EPISODE 010

Norowareta Bus! Honoo no senshi Mars toujou

(The Cursed Bus! The Soldier of Fire Mars Appears)

Original Air Date: 05-16-1992
Director: Kazuhisa Takenouchi
Animation Director: Kiyoshi Matsumoto
Writer: Sukehiro Tomita

Screencaps
Did You Notice...?



What's In This Episode?
Hikawa Jinja, Jadeite, Kigaan, Kuri, Naru Osaka, Phobos & Deimos, Rei's Grandfather (Ojii-san)



In the Dark Kingdom's lair, Queen Beryl says that there will be trouble if the Sailor Senshi get the Ginzuishou. She says that their kingdom should have the Ginzuishou, and that she will show no mercy to anyone who tries to hinder the Dark Kingdom. Jadeite apologizes for not finding the Ginzuishou yet, and Queen Beryl reminds him that he has failed several missions already, but she will give him a chance to redeem himself by collecting more energy and killing the Sailor Senshi. He tells her that he will do so.

Usagi and Luna are walking on the sidewalk when several police cars drive by with their lights and sirens on. The two wonder what happen, and then spot Ami Mizuno nearby. Ami says that she is taking a bus to cram school telling Usagi, "If it's for a good cram schoo, I'd even take a plane!" She says that as a Sailor Senshi, she needs to study hard so that she can help Luna. Luna says, "Ami, you're the best! On the other hand, when you compare that to someone else..." She is obviously talking about Usagi, who laughs nervously.

More police cars with sirens on drive by, and Naru and Kuri (who is never actually named in THIS episode) walk up to Ami and Usagi. The classmate with says that she heard that a bus with some passengers which left shortly after 6:00 PM suddenly disappeared. Usagi says that it sounds like fun, but Naru disagrees. She reports that a bus with about fifty passengers disappeared near Sendai Hill, and Kuri says that the police suspected it could be a mass kidnapping, so they kept it quiet for a while, but they just announced it and began investigating.

All of the girls are scared, and Ami says it's a cursed 6:00 bus. Usagi says that Hikawa Jinja, a shrine near Sendai Hill, is famous for their amulets that ward off evil. Naru said that she heard that the daughter living there had psychic powers, and that her fortune-telling was very accurate. Kuri says that she heard that the amulets really work. They all decide to buy one, and even Ami asks Usagi to buy her one, since she can't go to the shrine because of cram school. She says that she has an important mock test coming up, and she can't afford to get a cold before then.

At Hikawa Jinja, three girls are praying about boys they like. Jadeite, who has disguised himself and is sweeping nearby, laughs to himself and thinks, "Pray more and fill your heart with the energy of burning desire! Inside the shrine, Rei senses that something evil is coming closer. Outside, Rei's grandfather approaches the three praying girls. He asks them if they want to work part-time as shrine maidens, but they say that they just came to buy amulets for love. He laughs and says he was just kidding. Looking at his watch and realizing that it is 5:30, he says that he will perform a special ceremony for them so their love will be true. After a short ceremony (and some impromptu advertising), the girls run off thinking that Rei's grandfather was hitting on them. Jadeite watches nearby, hidden from view.

Next, Rei's grandmother walks up to Usagi, Naru, and Kuri, and tells them that they are very pretty. He asks them if they want to work as part-time shrine maidens. Rei suddenly walks up and scolds him for hitting on girls, saying that there are rumors about him going around in the neighborhood. Upon seeing Rei, Usagi and her friends find her to be very cool and pretty. She says she wouldn't mind being a shrine maiden part-time, and her friends give her looks of bewilderment.

As the first set of girls (the ones praying for boyfriends) walks away from the shrine, Jadeite suddenly attacks them and drains their energy. Rei senses the evil disturbance, and thinks that it is being caused by Usagi. She leaps into action, attacking Usagi with one of her anti-evil scrolls. Usagi falls over, and Rei's grandfather secretly looks up her skirt! Rei scratches her head and says, "That wasn't how it was supposed to be..."

Rei takes Usagi, Naru, Kuri, and Luna inside the shrine. Jadeite, who is posing as a shrine worker, brings Rei some water and a towel. She asks him to leave it at the door, and he does so and departs. Naru and Kuri think that he is very attractive, and Luna feels like she has seen him somewhere before. Usagi suddenly wakes up and asks where the gorgeous guy is! Naru asks if he is Rei's brother, but Rei says he is not; she says that her grandfather likes to flirt with everyone, regardless of gender. Apparently, Jadeite visited the shrine a few days before, and Rei's grandfather made him a live-in helper. Naru tells Rei that she has a very interesting grandfather.

