moon to a boxing match and proceeds to yell things in English at random. Like "I am a Champion! Lovely Paunch!" Sigh. If they were trying to create the most utterly ridiculous thing imaginable? They succeeded.

Fist of the North Star? Come at me bro.

Naru opens her big mouth, and Umino dives in for the save when Hawkman goes berserk and attacks Naru for talking. He just turns his attentions back onto Sailor Moon, who is, as usual, rescued by Tuxedo Mask. Just in case you were worried that they weren't meeting their requirement for misogynistic views of women.

Now Tuxedo Mask is the new target, and he goes off to show the guy what a real 'gentleman' is. He drops a star-shaped locket though, and finally Makoto shows up ready to electrocute something, and turns into Jupiter. She pulls aggro, and blammo, he gets.... Thunderstruck! Sorry, you are no longer the champion of the world.

Moon Healing Escalation and he reverts back to a humble priest.... who suddenly has different robes from before?

Ah, but Tuxedo Mask finds the Rainbow Crystal before Zoisite, and runs off, laughing all the way to the bank. Sort of. Then he turns back into Mamoru, but now he knows that he is actually Tuxedo Mask. Glad we can put all those strange nightmares to rest finally.

Then Umino gets a gift from Naru.

Um, hold on a second...

... really not sanitary. Some alien dude bled on that!!

Naru seems touched that anyone should ever want to save her life, and vows to return to school. Then Usagi opens the locket and it plays a rather haunting melody, while the cat and Makoto stand around watching her. End episode.

In conclusion? Well... at least this one made me laugh out of the sheer absurdity of the entire thing, as opposed to facepalming over it. I think perhaps I may have come to the point where it's gotten so absurd that I can't help but laugh at it.

We shall see if this remains. Check back in a couple of days, when I watch something else. Probably the next episode of this.

Bonus note: Four minutes before the deadline! I still managed to deliver on-time. Booyah.