From: sunniechan@comcast.net   
      
   Chris Kern wrote:   
   > Episode 18 - Shingo's pure heart!  The French doll of grief   
   >   
   > Quick summary: Nephrite's target is a young girl who is good at making   
   > dolls.  She also happens to be Shingo's friend.   
   >   
   > The song they play in the flashback where Shingo breaks Mika's doll is   
   > later used during the scene of Uranus and Neptune having their heart   
   > crystals taken -- I guess I associate it with that later scene more.   
   >   
   > This was a good episode though because it showed that Usagi does care   
   > for Shingo even though they're always fighting.   
   >   
   > The youma today was played by Shinohara Emi (Sailor Jupiter's VA).   
   >   
   > -Chris   
      
   Did anyone else pick up on what I saw as Luna's fear of dolls?  First,   
   her reaction when Usagi was 'making up' the concept that maybe Mika was   
   being controlled by an evil doll (sorry, can't remember the details   
   offhand, I watched this one early last week), and Luna responding not to   
   say such scary things, and immediately switching the topic to the Dark   
   Kingdom (which of course scares Usagi a bit).  It felt like she was   
   changing the topic not so much because Dark Kingdom was more important,   
   but rather it didn't scare her as much as dolls coming to life.  And   
   then Luna had a much grander reaction to the doll coming to life/the   
   doll youma than she normally does (squirrels attacking her   
   nonwithstanding).  I kind of took that as a subtle hint of a phobia   
   without her flatout saying "I'm afraid of dolls, particularly those that   
   come to life and try to kill me." ^_-   
      
   Of course, even without a fear of dolls, those things were creepy. ;p   
      
   Shingo and Usagi's interactions this episode were great.  I was never   
   much of a fan of Usagi (I rarely like title characters in anime), but   
   she's starting to grow on me a bit more when I work on really dissecting   
   her personality.  Episode 18 was a great example of being a big sister.   
     Both the beating up side, the caring side, and the in general fun   
   side.  Nice blend, definitely.   
      
   I rather miss Shingo as he slowly fades from the episodes.  Not quite as   
   much as Naru falls off the face of the Earth (are we to presume that she   
   and Umino went to a different high school and thus aren't around to be   
   seen in Stars?)   
      
   Sunnie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)