Rei tells Usagi and the girls that some very strange things have been happening recently. Her sixth sense and prophecies used to be very accurate, but lately they have gone haywire. When Luna hears about the prophecies, she wonders if Rei could be the princess she's looking for.

Suddenly, a very angry middle-aged woman bursts into the room, looking for the head priestess. She tells Rei that her daughter didn't come home after she left to buy amulets at Hikawa Jinja. She says, "I heard your head priest does his so-called special ceremony at 5:30... are you sure he's not trying to force people to take the 6:00 bus?" Rei tells the woman not to make strange accusations... the 5:30 ceremony has been around for a long time! She says that policeman was there earlier in the morning, and tells the woman that if she wants to report someone missing, she should just go to the police. She then stands up and yells, "It has nothing to do with my grandfather! Now, get out!" The woman is astonished by Rei's behavior, and storms out.

Later, outside the shrine, Luna pulls Usagi aside and secretly tells her that she thinks this has something to do with the enemy. She tells her to contact Ami. Usagi hesitates because Ami is as cram school, but Luna tells her to hurry up and get Ami out of cram school.

Ami, Usagi, and Luna rush to the Sendai Hill bus stop and see that dozens of girls are lined up to take the bus. Each girl is carrying an amulet from Hikawa Jinja, and they all seem to be in a trance-like state. Usagi thinks that they are all in love with someone, and Ami wonders how they could possibly have time for other things when they should be busy studying for their high school entrance exams.

Usagi says, "Oh, but Ami, you fall in love, too, don't you?" She then thinks about who she is in "love" with, and has visions of Motoki and Tuxedo Kamen. Ami interrupts her daydream by saying, "Usagi-chan, if you don't know what real love is, you shouldn't use the word 'love' so lightly."

Their conversation is interrupted when the 6:00 bus arrives, right on time. The doors open, and the girls silently board the bus. Ami tells Usagi to get on, but Usagi is apprehensive. Ami pushes her forward, and Usagi violently protests. When the bus driver looks at Usagi, she grabs a nearby pole and begins screaming that she really doesn't want to go! Ami tells her to be brave, but Usagi cries and says that she's scared. The bus driver closes the door, and the bus leaves without them. Luna tells Usagi she can't believe she's such a coward. Ami says that they can just come at 6:00 on the following day.

As Usagi, Ami, and Luna look on, the bus suddenly lifts itself into the air and floats through a large black hole. It disappears into another dimension, and the black hole disappears. The girls are in shock.

On the bus, all of the passengers are unconscious. The bus driver looks at them all and laughs, saying, "Master Jadeite, today's operation was successful again." Jadeite's voice echoes through the bus, saying, "The energy in girls who have offered prayers is enormous. Draw it out of them nice and slowly." The bus is then seen from the outside, floating through space, and a burst of bright light comes from within it.

[Commercial Break]

At Hikawa Jinja, Rei feeds her two pet crows, Phobos and Deimos. Usagi suddenly runs up, and the two crows give a startled screech. Luna sees this, and hides behind Usagi's legs, frightened. Usagi begins to tell Rei that she saw the 6:00 bus disappear the previous day. Rei immediately becomes defensive and says, "So, you think it's my grandfather's fault, too? The police came here so many times; I'm sick of it!" Usagi says that she didn't mean it that way, but just wondered if Rei knew anything about it. Rei angrily says that she doesn't know anything, and Usagi apologizes and says that she wants to be friends. Rei asks her to leave, and Usagi runs off.

As soon as Usagi and Luna leave, Rei notices a transformation wand on the ground. She wonders if Usagi dropped it, but her thoughts are interrupted by several girls saying that they want good luck amulets for love. Jadeite stands at a counter, asking the girls which color they prefer.

Rei suddenly realizes that since Jadeite came there, they sell many more amulets and have more visitors. She is suspicious about why the bus disappears in front of the shrine, so she does a fire-reading. Jadeite interrupts her to tell her that her meal is ready, but she tells him to leave so she can concentrate. As he closes the door, Rei thinks that he has mysterious eyes like ice. Shuddering, she wonders if the new-comer has something to do with why her prophecies stopped working.

Meanwhile, several girls stand at the Sendai Hill bus stop, waiting. Usagi hides and looks on, and she asks Luna why she left the pen for Rei. Luna vaguely says that she wants to "check something" and tells Usagi that she'll tell her later. Changing the subject, she tells Usagi that she has to get on the 6:00 bus today! Usagi is still scared, and Ami is late... Ami said she'd get on the bus, too.

