EPISODE 021

Kodomotachino yumemamore! Animeni musubu yuujou

(Protect the Childrens' Dream! A Frienship Tied by Anime)

Original Air Date: 08-08-1992
Director: Kunihiko Ikuhara
Animation Director: Kazuko Tadano, Hiromi Matsushita
Writer: Katsuyuki Sumizawa

Did you notice...?
Screencaps

What's In This Episode?
Castor, Director Asatou, Hiromi Matsuno, Kazuko Tadashita, Nephrite, Pollux, Studio Dive, Zoisite,

Usagi sits in her living room at home, watching a commercial for a new Sailor V anime that is made (the commercial actually uses the Sailor Moon theme song as its background music). Usagi sighs, jealous that Sailor V is being made into an anime. She says that she wishes someone would make her into an anime, and Luna says, "If there was someone who would make such a silly anime, I'd have to see it to believe it."

Hiromi Matsuno and Kazuko Tadashita, two young animators who are close friends, walk down the street, discussing the Sailor V anime that they are working on. Hiromi confesses to her friend that she does not understand the director's instructions because he speaks using very abstract terms.

Hiromi thinks back to the last time they spoke with the director, who told them that their drawings were not quite what he had in mind. In one picture of Sailor V, he says that "the line of the leg is lacking a certain passion." Hiromi asks, "Are you suggesting that we make her sexier?" He becomes flustered and says, "Don't be ridiculous! I'm a father! I would never say such an indecent thing!"

Hiromi feels that she has no talent and that she should quit the anime industry. Kazuko is shocked, but Hiromi says that she was just kidding: she would never leave the anime industry so readily. The two girls run to the studio, but Hiromi accidentally drops some paperwork. Ami sees her drop the paper, but can't catch her in time. The paper shows that it is from Studio Dive and gives the address "170 X-XO Asabu Juuban, OX Ward, Tokyo." Because she has to go to cram school, she decides to return it later.

Meanwhile, in his secret mansion in the forest, Nephrite consults the starts to find his next victim. He notes that the constellation Gemini points to Hiromi; he will use his strongest youma, Castor and Pollux.

Kazuko visits the local Seven Mart convenience store to buy some food for herself and Hiromi. Ami walks outside the store on her way to return the fallen paperwork, when Masato Sanjoin speeds by in his red sports car. She instantly recognizes that Masato Sanjoin is Nephrite!

At Studio Dive, most of the animators have gone home for the day. Only Hiromi remains, still working on her drawings. She feels that she is unable to depict Sailor V with any "love and passion." She becomes frustrated and throws away the drawing she has been working on, then goes to Kazuko's desk to inspect her friend's work. She finds that her friend's drawings are incredible, and resolves to work harder than before. She goes back to her desk and takes out a pencil case with a bow on it, which she is apprehensive about using.

She thinks back to the day when she got the pencils, which are designed for professional animators. She and Kazuko went to the XX Department Store together before going to work at Studio Dive. The decided to buy the pencils, despite the fact that they were incredibly expensive. They bought one pack of pencils and divided them into two matching boxes. They decided to only use them for special occasions, only when they "draw the finest anime that will never disappoint the dreams of children." The boxes had ribbons on them, so the girls agree to ask each other's permission before untying the ribbons.

Hiromi sighs, thinking about the promise. She has used them often without telling her friend, and when she opens her case, she finds that she only has one small pencil left. Just then, Mastoto Sanjoin enters the room. He tells Hiromi that he is a fan of hers, and that he wanted to see where she worked. He quickly picks up the pencil from her desk and marks it with his evil crest. As he is leaving, he is confronted by Sailor Mercury, who is standing on the roof of his car. He leaps towards her and hits her ankles, knocking her off the car. As he gets into the car, he tells her that he has prepared his two best youma to face the senshi, and that they should train themselves to fight!

After Nephrite leaves, Kazuko returns to the studio with dinner from the convenience store. Hiromi gives her a strange look, but the two are interrupted by Ami, who has come to return the paperwork they dropped earlier in the day. Kazuko thanks Ami, but Hiromi does not speak to the girl. Kazuko apologizes for her friend, saying that she has been working very hard lately and is under a lot of pressure. She invites her to come back some other time to be thanked properly. Ami immediately notices that something is wrong; Nephrite has definitely done something.

At Juuban Junior High School the next day, Ami tells Usagi about her confrontation with Nephrite. Usagi says that she would have come if called... after all, it is the place where they're producing the new Sailor V anime. She says that if she was lucky, she may have even been able to get a cel from them! Luna calls her a groupie, and Ami suggests that they all visit Studio Dive after school.

At Studio Dive, Hiromi puts a large stack of artwork in the "finished" bin. Kazuko is amazed that her friend finished all of that in just one night. Hiromi tells Kazuko that she will be working alone for the day, and enters a room alone, closing the door behind her. Hiromi goes back to work, happy that Kazuko will never be as good as her again... now that Hiromi has the pencil marked with Nephrite's crest, which magically becomes longer in her hand, never becoming worn down.

