#reinako gif set

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (8/∞)

Act 17 & Act 18 Callbacks & Parallels

Rei and Minako's chance meetings in Acts 17 & 18 were simply iconic in so many ways for setting up Rei and Minako’s story and relationship.

With the number of parallels and callbacks that fit into the show referring back to Acts 17 and 18, to me this is evidence that Rei and Minako's story was well planned from the very start!

[staarry-skies]

reinako in shining moon tokyo

[random-mailbox]

Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - Week 25 - Soulmate AU

The Soulmate Trope is the last of our posts for the month of February! This one is dedicated to  @sinjazz , whose idea it was to add it to the options in the Tophat. When I had mentioned that I was working on this, my husband’s reaction was “isn’t entire Sailor Moon premise all about those two being soulmates?!” - he is not wrong, but it is fun to explore concepts of marks, dreams, and other ways to figure out you are meant for each other 🙂

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

Finding Love: Chapter 66: My Moon Bunny - @wildriverinthesky

This one shot in the collection of stories is all about the mark. Only one half of the pair has it and it changes to being in colour from grayscale once you meet your soulmate. Mamoru has one of those and now knows that Usagi might just be his and now has the task of convincing her to believe him.

Finding Love: Chapter 30: Sexy Cop - @wildriverinthesky

Our second entry from @wildriverinthesky for this week! In this one, Usagi witnesses a horrific motorcycle crash on a way to a Halloween party, only to notice that the person in front of her is the one she has been dreaming of for most of her life. 

Junction - @syrenbattou

Dr Chiba has been called in with many others to help victims of a crash, and while doing round with Ami gets entranced by one of the newly admitted patients (he does NOT break any doctor- patient rules, just so we are clear ;) )

Swirling Colors - @lucicelo

Usagi and Mamoru both saw colours in their dreams, which is very unusual in this AU. One day they bump into each other at Crown, setting off a series of conversations and realizations. 

Haru no Kousekiinai Arimasu - Lina_Natsudori (Jennifer Ellison)

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo mask have a connection that lets the other understand what they might be feeling, something Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars are trying their best to nip at the bud. This multichapter is re-telling of the first arc but with a stronger leaning towards soulmates trope. 

Tokens of Affection: Chapter 10: 1st U_M anniversary: Soul Mates - Lina_Natsudori (Jennifer Ellison)

Our second entry from this author for this week - this one is a fun exchange between Usagi and Mamoru about their knowledge of mythology, with Usagi explaining origins of the term Soulmates to him in a more simplified terms than his textbook

The Space Between: Chapter 19: Destiny  - @uglygreenjacket

I think this one-shot in the collection has one of my favorite lines when it comes to Usagi and Mamoru - “It was a flirtation, you and me. You and Usagi are…" she trailed off, trying to find the right word, "...destiny." In this one shot, Rei and Mamoru discuss what their dating actually meant to both of them.

In a rare change up, we actually have a guest suggestion this week from @iwrestledavongonce:

Self-disclosed Discovery - @hikamaus

In this PGSM!AU Reinako-centered fic, a secluded and externally brusque seeming Rei suddenly gets a message on her skin from her secret soulmate, who seems to know more about her and what she is capable of than Rei could have ever imagined. Will she find out who her soulmate is? And maybe even change her ways and not only find love but also friendship along the way?

—

With this being the last post for February, here is our schedule for March:

March 6 - Amnesia Fics

March 13 - St Patrick’s Day

March 20 - Fix-it Fics

March 27 - Mugs Prompt

Here are the links to the previous Tumblr posts in these series to explore more amazing works based on different themes - make sure to check them out if you haven't had a chance! (Click on title name to go to the post) - I will keep updating the list every week as new posts come up:

Week 1 - Groundhog Day

Week 2 - Established Relationships

Week 3 - Sex Positivity

Week 4 - Unfinished Stories

Week 5 - Darker Stories

Week 6 - Potions 🧪

Week 7 - Reveals

Week 8 - 👻Halloween🎃

Week 9 - Wrong Perceptions

Week 10 - Non-Senshi AU

Week 11 - In-Progress Fics

Week 12 - Mutual Pining

Week 13 - Enemies to Lovers

Week 14 - Slow Burn

Week 15 - Christmas Part 1 - Ugly Christmas Sweaters and Santa!

Week 16 - Christmas Part 2

Week 17 - New Years

Week 18 - High School AU

Week 19 - Slice of Life

Week 20 - Coffee shop AU

Week 21 - Huddle for Warmth

Week 22 - Friends to Lovers

Week 23 - Valentines Day

Week 24 - Do a Grouch a Favour Day (or Cheer Up Fics)

[crawlspacefics]

I posted 490 times in 2022

That's 490 more posts than 2021!