The bus suddenly appears, and Usagi begins to panic. She holds onto a pole again, and Luna tries to pull her away with all her might. The bus driver laughs. Usagi has a bright idea... she lets go of the pole and holds out her disguise pen. She then transforms herself into a "cool bus attendant" to make herself a little less scared.

Usagi and Luna leap onto the bus and see that everyone on board is unconscious. Usagi yells at the bus driver, "It's my duty to make sure passengers are safe and comfortable during travel! Hijacking is unforgivable" The bus driver ignores her and begins driving the bus. The bus lifts itself into the air and Usagi falls backwards. Ami runs up just in time to see the bus be transported through the black hole.

At Hikawa Jinja, Rei continues her fire reading, asking the fire who is responsible for all of the troubles. The fire flares up and Jadeite's face appears within it. She leaves the fire and goes to confront Jadeite. He laughs at her accusations and opens another black hole, telling her that she'll go inside, too! She falls through the black hole as Jadeite looks on, laughing.

Inside the alternate dimension, the missing buses float through the air. The door of Usagi's bus opens, and she and Luna fall onto the ground. Usagi immediately begins to cry while Luna tells her to pull herself together. The bus driver leaps out of the bus when Rei suddenly emerges through the black hole. The bus driver catches the girl and transforms into her youma form, as Kigaan!

Luna tells Usagi to transform into Sailor Moon. Usagi cries and says, "I don't want to live like this anymore... but I'll do it!" She resolutely stands up and transforms. Kigaan says that she's been waiting. Suddenly, the Mars symbol appears on Rei's forehead. Luna recognizes it immediately.

Sailor Moon tells Kigaan to release Rei immediately, as keeping everyone locked up here is unforgivable! She performs her "Moon Tiara Action" attack, but Kigaan dodges the tiara by jumping over it. Phobos and Deimos, who were sucked through the black hole along with Rei, begin attacking Kigaan and pecking her, causing her to release Rei. When Sailor Moon's tiara flies near her again, she manages to actually catch it in her hand. She says, "You can't beat me with this toy!" But Sailor Moon says, "You fell for it!" The tiara then turns into a large ring that encircles Kigaan, holding her tightly and temporarily incapacitating her.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon asks Rei if she is ok. Luna tells Rei to take out the transformation pen that she picked up earlier and transform into Sailor Mars with "Mars Power, Make Up!" Rei is confused about Luna's ability to talk, but Luna says she'll explain everything later. Nearby, Kigaan manages to work herself out of the golden ring, which falls to the floor as Sailor Moon's tiara. Rei quickly raises her pen into the air and transforms into Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon is quite surprised by Sailor Mars' transformation. Kigaan leaps forward to attack, and Sailor Mars says, "Evil spirit, you won't get away with this! I'll take care of you!" She then attacks with "Fire Soul," effectively killing Kigaan. Back at the shrine, the ball of energy that Jadeite had been collecting disappears when Kigaan is destroyed.

Because of Sailor Mars's power, the black hole between dimensions begins to close. Phobos and Deimos manage to fly through the black hole, but Luna, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars have no way of getting out.

Meanwhile, at the Sendai Hill bus stop, Ami dejectedly sits on the ground, thinking about her friends. She holds her transformation pen in front of her, hoping that everyone will be ok. Suddenly, the pen begins to glow, a column of blue light bursts through the black hole. In the alternate dimension, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Luna see the light and recognize it as having come from Ami. Luna figures out that they can escape towards the direction where the light is coming from.

From behind the girls, a bus's horn honks, and they see Tuxedo Kamen sitting at the steering wheel of one of the buses. The girls think about how cool he is. He has tied all three buses together to form a sort of makeshift convoy, which he drives through the black hole. The girls then run towards the light.

At Sendai Hill, Ami looks up to see the buses floating towards her in the air. Tuxedo Kamen drives, while Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, and Luna ride in the lead bus. Jadeite looks on from above, angrily noting that another Sailor Senshi has appeared. He decides that they are worthy opponents, but he will beat them next time. He then disappears into the air.

Luna leaps into Ami's arms, and Sailor Moon hugs her Ami. While no one is looking, Tuxedo Kamen disappears. Sailor Moon says to Sailor Mars, "Don't tell me you like Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Mars blushes and denies the accusation, saying that she just wanted to thank him before he left. She then says, "What about you? Are you in love with him? Of course, it could just be a one-sided love." Sailor Mars storms away, as Sailor Moon begins to cry over the remark. Sailor Mars is then seen in a small vignette sticking out her tongue.