[Commercial Break]

Usagi contacts Rei via her communication device, and asks her to come along for the visit to Studio Dive. Rei insists that anime is for kids, so she will not go. But as Ami and Rei leave Juuban Junior High School (late, because Ami was studying...), Rei meets them on the sidewalk. Ami reminds her of what she said earlier, but Rei becomes annoyed and says that they can't ignore it if Nephrite might be involved. She turns around, but her bag breaks and dozens of sheets of vellum fall out. She insists that her friends asked her to get autographs, but Usagi accuses her of wanting get autographs herself. Ami reminds Rei that they will be going to ninth grade next year, and Rei wonders if she is trying to pick a fight.

At his mansion, Nephrite quietly has a drink on the balcony. Zoisite interrupts him, saying that he seems quite composed and confident. Zoisite teases him, but Nephrite says that his plan is going well.

At Studio Dive, Rei and Usagi excitedly watch the animators work and ask them dozens of questions, while Ami calmly talks to Kazuko. Ami asks if anything unusual has happened lately, but before she can answer, Hiromi storms out of the room where she has been working and demands that Rei and Usagi shut up. The other animators stare in disbelief, and Kazuko confronts her friend, saying that the girls are only there because they enjoy the animators' work. Hiromi says that that is nonsense; they are only there to get autographs and cels.

Director Asatou calls on the phone for Hiromi, and everyone in the studio looks on. The director tells her that her recent work is amazing, and that she should keep up the good work. Hiromi says that in the last scene, Sailor V will be killed, because "that's the kind of thrilling story children want these days." Asatou is outraged and the other animators are shocked. Hiromi hangs up on the director, and Kazuko asks if what she has heard is true. Hiromi says that the director has asked her to work on the last scene, and that it will be done her way. Kazuko reminds her friend that she always used to say, "Making anime is about teamwork," and that the should work together. Hiromi says that it's just an anime; teamwork is pointless. Meanwhile, Rei mutters to Usagi that she feels the aura of a youma.

Hiromi leaves the studio and walks up the fire escape to the roof. Kazuko, Usagi, Ami, Rei, and Luna follow her. On the roof, she has begun to glow with a strange aura, and angrily addresses her friend, "You're so uppity, just because you have a little more talent than me. But I'll be better than you from now on, as long as I have this pencil!" She holds the pencil in the air, and it begins to glow.

At this point, Hiromi has reached her peak energy output, and the youma Castor and Pollux are released from the pencil. Hiromi's energy is immediately drained, and Kazuko faints. Because both girls are now unconscious, the senshi have the opportunity to quickly transform.

Nephrite gazes at the constellation Gemini and says that the two youma, Castor and Pollux, are the strongest youma. They are like twins, and they are bound together by a strong friendship. He tells Zoisite that their combined power is several times greater than that of the Sailor Senshi.

The youma confront the senshi and say that because they are bound together by friendship, they cannot be defeated. Castor attacks the senshi with a fiery attack like Sailor Mars's Fire Soul. Next, Pollux attacks with an attack like Sailor Mercury's Sabão Spray. The senshi are confused because the youma are using attacks very much like their own. The youma step forward and Castor says that she will finish the girls off. Pollux angrily says that that is her job! The two youma immediately begin to argue, and decide to end their friendship. Their tails, which had previously been tied together, break apart.

The senshi attack with a powerful combination attack: Sailor Moon uses Moon Tiara Action, Sailor Mars uses Fire Soul, and Sailor Mercury uses Sabão Spray. As the tiara flies through the air, it is surrounded by flames and bubbles. It hits the youma, who say that they should have valued their friendship more. They are instantly destroyed.

Nephrite cannot believe what is happening, and Zoisite laughs at him, saying that he enjoyed the show as he disappears.

Later, at Studio Dive, Hiromi apologizes to her friend for using the pencils. Kazuko tells her that she has something to hide, and produces her own pencil box: she, too, has been using her pencils. She admits that she was frustrated because Hiromi always did such a great job, so she used the pencils to motivate herself. She says that she felt like she would be left behind if she didn't do anything about it. Hiromi says that she felt the same way. Kazuko says that in the end, it wasn't wrong of either girl to use the pencils, because they were able to create anime that won't disappoint the dreams of children. The two promise to continue working hard for the dreams of children everywhere.

Usagi, Rei, Ami, and Luna look on from the window. Luna says that the finished Sailor V anime will really be something to look forward to, and all of the girls agree.

Episode 021 - Did you notice...?

Supervisor Asatou, the animation supervisor, seems to be a caricature of Junichi Sato, who was the real-life Sailor Moon animation director.

In the animation studio, there are many Sailor V posters. Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Tuxedo Kamen appear on one.

Near the end, there is a calendar behind Hiromi with a pink moon on it.

The animation studio in episode 021 is called "Studio Dive". "Studio Live" is the name of the real animation studio where Sailor Moon animation was done.