8 posts created (2%)

482 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dangerousperfectionparadise

@alevolpe

@yamino

@sailor-moon-rei

@msmoonlights

I tagged 348 of my posts in 2022

Only 29% of my posts had no tags

#sailor moon - 237 posts

#sailor mercury - 66 posts

#sailor jupiter - 61 posts

#ami mizuno - 46 posts

#makoto kino - 45 posts

#sailor mars - 37 posts

#sailor venus - 37 posts

#makoami - 26 posts

#reinako - 21 posts

#minako aino - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 90 characters

#trying to capture her strength and humor with an outer coating of proper rich girl is hard

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

4 notes - Posted October 16, 2022

#4

Working on something unrelated to my older fics in an attempt to shake off half a decade of fanfic rust. I'm also going to go under the theory that if I throw something out into the world it will provide some extra motivation to write faster. 😁

So here's the unbeta'd initial draft opening snippet of a (longer than I thought it would be) fic my muse insisted on. Because Setsuna needed some attention before the others join the fray...

That Part of My Soul

Part One: That Night Beneath the Moon

    The night air was warm and heavy, wisps of clouds swimming around the star filled sky.  Pluto blew her bangs from her eyes while keeping watch on her small and wily quarry.  She had found the creature, looking more like a common red squirrel in this day and age than the mischief maker it was, milling around the rec center at the heart of the university community.  It had been early afternoon at the time, and the kirkri had seemed content and happy taking scraps from Saturday passers-by or jumping playfully among the tree branches.  She had spent hours silently stalking it as it meandered from open space to open space, until finally the sun had set and the people largely vanished.  Her hope was that it would lead her to the object she sought, and as it finally began to head closer to the dorms, she thought her chase would be coming to a close.

    Hidden behind a phone booth that was so new she could smell the paint on the sign, she watched the kirkri, still playing among the flora in the university park.  In the darkness of a crescent moon and poor security lighting, she could barely see more than the pale golden glow of its eyes, though she could plainly hear its soft chitter.  She truly wished the creature would stop playing and return to its power source.  It had to be running low by now, especially with no moon to speak of in the sky.  If it would just hurry a bit, she could collect the artifact and be back at the Gate before Earth’s sunrise.

    She smirked.  As for the creature itself, if she could trap it without its mistress she knew exactly when and where she was going to leave it.  This whole mess was the fault of the Venusians anyway, so they should get to share in the aftermath of it just a little.

    The good natured vindictiveness of Pluto’s musings were interrupted as the creature suddenly stopped its foraging.  It sat starkly upright, its ears turning to amplify a sound she hadn’t yet heard. Iridescent whiskers twitched as it sniffed the air.  Then it cooed low, the sound soothing if not for the details of the situation.

    A moment later the slight frame of a woman came into view as she rounded onto a pathway from the street.  From a distance, Pluto couldn’t make out much beyond a pair of glasses and reflective stripes on the sides of white sneakers.

    Then those tiny golden eyes turned and stared directly at her. And by the Goddess, the creature smirked at her, its whiskers fluttering as it chittered in what sounded like amusement.  A shiver of golden static ran over its reddish fur and then it bolted in the young woman’s direction.

Pluto frowned.  So much for a quiet night and an easy assignment. 

    Calling forth her staff, Pluto moved to pursue but was brought up short when the kirkri casually wound itself around the startled young woman’s legs like a cat, its chitter now a high pitched purr.  She moved slowly, staying out of sight, as the young woman bent to pick up the creature and cradled it in the crook of her arm.

    Closer now, Pluto could make out the details she had been missing.  The woman was maybe 20, her blue hair hanging in a loose braid halfway down her back.  There were glittery cloud patches sewn on the pockets of her high cut denim shorts that matched the rainbow and bubble printed letters on her pale yellow t-shirt.  When she’d bent to lift the creature, the dull light had glinted off the large squarish lenses in her tortoiseshell frames, allowing Pluto to glimpse the gray of her eyes.  As she stood, that same light reflected off the bright neon passcard hanging from the zipper pull on her backpack, the bold electric blue “EyeSpy ‘72” standing out even in the dark.

    The young woman cooed at the kirkri as she waggled a finger at it.  “Hey there.  Aren’t you just the cutest… well I’m not totally sure what you are.  Squirrel?”  She giggled then tickled its tummy, eliciting a happy chitter.  “My name is Kaya.  It’s nice to meet you.”

    The kirkri took her finger between its tiny paws and pulled it into its mouth, gnawing lightly like a baby on a bottle.  Pluto nodded, realizing what the creature was doing.  Her mind quickly ran through several scenarios on how to handle this as she stepped into Kaya’s line of sight.

