"So You Want to be in Pictures"- episode #42
(Japanese: For Love And Justice, The Sailor Warriors Again! -episode #48)
PLOT: Running along the street, Serena bumps into Darien, and instantly proceeds to get gooey over him. Confused, Darien asks how she knew his name; Serena realizes that, like the rest of the Scouts, Darien has lost all his memories of the previous year as well. Ann, who hasn't forgotten her romantic designs on him, shows up at that minute, and tries to flag him down as he leaves, then proceeds to let Serena know that she intends to serve as competition.
Later on, Luna, Artemis, and Serena, in Serena's room, discuss whether it's necessary to revive the rest of the Scouts, who are now living as normal schoolgirls. Confidently, Serena assures them that she'll have no problem saving the world by herself; Luna and Artemis tentatively agree, deciding that the battle with Beryl proved her strength. Serena bounces a ball around the room, lets it ricochet off the wall and gets hit in the face with it as it returns. Sweatdrop-bedecked, Luna and Artemis concede that perhaps it isn't a good idea to rely solely on Sailor Moon. (Artemis's sweatdrop is blue. I guess it's because white wouldn't stand out well on his fur.)
Meanwhile, in Alan and Ann's apartment, the pair are overlooking the withering Doom Tree. Ann asks for energy, but Alan tells her the tree doesn't have much to spare, so they'll need to take it from humans. Agreeing, Ann chooses a new cardian, this one rather less irritating than the last.
In the previewing room of a film studio, a group of directors is viewing slides of potential candidates for the lead role in their newest film. Molly is their choice for the heroine, while Serena, in the background of the photo being hit on the head with a volleyball, is unceremoniously rejected. Ever so coincidentally, Ami, Raye, Mina and Lita are chosen as potential candidates for the role as well.
At that moment, Alan and Ann materialize in the darkness of the studio. When the head director tries to throw the uninvited newcomers out, Ann proceeds to drain them of their energy; Alan advises her to "save your appetite for the main course."
Serena, in the meantime, has just gotten the news from Molly about the audition; she convinces Molly to let her tag along in hopes that _she'll_ be allowed to audition too.
Meanwhile, at the front of the studio, Ami, Raye, Mina and Lita arrive for the audition, and experience a mutual sensation of uneasy recognition. They introduce themselves to each other, but can't help feeling as if this isn't their first meeting...
Serena and Molly show up, too, and a brainwashed security guard curtly throws Serena out.
Meanwhile, Molly and the ex-Sailor Scouts have made it to the set; the curtain goes up to reveal Alan, Ann, and a very Moon Kingdom ruins-esque set(which rather unnerves the girls).
A nervous Ami decides she doesn't have the time to act in a movie and tries to leave, but is stopped by the appearance of the Cardian. Realizing the monster is real, the girls flee in panic; Ann, impatient, asks when they're going to get the energy. Alan replies that this is the fun part: "the scream of a young girl is music to my ears!" Frustrated, Ann leaves to find energy on her own.
At the same time, Serena is wandering the halls of the studio, lost, and runs into Ann, now in human form. As the two girls converse warily, Darien passes by in the hall, diverting their attention; naturally, they follow after him. Luna walks by the door to the stage set, and feels an evil power seeping out.
Back on the set, the girls are fleeing the monster when Molly tires out and collapses. Raye uses her ofuda attack against it, and Lita manages to drive it away with a few well-timed kicks. Luna, arriving on the set, is amazed that they've retained their fighting instincts from an earlier time.
Ann, meanwhile, has given up the search for Darien, and is wandering about the halls, dizzy and weak from lack of energy. She happens upon the dressing room of one of the actresses and decides to take advantage of its sole occupant. "Don't worry. Just have a little nap and you'll be fine!" As the Cardian proceeds to drain Molly's energy for the 8,634,923th time, Serena finally makes it to the set.
Spurred into action by Luna, she transforms to Sailor Moon- giving the other girls another uneasy jolt of recognition- and prepares to use the Crescent Moon Wand to destroy the monster, only to realize the wand is no longer in her possession.
Luna realizes she has no choice but to re-awaken the other Scouts, and performs the Luna Mind-Meld on them. Ami, Raye, Lita and Mina transform into Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, save Sailor Moon from the monster's clutches by distracting it, then proceed to destroy it with the combined force of their attacks. Alan and Ann, shocked, leave the set, but with threats of a return engagement. Back at Raye's temple, everything is back to normal: Luna and Artemis discussing the new alien threat, Raye and Serena bickering, Serena whining. Ahh, good old normality. ^_^
CHANGED AND CUT SCENES:
Like most of the other Doom Tree episodes, this is actually a pretty
accurate
translation of the original.
The main changes were that, in the original, Molly _asked_ Serena to come with her to the audition, and not the other way around; her excuse was that she often got involved in "strange accidents" and needed someone to protect her.
Also, in this episode, the stock footage wasn't used for Raye's ofuda
attack,
and so the infamous "figure in the flames" was left in. The ofuda
attack,
incidentally, isn't part of her Sailor Mars powers(even though the dub
calls
it "Mars Fireballs Charge.") Ofuda are anti-evil charms, and she uses
them
because she's a priestess. In the original, she yells "Akuryou taisan!"
(Evil spirits begone!) when she throws them.
MY COMMENTS:
I love the little double-take Serena does when she tries to attack with
the
Crescent Moon Wand and realizes she doesn't have it anymore.
Incidentally,
do Raye's ofuda ever actually _do_ anything? Most of the time the
monsters
just stand there screaming with a look on their face like "Ahhh! There's
a
Post-It on my head!" (Well, they worked in the R movie and in that one
episode with Jadeite, but that's all I can remember off the top of my
head.)