From: phoenix@mediaone.net   
      
   Act 25 - So Tuxedo Mask's True Identity was Mamoru Chiba   
      
   Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen continue to stare at each other. Usagi   
   realizes that Mamoru must now know her true feelings about him. She   
   attempts to leave, but he acknowledges her feelings and says "I   
   also..." before stopping himself and quickly leaving himself.   
      
   Hina, in packing up Mamoru's room, comes across Usagi's chocolate and   
   handkerchiefs (particularly the heart one). She heads off to the Crown   
   to find him and get some answers.   
      
   Usagi ponders Mamoru's last words and wonders if he loves her as she   
   does him. She heads off to find him and get some answers as well.   
      
   At Motoki's bidding, Mamoru comes to the Crown and finds Motoki in a   
   frightening (and not in a good way) turtle suit complete with plushie   
   attachments. Motoki is one sad, sad fellow.  However, he does fill us   
   in on Mamoru's backstory. It turns out that Hina's father gave Mamoru   
   shelter, cared for him and raised him. Mamoru has pledged to take Hina   
   in marriage in return. In a moment of rare character, Motoki tells   
   Mamoru that he should not marry Hina if he does not love her. Hina   
   overhears Motoki's words and runs out of the Crown. Mamoru chases   
   after her.   
      
   Kunzite recruits Jadeite to set a trap for the senshi. When Jadeite   
   asked why Kunzite didn't ask for Mercury's help instead, Kunzite said   
   that Mercury was capricious and comes and goes as she pleases (I was a   
   bit tickled with that description). To bait the trap, Jadeite creates   
   a youma that starts siphoning energy from the passersby.   
      
   Usagi sees the youma and calls for reinforcements. Rei and Makoto heed   
   the call and go to confront Jadeite and Kunzite. Before Usagi can join   
   them, she finds herself witnessing an injured Hina asking Mamoru to   
   stay with her regardless of his feelings for her and regardless that   
   he has never stated that he actually loves her. Mamoru swears that   
   Hina is important to him and that he will stay by her side forever or   
   until she says otherwise. Mamoru looks up and sees Usagi and calls to   
   her by her personal name (not even a '-chan'). Hearing that, Hina   
   immediately gets it and understands that it is Usagi that Mamoru   
   loves.   
      
   Usagi runs off to the battle and Mamoru follows her after promising   
   Hina that he will return. He tells himself as he dons the mask that   
   this will be the last time.   
      
   All four senshi end up locked in battle, trapped in a sealed building,   
   against Kunzite, Jadeite, Mercury and the youma. The youma   
   single-handedly defeats Venus, Jupiter and finally Mars by freezing   
   them solid with ice. Mercury and Kunzite argue over who should be the   
   one to finish off Sailor Moon. Kunzite pushes Mercury aside and   
   strikes at SM with his sword. Suddenly TK appears out of nowhere and   
   throws himself in front of SM to take the blow himself. As she holds   
   his head in her lap, he tells SM that he is sorry for not being able   
   to return her feelings. His injury appears to be fatal as his hand   
   drops lifeless to the floor.   
      
   Once again, SM starts to glow with a golden power that destroys the   
   youma and thaws the senshi from their frozen state. The DK minions are   
   forced to fall back and shield their eyes. We see a similar image from   
   the past as the Princess (Usagi with black hair, the Earth in the sky   
   behind them) cries over a prostrate Endymion.   
      
   The crescent moon on Venus's forehead is replaced with a tiara and   
   everyone, including us the audience, come to realize that the true   
   princess is, and has always been, Sailor Moon. The glow recedes and we   
   see that SM has transformed into Princess Serenity.   
      
   In a manner very much like the anime version, Sailor Moon starts to   
   cry and a single tear stops, suspended in the air, and creates the   
   Silver Crystal. The power from this transformation revives the   
   unconscious people outside and even reaches the Dark Kingdom where it   
   apparently adds to the power of Metalia. Beryl observes the power of   
   the crystal and rejoices.   
      
   The power of the crystal, still floating before Usagi, forces the DK   
   minions to retreat. As it continues to glow, Tuxedo Kamen is also   
   revived. He looks on Usagi's face and recognizes her as the princess   
   from his dreams.   
      
   The crystal disappears as this wonderfully tender background music   
   swells up.   
      
   As Venus and then the rest of the senshi kneel before the Princess, I   
   almost teared up, it was so moving.   
      
   One tiny quibble. In tribute to the original anime scene, I would have   
   loved for this moment to have ended silently. But instead we get the   
   DiC version as Usagi says to herself "I am a princess?".   
      
   --   
   Phoenix   
   www.phoenixanime.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)