    One blue eyebrow arched as Kaya’s lips turned into a slight frown.  Okay, thought Pluto, not the worst reaction.  At least there aren't any odd hysterics over her appearance.

    After a deep breath, she began evenly and with a social smile, “Hello.  I’m aware this is going to sound odd coming without any context, but I need you to put that creature down and move away quickly.  Please.”

    Kaya huffed.  “Really?”

    A small sigh escaped Pluto’s lips.  “This is a complicated matter that I lack the time to explain but very much need to resolve.  Again, please, I need you to…”

    “Okay, look,” interrupted Kaya, taking her finger from the kirkri in spite of its protesting squeak and holding her hand up in a stop gesture.  “I’m not going to judge the cosplay.  We like dressing up sometimes in the mystery club, too, so I get it.  But there is a line, and running around in costume at 10 at night chasing harmless critter to play out your anime battle fantasy kinda crosses it.”

    Pluto’s eyebrows rose.  She crossed her arms, letting her staff rest casually against her shoulder as she observed the kirkri grow more agitated because it couldn’t pull back Kaya’s finger.  “I’m not going to argue with you because, quite frankly, we don’t have time for it.  In about 30 seconds that ‘harmless critter’ is going to start shooting off sparks.  It will then grow to more than twice your height and attempt to steal away all of your life energy, leaving you a gray, empty husk.”

    Kaya’s mouth dropped open.  “You… you really need to lay off the Saturday morning cartoons.  Being part of the anime club is all well and good, but you’re a university student, for pete’s sake.  And was that a dig at my height?”  Her indignance showed as she stood a little straighter.  “I may not be an Amazon in heels, but I am by no means sh… huh, what the…”

    Her words abruptly cut off as the kirkri did indeed begin to give off a small shower of golden sparks.  It screeched and its body twisted in a temper tantrum as it grabbed wildly for Kaya’s free hand.  It became even angrier as Kaya gasped and dropped it unceremoniously to the ground.  It bared its fangs, eyes bulging and chest heaving as ripples of golden static lit along its fur.  It cried out with an ungodly sound, its joints popping and bones twisting as it grew in height and breadth.

    Then Pluto was in front of her, placing herself between Kaya and the creature.  Her expression had hardened and there was a determination in her garnet eyes as she took on a fighting stance.  Her staff was held in a defensive posture, as if somehow it alone would protect them from what was now a very angry 12 foot prehistoric looking monster.  Pluto’s lips began moving, but the words were too soft for Kaya to hear.

    A hard gust of wind and foggy, electrified wisps surrounded them just before a burst of bright maroon shot from Pluto’s staff, landing dead center on the creature.  It howled, rattling Kaya’s bones, as it took a few stumbling steps backward.  A park bench splintered beneath its feet as it lashed out.  From its paw a golden trail like a whip appeared, whistling in the air above them and coming down in their direction.  Kaya closed her eyes and covered her head, but the hit never came.

    One eye cracked open and she saw the shimmering of a purplish dome surrounding them.  On the outside, the creature raged.  She could feel the impact of its fists vibrating along the dome, but the interior was silent.

    “What…” she took a deep breath to try and steady herself.  “What the hell?”

    Pluto looked over her shoulder at Kaya and smirked.  “I warned you.”

    Eyes still wide, Kaya retorted, “Oh come on!  You know there’s no way any sane person would have believed that!”  She cringed and ducked instinctively as a hard hit cracked the dome.  “Okay, so what do we do now?”

“We don’t do anything,” answered Pluto.  She held her staff in a firmer grip.  “When the Garnet Ball drops, run and take cover.  When you see an opportunity, get as far away from here as you can.”

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5 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

#3

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5 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

#2

Feeling nostalgic today... This is what got me heavy into fanfic and how Fate happened. Makoto kept popping up with Chibi-Chibi and I wanted to find a way to keep them together. Then Miki happened and it all snowballed from there.

8 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

A little hurricane to go with the big one passing over...

    The air around her was still humid from her shower, and the heat from the hairdryer wasn’t helping.  Makoto tugged at the collar of her bathrobe, then opened the door a crack to let in some air.  The rush of cooler air into the bathroom made it better, and she clicked the hairdryer back on low.  Over the low hum of it, she could hear Miki’s baby chatter and giggles.  She smiled as she watched him playing from the mirror.  Little plastic boats bobbed up and down around him as he splashed, creating the miniature waves his yellow ducky haplessly drifted along on.  His ducky would periodically be rescued, only to be held up as high as Miki’s chubby arms could go, and dropped back into the water head first. He laughed harder each time he did this, greatly amused by the tumult he was causing.

