Pretty Guardian Sailormoon Crystal Ep 2: Mercury Rising!

 

Mizuno Ami has an IQ of 300 in school however she has no friends and spent her time studying. Meanwhile, Jedite was ordered by Queen Beryl to find the Silver Crystal to revive their ruler. He called out his latest monster for their evil scheme.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Usagi was just dead tired after school although Luna wanted her to find the other warriors and their queen to battle the evil forces. Later Luna was using a computer and read through Ami's details. The next day, the school students learned about their test results and Ami was top of the school. Umino claimed that Ami is scouted to the Crystal Seminar where the smart kids were tutoring.

 

 

 

After school, Usagi spotted Ami playing with Luna and for a moment, Ami sensed something familiar after touching Usagi's hand. She suggested to Ami to go to the arcade center where Ami won the Sailor V arcade game. The machine gave out a special blue pen for Ami where Usagi got a pink pen (After violently shaking the machine)

 

 

 

Ami went to her class where the teacher gave her a special disk to study. However it was a brain washing program and it affected her. Usagi approached her the next day but she was in a trace. Usagi found the special disk after Ami left and took it. On the way back, Usagi got a Crystal Seminar leaflet with and throw the leaflet on Mamoru's face (Again!) Mamoru claimed he heard Luna talking and Usagi quickly give him the slip.  

 

 

Usagi booted up the disk and they discovered it was a brain washing program. They went to the Crystal Seminar building but there were security guards outside. Luna instructed her to use the pink pen and it disguised her as a doctor. She entered the building and found Ami being controlled by the teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

The teacher revealed herself to be a Youma and Usagi transformed. Sailormoon tried to use her whining to attack the Youma but it was useless and she was trapped onto the wall. Ami broke free of her spell revealing the Mercury symbol on her forehead. Luna instructed her to use the blue pen and she transformed to Sailor Mercury.

 

 

 

Sailor Mercury used Mercury Aqua Mist to confess the Youma and Tuxedo Kamen arrived to save Sailor Moon. She then finished the Youma with Moon Tiara Boomerang. When the mist cleared, Tuxedo Kamen was nowhere to be found and Jedit from far cursed that his plan failed.

 

 

Usagi and Ami became friends after that with Luna hinting that she was the one who placed the pens in the arcade machine for them. They started calling each other by their first name and headed home to learn more about the Sailor Senshi...

 

Our second Senshi arrived and it is every 90s guy's favourite Inner Senshi-Sailor Mercury/Mizuno Ami. Her transformation sequence was pretty good and perhaps better than the original minus the music which still reminds me of Precure. Mercury Aqua Mist is actually based on the manga rather than the Shabon Spray from the original series. (Shabon Spray is a very lame name, personally.)

 

Of course, when I first heard that Kanemoto Hisako aka Cure Peace is doing her for the Crystal series, I was taken aback for a moment as I was thinking of Yayoi but she also did subtle roles like Natsuki from Strike the Blood where I almost couldn't recognise her voice. 

 

Although Hisakawa Aya is forever Sailor Mercury, Kanemoto's version is pretty good as it portrayed a shy and innocent Ami and when she shouted "Mercury Power Make Up" , she sounds like Hisakawa for a moment. Kudo to her! However Usagi's voice is still irritating as ever when she talked out loud. (If you have a chance to replace Mitsushi Kotono as Sailor Moon, who will you cast her?)

 

Overall, a good episode to introduce Sailor Mercury and next episode will be Rei/Sailor Mars voiced by Satou Rina aka Misaka "Railgun" Mikoto. Let's see how she fared since Satou Rina is a big fan of Sailor Moon when she was growing up. Until then, see you next month for the next episode!