So much with Rei and Ami disappointed me in this episode, but I’m going to do my best to not focus on that. Instead, let’s mine for every wonderful nugget that we can.
Let’s start with how I really do love the constant presence of Minako in Crystal so far. Much of PGSM is a blurry drunken haze, but one of my favourite touches (of what I’ve seen so far) is how despite being apart from them, Minako is there. In her posters and advertisements, in her songs. Here, it’s Minako as Sailor V. You can’t exactly call it SUBTLE. I mean in this entire arcade it appears to be only wall-to-wall Sailor V consoles at this point (and it’s not like we ever see ANYONE ELSE PLAYING THEM). Plus you can’t really avoid the two gigantic posters basically being “HEY GUYS WHAT’S UP I’M SAILOR V”. But the lack of subtlety doesn’t bother me. It actually feels quite fitting, not only for Minako’s personality, but for what a larger than life fixture Sailor V is in their lives.
Then we have Rei and Ami, and if this isn’t THE first time they’re hanging out together, then it’s got to be close. I find Rei and Ami’s relationship in Crystal (so far at least) has been stripped of nearly all the poignancy and importance that it held in other incarnations, but it remains cute how impressed she is with Ami. I never tire of these girls finding each other amazing. And how that must feel to Ami, to hear someone tell her she’s wonderful for the very thing that typically made her feel like a side show attraction.
Oh, and your final happy punch?
AMI’S STILL USING HER PEN AS A PEN
Through the brainwashing scene in episode 2, all I could think of was YOUUUUUU TOOOOOOOOOK MYYYYYY PENNNNNNNNNN