    “Okay, Little Bug, bath time’s over,” announced Makoto when she finished with her hair.  She turned off the hairdryer and placed it on the shelf, then reached for a towel.  Turning to the toddler in the tub, she went on, “Time to get dried and dressed, now.”

    Miki frowned at her as she knelt beside the tub.  Grabbing his ducky, he clutched it to him and shook his head.  “No.  Miki wath.”

    “You’re already all washed,” replied Makoto evenly.  “Now you have to get dressed for when Ami-mama comes home.”

    “Where Mi-ma?”

    “You know where Ami-mama is,” she answered as she reached in and pulled the drain.  “Where does she go every morning?”

    Miki’s face scrunched up as he thought very hard, the tilt of his head and his tiny, concentrated frown reminding Makoto of Ami.  She grinned at that thought as she lifted him from the tub.  As his feet touched the striped green towel on the floor, a wide smile lit up his face.  “Thool!  Mi-ma at thool!”

    Makoto ruffled his damp hair, making it stick up in a mess of auburn spikes.  “That’s right, my smart boy.  And she’s late tonight, so we have to get done so she can have her turn to wash when she gets home.”

    “Okay,” he answered, then held his ducky tighter so he wouldn’t drop him while his mama dried them off.

    When she was done, Makoto wrapped him loosely in the towel and picked him up, holding him so he could reach the shelf.  “Put your ducky away, and then we’ll get dressed.”

    Miki reached forward and set his ducky on the shelf.  He patted the ducky’s head goodnight, and as he settled back against Makoto, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror.  He smiled widely at the Miki in the mirror, his baby teeth showing as he did.

    Makoto grinned at his silliness and picked up the brush.  Carefully, she brushed his hair down so he looked like less of a street urchin, then said, “There, how’s that?”

    Miki reached out and put his hand over his reflection.  “Miki pwetty,” he answered through a smile.  Then his hand moved over top of Makoto’s reflection.  “Mama pwetty, too.”

    “Thank you, sweetie,” she said, giving the top of his head a kiss.  She hiked him higher on her hip, then looked into the mirror and asked, “So, does Mama look another year older today?”

    The baby looked into her face, a very serious expression on his as he studied her.  Then he smiled and nodded his head very enthusiastically ‘yes.’

    Makoto laughed.  “In a few years, you and I are going to have a talk about honesty and a woman’s age.  In the meantime, what do you want to wear tonight?  Trucks or dinosaurs?”

    “Twucks,” answered Miki quickly.  Makoto nodded, and as she started them towards his bedroom, he asked, “Pway twucks, Mama?”

    “After you’re dressed,” said Makoto, laying him on the towel on his bedroom floor.  “You can play with Uncle Haruka when she gets here.”

    “Unca Wuka pway twucks wif Miki.  And Tawu!  Gonna pway with Tawu!” he exclaimed excitedly.  Now thoroughly caught up in the idea of playing with his favorite babysitter, Miki abandoned all thought of getting dressed.  His focus landed squarely on his toy chest, and he rolled over to his hands and knees to push himself up so he could get to it.

    “No, you don’t,” said Makoto as she caught him and plopped him back on the towel.  “Not until after you’re dressed.”

    Miki’s bottom lip immediately pooched out, and he looked up at her with wide, watery blue eyes.

    “That may work on your Ami-mama, but it won’t work on me,” she responded, reaching blindly behind her with one hand to try and snag a diaper while holding the baby in place with the other.  Coming up short, she slowly let go of him and said pointedly, “Stay.”

    Miki frowned, but sat still and watched her as she backed up, picked up a diaper, and then grabbed his pacifier as an afterthought before moving back beside him on the floor.  He opened his mouth for his pacifier, then laid back and chewed contentedly on it while his mother diapered him.

    That task done, Makoto got up to get his pajamas from the dresser.  Just as she pulled the red footie pj’s from the drawer, she heard a burst of pacifier muffled giggles and turned just in time to see Miki’s pampered bottom running out the door.  With a sigh, she slung his pajamas over her shoulder.  “Well, at least I got the diaper on him first.”

    There were a good number of things her son had mastered in his 19 months of life.  Hide and seek, however, was not one of them.  She spotted him as soon as she walked into the living room, hunkered down on the floor beside Ami’s desk.  His face was buried in his arms against the rug as he squeezed into the open corner created by the wall and desk.

    Makoto chuckled lightly to herself, then said in an exaggerated tone, “I wonder where Bug got to.  I know he’s here somewhere.”

    If he hadn’t been hiding out in the open, the sound of his giggles would have given him away.  Makoto moved slowly towards him, taking the time to look around the couch and under the table, exclaiming each time that she still hadn’t found her Little Bug.  She was almost to his hiding place when she heard the key in the front door.

