From: sunniechan@comcast.net   
      
   Phoenix wrote:   
   > Act 5 - Is Usagi a True Friend?   
   >   
   >   
   > Through a series of unfortunate events, Ami gets the mistaken message   
   > that she must enthusiastically return Usagi's gestures of friendship   
   > or risk alienating her. This is really hard for someone like Ami who   
   > is so extremely diffident that it is distasteful for her to act so   
   > friendly.   
      
   I don't know if it's truly "distasteful" or just utterly foreign.  I   
   mean, clearly this girl spends almost all of her time alone, waking up   
   and going to sleep by herself, and is "expected" to be very mature   
   (which sometimes people will see as being a subdued mouse).  That being   
   said, I wanna kill that horoscope person.  Ami was having such a   
   wonderful day, was looking so cute getting ready for school, and then   
   that.  I loved the way she jumped over the puddle (it's not so much that   
   she doesn't like such actions, she just didn't have the confidence to   
   not worry about others opinions before this point, and seem to just   
   wanted to be a mouse that no one noticed).  The grin on her face was   
   priceless.   
      
   The Sailor A thing from Act 0 seems less out of character after seeing   
   another example of Ami's imagination running around.  She's an odd duck.   
     I like her.  Reminds me of me (minus the ability to transform into   
   someone with totally kickin' hair).   
      
      
      
   Watching Ami try so hard was heartbreaking for me, but also a little   
   inspring.  Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could ever make myself   
   pretend to fit in like she tried to.  The best I'd be able to do is clap   
   along like she did at the party.  One little extra thing they did that   
   really got the karaoke moment across was the fact that you could *hear*   
   her gripping that microphone if you listened closely enough.   
      
   The makeup scene and it's aftermath set me to tears the first time I saw   
   it, and nearly did this time.  I have such empathy for this character,   
   because it's such a "been there, done that" (and still doing it for that   
   matter) situation.  I feel a bond.  I can feel the embarrassment she   
   felt when she overdid it with the make up, something she didn't really   
   use anyway.  And when the other two laughed, even though it wasn't   
   spiteful, it can be painful.  The way she tried to laugh at herself in   
   the mirror was so agonizing...   
      
   Usagi's reaction to all of this was "bad" in a sense, but really, that's   
   what made it realistic.  She doesn't know how to respond to a person who   
   doesn't seem to have confidence in their friendship that Usagi already   
   had.  It was a very good learning experience for her to realize that not   
   everyone is as open as she is, and moreover, that most of her new   
   friends are even less open than she could really imagine.   
      
   > However, in the end, Ami learns that Usagi sincerely loves her just as   
   > she is and that there is no need to rush to change her behavior. I   
   > really, really loved that scene at the end where Ami accidentally   
   > called Usagi by name and Usagi happily responded in turn. When Rei put   
   > a friendly hand on Ami's shoulder and gently smiled at her I could   
   > really feel the love as Usagi gathered them all in a big Sailor Moon   
   > hug. That was such a wonderful scene and marks what I love most about   
   > Sailor Moon.   
      
   I love that scene as well.  And her gently calling Rei "Rei-chan" as   
   well, really added to it.  I also love the fact that Naru and the girls   
   had started calling her Ami-chan as well.   
      
   >   
   > Ami is friendlier now, but still likes to eat alone. I can completely   
   > relate to that. There is little that I like better then sitting alone   
   > in the park with a good manga and some lunch.   
      
   I loved that she forgot her glasses...and was very happy about it.   
      
   Of course, given that the glasses were "fake", her exuberance in jumping   
   over that puddle, etc...I think a lot of her current personality isn't   
   really "her" either.  She's putting on an act of how she thinks someone   
   who studies all the time should be like.  She has an active imagination.   
     She enjoys puttering around the house.  She likes to be a bit of a   
   child (at least in small doses).  I'm looking forward to seeing her   
   continue to grow as this series progresses.  Someday, we'll see the   
   "real" Ami.   
      
      
      
   >   
   > Names used:   
   > Everyone is now on a personal name '-chan' basis with each other.   
      
   Actually, Rei was just using "Usagi".  At least during the argument scene.   
      
   My heart went "doki doki" at the end of the episode...Tall girl,   
   strolling through the streets at night with an upcoming storm... My   
   Mako's about to arrive!!!!  *happy dance*  Of course, her episode makes   
   me sniffly too.  One of my favorites!  (I have a lot of favorites in   
   this series...)   
      
   Random thought:  This is the first time she thinks of herself as   
   possibly being "bad inside" (she asks Motoki about it in the beginning),   
   but I don't think it's the last... This is something completely   
   unrelated to the friendship issue, methinks.   
      
   Sunnie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)