EPISODE 036

Usagi konran! Tuxedo Kamen ha aku?

(Usagi is Confused! Is Tuxedo Kamen Evil?)

Original Air Date: 12-12-1992
Director: Kunihiko Ikuhara
Animation Director: Kiyoshi Matsumoto
Writer: Sukehiro Tomita

Screencaps

What's In This Episode?
Endymion, Ginzuishou, Kariko Tokoyama, Kunzite, Mitsuami

Usagi is sleeping fitfully, dreaming of the destruction of the Moon Kingdom. She dreams that she is Princess Serenity, chasing after Prince Endymion, as the Moon Kingdom burns. Luna hears Usagi call out in her sleep, "No more about me being the Moon Princess! No more about having to fight against the Dark Kingdom! I don't want that... I just want to stay normal." Luna hopes that Usagi will keep fighting.

At school, Usagi is sleepy and depressed, having been kept awake all night with nightmares. Several of her classmates, including Naru, show her a magazine article about a new hair salon that has opened in the Juuban Shopping District. The salon is owned by Kariko Tokoyama, who just won the world hair design contest the previous month. In celebration of the grand opening of the salon, Kariko plans to cut hair for free. Naru suggests that they go, but Usagi doesn't respond.

At Hikawa Jinja, Luna tells Ami, Makoto, Rei, and Minako that Usagi hasn't been sleeping well lately due to nightmares. To make matters worse, they still do not know what happened to Tuxedo Kamen after he was taken by the enemy. Usagi is completely unable to focus on anything. Artemis is upset; he says that Usagi absolutely must be aware of herself as the princess, or they will be in big trouble! Rei says that she can understand how Usagi feels after what happened to Tuxedo Kamen, and Makoto is surprised to see Rei show such concern for Usagi.

Artemis is assertive; he says that although it is tough, this is no time to indulge Usagi. Luna agrees... Usagi must become a full-fledged princess and master using the Ginzuishou as soon as possible so that they can defeat the Dark Kingdom. Minako wishes that there was some way they could help their friend recover.

Usagi sits alone in her bedroom, staring into a mirror and listening to the slow melody played by the orgel. She cries and thinks about Mamoru calling her "dumpling head." She wonders if her hairstyle is really that weird, and looks at the magazine article announcing the opening of Kariko Tokoyama's new salon.

Minako suddenly walks in and startles her by peeking over her shoulder at the magazine article. She suggests that a new hairstyle might make Usagi feel better, and soon lets down her friend's hair and beings brushing it. She suggests a variety of hairstyles, saying that just changing her hair can really change her mood as well.

In the Dark Kingdom's lair, Kunzite is attempting to revive Mamoru using dark energy. Queen Beryl reminds him that no matter what it takes, they must steal the Ginzuishou from Sailor Moon as soon as possible. She instructs him to find out Sailor Moon's identity as soon as possible, and he tells her that he already has a plan.

Kunzite shows Queen Beryl a golden strand of Sailor Moon's hair that he managed to obtain during battle. He hopes to find the person with the same hair in order to find out Sailor Moon's true identity.

Minako and Usagi visit Kariko Tokoyama's new salon, and are immediately greeted by the owner. Minako asks her to please do something with Usagi's hair. Kariko leads the girl away and begins shampooing her hair.

A nearby hair steamer immediately begins to beep and buzz, catching Kariko's attention. Unbeknownst to the salon customers, the hair steamers are actually analyzing their DNA, searching for a match to the hair Kunzite collected.

A salon assistant convinces Minako to try out their hair steamers, which she promises can even fix damaged hair in no time. When Minako sits down, her hair is analyzed and found to be an exact match for the hair that Kunzite found.

[Commercial Break]

After Minako's hair is analyzed and found to be a match for the hair Kunzite collected, Kariko grabs her, thinking that she is Sailor Moon. Salon attendants begin to release hairspray into the air which puts all of the salon customers to sleep, including Minako. Usagi manages to escape from the toxic gas by crawling on the floor.

Karkio brandishes a pair of scissors and demands that the sleepy Minako hand over the Ginzuishou. After Kariko says that the computer identified her hair as belonging to Sailor Moon, Minako figures out that while she was brushing Usagi's hair, one of her friend's hairs must have gotten mixed into her own.

Kariko steps back, and several salon attendants swirl around her. The women then fuse together to form the youma Mitsuami. Usagi crawls away into a corner and sees what is happening. She quickly transforms into Sailor Moon and confronts the youma, who is quite confused because she thought Minako was Sailor Moon.

Mitsuami begins attacking Sailor Moon with blasts of hot air from her arm, which is shaped like a large hair dryer, then starts flinging scissors at her. Sailor Moon leaps away and throws a powder compact at Mitsuami, temporarily blinding the youma. She then confronts the youma with her Moon Stick and begins to use Moon Healing Escalation... but she is stopped mid-attack by a rose which flies through the air and knocks the Moon Stick from her hand.

Sailor Moon quickly picks up the Moon Stick and sees the red rose. Tuxedo Kamen appears in a chair nearby, initially exciting Sailor Moon. Unfortunately, the red rose soon turns black, and Tuxedo Kamen announces that he is now Endymion, a commander for the Dark Kingdom. He then demands that Sailor Moon hand over the Ginzuishou.

Mitsuami suddenly attacks Sailor Moon again, this time with a large razor coming from her arm. Sailor Moon leaps back, and Endymion instructs the youma to take the Ginzuishou from Sailor Moon. She runs through a nearby door, and Mitsuami follows, crashing through the wall.

Minako wakes up and sees what is happening. She quickly transforms into Sailor Venus and contacts the other Sailor Senshi. Under the direction of Endymion, Mitsuami continues attacking Sailor Moon until the Sailor Senshi arrive and confront her.

Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter use a combined Fire Soul/Supreme Thunder attack to injure Mitsuami, and Sailor Mercury uses Sabão Spray to confuse her and obstruct her vision. Once she is thoroughly incapacitated, Sailor Moon uses Moon Healing Escalation to heal the youma, causing her to transform back into Kariko and the other salon attendants.

Sailor Mars approaches Endymion, saying that she is glad that he's safe. However, Sailor Venus warns her that he is not the Tuxedo Kamen she knows; he is now a commander in the Dark Kingdom. Endymion says, "Roses have thorns. You must know that even a red rose turns black when exposed to a wintry blast. I don't enjoy fighting women, but I will show no mercy in order to get the Ginzuishou!"

He steps forward, but Queen Beryl telepathically tells him to withdraw this time, on orders from Queen Metallia. He quickly turns and disappears.

Back in the Dark Kingdom's lair, he consults Queen Metallia, asking her why she told him to stop attacking the Senshi. She tells him that she cannot afford to have him die at this time.

Later, Queen Beryl tells Kunzite that Endymion has now become part of the Dark Kingdom in both mind and body. He agrees that the brainwashing has been very effective, and she says that he will be very useful to the Dark Kingdom.

The girls, along with Artemis and Luna, look through the salon window and see that Kariko has returned to normal. Usagi says that she hopes no more normal people like Kariko get mixed up in their battle... but she is still happy that Tuxedo Kamen is alive! Artemis remarks that Usagi is trying to act tough, and that she has grown up as a person.

Makoto tells Rei that she can't mope over Tuxedo Kamen forever, and Rei agrees. Meanwhile, Usagi says that he is just being used by the Dark Kingdom, and she hopes to restore him to his normal self with the power of her love.