    At the metallic sound, Miki’s head shot up like a puppy’s.  Before Ami could even close the door behind her, he was running towards her calling out a happy, “Mi-ma!” around his pacifier.

    Ami dropped her bag on the floor and picked up her son.  He left a wet baby kiss on her cheek before wrapping his arms around her neck in a tight hug.  Ami smiled happily at the greeting and hugged him back.

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10 notes - Posted September 29, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[real-life-senshi]

“I never expected her. Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them.”

— Elle Kennedy, The Deal

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (7/∞)

This is actually THE ONE THING that made me start this series of gif set, but it took me forever to put my thoughts into words. But it's finally here and I'm SO EXCITED to talk about it!

Fair warning - this is an essay.

Across the years I've seen many Reinako shippers used Rei following Minako around in Act 19/20 and Act 23 in the live action as proof that Rei has feelings for Minako. While I don't disagree, I do feel Rei being the one to seek Minako out was circumstantial and justifiable because Rei was literally the only Senshi then that knew Minako was Venus. Instead, there was something else both Rei and Minako consistently do to each other for the entirety of the series that I felt had more impact to the narrative of their story, but often get overlooked and not talked about enough, and that’s Minako's act of walking away and Rei's act of staying behind.

The significance of Minako walking away: Walking away or pulling a disappearing act is one of the most common thing we see Minako do, not only to Rei, but with everyone else. (E.g. Such as V walking out on Moon in Act 7, Minako disappearing on Saitou for Senshi business.) It's a recurring theme to help build the impression of elusiveness and secrecy that surrounds Minako's character. But more deeply, the act of walking away is also a device to represent the main issue Minako needed to overcome in her character arc - in prioritizing the past life mission, she was running away from what's most important, herself as Aino Minako. Her Senshi power literally woke after she accepted herself and chose to face the challenge Aino Minako faces, instead of only focusing on the challenges of Sailor Venus.

Now this in itself seems like it's really just a Minako thing, right? Where does Rei fit in?

The significance of Rei's act of staying: PGSM Minako is the the queen of the hot-and-cold behaviour, especially when she's with Rei. And her signature "cold" gesture is walking out on Rei. In fact, as you can see from this gif set, I've counted 14 times where Minako had walked out on Rei on screen in the series, and 4 other times she attempted to walk away but was stopped. Even for the normal person, you'd think when someone keeps pissing you off and runs out on you, your patience would be spent and just give up on them, right?

Now, PGSM Rei is written as the awkward, stubborn and easy to anger teenager. And don't forget, with Rei's backstory fleshed out as much as it did in PGSM, it's basically confirmed that Rei suffered badly from parental abandonment, so it's not much of a reach to interpret Rei's trust issue to be born from acts of someone she cares leaving her behind or showing rejection. And so it should reason that Rei would be doubly pissed off at Minako's seemingly flippant and callous behaviour, and couldn't wait to pass Minako off to Makoto and Ami to deal with once they know Minako is Venus, right?

But no, Rei stayed, every single time.

Despite all the crap Minako threw at Rei and repeatedly rejected Rei's support, Rei didn't react with her usual knee-jerk reactions. This, more than anything else, proves to me that Rei sees Minako as someone special - someone she could not and would not turn away from, even when Minako keeps pushing her away.

These actions forms a very beautiful, and dare I say, romantic narrative to their shared story. Here's why.

PGSM has established that all along Minako had made the conscious decision to not get deeply involved with her teammates for fear she'll end up hurting them when her illness inevitably takes her. In doing so, she boxed herself into a self-imposed isolation as her health worsens and things get tougher.

And yet in Act 11 and Act 17 when Minako met Usagi and then Rei, the narrative revealed to us that loneliness does unsurprisingly overwhelm Minako from time to time. This changed partially though when she accidentally revealed her identity to Rei. In doing so, she gave herself the choice and space to be outspoken with someone who is (at least partially) in-the-know besides Artemis. The fact Minako repeatedly approached Rei in Act 18 was evidence she actually craved the contact when she lets her guard down, to the point even Artemis had to call her out on it. And so, in moments of clarity, we see Minako try to backtrack by pushing Rei away, ie walking out on Rei. The cycle persists, where Minako's behaviour fluctuates depending on her state of mind, her backstory sadly but logically explains Minako's sometimes seemingly-random hot and cold attitude towards Rei.

In contrast to Minako's unreliable and mixed signals, Rei was the definition of stability and certainty in this relationship. Yes, Rei had indeed followed Minako around a few times, but more than that, Rei stayed and was consistently there, waiting to be available for Minako even when Minako didn't want Rei to be. Rei knows when to initiate contact (chase after Minako), but also knows to not push Minako too much too soon, choosing to stay put when Minako is actively pulling back. She lets Minako go most times when Minako walks away, as if patiently waiting to try again another day, hoping the next time will be enough to fully bring Minako's walls down. Rei knew she was in it for the long haul, not for momentary wins.

