From: phoenix@mediaone.net   
      
   Act 40 - Minako vs Rei, Where's the Battle?   
      
   Another filler episode, but at least this was a fun one.   
      
   Minako has decided to retire from singing due to her illness. Despite   
   Artemis' protests, she wants to dedicate her remaining time to her   
   role as Sailor Venus.   
      
   Usagi is explaining to the other senshi that she must learn to   
   suppress her power, that Mamoru is not an enemy, that he is trying to   
   keep her from destroying the world. It doesn't appear that she has   
   told the other senshi about her broken watch yet.   
      
   Beryl continues to confide in Jadeite, telling him that he is the only   
   one she can trust with Endymion.   
      
   Minako attempts to tell her manager of her decision, but he convinces   
   her to schedule a photo shoot before she can even explain her   
   situation.   
      
   I think Artemis has come up with a plan as he secretly meets with Rei.   
      
   The manager arrives at Minako's dressing room the next day, telling   
   her that she has been replaced on the photo shoot with a new idol.   
   Yikes! It's Rei as Reiko Mars like we have never seen her before.   
      
   Mamoru shows up at the Crown to see Motoki and runs into Nephrite who   
   is working there as a live-in employee. Nephrite begs Mamoru to take   
   him back to the Dark Kingdom so he can continue to serve Beryl. Mamoru   
   refuses, saying that he is better off to stay as a human.   
      
   Although Minako had resigned herself to quitting, she is not happy   
   that her manager is so enamored with Rei's potential as a new idol. In   
   response, Rei challenges Minako to a match to see who will continue in   
   Minako's role.   
      
   The rest of the girls are rounded up and we find ourselves with two   
   competing teams in the TV studio. Minako, Usagi and Luna T. on one   
   side and Rei, Makoto and Ami on the other. The two teams compete at   
   various silly contests, wall jumping, um, butt-bumping, fake tail   
   snatching, chopsticks, plate spinning, Sumo wrestling in inflated Sumo   
   suits and finally a free-for-all bat and balloon battle until everyone   
   falls down together into a giggling pile of happy friends.   
      
   In a sweetly tender revelation, we find out this was a clever plan put   
   together by Rei and the manager to convince Minako to continue her   
   career. Rei had never really intended to go through with being an   
   idol.   
      
   As the girls head home, Minako happily breaks out with her new song,   
   Kiss! Bang!, a really fun and bouncing pop number.   
      
   Of course, we can't have an episode without the obligatory youma   
   battle. The girls transform and use the tricks they learned during the   
   contest to emerge victorious as Minako's song continues.   
      
   It was really a happy, foot tapping conclusion. Heh, I had to replay   
   that song several times to get my fill. ^_^   
      
   However, in the final scene, Rei had stayed behind to confront Minako   
   and attempt to convince her to have the surgery if there was any   
   chance that it would save her life. Minako storms off and runs into   
   Artemis. She stops and is surprised to find herself suddenly crying.   
      
   --   
   Phoenix   
   www.phoenixanime.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)