From: phoenix@mediaone.net   
      
   Chris Kern wrote:   
      
   >Episode 45 - The Sailor Senshi die! The tragic final battle   
      
   I had posted a version of this summary years and years ago (7 years to   
   be exact). Watching this episode again, it still had a huge impact on   
   me.   
      
   It is the start of the final battle and The senshi have just appeared   
   at the North Pole using the Sailor Teleport. They are preparing to   
   approach Beryl's stronghold. Beryl has sent 5 of her most powerful   
   youma, the DD girls, against the senshi. The youmas' arms can morph   
   into steel-hard tentacles that can generate tremendous heat and   
   lightning. They are capable of burrowing through rock and ice and of   
   using their bodies to create illusions that have all the force of the   
   real thing.   
      
   Sailor Jupiter===========   
   After fooling Sailor Moon twice with illusions of a trapped and   
   tortured Mamoru, the youma launch their first attack. The senshi   
   quickly drop back to avoid being struck by the stabbing tentacles. But   
   at the last moment, Jupiter turns back and attempts to stop the attack   
   with a Supreme Thunder. Before she can complete her attack, she is   
   distracted by the illusion of a trapped and tortured Motoki. In that   
   moment of hesitation, four youma burst up from the ground around   
   Jupiter and, along with the youma masquerading as Motoki, hold her   
   suspended in the air with their tentacles. The youma release   
   electrical blast after blast into Jupiter's body. Jupiter responds   
   back with a Supreme Thunder. Initially, Jupiter's thunder attack has   
   almost no effect on the youma. But Jupiter does not stop this time.   
   She screams as she increases her power output to an unbelievable   
   level. A white ball grows from her tiara and explodes, blasting two of   
   the youma to atoms and stunning the other three. The resulting blast   
   throws up an intricate ice tree from the tundra upon which Jupiter is   
   suspended upside down. With her dying breath, she encourages Sailor   
   Moon to cheer up and continue the battle with Beryl.   
      
   In the dub, Darien only appears once, When Andrew/Motoki appears,   
   Jupiter is immediately fooled and rushes forward to be trapped. All of   
   the pain and suffering is cut, Jupiter does a quick Supreme Thunder   
   and the scene cuts to the image of her spirit giving the two finger   
   salute. There is a youma voice-over saying that Jupiter is with them   
   now, implying that she is captured, not killed. Then they spliced in   
   an odd youma scene from Rei's battle so the youma could ask who is   
   next. Once again, the true heart of these characters is cheapen.   
      
   Sailor Mercury===========   
   Sailor Moon is morally crushed by Jupiter's death and screams to Beryl   
   to take the ginzuishou, that she gives up. Mercury slaps Sailor Moon   
   telling her that Jupiter's death must not be in vain. By this time,   
   the three remaining youma have recovered and are once again on the   
   attack. Mercury's computer gives warning and Mercury urges the others   
   to go ahead while she distracts the approaching youma. She tells them   
   that their strong offensive powers are more important now then her   
   own. The senshi reluctantly go, leaving Mercury to face the enemy   
   alone. The youma create an illusion of Urawa, but Mercury immediately   
   sees through it. Failing that attack, the youma launch a lava flow   
   illusion at Mercury which she stops with a Shabon Spray. The youma   
   instantly regroup and attack again with a lava boulder aimed directly   
   against Mercury. It smashes into the ground and the blast blows   
   Mercury away, but then it continues to roll towards her. Mercury uses   
   the brief reprieve to determine that the illusions are all being   
   created by the jewel in the leader's tiara. She then barely has time   
   to surround herself with a Shabon Spray shield to protect herself from   
   the immense heat before being entombed in the lava. While the youma   
   grip Mercury with tentacles and fry her with blast after blast, the   
   leader gloats in front of her. With her last remaining strength,   
   Mercury lifts up her computer and smashes the illusion jewel with the   
   corner of it. The boulder disappears and Mercury is left dead on the   
   remaining ice crater. No youma are killed, but they have lost a   
   powerful weapon.   
      
   In the dub, the battle is greatly shortened. Nothing is said about the   
   illusion jewel and the scene of Ami smashing it is cut. Her battle is   
   rendered completely futile and useless as she accomplishes nothing   
   except becoming a small distraction to the youma. However, there is a   
   strong implication that Mercury is actually killed in this scene   
   rather then captured as her spirit shows up first and then the youma   
   gives the finishing blow.   
      
   Sailor Venus===========   
   Sailor Moon is once again dealt a crushing blow as she senses   
   Mercury's death. As she falls to the ground and mourns her friend's   
   death, the youma attack from below the ice. Venus sees the ground   
   begin to glow and she throws herself against Sailor Moon, knocking   
   Moon out of danger, but exposing herself to the attack. The youma   
   tentacles blast out of the ground thrusting Venus up into the air.   
   Sailor Moon screams out for the youma to take the ginzuishou, but   
   Venus screams back that she would never forgive Moon if she gave it   
   up. The youma tentacles jerk Venus underground and torture her with   
   blast after blast. Venus responds with her Crescent Beam, pointing her   
   finger directly between the eyes of the youma in front of her. The   
   resulting ground zero blast kills them both and suspends Venus on an   
   intricate tree of ice.   
      
   In the dub, the battle is mostly the same except that Venus' challenge   
   to Sailor Moon is replaced with banal. Of course, Venus suspended on   
   the ice tree is also cut. And for some reason, that scene of the final   
   youma rising from the ice crater from Mars' battle is replayed once   
   again.   
      
   Now for the battle that moved me the most...   
      
   Sailor Mars===========   
   Sailor Moon is now almost completely comatose from dealing with death   
   after death. Mars, knowing this will be her last chance, tells Sailor   
   Moon that even though they argue all the time, that it was fun. Then   
   the last two youma appear before them. Mars approaches the youma   
   telling Sailor Moon to stay back and save her strength for the greater   
   battle with Beryl that is still to come. Mars prepares to attack with   
   Fire Soul, but the two youma rocket underground with blinding speed   
   before she can wind up. The youma explode out from below, encasing   
   Mars in an ice mountain. As one of the youma fights Mars in the ice   
   mountain, the second attacks Sailor Moon. As a dazed Moon stares   
   blankly at the tentacles shooting down at her, a Fire Soul blast   
   smashes out of the mountain and toasts the youma before it can harm   
   Sailor Moon. The last youma continues the attack against Mars and all   
   you can hear is her screaming from within the mountain. With a final   
   blast, the ice mountain explodes and the last youma, the leader with   
   the now smashed and useless illusion jewel, stands there holding the   
   lifeless body of Mars. The youma drops Mars and rises into the air   
   preparing to finish off the senseless Sailor Moon. As the youma's   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)