This back and forth dynamic is a persistent theme in their relationship. It can be perceived that Rei's tenacity and relentless efforts had managed to wore Minako's guard down slowly but surely throughout the series.

Act 20: Minako finally shared Rei was meant to be leader, hinting Rei needs to step in when she’s gone.

Act 36: Minako chose to disclosed the truth about her terminal illness to Rei.

It was only after Act 36, we see Rei being even more persistent and takes drastic measures in attempt to get through to Minako, because Rei realized they were out of time. But even then, their dynamic didn’t really change - Minako being the runner and Rei being the person left waiting, until…

The times their role reversed, the other AMAZING thing about all of this!

Minako walking away and Rei staying is THEIR thing. But has Rei ever walked out on Minako? The answer is yes. But only 2 times! And both times it had significant impact on Minako.

The first time was when Rei ran out to fight the Youma, and that led to Minako being overly worried and end up accidentally revealing her Senshi identity to Rei.

The second time was when Minako finally pushed Rei so much in front of the team, Rei pulled back and walked out in Act 44, reversing their usual roles. And you can tell from Minako's reaction she looked lost and conflicted as she watched Rei leave. Here was someone who had been a rock and pillar of care and support to her, now seemingly giving up on her because she finally shoved too hard. Between Makoto's near miss in Act 45 and the fact that Rei actually walked out on Minako in Act 44, Minako was shocked enough for her to finally listen and process what Rei's been telling her all this time. This ultimately lead to the resolution of Minako's character arc in Act 46.

In conclusion, their action forms a pattern to their story and deepens the meaning behind their choice to follow, stay or walk away from each other. When the pattern is disrupted it adds complexity of their story! Seriously, it feels like Rei's actions was catalyst of Minako's major character story development! Just as many of Minako's story influenced Rei's outlook on their mission and the past life (another post to come!), Rei's action had just as much influence on Minako's eventual character growth. If that doesn't prove these two are special to each other, I don't know what else to say!

Now - you'd think I'm done with my soapbox, right? NOPE. I've only finished talking about how these actions form patterns and the significance in their story. But the visual and filming appraoch of each of these scenes are also very telling. VERY.

Each time Minako walked away, it is intentional that Rei's reaction get highlighted on camera, even in group scenes. As well, we also get really telling reactions from Minako when Rei walks out on her. And that's regardless of which director led the filming.

Sato Takemitsu - Act 17, 18, 23

Takamaru Masataka - Act 20, 26

Maihara Kenzo - Act 40

Suzumura Nobuhiro - Act 43, 44, 47

It suggests either the script writer Kobayashi Yasuko intentionally scripted for Rei and Minako to have the spotlight for reacting to each other's action so all the directors received the same fucking memo about them. OR, even better, it wasn't part of the camera/filming direction, but all the directors have arrived to the same conclusion after reading the script and decided to put the spotlight on these two no matter which episodes they worked on, because the unresolved sexual tension was clear as day for them to see.

And especially Keiko did amazingly on her part portraying Rei’s attraction towards Minako. Regardless if it's a group scene or not, Rei/Mars always had the most expressive and meaningful look on her face when Minako/Venus walks out. Even in Act 22 when Mars was just in the background with Jupiter, you can tell Mars’s eyes and body following Venus’s direction while Jupiter just stands flatly.

Rei/Mars' reaction to Minako/Venus leaving also changes across the series. From frustration/irritation, to hopeful yearning, ending with worried yearning. A reflection of Rei's feelings for Minako, from seeing her an annoying brat of a Princess, to respecting Minako as a mentor, to caring for her as a friend (and maybe more).

And look at this shit!!!!!!!!

Act 20 and 26 were done by the same director. The two scenes are basically parallel to each other visually and artistically, which is also so layered when juxtaposed to the plot point:

Act 20: Minako tells Rei that Rei's meant to be leader, and Rei follows Minako wanting to learn more while expressing concern for her Princess's well being and safety.

Act 26: Mars grown enough to start taking on the leadership, and follows Venus in attempt to invite Venus to integrate with the team now Venus no longer need to play decoy, only for Venus to turn around and claims she's actually the leader and Mars is the substitute.

Lastly, the most beautiful yet absolute worst visual the PGSM directors gave us:

Even the imagery of Minako's passing just as Mars breaks down was of Minako walking away, leaving Rei behind. That shit can't be made up. If the imagery was coincidental, well, that's one hell of a coincidence.

These factors all lead to me concluding PGSM had very intentionally used the acts of walking away and staying behind as recurring theme in Reinako's relationship. The length they went to do this and the tragically beautiful story it gave us forms a much more compelling reason for audience to ship Reinako. In fact, this is the very primary reason why I fell in love shipping them in PGSM.

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (4/∞)

Relationship & story development parallels between reinako and usamamo!

This is in follow up to my previous post, with even more parallels I noticed between Rei and Minako vs Usagi and Mamoru’s relationship.  Things don’t necessarily follow the same chronological order, but there are many similar themes, dynamics and developments. When my OTP’s written to mirror the canonical main romantic relationship of the series, there should be no more doubts why I stand by this ship.

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (5/∞)

Cinematic parallels between reinako and usamamo!

This isn’t even about the big storytelling, but about the subtle happenstance and how the writer wrote the small scenes, and how the director and crew chose to do their filming and editing. 

PGSM only has one script writer: Kobayashi Yasuko, so you can bet that everything is intentional. Thank you, Kobayashi-san for bringing reinako to life in the live action series! 

[real-life-senshi]

You’re still my favourite ‘what-if’.

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (6/∞)

The significance of Mars’s upgraded Youma Taisan!

It took me awhile to get my thoughts fully together about this because they were so scattered. After much thinking and struggles, here’s my attempt to explain why I think Mars’ attack is significant to the Reinako relationship!

Point (1):  The upgraded Youma Taisan was manifested from Mars’s power awakening, and like I mentioned in my previous post, the first thing Rei/Mars does is using this save Venus (and Moon...) from Nephrite!  And looking at the plot of Act 23, Mars’s power woke because Minako tricked Rei into a task to get a lesson across.  So here’s the first point of connection and significance already!

Point (2): There’s significance from the PGSM filming and post-production crew’s choices of WHEN to show us audience the full sequence of Mars’ upgraded Youma Taisan. This happened only twice.  Of course it makes sense for it to be shown in Act 23 when her power awaken, but when’s the next and only time we get to see the full fury dance like sequence before she attacks???  Act 47 after Rei learns of Minako’s passing. 

While Mars does use her upgraded powers often after Act 23, as shown in Act 24, 34, and 43, but in all these other instances they were all just a shortened/cut/partial display of the full fiery dance.  We only see the fully upgraded Youma Taisan in the two episodes where Rei has significant interaction with Minako. From this, I seriously think the production crew had made a conscious decision to associate the display of Mars upgraded attack as a plot tool/device for demonstrating Rei and Minako’s relationship.  And what a display it is, which brings me to my next point!

Point (3): The level of power behind Mars’ upgraded attack is heavily influenced by Rei’s reaction of Minako’s situation! 

In Act 23, Mars obliterated Nephrite with her Youma Taisan - but it was one strong blow, quick without prolonged suffering for her enemy. She only did what was necessary, and there was no wrath or malice behind her attack, just a mission to fulfill and a princess to save. In fact, Mars herself was just as surprised by her own power as was Venus and Moon, as you can see her reaction and deep breathing after her attack ended.  Rei in Act 47 though…

Rei in Act 47, you can tell from the same attack how heartbroken she was.  The elegance in her posture was lost, instead it was jerky and forceful, as if she was struggling to control herself - which we know she was struggling with her emotions, but also possibly her own power as influenced by her emotions.  The result of this was her attack was MORE than enough to stop and overpower the Youma in her first blow, but instead Mars seemed to have deliberately pushed for a second round of fire. You can totally see the Youma writhing in pain before vanishing. Like, was it necessary? The Youma probably couldn’t even attack if it wanted to, but Rei was determined to destroy it in the most painful way possible.  

Was it just to let off steam as a coping mechanism?  Was it a form of revenge on the past life crap, and in extension, the enemy for existing and leading to Minako being taken from her? Who knows. But dear god, it was heartwrenching to watch.

Point (4): In the Final Act when Venus’s Star Tambourine was summoned along with Mars’s, we see the sequence of how Mars used the gadgets to summon the twin Mars and Venus daggers.  The motions starts off exactly the same as the upgraded Youma Taisan’s fiery dance as she held her own and Minako’s tambourine.  When I saw that, I just completely exploded with feelings in addition to my initial shock of seeing Mars even having Venus’s weapon.  (I was SO shocked the first time I saw the Final Act!!!)

[real-life-senshi]

The hardest thing I’ve ever done is walk away still madly in love with you.

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (3/∞)

Key scenes of reinako subplot is often juxtaposed to key scenes of usamamo main plot!

One of the best points of PGSM is undoubtedly its beautiful and detailed storytelling, especially for a tokusatsu style sentai-like series, even if it’s not without its faults.  They are willing to take time to develop its characters and their dynamic so relationships don’t feel rushed or forced, but instead are compelling and believable and makes us audience fall for them!

Usamamo - the series main romantic relationship was explored from Act 1 and  finally becoming a couple in Act 32, before other drama got in the way of their love even if their feelings for each other are unwavering.  Now, which other character dynamic took just as long to develop and stabilize?  

Rei and Minako! 

It took them from Act 17 to Act 46 to fully stop being at odds, coming to a resolution that got crushed in Act 47, which in itself feels like another parallel to  usamamo’s ~30 episodes long relationship development, and then being separated again in Act 36.  

Rei and Minako’s relationship development was the most long lasting and heavy in storytelling besides our main miracle romance couple plotline, and it is especially amazing and beautiful that the key Rei and Minako scenes are often placed side-by-side to key usamamo scenes, as the gifs shows. The fact that Rei and Minako’s relationship is often juxtaposed to Usagi and Mamoru’s, you gotta wonder what the writer/producer are playing at! ;)

I certainly believe the reinako hints are intentional, and that’s why I’m such a diehard reinako fan!  There’s even more parallel between usamamo and reinako in pgsm, that I’ll need multiple post to talk about them. More gif sets to come!

[real-life-senshi]

The Call by Regina Spektor

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (1/∞) 

Mars & Venus’ battle juxtaposed with Moon & Mercury & Jupiter’s battle

In the first half of Act 18, we audience are introduced to Rei and Minako’s complicated and banter-filled relationship, involving one-upmanship, sniping remarks and disjointed priorities. Yet when we get to the climax action scenes in the later half of the episode, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus worked in perfect sync (with lots and lots of ust) to defeat the Youma with barely any words exchanged, despite having only met one episode ago.  

This scene is immediately and hilariously followed by Moon, Mercury and Jupiter’s battle against Jadeite and Nephrite, where despite the three Senshi are established friends and comrades for eleven episodes, they had failed to coordinate their attacks and had to redo it a second time.  Not to mention their coordinated attack is significantly less action-intensive than what Mars and Venus pulled off!

The two scenes juxtaposed to each other seems such deliberate script writing, and especially highlights the undeniable bond and partnership Mars and Venus share, regardless of their butt-heading and tension!

Also, who decided the Mars Venus’ acting directions? Like did Ayaka and Keiko just decided to wink at each other themselves???? OR WAS IT WRITTEN INTO THE SCRIPT????? And Mars mimicking Venus’ kiss motion even though it does nothing for her???????? HELLO????

---

So I’m trying a new thing, because I’m just too damn slow at liveblogging. At this rate, I’ll never get to yell about the Reinako significant moments as I’m still 3 episodes and a DVD special Oshiokiyo away from Act 17. So voilà, I’m starting another project for the simple purpose of talking about anything I want about Reinako, coz I have zero control over myself. lol It’ll be to no particular order, and some will be silly, and some will be me writing serious analysis. 

[real-life-senshi]

PGSM Reinako things I want to yell about, in no particular order (2/∞)

Minako meeting Usagi vs Minako meeting Rei for the first time

It has always fascinated me how drastically different Minako’s behavior was when she met Usagi and Rei.  

In Act 11, Minako was aloof and quick to judge, even slipping in hints of their duty and mission to test Usagi out. She was unfairly expecting a lot from Usagi, as if she never wanted to get to know the girl, just wanted to see this was someone worth protecting. When Usagi didn’t meet her expectations, she was so disappointed she flipped and end up staying back from a confrontation with the enemy. And in all this time, she also appeared as if she didn’t want to be in the girl’s presence, wanting to avoid being known.

On the other hand, the moment she meets Rei in Act 17, she chose to stay in the girl’s presence, volunteering to stay AFTER Rei already did, to take care of the sick dog together. She also opens up with no expectation at all, and in fact was drawn to Rei’s side, including exposing her identity as Sailor Venus to Rei. (Like I get that she wanted to save Mars, but could she not have transformed in hiding, instead of transforming right in front of Mars????)

In Act 12, Minako initially couldn’t stand Usagi at all, and actively ran away from her. Failing that, she falls back into her idol persona, treating Usagi as a typical fangirl.  Even her voice and tone changes to sound like a sweet girl.

With Rei, Minako never slipped into idol persona, and in fact initiated seeking Rei out in Act 18. She was candid in her behavior and words, including being solemn and pensive, or being mischievous and competitive.

For someone as secretive and guarded as Minako, she was extremely quick to show her true self to Rei. If that doesn’t mean something, I don’t know what does!  And it’s hilarious that Artemis even called Minako out on her crap:

In Sayonara ~Sweet Days, Minako sings the following lyrics:

Though I don’t have any particular reasons,  Somehow, I was able to be myself around you.

I seriously think she was singing that to Rei.

[real-life-senshi]